Overview & Reviews

Mercury was a division of Ford Motor Company marketed as being somewhat more upscale than Ford. Throughout the latter part of its 71-year history, Mercury's vehicles were essentially Fords with unique styling details and special features meant to enhance their desirability relative to similar Ford products.

It all started in the 1930s, when Edsel Ford, Henry Ford's son, saw an opportunity to create an additional brand within the Ford hierarchy, one that would exist between the everyman Ford Deluxes and premium Lincoln Zephyrs. To achieve this, Edsel felt the vehicles of this new brand should offer distinctive styling along with innovative features and better capabilities. He named the new division "Mercury," after the Roman mythological god. The 1939 Mercury Eight was the division's first car. It distinguished itself from similar Ford products via a 95-horsepower engine that offered 10 more horses than the Ford V8.

The Eight proved to be a hit, with more than 155,000 sold by the early 1940s. Production stopped during World War II; after the war, the brand was realigned more closely with Lincoln. The company grew from strength to strength in the '50s, establishing itself as a maker of vehicles offering style, performance and cutting-edge technology. A dash of glamour was added to the automaker's image when James Dean appeared onscreen in a Mercury in the film Rebel Without a Cause.

The 1960s saw the introduction of Mercury's Comet and Meteor vehicles. The Comet featured diminutive dimensions and luxury accoutrements, while the Meteor was a midsize family car that followed the trend toward more reasonably sized cars. Racetrack wins boosted awareness of the Comet and helped the model make a big splash in terms of sales. By the end of the decade, the iconic Mercury Cougar, a variation of the Mustang, had been rolled out, its Eliminator version taking its place in the pantheon of legendary early muscle cars.

Hit hard by that decade's oil crisis, consumers during the 1970s were hungry for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Mercury responded with a new, smaller Comet and the Bobcat, the former a fancier version of the Ford Maverick, the latter a fancier version of the Ford Pinto. The brand's sales grew during a decade that was filled with turbulence and uncertainty for many competing marques. Mercury further expanded its lineup in the '80s, this time including the small, Ford Escort-based Lynx. Mercury enjoyed success with the 1986 launch of the Sable, a fraternal twin to the Ford Taurus whose sleek, aerodynamic lines and futuristic "light bar" front end styling set it apart from the Ford.

Mercury's sales hit an all-time high during the 1990s that would never again be matched. Minivans and SUVs were a big reason for that as Mercury introduced its Villager minivan and Mountaineer SUV. Late that decade it introduced a new Cougar, which differed from its predecessors by being a front-drive sport compact that also holds the distinction of being the last Mercury that wasn't a rebadged Ford.

The years following the new millennium were challenging for the brand, as changing consumer tastes and a lack of differentiation between Mercury and Ford vehicles hurt sales. Pundits often proclaimed the end of Mercury was near, but Ford kept stating it would keep Mercury around despite offering no hope for any unique future vehicles from the brand. Finally in 2010, Ford pulled the plug on Mercury, putting an end to more than 70 years of car-making heritage.

User Reviews:

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  Old reliable - 1998 Mercury Sable
  By Ron - March 31 - 8:20 am

  Bought new with 37 miles on it. Wife drives most of time. After 10 yrs. and 63000 miles it still performs much the same. Duratec v6 hard to beat. Plenty of power to spare and mileage is good for a large car. Car is much lower to ground than new 2008 model. I am 62 now and not as flexible as I was at 52 when I bought. This is now my biggest complaint as entering and exiting has become less convenient. New model probably better for this. In 1st 3 yrs had to replace every power window motor and antenna motor. At warranty end air went out but was repaired by dealer at no cost. Front leather buckets are only good for short trips. Killers for trips over 4 hrs. Trunk only good for groceries or flat items

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  My mercury - 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By ED CAMPION - March 31 - 2:53 am

  Great car runs well. Like style outside inside is old looking and needs new features, my toyota 2002 corola has interior and exterior tempertaure and compass. Why not here ???

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  my mercury sable 4dr ls - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By hohmaniii - March 29 - 10:00 am

  Researched vehicle online (edmunds to be exact), prior to purchase safety was paramount and this vehicle rated with the imports. Tried new cavalier (sardine can)new monte carlo (too stiff)and one other car i cant remember. took the sable out for a test drive tapped the accelerator and experienced my first case of whiplash. Turned around went back to dealership and bought it.Car has been trouble free (changed brake pads 68,000), (tires at 60,000)and windshield wipers. Had one headlamp bulb failure simple repair. I am in the market for another car and the mercury dealer will be my first stop. I may buy somethingelse but it will be a hard sell.

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  The Cougar Curse is here as well. - 2001 Mercury Cougar
  By clayman - March 29 - 10:00 am

  Loved my cougar when I got it.Parents wanted a good car that could handle LOTS of miles for when I left for college(I drive back and forth from Norman Oklahoma (Go Sooners!),sometimes twice a month, the car is a little over 2 years old, and has 87,000 on it)At 11k, brakes where bad, 34k new transmission put in, week later the drivers side window stopped.CD player skips like mad.Trunk pop still does not work.At 60k ,transmission replaced again. 6 months ago,the door handle on the pass side broke.I constantly find nuts and bolts on the floor of the car, from diffrent places in the dash.

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  pain in the wallet - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By cpjones - March 29 - 10:00 am

  I was dating my future wife who wanted to buy a chrysler, but i talked her out of it, I wish she had not listened to me. I never thought of myself as a mechanic but thanks to this car I have learned alot about fixing cars(repairs are so expesive that i could not afford to have the dealer do them). To say that I dont like this car is an understatment. I feel that ford should be ashamed for even putting this car on the market. When I called ford about the electrical problem, they gave me the sorry about your luck speach.

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  All in all, a great vehicle - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Julie - March 28 - 2:20 pm

  I bought this vehicle after driving a 1993 Ford Probe for 5 1/2 years. It had several things go wrong within the first few months. I figured it was right off the assembly line so it was normal to have a few bugs worked out. The airbag & engine lights came on, it sputtered and died when I drove through puddles. All that were caused by faulty sensors and a loose serpentine belt. I had an extended warranty so thankfully I didnt have to pay for any of it. After it was fixed, I never had another problem.

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  A Favorite! - 2001 Mercury Sable
  By LS - March 27 - 5:46 pm

  I bought this 2 years old and I enjoy driving it everyday. wonderful interior space, comfortable seats, kids like to use the 3rd seat. Quiet, powerful, smooth ride. Im sorry that theyve discontinued this model. Im a wagon lover. I like that it has a granny image and is not a status symbol. Makes it more of a surprise to guests.

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  Too Much Vibration - 2005 Mercury Mariner
  By NYC Commuter - March 27 - 2:26 am

  I leased a 4 cyl. 4wd Mariner for commute purposes. The size is perfect, and it has been a champ in snow and rain. Unfortunately, the car has an annoying whine at 1,000 rpm that the dealer says in "normal" and under various condition vibrates excessively. At 55 and 75 mph the vehicle feels like the tires are unbalanced (they were checked by two dealer). If parked on a steep downhill, the vehicle vibrated very strongly in park. The pretty interior finishes and materials are not very durable. In retrospect, I should have gone with the Chevy Equinox.

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  Lemon any one? - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By nichole57 - March 23 - 9:30 am

  This is the worst car ever! Ive had it four months and its a death trap. Ive already replaced the fuel line and pumps,spark plugs, cat. converter, starter, pumps and hoses that were fried by exhaust. I got into a bad accident due to the brakes,power steering and emergency brake failing. This car was a terrible buy. Its very comfy and sleek and OK on gas mileage. When not in the shop it is actually very fun to drive because of its pick up and go.

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  WELL RESTED PORSCHE - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By Mr.Merc - March 23 - 2:00 am

  Since I bought the Maurader, Ive driven my Porsche twice! It is certainly a throwback to the sixties.The amazing apect of ownership is the wide range of admirers. My 80 year old aunts love to ride in the "roomy" back seat , and the teens everywhere give "thumbs up" . The exhaust sound is great,the ride is comfortable , and the styling is neat.