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:
Showing 61 through 70 of 3,661.00-
ok car - 1997 Mercury Sable
By Nicole - June 27 - 12:16 amI bought my car used from a private person.I drove it about 2 months then it broke down on me then I got that fixed. I guess the fuel pump was clogged. When I first got it I needed to get in inspected so I proceded to do so and they wouldnt do it because of the spring coil on the passenger side was bad. The speedometer is bad on it have the time I drive it I have no speedomter. I thought I was getting a great car but I thought Wrong. Over all for some people the car maybe be great but for me it was bust.
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Good car - 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis
By geogator - June 4 - 6:23 amThis has been a reliable and comfortable car. I am a handicapped person and appreciate the ease of entrance and exit with the spacious front floor, and accessible power seat controls.
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Cushy gas hog has issues - 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis
By Lisa - March 26 - 12:03 amWe were so excited to get into this buttery ride only to have our Marquis buzz killed when the fuel pump went out at 47,000 miles after only having it a month & one 400 mile trip under our belts. Another surprise was the terrible city mileage, much lower than the stated 17 mpg, around 10 mpg. Highway ok w/25 mpg. As Ive seen mentioned I have to agree the lack of a center console leaves one stuffing everything into the paltry pockets given in the front seats or on the floor. So despite the wonderful smooth ride the overall economy leaves me wishing wed shelled out for a Camry etc. PS.Loaner car during fuel pump was a Sable 05. It was a gas hog also (15mph?!). Ford/Mercury needs to wake up
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The usual transmission problems - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
By Suzi - March 18 - 3:13 amI see the 06 has tranmission problems, they started long before that, luckily I bought an extended warranty because the Mountaineer was in the shop every 3 months for 3 years. It got to the point where the mechanics would groan when they saw me walk in the door. If a manufacturer knows there is a long standing existing problem, they should fix it under warranty and not make the customer fight constantly. Dont plan to make my next vehicle a ford/mercury, too bad really because I come from a long line of ford dealers.
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Transmission problems - 2009 Mercury Mariner
By VIC - March 1 - 10:00 amWe bought this car in august 2009. We have taken it to the dealer in 3 different occasions for transmission problems. The first time they said they had to reprogram the computer. The second time they said they had a recall and they had to reprogram the computer again. This week we took it in again and they said they can fix the problem since they cannot reproduce the problem while testing it. This is the worst car we ever owned. The rpm jump to 6000 in the highway, the car basically stops working and you have to get out of the highway to avoid an accident. This happens randomly. Once you stop and restart the car it runs without problems. This dealer has not help us in solving the problem.
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Hunk of Junk - 1999 Mercury Cougar
By lalala - December 20 - 3:56 pmAfter 10 years, the car still looks great, but thats just about all I can say. I bought my car new in 1998, and 2 days after I bought it it wouldnt start. This was just the beginning of my problems. The engine light keeps coming on, no matter how much I get the car repaired. The alternator has gone out 3 times, once leaving me stranded on the freeway at 2am in a storm. I am so constricted because with 86000, this car should still have life, but I cant even drive 20 minutes on the freeway without something happening. Oh yeah, and did I mention the sunroof? Dont even get me started.
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Middle of the Road - 2010 Mercury Mariner
By Ericd2day - October 23 - 11:50 pmMy 2010 Mariner has had some transmission issues. Feels like the engine is breaking and slowing the car down. Dealer says this is normal. Heated front seats get too hot too fast and should have a temp. setting. Still a lot of outside noise and engine is noisy when accelerating. Climate controls very good. Brakes not firm enough for me, need rear disc. Gas mileage varies but for the most part is very good. The I4 engine labors to get up to speed but then does OK to maintain, cruise control helps with mileage on highways. Wish I had opted for the V6 but thought the mileage would be poor. Ok car for now but I do not know if I would purchase another one.
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Worst Mistake EVER! - 1999 Mercury Cougar
By SunshineE - October 23 - 2:43 amThis car was the worst mistake my father and I could ever make. I should have known better. Its American made! Everything that could go wrong did. My father spent so much money fixing this car its ridiculous. He spent more than the actual cars worth! It has been in and out of our mechanic since Dec 2009, Ive had it less than a year and Im already selling this piece of junk. The gas mileage is horrible. 16.5 mpg (city) I should be driving a huge SUV with that gas mileage. It was nothing but headaches beginning to end. I would strongly advise anyone to never buy this car. I cant wait to get rid of it. Im scared every time I get in it. I always think its going to break down on me. Never again!
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Mercury Villager #2 - 1999 Mercury Villager
By dede - September 28 - 12:36 pmThis is our second Villager, the first one has been great, we still have it and it has 177000 miles on it, but this newer one has problems. The accelerator sticks. We have had it fixed once already and in less than 3 years need to have it fixed again. We were charged almost $400.00 the first time. It also bounces a lot. Even with new tires it is not the smooth ride our other older villager has. It rattles, windows pop open on even small bumps.
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A fun but sometimes scary year! - 1999 Mercury Cougar
By Pippi - September 11 - 9:13 amThe sporty V6 is fun to drive on highways and interstates but is not the best around town. I bought this car used last year and I loved it then, but after a while of driving in different situations I realized that it just was not for me. I am a short female and if I adjust the seat so I am comfortably ready to drive I end up about an inch from the visor! Also for me there is a huge blind spot behind the rear seats, which are so uncomfortable only my dogs ride back there, at first that was fine but now I need to carry people back there and they are too tall. When the car starts up in the morning and I back out of the driveway the car hums and the brakes squeaks, our service peep say it doesnt
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Mercury Cougar 442 Reviews
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Mercury Grand Marquis 658 Reviews
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Mercury Marauder 165 Reviews
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Mercury Mariner 318 Reviews
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Mercury Mariner Hybrid 115 Reviews
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Mercury Milan 337 Reviews
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Mercury Milan Hybrid 26 Reviews
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Mercury Montego 186 Reviews
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Mercury Monterey 91 Reviews
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Mercury Mountaineer 614 Reviews
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Mercury Mystique 61 Reviews
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Mercury Sable 489 Reviews
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Mercury Villager 159 Reviews