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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  Love this car, but still just a Ford - 2005 Mercury Montego
  By nsoli - December 26 - 9:16 pm

  This is a car with really big value. I have the Luxury which has nice leather, wood and some brushed metal accents (plastic). Overall, very snazzy car, HID headlights, premium cd, etc. I cant even emphasize enough how roomy this car is inside. Was very happy. Downside - they used the old Taurus transmissions in a new car! What a scam! Only 200 hp, very low low-end torque. Build quality showed thru at the end of my lease. Rear drivers side door became water-logged from car wash, rear sway bars and bushings are shot. Power steering pump is shot, dealer insists theres nothing wrong, all Fords make that loud whining sound when turning a corner. And thats why Im buying a BMW next!

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  Love the car...too many repairs! - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By P schwedler - December 26 - 6:30 am

  This is my type of car. I love the unique look, the V6 power, the roomy hatchback. This is the 1st new car Ive purchased, and Ive taken great care of it. Ive failed the Mass. emmissions test due to a broken sensor. The fuel pump was recalled. The alternator cracked and my car died in rush hour traffic. This all happened in the last few months on a 3 year old car. Glad I got the extended warrenty! The steering is very heavy, but I can deal with that. My friends Jeep Cherokee has a tighter turning radius than my cougar. I love the car, but hate the hassle.

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  Solid Car - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By brigham1525 - December 26 - 4:43 am

  Ive owned this car since around 2002, and its been a solid car. The leather seats are nice, has a good brand name, and though not as good as some foreign cars, better than most American cars from the late 90s to early 2000s. The only problems Ive endured with it so far is some suspension/wheel problems, which was an easy fix, and in the winter, when I tried to warm my car up, then leave it, it would stall a little bit. But besides that, its a good car, though not tremendous, still gets the job done with a fine brand name.

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  OK, could be better - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By nvs - December 22 - 8:33 am

  Overall its been OK but the build quality could be better and only has 42k. So far we have had to replace the tires 3 times canÂ’t buy just one its AWD. Wheels are going bad from rust/corrosion and the chrome is peeling. Been in shop two times in 6 months for wheel bearings. CD changer ate the disks and they wonÂ’t come out. DonÂ’t get me wrong, I like it. The power is great. With the 5 speed and the V8 on the freeway it gets 20 mpg or more but around town itÂ’s like 15 or less.

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  Ten years and still going - 1998 Mercury Sable
  By Chris - December 11 - 5:06 pm

  I saw this car in 2005 now mind you it is about to reach the ten year mark, and has 93k miles on it, you couldve told me it just left the factory yesterday and I would have believed you. I had it checked out,a nd yes there were some problems, problems all too common with the Sable, but the dealer was happy to fix them and I for $3500 walked away with an above average used car. I am happy to tell you, the car to this day still turns heads, provides a smooth ride and on I-95 can keep up with those around it. After 150k miles my used car shows no signs of stopping and thanks to Ford I will not have to go through the process of buying a car anytime soon, thank you.

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  1999 Mercury Villager Estate - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By Barb - December 10 - 10:53 am

  Purchased used in 2002 with 30K. My first Mercury. Ive always owned Nissans. Ive had a lot of problems with this van. The gas pedal sticks, the sliding door windows rattle and wont stay open, rear wiper doesnt work, rear auto windows dont work, A/C doesnt work. The transmission jerks going from 1st to 2nd gear. Had the valve-body replaced twice. Had the box that controls trasmission twice. The transmission still jerks. The Check Engine light has been on for the past 5 years. Took it to 2 dealerships, no one can figure out why the light stays on. Battery and oil lights have been on for the past 6 mo even though I had both checked. I would never buy another Villager again.

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  Nice Car, Could Use Some Improvement - 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Mr. Marquis - December 8 - 5:03 pm

  If youre like me and enjoy a large, roomy v-8 driven rear wheel drive car then the Mercury Marquis is about the only way to go now that GM has been out of the game since 96. That being said, it fills that niche nicely but a few things need to be addressed. I bought mine at 62,000 miles and it ran fine with no problems until around 75,000 when the plastic intake manifold cracked ($1,000 fix). This is apparently a common problem on the Ford 4.6L V8. Its comfortable, has plenty of room, and rides nice and smooth. Overall, a good value with nice features for the money.

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  Fun on the road - 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Bentley - December 7 - 10:23 am

  We just traded in a Mercury Grand Marquis in April, 2004. I like the Mountainer for the reliability and the safety. I like sitting up higher when driving than you would if driving a car. One feature I feel they could improve on would be the locations of the switches for adjustments of front seats. Why not put them on doors like the Marquis do? Plus there could be more head room in the front seat area. I have noticed taller people close to top interior. Overall I have enjoyed the Mountaineer and it is likely we will keep this one for a few years.

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  My 99 Sable - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By adriene09 - December 7 - 2:00 am

  First car I bought new when I was just out of college. very impressed that I could afford leather and a moon roof for $23,000- tax, title, license all included--- and 0.9% financing to boot. test drove a pontiac grand prix and couldnt see out of it Sable is a good buy for what you get. Good on tires- first set went to 65,000 miles... got the same mileage out of original brakes as well. Would recommend car to anyone looking for a good used car (provided the original owener took good care of it, of course).

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  great - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By davisjim - December 5 - 10:00 am

  Nice car - a little small for anyone over 6 foot tall.