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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  Big Merc - 2003 Mercury Marauder
  By BigMerc - August 23 - 2:00 am

  Overall a great car to drive, will tinker with it a bit just for some more low end horses, but a satisfying car overall, those who dont like it are chevy guys just crying in their beer (because they are unemployed too)

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  Reliabile - 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Rolf Potsch - August 19 - 11:26 pm

  absolutely no problems. Is not a Mercedes Benz like our other 2 cars. It is a good reliabile car for the price

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  Still Rolling Along @ 371,538 Miles - 2006 Mercury Mariner
  By Bill W - August 18 - 9:25 pm

  I am the original owner of my 2006 Mercury Mariner SUV (4 Cylinder / 4WD). I purchased it brand new back in 2006. It has been my daily driver to and from work, I drive 92 miles each way in good weather and bad weather. I wanted to share my feelings, this has got to be the BEST VEHICLE that I ever purchased. I am very proactive on maintaining my vehicle, I have changed the oil every 5k miles along with tire rotations, knock on wood that I have not really had anything major happen since buying it other than replacing the tires, front brakes, back brakes only 1X, the serpentine belt 1x, plugs 2x, the battery 1x, the windshield from a stone crack, the alternator 1x, wiper blades many times and the AC Compressor just died, no biggie ..... Also back in 2010 I got rear ended and I thought the insurance company would have considered it a total loss, they ended up paying more for repairs that the value of the vehicle, crazy ! My paint is smooth as glass and the interior is pretty much mint, I really keep it detailed all the time ! Mercury did a great job on the build on this vehicle, I would purchase another if they continued selling them, but the product line got the axe. The engine runs awesome and the transmission is perfect ! Yes, I had the fluid drained from the tranny 2x, no pressure flush, just a drain and fill, same with radiator, no pressure flush, just drain and fill, fluids always look clean. Thank You, Mercury !

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  Good workhorse car - 1999 Mercury Sable
  By robroyal - August 18 - 2:00 am

  This is my fourth Sable/Taurus wagon, and Im shopping for a new one now. The earlier models were plagued with transmission problems, but at 98k, the transmission on the 99 is doing just fine. I only do required maintenance. The only problem I had over the last four years was an intermittant electrical problem; turned out to be a loose battery post. Anyway, nothing but praise for this old workhorse. I load the back with forklifts, I carry my bikes on top, its my restaurant, and dormitory.

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  2000 Mercury Mountaineer - 2000 Mercury Mountaineer
  By Moniquer - August 13 - 10:00 am

  Leased vehicle just turned in after 36 months. Very good comfort, all the extras anyone could want, very comfortable interior. Quality was above average. Some initial build quality problems on interior trim and had the radio replaced under warranty during. Handling subpar although it is a truck. V8 gas mileage in city nowhere near as EPA advertised; 10-12 max. Highway mileage 18-20.

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  Great car for the money - 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By greytech - August 13 - 2:36 am

  This has been a great car. I bought it used with about 40000 miles on it and now I have about 100000 miles. While it is not an exciting car to drive it has proved to be very reliable, it uses no oil between changes,handles very well for a vehicle of its size. I commute about 20 miles to work about 75% interstate highway and I am averaging about 20 mpg, on long highway runs I have gotten as high as 26 mpg, but can usually count on about 24 mpg. If hope to keep this car another 10 years and when the time comes find another slightly used one.

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  Thanks for the knowledge - 1999 Mercury Villager
  By SMOOTH - August 12 - 5:56 am

  I read this web sites reviews on this vehicle before deciding to purchase. I must say so far everything good and bad have been true. I just purchased this vehicle yesterday. It is nice so far. Im looking forward to a good 2 years in this vehicle without any major problems just minor hopefully. It was really helpful to read this website on information from previous owners of this vehicle. Happy driver so far.

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  Nice car - 2004 Mercury Sable
  By cody c. - August 10 - 3:20 pm

  My husband and I bought this as a family car. It is very roomy with good gas mileage for this size vehicle. My husband is 66" and is very comfy in all the seats including the back. We are happy with our car and would highly recommend it.

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  Terrific Value In A Traditional Car - 2009 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By hpr2 - August 10 - 4:13 am

  Ive owned 12 Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis sedans since 1989. I came across a 2009 Grand Marquis LS Ultimate Collection with just 8.400 miles on June 1, 2011. This car is not only the best full size Ford product Ive ever owned, but the BEST car Ive ever owned ! Say all you want about being dated, but these cars were a salesmans dream....no failure along the side of the road. Ever. The evolution from 2004 to 2009 was a continued improvement in ride and transmission driveability, shift points, etc. Ive just retired and feel set for many years to come. Remember the "special feel of an Oldsmobile" ? As long as I can, I will have the "special feel of a full size Ford product".

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  Winter beater - 2003 Mercury Sable
  By mark - August 5 - 10:00 am

  I originally bought the car to drive in the winter to save my mustang from the winter climate of Wisconsin. The car has been very reliable and good on fuel (27 hwy). The only problem I have had with it was that a dealer did an oil change and didnt tighten the filter fully, oil leaked down onto the starter and caused the starter to malfunction.I have heard that the transmission is the weak link on these cars but so far has been shifting properly, I would recommend this car for a used car purchase