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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  Used 2008 Sable Premier AWD - 2008 Mercury Sable
  By billyd425 - October 30 - 1:58 pm

  This car had 49K when I bought it last August. Put about 15K on it so far. Drives & handles well. Wish the drivers seat floor didnt have the mound on the left side and the floor was a bit wider. Console is in an awkward position to retrieve change or plug a device into the USB Port. EVERYone who had rode in this car has nothing but compliments about it. Getting about 400 miles to a tankful (19 Gallons) with most of my driving being city while trying to get to the highway. Plenty of room in the back seat. Quiet at 80mph on the highway.

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  Best used vehicle I have owned. - 1998 Mercury Sable
  By vtray - October 28 - 3:07 am

  I am 73 and have owned a lot of vehicles, both new and used. I bought this car in Florida with 69K miles on it. We have a condo in Fl and live in VT. I drove it (packed to the ceiling) to Vermont (1635 Miles) and never had a problem. When I bought it, I had a wheel alignment and two new tires. Other than that, nothing was done. Although it is a GS model it has a lot of add ons such as the V6 Durotec engine with dual exhaust, leather all around, power seats, security system, chrome wheels etc. The Durotec is fantastic. It is quick (200HP) and yet delivers 28 MPG on the highway. Have had the car for about 9 months and no problems yet.

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  2002 mercury mountaineer - 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
  By papapochi - October 24 - 10:00 am

  I purchased this vehicle june 2001 and until now reliability has been very good.I recommend this vehicle to other consumers.

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  overall a great car - 1997 Mercury Sable
  By baldwin125 - October 22 - 5:46 pm

  I got this car in the summer of 08. had 143k on it. it rode smoothly. it was quick to accelerate and handling was very responsive. Never got stuck in the winter. had to travel on some really muddy roads sometimes and had no trouble getting through. one concern i had was the transmission. it lagged from 1st to 2nd sometimes but never became a huge issue. I had to repair the altenator twice and replaced the starter once. lots of interior room, huge trunk space. speakers were great quality. ac was beyond amazing, heat was slow but great none the less. i was in an accident in the winter. id say the saftey of the vehicle is excellent. it was a rear end collision and nobody in the car was injured.

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  New Engine after 3000 Miles - 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By Jim - October 12 - 12:30 am

  I bought my Grand Marquis new it was an 08 left over. I took the car in for an oil change, and a slight knock. after a three day diagnosis, came to find out that the #5 cylinder went bad. Ford approved a new engine to be installed can not find out if in fact a new engine is being installed or if its going to be a rebuild! Tried to get dealer to let me trade into something else, but after owning car for 6 months they said it depreciated $ 8000, so getting new engine, let see what happens!

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  My New 2002 Mercury Cougar, V6 Base - 2002 Mercury Cougar
  By garym1j - October 10 - 10:00 am

  I just traded a 2000, with 29,200 miles, for a 2002, same color, base model V6. The 2000 was a sports model with the big tires which I found a little noisy with a rough ride. The 2002 base model has smaller tires which are very quiet with a smoother ride. The stereo system in the 2002 model I bought is very much improved with disc and tape. I can even hear it now due the the reduced road noise. I bought the car to refresh the warranty and enhance trouble free driving.

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  Grand Marquis - 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis
  By jcarey - October 5 - 10:00 am

  I owned a 1997, 1999 and 2001 Grand Marquis Ulitma and today 10/13/02 purchased a new 2003 Ultima. So this should attest to my experience with this automoble.Total milage 1997-2001 models 244000 miles.

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  NOT TO SHABBY - 2000 Mercury Cougar
  By jnn88 - October 1 - 10:00 am

  I have had this car for two years, minimal problems. Just had to deal with recall of the fuel pump. Love the car, it is fun to drive and it looks nice. The only bad things about the car is the cup holder sucks and the trunk is tricky. Good car to "hook up".

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  You guys are scaring me... - 1999 Mercury Cougar
  By Jimmy Bagwell - September 22 - 2:00 am

  Overall, my Cougar has been great. I bought it new in 99 and have experienced some of the problems others report, but I think these minor problems are to be expected of first- model-year cars. Otherwise, performance has been excellent and mechanical reliability outstanding. It looks great and is fun to drive. Since mine now has 38K miles, whats concerning me are the significant number of reviews concerning major problems (transmission, starter, etc.) beginning around 40k to 60k miles. Im taking a hard look at the new Mazda RX-8...now may be the time to trade in.

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  2002, 4.6L V8 AWD model - 2002 Mercury Mountaineer
  By av8r1x - September 19 - 11:52 am

  217,000 + miles and still going strong! original engine, original transmission. However, I get regular oil changes, change the air filter regularly, clean the engine once in a while, etc...my only complaints are 1) the engineers who designed this vehicle did not put a governor on the accelerator, and sometimes when you take your foot off and coast, the gears shift down with a "thunk," instead of gradually, but this doesnt do any harm to the tranny, and 2) i had problems early-on with the vent system in the rear (3rd row seats). it makes a clicking noise sometimes, like the fan motor isnt working.