Comments on: Last stand-alone Mercury franchise closes, Ford cuts Mercury ads

By: lamboz get a life

lamboz get a life — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:16:34 +0000

sorry, did’nt get to finsh-Grand Marquis driving 75 year olds.

By: lamboz get a life

lamboz get a life — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:15:44 +0000

They must have had one salesman whom also was the finance and parts manager. Or this town is full of Grand

By: zoomzoomr

zoomzoomr — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 22:51:08 +0000

“Sign of the Cat” just shows how far Mercury had already veered from its “Super Chief” roots by the 1970s… and the brand hasn’t had any coherence or consistency since. Ever since the early 1980s it’s just been the “Sign with the Three Bent Bars”.

By: Brendino

Brendino — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 22:38:50 +0000

hockeygod1331 – I wasn’t being sarcastic…I just drove by canonsburg yesterday! I go to college about half an hour from there. and of course i know about sarris!

By: jackjimturkey

jackjimturkey — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:52:37 +0000

Fleming: only Mitsu should be ashamed. The rest are lowvolume type makes, or are wrongly considered separate from makes that far outsell Mercury.

Good history. My uncla had a ’67 Cougar XR7

By: CA36GTP

CA36GTP — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:05:03 +0000

It’s been months since I’ve seen a Mercury other than mid 90s Cougars and Grand Marquis.

By: Fleming in Tennessee

Fleming in Tennessee — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:54:06 +0000

Rread where Mercury outsold the following makes in November: Acura; Mini; Mitsubishi; Porsche; Saab; Volvo; Audi; Infinity & Jaguar. Not too shabby for a warmed over Ford! Mercury used to have a performance attitude: ’63 & ’64 Marauders won the Pikes Peak races; ’60′ & ’70′s Woods Brothers Mercurys dominated NASCAR Super Speedway races (everyone else raced for 2nd); ’67 Cougar (1st year) almost outsold ’67 Camaro (its 1st year); Cougars won several TransAm races and Cougar Eliminators won many a street fight; the very first flip-top funny cars were factory backed 1966 Mercury Cyclones powered by blown 427 SOHC Hemi-Ford V8′s; 1958 Mercurys could be had with America’s most powerful V8 of the time; Dyno Don Nicholson and Fast Eddie Schartman tore up many a drag strip in 427 powered AFX ’64 & ’65 Comets, and those ’50′s James Dean and Led Sled Mercs are still the hottest set-up in the hot rod world. Mercurys always had a “fast” attitude until the 70′s, when they became mini-Lincolns. In fact, the 1965 Mercury Park Lane won Car Life’s Car of the Year! FoMoCo just needs to get Mercury back on track and folks will flock to the sign of the Cat!

By: MikeFX

MikeFX — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 23:54:41 +0000

jjm: Full name is David Lindley, and the song in question is on “El Rayo-X” (iTunes has it).

By: rsg

rsg — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 22:03:18 +0000

I can’t be sure, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a Milan or new Sable on the road. The name Mercury absolutely doesn’t resonate with anyone under 40. Just like Olds, that’s why they’re gone, and that’s why Mercury will be gone soon. As far as Lincoln, Cadillac just totally blows them away. I don’t even see them as competitors anymore. Lincoln’s more like Buick now, I think. Alphanumeric names suck but at least Cadillac’s I can remember.

By: A4

A4 — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 19:38:03 +0000

mercurys are way nicer than their ford counterparts. thats all i gotta say

By: jackjimturkey

jackjimturkey — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 19:16:57 +0000

to figure out fow to fold down the second-row seats.

scar: I wouldn’t mind seeing all of her. Lincoln is already south of datsun, but still north of Toyonda’s faux-luxury divisions.

By: jackjimturkey

jackjimturkey — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 19:14:32 +0000

crash: Not oly that, but the guy at the small store will know his product. Went to one dealer, and he had to CONSULT THE MANUAL

By: Scarface03

Scarface03 — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:52:23 +0000

I’ve never shopped at a mega dealer, and I’ve never felt the warm-and-fuzzies from a small store. Guess it’s all in the people. I’ve never trusted any car salesman I’ve met, but I suppose, in the Internet age, they shouldn’t trust me either.

Too bad Mercury couldn’t hang on to Tier 1 advertising any longer. We need to get Jill Wagner exposed–HELLO!–I mean, more exposure. I miss Blade the Series, but she’s got a movie in the can due out next year, but it sounds like a B-horror movie. I’d like to see her in more stuff… and, yes, I wouldn’t mind seeing more of her….

Bryce is right-on with brand definition.

I think Lincoln should aim for a better defined mid-level luxury, maybe with reengineered chassis from Ford. Don’t aim as high as BMW/Audi/M-B. Maybe shoot for Acura/Infiniti/Lexus. I think *Ford* should incorporate the Euro models and go the way of Saturn….

By: zoomzoomr

zoomzoomr — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:43:36 +0000

Kudos to Joe for his loyalty, and for hanging in there this long with the Mercury brand.. but the writing is obviously on the wall and it doesn’t look good. I expect Mercury to continue to wither until 2011 or so, then disappear altogether.. until the new Focus-based Lincoln compact (the “Lincoln Mercury”) arrives in 2013 to great fanfare, and is subsequently renamed the “Lincoln MKM” in 2014.

By: crash1433

crash1433 — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 17:37:13 +0000

excellent comment by father was a merc man. All the people who root for the failure of dealership must enjoy the mega store approach to buying cars. Form the non-stop overly aggressive sales force to the mind numbing finance managers to the lack of service service managers. working for a small store myself I can’t tell you how many times customers have come back to our store telling horror stories from just stopping to look at another store that turned into a 4 hour ordeal.Enjoy your mega dealerships you bunch of sheep

By: jackjimturkey

jackjimturkey — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 17:31:14 +0000

Arbiter: if a Saturn dealer is selling “crap cars,” they’re coming among the trade-ins on the used lots. Best commuter coffin and cute-ute ever? Both saturns.

CA36: Or Toyonda, or Mitsubishi, or Chrysler …

CarStar: Olds was kind of a luxury-performance wannabe, then it devolved into faux-luxury, then it died.

Mike, 451: I’ll investigate this Lindley person.

Father was a Merc Man: A guy I worked for bought a new Stratus back in ’99. I asked him if he liked Chrysler. He said “I have a relationship with the dealer.”

You’re right about “The mega dealer has ruined this experience where you know the car guy and the car guy knows you and your family.”

Now, it’s all about the high pressure. heard about an Enclave at a dealership some 30 miles from my exurb. No, they sold it, the guy tells me. Then, in the same breath, he tells me about an ’07 Uplander I “might be interested in.” As if!

By: MikeFX

MikeFX — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:18:53 +0000

I know it’s been brought up before, but the Merc designs look better to me than the Ford’s. The Milan and Mariner look much classier than the Fusion and Escape, despite being essentially the exact same car.

F451: never saw Lindley live, but someone gave me a tape of “El Rayo-X” about 20 years ago, and every year I haul it out for a good time.

By: Father was a Merc Man

Father was a Merc Man — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:52:06 +0000

My Father bought his cars at Community Motors from 1959 until he passed away in 92. This is officially the end of the era of the small Mom & Pop car dealer that sold himself more than the brand! Ironically this dealership survived long after the Mercury brand began to erode. This small(even by the standards of the 50′s a small lot with a three car showroom )dealership south of Pittsburgh since the early 70′s had stiff competition from a full line, modern Lincoln-Mercury Dealership and a Ford dealership about 7 miles away with really easy access from the highway. This is a real testament to the kind of businessman that Joe Mastrangioli is. I remember as a small kid when we were going to see Joe I knew that we were getting a new car. Too bad this kind of dealership experience is going the way of other cherished bits of Americana. I remember a few times that my father stopped at this big dealership on the way to see Joe and the deal would never come close to the deal that Joe would give my Dad. The mega dealer has ruined this experience where you know the car guy and the car guy knows you and your family. Car buying was really an enjoyable experience where true customer service was as valued as the vehicle and Joe is the end of this era.

By: Get Real

Get Real — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 12:47:47 +0000

Sad how American industry is dying.

Between quality parts and EPA regulations in 30 years there will be no jobs.

I’d better get my WallyMart application ready.

By: Veda

Veda — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 12:10:49 +0000

Ford will rejoice the day they undo their abomination called Mercury.

By: 1c3d0g

1c3d0g — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:08:15 +0000

Thank Jesus! Honestly IMO, Mercury always looked like an “ugly-fied” version of the same Ford vehicle, like a weird cousin or something. The time has come for Mercury to cease to exist. GM did it with Oldsmobile, Ford can do it with Mercury. One less brand to worry about means more time to focus on the important stuff, like the neglected Lincoln brand.

By: lucklaster

lucklaster — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 04:55:47 +0000

49 coupe
66 comet cyclone
67 cougar
69 marauder
86 mclaren
03 marauder
I’m just sayin’

By: cookie4me

cookie4me — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 03:54:17 +0000

Too bad for the owners, I had family that owned a small Chevrolet dealership until a few years ago and they took a buyout from GM. A lot of good memories at that place but progress marches on.

By: hockeygod1331

hockeygod1331 — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 03:53:43 +0000

Hey Brendino, fyi Canonsburg is about 20 minutes south of Pittsburgh on I-79. It is home to Sarris Chocolate and candies (some pretty good shit for the price).

So yes, this resigning is significant because it does affect a local community – particularly a local community of old people who normally shop Mercury.

By: F451

F451 — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 03:14:07 +0000

@ MikeFX, someone else who appreciates David Lindley!? In person and in small settings Lindley is a lifetime experience.

By: MikeFX

MikeFX — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 03:05:06 +0000

F451: Lindley rules! Good call!

By: CarStar

CarStar — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 02:15:38 +0000

Mercury is going the way of Oldsmobile and Plymouth.
Those two marques also had a lack of focus/ purpose for
existence. Ford cars have a clear vision as the famed entry level car/truck brand. Dodge has the clear image as the agressive entry level car/truck brand at Chrysler and isn’t redundant with Chrysler/Jeep. Oldsmobile (and Eagle) were supposed to be import fighters but instead competed with Pontiac/Buick or the Chrysler and Ford brands instead. Oldsmobile was a thinly disguised Chevy or Buick-sharing several models with both. Ford Motor Company bounced the image of Mercury around so much that it created more confusion than sales. Its cars became differently trimmed Fords. Ford can more successfully add entry-level Lincolns to the lineup (Mercury priced) & sell Volvos at the top.

By: CA36GTP

CA36GTP — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 01:32:04 +0000

The Saturn Aura is miles better than anything Ford/Lincoln/Mercury can vomit up at the moment.

By: CA36GTP

CA36GTP — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 01:31:09 +0000

Clearly, Ford does not intend to disband Mercury. Rather, they’re going to let it rot until it slowly fades from existence by itself.

By: Arbiter

Arbiter — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 01:27:03 +0000

The “Saturn Treatment?” What’s that, sell crap cars at delaers who treat you nice?

If you guys don’t like Ford products you must really hate Saturns!

By: sharpie

sharpie — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 01:06:34 +0000

“Tier 1 is the most expensive media that you have, and it’s very good at brand building,” Ford spokesman Jim Cain told Automotive News

And he means the lack of it is very good at brand killing.

By: illwill

illwill — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:23:22 +0000

Mercury needs the Saturn treatment and fast.

By: F451

F451 — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:22:27 +0000

As Scooby-Doo would say, that leaves “Rord and Rincoln.”
.
If I had money
Tell you what I’d do
I’d go downtown
Buy a Mercury or two
I’m crazy ’bout a Mercury
Ohh I’m crazy ’bout a Mercury
I’m gonna buy me a Mercury
Cruise it up and down the road
Well, I had me a girl
Stole her from a friend
Friend got lucky
Stole her back again
Cause she thought he had a Mercury
Ohh she thought he had a Mercury
I’m gonna buy me a Mercury
Cruise it up and down the road

By: jackjimturkey

jackjimturkey — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:14:52 +0000

rsg: guy I played FB with had a celebrity seemed like crap, and the cops used ‘em. Not as patrol cars, but in marginal areas like code enforcement. Buy yeah, Ford and Chrysler were even worse.

deantj: my haiku.

sweet jill wagner
mercury she could not save
she may end up kept

By: mazdaman

mazdaman — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 23:35:34 +0000

It’s all just signs of the inevitable:
* No stand alone Mercury dealerships.
* No new products in the pipeline.
* Downgraded advertising.
* Lincoln’s deterioration from a top tier luxury brand into a near (“faux”) luxury brand.
* The Ford brands in the U.S. and Europe merging design direction in the future.

Mercury is on its way out when its current products reach the end of their product cycles. It’s sad to see them go, but it’s even more pathetic to see them continue to exist as a glitzy Ford clone brand.

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 23:34:07 +0000

The idea of Mercury becoming a North American division for Ford’s European models makes way too much sense and shows far too much vision to come from any current Ford exec. Besides, the company’s hemorrhaging so much red ink I truly doubt they could even afford the boat gas to get the cars here in the first place.

By: DeansterTJ

DeansterTJ — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 23:09:08 +0000

^ Agreed with Angelo. Stop eulogizing for this fucking pig-company that dumped shitboxes on us for decades. To hell with Mercury. They can eat a dick for all I care. Fuck you Mercury. And now, a Haiku

Mercury, oh Merc
Shittiness that knows no bounds
Lay yourself to rest

By: angelo

angelo — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 23:04:03 +0000

Mercury sucks. Who cares? Supply and demand rules here. It’s not like a charity is gone, just a mediocre car brand.

By: rsg

rsg — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 23:03:48 +0000

I dunno. Some were better than others I guess. My father had an ’85 Delta 88 coupe with the 307 that needed a transmission at 50k and was on it’s last legs 5 years later with 100k. I inherited my grandfather’s ’85 Monte Carlo with the 4.3 that I got rid of in ’95 with 185k and never had a problem that I didn’t cause (teenager+ rwd + NJ winters + USAC fan = bodywork). Also got Grandma’s 88 Regal, which was marginal. Everybody I knew had a Ciera/Celebrity etc. and they always held together ok, even though they weren’t particulary refined. Fords and Chryslers of the era always seemed crappier than GM’s stuff. Sorry to get off topic here..

By: jackjimturkey

jackjimturkey — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 22:41:01 +0000

rsg: not only that, but in a lot of areas, you were choosing from several flavors of crap?

By: rsg

rsg — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 22:06:30 +0000

Yeah! They can call it Merkur!

By: rsg

rsg — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 22:05:34 +0000

Nowadays Buick, Chevy, Pontiac, Cadillac and Saturn all look a great deal different from each other (except for the trucks/ crossovers/ vans) unlike in the eighties when you had to really know cars to be able to tell a Ciera and Century apart. Mercurys now really are nothing but Fords with different grilles and lights. The only point of Mercury now is to keep the Lincoln dealers with some product, but I think it cannibalizes Ford sales. The Fusion and Taurus (okay, maybe not the Taurus) might crack the top 10 cars sold if the Mercury versions weren’t taking sales away. The money goes to the same place anyway so might as well have bragging rights.

By: carguy70

carguy70 — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 22:03:48 +0000

Mercury should be Europien Ford based in its lineup. Unique from Ford and Lincoln. Imagion a Mercury Mondeo sedan and wagon in the middel of their lineup! Instead of a REBAGED FORD witch happins to be a RESKINED MAZDA!! Let Mercury Fly with BEAUTIFUL Europien Ford based Models!

By: jackjimturkey

jackjimturkey — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 22:03:30 +0000

Scar: Straight Truth!

Bryce: good insights.

And yes, Jill Wagner is a biscuit!

C6 Racer: It would’ve made too much sense to sell the Marauder

By: C6Racer

C6Racer — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 21:28:46 +0000

Yea, the Marauder was pretty cool. Too bad.