The "Drivin' The Merc" Story

It was an ordinary day. Wondering what we will do after our car wears out. For the last 10 years Carol and I have owned a Mercury Mountaineer. First was a 2002 that we bought from New Holland Ford and was two shades of tan. Great car that gave us very little trouble and had a fantastic ride. After almost 5 years and with about 48K miles on it, we decided it was time to trade it in. I have been told for years that if your vehicle has less that 50K miles on it, and it is in good shape, you can get more for it than if you wait until the speedometer turns over the 50K. In 2007 we bought a 2006 left-over Mountaineer from Lancaster Lincoln-Mercury (LLM) and used the 0% interest rate loan that was offered from Ford Credit. Again, another great car. This model had some changes, but not many. Carol loved the size, since she was in an accident in 2002 when she was driving a small car and the car was demolished. Luckily she wasn't injured, but after looking at the results of having a small car, she felt safer in a larger car. The gas mileage isn't as good, but the safety matters more to us, since we don't drive more than about 10K miles a year. And, we loved the Mercs. Mercury was launched in 1938 by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford. It was meant to be a model that would fall between the Ford and the Lincoln, both in price and luxury. From 1945 to 2011 it was the Mercury half of Lincoln-Mercury. The name "Mercury' is derived from the messenger of the gods of Roman mythology. The first logo was its namesake, the Roman god of mercury. The side profile of his head, complete with the signature bowl hat with wings. In the 50s the logo simply became the "M" with horizontal bars extending outward from the bottom of its vertical elements in each direction. During the 60s and up to the mid-80s, Mercury used the "Sign of the Cat" logo, then in the mid-80s the logo changed from the cougar to its final logo. Since 1999 the word Mercury appeared on the top part of the logo. The brand was sold in the US, Mexico, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and the Middle East. The Mountaineer is a mid-size sport utility vehicle (SUV) that was manufactured from 1997 until the brand's demise in 2011. It shares many features of the Ford Explorer, but has a more upscale interior and the suspension system is more like the Lincoln than the Explorer. It had a 302 c.i. engine which was not found in the Explorer. From 2002 until 2005 the Mountaineer featured a slightly newer design. The waterfall grille and barred tail-lights were changed from the previous models as were the interior luxury features. Again in 2006, a new design was introduced, but the exterior was virtually untouched. The changes came primarily in the frame and interior. In 2011, much to our chagrin, the Mercury brand was phased out as Ford refocused its marketing and engineering efforts on the Ford and Lincoln brands. The final Mercury automobile, a Grand Marquis, rolled off the assembly line on January 4, 2011. Sad day in LDub's family. What will come next we're not sure. We like our vehicle so much that we purchased an additional 3 years of warranty on it. So, in 2015 we will start looking for something we like as much. Maybe Ford will introduce something like say, the Mercury to its line of autos. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - photos from the top are: "Mercury," Roman god of Mythology, the current logo that is used by Mercury, A 1947 Town Sedan, assembly line which is making my car, exact duplicate of the car we now drive, the Mountaineer.