http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/mercury-a-brand-without-a-cause/
Will you miss it?
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/mercury-a-brand-without-a-cause/
Will you miss it?
They haven't been more than tarted up Fords since the mid nineties.
The last one I would actually want would be a Fox Capri...or a front drive Capri XR2.
Not surprised but a little sad, I'm always sad when a car company dies, its like loosing a species on Animal ( all be it a rather boring, bland animal like say slugs) but still they were on the endangered list for a while, at least since the 90's or 80's or when ever they started to make only badge engineered products.
Plymouth, Pontiac and Mercury. They're dropping like flies. Seems like this would be a good time to start a collection of the best examples of the dead brands.
What's funny is up until virtually yesterday Ford denied any possibility of the Mercury brand going away even with multiple automotive sources reporting that is was already a done deal. It's just like the government.......you just can't believe anything they say.
TJ wrote: link to 4 day old thread about this
Yeah, I noticed it after I started this one.
If we can get a few more people to post it then before long Ken Block will be driving the last Mercury off the assembly line and then drifting it all over the parking lot in only 2,000 takes and 8 sets of tires. 
Good riddance. A brand that's been diluted since the 1960s. I mean, really, wasn't it already dead in the 1980s?
It is sad really. Brands like Oldsmobile, Plymouth and Mercury at one time meant something but by the time they died were just re-badged versions of other models and had nothing at all to offer.
My first car was an 87 cougar - I dont miss it and I wont miss Mercury. Old people will have to start buying some other dumb sedan to drive 15 mph under the limit.
4cylndrfury wrote: Old people will have to start buying some other dumb sedan to drive 15 mph under the limit.
Buick is still around....
...Not your grandfather's Oldmobile...
One of the most powerful cars I've ever driven was one of those crosshair-grilled Cyclones with a 429 4 speed. Another was a Cale Yarborough edition 428 Cobra Jet. The 2.6 V6 Capris were amazing in their time, although they weren't technically Mercurys, but German Fords.
But I digress; that was back in the day, and today's economy calls for different bent.
I'm mighty glad to have lived during that time.
The list of dead car makers is huge. Granted, most died in the first parts of the last century, or were only around for a year or three, but, damn, its big.
hotrodlarry wrote:4cylndrfury wrote: Old people will have to start buying some other dumb sedan to drive 15 mph under the limit.Buick is still around....
Actually they have migrated to Toyota and their avalons.
Bobzilla wrote:hotrodlarry wrote:Actually they have migrated to Toyota and their avalons.4cylndrfury wrote: Old people will have to start buying some other dumb sedan to drive 15 mph under the limit.Buick is still around....
Or any car painted gold.
I like Avalons and gold cars.
I am also known to say "I cant wait to be old" while giggling.
I wont miss Mercury. The only thing they currently make which i think is cool is the Milan Hybrid.
I would've loved to see a proper modern Marauder, Cougar Eliminator, and Comet Caliente. But I know none of those, other than maybe the Maruader could exist with the current trend of uber-bloat that cars are under right now.
So best to just let 'er be.
Its about time
it's a shame really. I remember back in the 80s when my parents had Mercuries and my Aunt and Uncle usually had the ford version of the same car. The Mercury was generally the MUCH nicer vehicle of the two.
Badge engineering has killed a lot of great nameplates.. but like Chrysler proved with the neon... how many car companies can sell the same car (chrysler, dodge, and plymouth all had the same car with the same name.. neon)
hotrodlarry wrote:4cylndrfury wrote: Old people will have to start buying some other dumb sedan to drive 15 mph under the limit.Buick is still around....
Boosted, 300+ HP, brembo brakes, 6 spd, awd, 3 pedals - I think you may need to reconsider that last statement...
4cylndrfury wrote: Boosted, 300+ HP, brembo brakes, 6 spd, awd, 3 pedals - I think you may need to reconsider that last statement...
Depends on how much it weighs. 300hp, good brakes, AWD, and a proper 6-speed doesn't make 4500 lbs of car awesome, just tolerable.
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