gasman Posted May 27, 2008 Posted May 27, 2008 Mercury gone? there is nothing good on the horizon right now for Mercury, no new models on the coming soon. and with the inevitable death of the mountaineer coming. (as well as the Explorer. sales are way down this year). and that the Grand Marquis is gone. that leaves just the Milan (re badged Focus), the Sable (re badged Taurus), and the Mariner (re badged Escape) left and the death of Mercury is coming. at least Lincoln has some new models coming up, Mercury's got nothing.
Harry P. Posted May 27, 2008 Posted May 27, 2008 As you point out, most "Mercurys" are nothing more than re-badged Fords. So what's the point of selling the same cars under two different names? Chrysler used to do it too...Plymouth "Voyagers" and Dodge "Caravans" were practically identical. Both a Plymouth AND a Dodge Neon??? What's the sense in that? Too many redundant makes/models are out there already. Maybe it's time to either give Mercury some actual cars of their own, or just pull the plug...like Chrysler did to Plymouth.
Harry P. Posted May 27, 2008 Posted May 27, 2008 Maybe if Mercury actually had a car or two that they could call their own, they could drive a little traffic into the showrooms. How cool would it be if Ford made a new "Cougar" (based on the existing Mustang platform)...
gasman Posted May 27, 2008 Author Posted May 27, 2008 Mercury been dying since the they killed off the Cougar in 02 (IIRC). The Murauder brought the company some good press. but the fact that it was 10 years behind the Impala SS did'nt help. I feel the company is too far gone to save. There arent many Lincoln/Mercury only dealers left in my area. they all have merged with the big Ford dealers in the area.
Robert Myers Posted May 27, 2008 Posted May 27, 2008 I like that Cougar!!! I drove a Mercury Sable for a few years and I really liked it. I knew it was just a re-badged Tarus, but it had just a little nicer interior and a front end that I liked better. Figure the odds, Now, my wife drives an Olds van.....just a re-badged Chevy, but just a little different styling.
CAL Posted May 27, 2008 Posted May 27, 2008 (edited) yeah, the writing was on the wall when 6 months ago the last stand-alone Mercury dealer closed. Chrysler is figure out the same thing and was said to axe 50% of their model line-up acrossed the board in the next 12 months. Edited May 27, 2008 by CAL
Harold Posted May 27, 2008 Posted May 27, 2008 (edited) This points up the same dilemma that killed the Plymouth and Olds- years of badge engineering with no discernable differences with the other vehicles in a manufacturer's product line. When you can't give the public any impression that your product is unique and there is no direction of any kind, its sayonara. It's like I keep carping about, though- Billy Ford is running the car company as well as his dad runs the Detroit Lions. Edited May 27, 2008 by Harold
gasman Posted May 27, 2008 Author Posted May 27, 2008 Plymouth was just a joke when Chrysler killed it off. at least all the mercury's look different. the only difference between the 2000 Dodge Neon and 2000 Plymouth Neon where the emblems. at least the Voyager and Caravan had different grills. as well as the Breeze and the Stratus. the only good thing at Plymouth at that time was the Prowler. which was the only model saved by Chrysler (for a few years anyway)
Merkur XR4Ti Posted May 27, 2008 Posted May 27, 2008 Plymouth was just a joke when Chrysler killed it off. at least all the mercury's look different. the only difference between the 2000 Dodge Neon and 2000 Plymouth Neon where the emblems. at least the Voyager and Caravan had different grills. as well as the Breeze and the Stratus. the only good thing at Plymouth at that time was the Prowler. which was the only model saved by Chrysler (for a few years anyway) Mercury is a joke now, though. Nothing but Fusions with different grilles, Ford Escapes with different grilles, Ford Taurii with different grilles, Ford Explorers with different grilles, and the ancient Grand Marquis. What's the point, really? A different grille isn't reason enough to keep a brand alive. Killing it off will be a good move for the company. They'll save money, declutter their product line and have a more focused approach going forward.
george 53 Posted May 27, 2008 Posted May 27, 2008 Weellll, Don't look now guys, But if ol Krekorian has his way,Ford Itself may be on borrowed time.This guys only in it for the money an could give a sh8t less about the fact that Fords an american Icon,The Tracinda Corp. is only an investment firm and if it cant make the money it thinks it deserves,Goodbye. Just hope thats not what happens.
Raul_Perez Posted May 27, 2008 Posted May 27, 2008 Maybe if Mercury actually had a car or two that they could call their own, they could drive a little traffic into the showrooms. How cool would it be if Ford made a new "Cougar" (based on the existing Mustang platform)... Harry, What aren't you working in/for Detroit?! They need your vision!! I really like the "look" that you've given to the new Cougar!
RodBurNeR Posted May 27, 2008 Posted May 27, 2008 (edited) don't worry, the real Mercury's died in the 60s Edited May 27, 2008 by awbcrazy
The Modeling Hermit Posted May 27, 2008 Posted May 27, 2008 I think we're going to see some more "old" names leave as time goes by. The divisions between makes used to mean something. The cars had their own styling and position in the ranks. One started with Chevrolet and worked up to Cadillac, started with Ford and worked up to Lincoln, or started with Plymouth and worked up to Imperial. The waters became muddied starting in the early sixties as car companies introduced the compacts. Instead of the lowest model becoming the compact, the compacts were added to the base line. Soon each car company had to have a compact, which evolved into each company including seperate levels of intermediates. By the mid sixties Ford, Chevrolet, and Plymouth were all competing with their own parent companies luxury cars. The downsizing of the seventies caused even more confusion, while at the same time the foreign car invasion churned things even more. The end result was that instead of the three years styling cycles, and difinitive styling, we ended up with cars that all looked alike and shared the same drivetrains. Then we ended up with international sharing; a Chevrolet might just be a rebadged Toyota. Car names are becoming less important now that the automotive market has gone global. Soon we'll see Pontiac and Buick removed, and Cadillac may take a hit also. I don't like it any more than everybody else that grew up in that atmosphere, but the whole automotive thought process has changed. For those of you who are my age, you can still remember that when somebody got a new car, all the neighbors came to check it out. It was a big deal, and that car meant status. When was the last time you've seen that happen? Even if the car is cool, to most people, it's just another car in their way. The automobile, for the most part, is just a way to get from point A to point B. An example would be Chevrolet's marketing of the supposed new Malibu. They offered a lot of hype, but when I saw it, it looked like just another basic 4 roor sedan that blended in with all of the other 4 door sedans. I'm not knocking it, and it's probably a perfectly good car. The point is that it's Borg; it's one of many, and that's what's killing the car companies. What I've said is generalized, and as to every rule, there are exceptions, but the automobile will never be what it was back in the fifties. It's just my opinion as to the way that I see things, and I don't want to get a war started, but I think we need to prepare ourselves mentally for the changes to come.
Guest zebm1 Posted May 27, 2008 Posted May 27, 2008 It won't be long until all cars look quite similar to the vehicles in "I, Robot".....for those that can afford a car.
Dragon7665 Posted May 27, 2008 Posted May 27, 2008 (edited) I like Harry's Design, and would buy one over a Mustang in a Flash..... The Sad reality is, Mercury's Sales have been at a Steady Decline for years, and the only thing that was Keeping it afloat was the Grand Marques.... The Panther Platform has already recieved the Axe, with the '09's Crown Vickies,Lincoln Town Cars, and Grand Marques being only available to Fleet Lease/Law Enforcement Agencies/Town Car Services/Etc... After '10, none of those will be available, and it doesn't look like FORD is running to make anything similar available to the General Population.... Hmph Hard to Believe that only two years after Dyno's Passing, would it soon be the end of the Other Great Racing Icon pictured below..... They will definately live on during their Glory Days, in my Memories atleast Edited May 27, 2008 by Dragon7665
Nick F40 Posted May 27, 2008 Posted May 27, 2008 (edited) It won't be long until all cars look quite similar to the vehicles in "I, Robot".....for those that can afford a car. What you mean WON'T BE LONG??? It's already!!!! At least the original Cougar had a little bit different tweaks from the Mustang, although for that engine, it did well in Trans Am, and Mercury did wonders in the REAL NASCAR. nice picture Rob Edited May 27, 2008 by Nick F40
sdrodder Posted May 28, 2008 Posted May 28, 2008 I kanda heard that dodge might not be here in a couple years. Also i heard that ford may be sold to toyota. It would be sad if doth of them went bye bye I dont think thats what henry ford and the dodge bros wanted
samdiego Posted May 28, 2008 Posted May 28, 2008 NOOOO!! Not another one! First Pluto, now Mercury, geez.
Bainford Posted May 28, 2008 Posted May 28, 2008 Mercury is a joke now, though. Nothing but Fusions with different grilles, Ford Escapes with different grilles, Ford Taurii with different grilles, Ford Explorers with different grilles, and the ancient Grand Marquis. What's the point, really? A different grille isn't reason enough to keep a brand alive. Killing it off will be a good move for the company. They'll save money, declutter their product line and have a more focused approach going forward. Agreed. The cost of keeping Mercury alive must be more than it is worth having it around.
Bainford Posted May 28, 2008 Posted May 28, 2008 don't worry, the real Mercury's died in the 60s Amen
Joe Handley Posted May 28, 2008 Posted May 28, 2008 NOOOO!! Not another one! First Pluto, now Mercury, geez. Hahahahahaha! I'm kinda surprised that Mercury has lived this long, wasn't there talk about killing Merc off at the same time that Plymouth was laid to rest?
James Flowers Posted May 28, 2008 Posted May 28, 2008 I have 1979 Mercury Capri V8 I will keep for ever. I would hate to see them go. I l love the Marques and Crown Vics. The trouble with American car makers is they make cars they want not what the people want. They thought folks would buy what they putout no matter how bad it was. Ten years of the same bodies and basic changes just don't cut it. Poor quailty and to many recalls because of poor quailty control of parts and testing of parts. The biggest problem in America to me is employers do not care about anything but the dollar and will shortcut and cheapen anything they sell. They have no pride for us or their products.
lordairgtar Posted May 28, 2008 Posted May 28, 2008 good riddance to lame old people cars I hardly would consider Mercury an "Old Peoples Car".
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