Re: Buy your Mercury while you can.

Posted by BH On 2010/5/29 10:42:45

That is sad news, indeed.

Though I was never really into Ford product, there are some Mercury models that intrigued me - like the '49-'51 Mercs, which were so popular with customizers. Then, '55-'56 Mercs have some styling elements which remind me of the V8 Packards that I love so much. I also like the '57-'58 Mercs (in spite of the awkward front bumper) - especially the Turnpike Cruiser. Styling was still different enough during the '60s to make Mercury stand apart from other Ford product; of course, I really like that Breezeway back window (that I wish Packard had been able to pull off years earlier). Yet, one model that really sticks out in my mind was the '67-'70 Cougar; it wasn't just a facelift of the Mustang, but a stretched wheelbase with a complement of equipment and options that offered the masses a sport-luxury car.

IMHO, with a few exceptions Ford styling took a wrong turn coming into the 1970s, and the Big Three started down the garden path with badge-engineering. While Mercury had a brief success with one last Cougar a few years back, its styling was a bit too far out in left-field for my tastes and interior room was poor. That's a shame as it road and handled better than most other cars of the time.

I will always remember the winged messenger and the sign of the cat as great automotive icons.

Seems like the Big Three like to blame shifting market tastes for killing off brands, but it is their own brand mismanagement that is to blame. The manufacturers have lost touch with the very consumers that once made them so successful. I believe that those consumers are still out there in significant numbers, but are turned away by inferior styling, too much content that they don't want, sticker prices that are way out of line with average incomes, and resale values that sink like a stone in water.

The prevailing Amerikan korporate mindset only makes it easier for off-shore brands to make further inroads in the USA.

Of course, I still think there's a market for Plymouths, DeSotos, and Pontiacs - done right.