Faults:

This car should have been named the Mercury mistake.

The trunk leaks water.

The back doors make an embarassingly loud sound when opened and closed.

The radio/tape player had to be replaced.

Repeated oil leaks.

The car has spent more time in the shop than on the road or in my driveway.

At 70,000 the air conditioning went out. That cost me $750.

At 72,000 miles the DC PE sensors went out when the check engine light came on and I sunk another $300 into it.

In the past two years I have spent more than $4,000 on the car.

The air conditioning failed again. Then the sun roof motor failed and had to be replaced.

Then the engine began making a loud sound.

Then oil and transmission fluid began leaking simultaneously.

The list goes on and on.

The worst of my problems came in the past two months.

The air conditioning failed once again and I decided I was not fixing it a third time, since each mechanic I took the car too came up with a different diagnoses as to why it wasn't working.

But the car was making a very loud sound and was not accelerating.

It seemed to be losing power and I was scared to death of making U-turns or left turns across oncoming traffic for fear, even with the gas pedal pressed all the way down, that it wouldn't make it across in time.

I took it to one place who told me I needed a new transmission and that would cost me $2000 plus.

So I took it for a second opinion to a national transmission place and they said I did not need a new transmission, but I did need a new seal around the transmission and they would send me to a place they trusted to fix the power issue.

That's when the engine light came on. I took it to the new place.

They did a fuel injection flush and allegedly fixed everything.

One week later I am driving down the road, the speedometer goes haywire, jumping from 65 mph to 0 to 35 to 90.

And the airbag light comes on, as does the engine light.

I make it back home in one piece and return to the place I had taken it before with a list of the new problems.

But now the car has lost all power and the gears are grinding and making a horrible squeaking noise.

Seven-hundred dollars and 10 days later, they call me and say the car is good as new and all fixed.

I attempt to go out of town again.

One hour into the drive again and every single thing that I brought the car in for is now failing, the car is failing and the brakes are losing power as is the car.

The car is now sitting in another state.

There is a class action lawsuit against Ford right now because several, meaning more than 20 or 30, Mercury Mystique models have caught on fire as a result of this part and caused a lot of damage.

Seems the problems with my car are due to the failure of the under-hood wiring harness.

But the cutoff for getting in on the lawsuit is 100,000 miles.

I am at 102,000.

My under-hood wire harness was actually replaced because of the recall more than one year ago. But the warranty on the part was good for only one year.

But it has failed again.

And Ford refuses to replace it. So I guess they can knowingly put in a faulty part that puts people's lives in danger and put a one-year cap on the life expectancy of the part.

General Comments:

I will never buy a car made by Ford or any of their subsidiary companies again, and am looking into hiring my own attorney and filing suit against this company, who are too cheap to make good, solid cars that keep people safe.

Faults:

Speedometer died just a week after I bought it, and of course, my dealer did not provide me with a warranty.

Apparently, the speedometer cable was rubbing against a hot part in the car, possibly the engine, resulting in the cable being damaged and in need of replacement. So I replaced the cable, only to find out that the cable had also damaged the speed sensor. The cable cost me $15 from a junk yard, and $65 for labor to have my dealer's mechanic install it. Even through the speed sensor was damaged, the mechanic had managed to 'jerry-rig' it to work, failing after 1 week. At which point I bought a new speed sensor from a local dealer (I couldn't find it at a junk yard) at a lovely $50. I installed it my self because I could not afford more labor. Replacing the part took me about 5 hours because the previous speed sensor was broken, and I had much difficulty just removing the damn thing. But frankly, I'm happy I did it my self. I saved my self money, and enjoyed cursing for 5 hours straight.

I should note that, when the speedometer was out, the first and second time, the car would shift late, and rough from 1st to 2nd gear. Sometimes, so rough you could hear the wheels squeal between gear changes. Since the speedometer now works, it still shifts rough, but not nearly as bad. I was told by my mechanic that this could create a transmission problem.

Fuel pump died after 1.5 weeks of purchase... In the middle of this speedometer situation, one afternoon driving home from work, the car stalled in an intersection, and would not start again... sounded like it was out of gas. After 8-12 attempts, I finally got it started again, put it in reverse (luckily, I was right next to a gas station) and put gas in my car. Note, the fuel gauge was near the low mark, however, not on the red section. After I got gas in my car, it started up fine, but then as I left the gas station, during acceleration it was making a clanking noise. About 3 blocks from my house, the car stalled and would not start again. I had to walk home, 3 blocks (I know its not far) in 100 degree (40 degrees Celsius) weather. A few hours later, the car started fine, and my father towed me to our mechanic.

While at the shop, my mechanic replaced the fuel pump which was the problem, costing me $450 total for this to be done. And I should mention, while in the shop the car overheated and spilled all 8 liters of anti-freeze coolant in the shop. This was caused by a plug in the engine which had mysteriously disappeared I guess. The mechanic replaced the plug, re-filled the radiator with anti-freeze, and it ran fine.

When ever it rains, or I wash the car, water somehow gets into the inside of the trunk lid and tail-light holders and whenever I open the trunk, water comes pouring out from the bulb replacement thing. Not that big of a deal, but is annoying.

The car stalls when you first start it up and quickly go into reverse or crank the wheels to a full turn, unless, however, you rev the engine a little before starting. The car used to stall occasionally when coming to a stop, but no longer does since the fuel pump has been replaced.

The AC/heat vents are made of cheap plastic. I barely bumped the driver side one and the cheap plastic broke off. I managed to fix it my self, but its annoying because its just cheap plastic. A minor inconvenience, however.

General Comments:

The car is pretty stylish inside and out. The paint is still in great condition along with the body. The inside upholstery is clean and well-maintained. I plan to keep it that way, for as long as I keep the car.

The seats are very comfortable and relaxing. I can sit in the car for hours without discomfort. The back seats I imagine are slightly cramped for taller people such as my self, but children would likely be comfortable. I get compliments from my friends on the comfort level of the car.

The air conditioning kicks ass. It is very cool. The only time it has trouble is during accelerating rather quickly it will warm up, but cool off after a few seconds. The heater seems to work well too, as well as the rear defrost. Although I have not gone through winter yet.

There is plenty of room for cargo... the trunk is rather large and the back seats can be folded down for extra cargo capacity. I managed to get 9 tower computers, 3 monitors, and a home stereo system to my friends house for a party in one trip. I also took 2 very long and heavy tables in another trip thanks to the folding back seats. This car is pretty good for cargo.

The stock sound system is decent, but could be better. As a teenager, I like base... but this system seems to have minimal base in comparison to other stock stereos. But the AM/FM stereo works great and is easy to use, along with the tape deck works well to.

Performance wise, the car has pretty good acceleration for a 4-banger. Does 0-60 MPH in about 12 seconds... which is decent for a 4-banger non-sports car. The car also has a top speed of 130, but only goes to 104 due to a speed-governor which limits it at that. A modified computer to allow the top speed is not worth it in my opinion.

The lighting in the car is pretty good. As is the console night-lighting, its easy to read and not too bright or dark.

The car has tight steering and can take corners well, although the tires squeal if you go around corners too fast, but that is likely because I have cheap crappy tires.

The suspension is good, and does not sway a lot. Road noise is average, but withstand-able. The car doesn't really shake even at higher speeds, but only a little bit.

The brakes are very good and respond well within the input you put on the brake-pad. Although after a hard stop, I hear noise on quicker-stops, but I have not checked the brakes for repair, they could be needing it.

Overall the car is fun to drive, has decent acceleration for a 4-banger, and is very comfortable. But could require some repairs every once in a while.