Junk
The engine stalls when stopping or turning, the trunk leaks and the rear lights collect water.
I would not have ever bought this car if I had of read the coments at this site first, nor will I ever buy another peice of crap Ford.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 25th July, 2003
Those Mexicans really know how to build a great car!
Virtually no problems.
A couple of minor factory recalls.
Had to replace a sun visor, hinge broke on the vanity mirror.
Changed over stock oil to 100% synthetic in both engine & transmission immediately after purchase.
Handles like a far more expensive car.
Totally fun to drive.
Comfortable seats, and controls are all easily accessible.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 27th November, 2002
Mercury's attempt to compete with the European market is inexpensive and it shows it
There have been several recalls for this car. The transmission lingers at high RPM's. When I took the car to the dealership to replace the brake pads, the air conditioner was damaged. The first three speeds (out of four) on the fan do not work correctly when the AC is on.
The car preforms reasonably well. It is reasonably fast off the line, but the performance would be increased greatly with a manual transmission. The gas mileage is good on the highway as long as you are not driving in heavy traffic. The handling is 'OK' but it cannot compete with the imports. Several features are rather nice. The map lights are adjustable in terms of direction. The interior styling is typical ford.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 14th September, 2002
First of all in the price range of the LS (yes it it not an LX, but an LS) you can buy a Honda Civic or a Toyota Corolla, not a BMW. Next, it will outperform those vehicles every time out in handling, acceleration and comfort. And lastly how can you complain about gas mileage and performance. If performance is what you want the V-6 has it, if you wanted miserly gas usage why didn't you buy the 4 cylinder. Duh!
For the record, the Mystique (and Ford Contour) ARE European cars. They were both built on Ford's CDW-27 platform, which was originally designed for the Ford Mondeo in Europe. Trouble is, Ford in North America didn't bother to build quality cars at that time since they were riding the SUV gravy train. It's too bad, too.
Don't do it
The transmission had to be replaced after 85000 miles.
There have been several recalls.
The car smelled like smoke, it had the electrical components replaced.
The fan for the air conditioner completely stopped working.
The fuel filler kept shutting off the fuel delivery.
The front suspension had to be replaced for a recalled safety issue.
The lights flicker when just put into drive and taking off.
Before the tranny blew, it had a hard shift.
The car looks sharp, but that's about where I draw the line.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 14th August, 2002
At 70,000 miles I have not experienced any of the problems you've, unfortunately had. You said you acquired it with 24,000 miles. Could it have been a rental/leased car that the original driver just didn't care enough to actually buy and own. Many renters with short term leases like to drive hard and do no maintenance, they leave all the problems to the next person in line, like you. Expensive cars like Mercedes and BMW's often have this problem with first buyers like yourself who acquire previously rented/leased cars that were unloaded by renters who never actually own anything. The other possibility is, your car was just a lemon.
I love my Mystique, I'm sorry you didn't have the same experience.
14th Feb 2005, 11:03
This is my 'REVIEW', just wanted to " UPDATE " it.
I finally had a problem. The Automatic Trans-Axle blew the 2nd gear band and stranded two people on a rain soaked highway the night before Christmas Eve 2004. Towing & Repair = $ 2800.00 OUCH ! Mileage was 95,000 at the time of failure, not much for this well maintained car, my Jeep is at 204,000 and never needed such a repair.
Also... brakes went 93,000 BUT the rotors and rear drums were rusted on. It was major nightmare to get off these old parts. Used anti-sieze compound when installing the new parts. Evidently a step the factory must not have deemed necessary.
Car otherwise is still fun to drive, looks great and after 6 1/2 years that's not at all bad ! Currently I have no plans to replace this car.