14th May 2006, 15:03
11K miles is not what I would call being dependable. I owned a 1995 Ford Contour and the transmission needed to be replaced at 31K and it was because it was so poorly welded. I sugggest putting more miles on your car before saying its reliable. Post back when you put 100K on that car and I doubt you will be posting positive things about that car.
14th May 2006, 21:36
Actually, it is pretty impressive to put 11,000 miles on a car in only 8 months. Some people don't put that many miles on a car in a whole year. It sometimes makes me wonder if failures have as much to do with time as miles.
14th Jun 2006, 19:12
A couple common sense breakdowns in the above posts:
1. You never generalize from only one instance
2. You never rate a car's dependability based on a short time/mileage frame. Every car will be dependable for a short period if you give it a chance.
That said, I have owned a 1999 Mercury Mystique GS for 4 years and 83,000 miles, and have been in the shop once for unscheduled maintenance (front coil spring broke due to corrosion causing wheel to collapse - to be fair, realize I drove for 3 years in New England weather without barely washing the underside of the car)
Only other maintenance I had done was a tune-up, changed hoses and alternator belt (as recommended in the owner's manual), and changed oil.
At 133k miles I'm due for another timing belt & water pump replacement (scheduled maint.), another tune-up, fix the cv joint (second unscheduled maintenance), and check the brakes. With luck and care that car just might inch up to 200,000 miles.
5th Feb 2008, 10:26
Ford/Mercury cars will run well if you take care of them.
A lot of people who complain about their cars have bought them used and don't know how the previous owners maintained them. I got my mystique from a girl that treated it horribly. but I made all the fixes and now it runs awesome.
26th Dec 2008, 23:04
It is recommended that a car be maintained properly by following the maintenance procedures described in the owners manual to ensure longevity to your car and reduce the costs of overall repairs.
In doing this, I achieved 278,000+ miles, in my 1999 Mercury Mystique LS V6, with only repairing parts that typically need replacement except for the fuel pump which the original owner had replaced once and I had replaced once. Since then I have had no problems with the fuel pump.
I did purchase this car with 128,000 miles, mostly hi-way, from my grandfather, the original owner, who takes very good care of his vehicles. I would recommend this car to anyone on a budget with a desire for good gas mileage and performance.
To be quite honest I could have treated my car better and it would be in better condition than it is now, but with as many miles as it has it still runs well and electrically sound except for the windows, and I know the secrete to solve that problem. (Open the driver door and operate the windows, when you close the door the windows work properly again.)
I hope this car lasts until I can afford a better vehicle. God Bless my car, in Jesus name. Amen!
10th Dec 2009, 08:04
...put about 100,000 miles on your car and then make a comment??? How about, 232,000 and the ONLY mechanical failure is a starter? My 1991 Escort GT still had the original clutch and pressure plate in it from brand spanking new, the only thing I ever replaced was the tires, oil (EVERY 3000 miles!!!), battery and tune-up parts (plugs, wires, etc), and the timing belt was replace at 125,000 miles... hell, even the first brake job wasn't done until she reached 86,000 miles... that was by far the best car I've ever known ANYONE owning, including myself... and I did run her hard quite often, reached that tested top speed of 127mph on many occasions, that little 1.8 would scream!!!... Don't let anyone tell you FORD doesn't make a reliable product... take care of your car, and she'll take care of you :)
4th Jul 2011, 16:02
I agree with all of those people who maintain their vehicles. Your car can only take care of you as well as you take care of it. EVERY car from every company has some problems. You need to know when its time to keep it, and when to lay it to rest. Also,it helps to know what to look for when buying used.
13th May 2006, 19:25
I had this car for half a year and the piston rod bent at 70000 miles. This car is not quality.