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This is a fantastic car. I hate to sell it, but economic realities force it.

Here's the second line that will make most people stop reading: The transmission is toast. It will need rebuilding or replacing.

If you're still reading, stay with me. Yes, it would make a good parts car, or the good ol' Ford V8 could be repurposed for just about anything. But it's really better than that. It's a straight, solid, rust-free, Southern car, and the engine is still good and strong after 200K+ miles. The only high-dollar problem is the transmission -- every other problem the car has, (and they're not many) is nickel-and-dime stuff that is easily tackled bit by bit as you go. If you're looking for a good starter project for a father/son restoration, or have a 2WD ExploRangIneer transmission that needs a home, (Explorer/Ranger/Mountaineer -- they all have the same driveline,) or know just how good these cars are when they're sorted, this is the car for you -- you'll be getting a lot of hardware for a very good price.

You may be asking why don't I fix it myself, and that's a very good question. The truth is, the economy has hit my family very hard, and I just don't have the money it takes to repair the transmission. It makes more economic sense for me to sell it as-is, and re-invest in a smaller car. My loss, your gain.

It will need to be towed to haul it -- she won't move under her own power yet.

There are 45 pictures at my Photobucket link, click here to go to it, so you can get a good look at things, and they're annotated as to just what needs to be fixed.

There's nothing expensive or insurmountable for the shade-tree mechanic: gas struts for the hatch, a power-locking solenoid, a tensioning spring for an exterior handle; stuff like that. If you're slightly more advanced, mechanical items like axle bearings and ball joints are a piece of inexpensive cake. The A/C clutch is broken and the compressor has been bypassed, but the system is still airtight and in place. An A/C tech should replace the compressor and receiver-drier, but on this car it's an easy (read: inexpensive) fix. I have the compressor, receiver-drier, and o-rings for the job: if you want them, I can add my cost for them to the final price.

The reserve? I know that a transmission is a pricey item, so it's low enough that the reserve plus the price of a transmission rebuild is still comfortably below the market value of a '99 Mountaineer. Not as easy as just buying one that's all sorted to begin with, but a considerably better value if you can turn a wrench!

Auto Services in North Carolina

Xpress Lube ★★★★★

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Phone: (336) 993-7697

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Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Auto Oil & Lube

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Curtain officially comes down on Mercury as dealers remove signage

Mon, 03 Jan 2011

The process of shutting down the Mercury is complete. Ford officially made the decision to close its mid-level brand in June of 2010. In the months that followed, Ford offered its dealers money to stop selling the cars, with production shutting down in September. The last Mercury, a Mariner, rolled off the assembly line in the beginning of October and former spokesperson Jill Wagner said her good-byes to both the car and her job. Now the last piece of the brand has come down as dealers are removing any and all Mercury signage from their lots.
[Source: Detroit News]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ford recalls 1.9m cars and crossovers for defective airbags

Wed, Jun 1 2016

The Basics: Ford is recalling a total of 1,898,728 vehicles to replace defective Takata front passenger-side airbags. This includes the 2007-2010 Ford Edge, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, 2005-2011 Ford Mustang, 2007-2011 Ford Ranger, 2007-2010 Lincoln MKX and 2006-2011 Lincoln MKZ, Zephyr and Mercury Milan vehicles built in North America. The Problem: The defective airbags have been linked to ruptures that can send metal fragments at the passenger, due to deteriorating propellant. Injuries/Deaths: Ford claims it's not aware of any injuries due to the problem, but rupturing Takata airbags have been linked to a series of serious injuries and deaths. The Fix: Dealers will replace the passenger-side frontal airbag at no charge to the customer. If you own one: Look out for a letter from the manufacturer to arrange service at your local dealer. If you'd like to check if your vehicle is affected, click on the safety recalls link on Ford.com and enter your VIN. Related Video:

What do you do with a fake Bugatti Veyron for $60k?

Tue, Mar 29 2016

Replica cars are a challenging labor of love because builders spend countless hours recreating a vehicle that people immediately compare to the real thing. Perhaps, the person behind this Mercury Cougar-based Bugatti Veyron should look for another way to pass that time. The coupe is currently for sale on eBay Motors for $59,900. The builder deserves some credit because the fiberglass body looks acceptable in the photos from farther away. The car might even fool a few people from a distance. However, the devil is in the details, and the closer you look, the worse this gets. The side intakes are especially rough. The red interior is atrocious. It's essentially the Cougar's cabin but in an eye-searing shade accented with lots of fake carbon fiber. The seller's eBay Motors ad really tries to market the look, though. "You slide in to [sic] this extremely comfortable leather interior and you feel like your bank account just quadrupled in size," the listing says. Don't expect to win any top speed titles in this Veyron replica, either. Rather than a mid-mounted quad-turbo W16, a 3.0-liter V6 from a Mercury Sable sits at the front. Thanks to an upgraded intake and exhaust, the seller claims, "It doesn't sound like your grandmas [sic] Sable." We wish the seller the best of luck, but the asking price of nearly $60,000 is probably too optimistic. We would still think twice about buying it even after taking a zero off that figure, but at least this thing is fun to look at. Related Video:

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Mercury Mountaineer for Sale