1997 Mercury Mystique LS review from North America

Air conditioner compressor went 1 1/2 years ago and too costly to fix.

Auto transmission has a leak where transmission intersects engine - also too costly to fix.

Rattle in dash on passenger side when floor vents are used for heating car.

An unknown liguid leaks down the rear bumper after fill up at gas station.

Keyless entry only works if you aim key fob at front window and are no more than 2 feet away from car.

Oxygen sensor just replaced at 75K.

Water leaks through trunk lid and into trunk.

I purchased this car due to the good value I thought I was getting in a 2 year old used car.

Right from the get go the car was problems within 2 weeks of bringing it home. Without getting into the horrible dealership experience (at my local Ford dealer), the car needed numerous trips to the dealership for minor repairs which, luckily, were covered under the extended warranty as the car was a'qualified certified' used car.

The little V6 is gem on the highway, but lacks torque for city driving (unless the overdrive is turned off).

An amazing feature to this car is that when the a/c is used, it actually increases the car's performance by acting like a mini-supercharger, but can be dangerous as the car acts completely different when the a/c is on - car also like to lurch forward at stoplights when a/c is on (when the a/c was working).

Parts seem to be hard to come by for this car and are very expensive as many parts need to be specially ordered, but do seem to get to the dealership pretty fast.

The seats in the LS model are excellent and the interior has a very 'upper-class' look to it.

However, after owning this car since 2000, I am ready to trade it in. I can't bare the thought of going through another summer with no a/c, but I must as I am still paying off this car until the end of the year.

A/c and transmission leaks are way too costly to repair. Hence, when the payments end, so will my time with this car.