1995 Mercury Villager GS review from North America
"A good value used, but buy a late model"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
75K miles (did not repair)
- Driver motorized seat belt failed - disconnected it and locked it in place due to high cost of repair.
83K miles ($1142)
- Replaced shorted cooling fan/motor assy
- Repair connectors on wiring harness, shorted wiring to ignition
- Replaced power door lock actuator in side sliding door.
93K miles ($104)
- Replaced transmission shifter linkage in steering column.
107K miles ($242)
- Investigate Check Engine Light (Repaired burnt wire on EGR transducer)
- Replaced filler pipe vent hose (covered by recall)
- Repaired bad solder joint in HVAC control head (in dash), prevented rear blower motor from operating.
Little things I fixed myself
- Windshield washer sprayer broke off
- Cassette storage console bin latch broke
- Sliding door window latch fell apart
- Driver side sun visor disintegrated.
General comments?
First of all, this is my wife's kid hauler, so it gets all kind of abuse. Still, it lives a relatively gentle life since we live in a temperate area (no snow, low humidity, etc.)
Pros:
- A definite upgrade from my previous van (MPV) : more refined and less trucklike
- Fairly comfortable & roomy
- Well-designed (spacewise) interior
- Decent power, but needs more low-end torque
- Good mileage on highway, long trips
- Seemingly reliable drivetrain
- Quiet ride, smooth on the road.
Cons:
- I bought it thinking that it would benefit from the Nissan-based roots (similar to Quest). The part that has been reliable has been the Nissan part (engine, transmission, running gear). The part that has been miserable has been the Ford piece - electricals, interior components, etc.
- Lots of niggling little things that have broken down that have eroded my confidence in the vehicle (see details above)
- Engine needs more torque on the low end: With 7 in the van, you really feel it strain. Also when we have 5 plus bikes on the hitch rack
- Tranny has held up so far, but no starting to exhibit a little bit of lurching on takeoff when cold, so that has me a bit worried.
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| Most reliable car I've ever owned |
|
| This has been a WONDERFUL vehicle and have no reservations about recommending it to anyone |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Year of manufacture | 1995 |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.0L V6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 4 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 4 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 64000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 110000 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Mazda MPV AWD |
| Date of Entry | 19th October, 2003 |