Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

Red/ Maroon 1998 Mercury Mountaineer 5.0l Awd 108,000 Miles on 2040-cars

Year:1998 Mileage:108605
Location:

West Des Moines, Iowa, United States

West Des Moines, Iowa, United States
Advertising:

1998 Mercury Mountaineer Fix 'er Upper


For auction is a 98 Mercury Mountaineer, I will do my best to give a detailed description of the vehicle, and work that needs to be done to it. I purchased this vehicle in February of 2013, from a good friend of mine who had driven it 50,000 miles previously, to serve as a comfy every day alternative to my lifted pickup. About two weeks after I bought it, the front end went out, catastrophically, on the interstate. This caused a hole in the front differential itself, and the front spindle on the front drive shaft partially sheared off, but caused no other damage. As it basically still runs and drives, I parked it beside my barn waiting on the parts. A month or so later, a spring storm came through, and a tree fell on the front end, causing damage to the windshield, hood and roof above the windshield. It has since been stored inside the barn. I have all of the parts necessary to get it back to 100%, mechanically speaking, including the front differential, front drive shaft and the passenger side window. Theoretically, the vehicle could be driven to its new home if the front drive shaft and possibly the front spindles were removed, but I would strongly recommend trailering the vehicle. I have a car trailer, and for a price might be willing to haul it up to a couple hundred miles. I honestly would like to keep it and fix it up to use it as I had intended, but have so much on my plate right now I need to focus on other things.

Minus the front end work that needs to be done, the SUV is in fantastic mechanical shape. Right before I purchased it, it had a full tune up, new rotors and pads, new shocks, and some front end work (someone must have noticed a problem with the front end, but that message didn't get passed on to me). It has no mechanical issues what so ever outside of what I've already mentioned. When I first bought it, it drove fantastically. Even though it hasn't been road worthy in a year, I have been starting it regularly and move it from time to time. I treated the gas last fall, and again this spring. As far as I can tell, it leaks and burns no fluids. I didn't have any issues with the battery until today, when I had to jump start it, and it would not hold a charge. The front two tires are in excellent shape, I believe my friend purchased them new about 10,000 miles ago, and they have held air the entire time I've owned it. The rear tires, however, only have a little life in them, if any, and the spare tire has a slow leak.

Overall, the body is in OK shape, outside of what I've already mentioned, as can be seen in the pictures. The only other issue was caused when I nicked the rear driver's side with a farm implement, causing a crack in the tail light and some slight damage to the panel behind the rear tire. At some point in time, the front bumper seems to have hit something very softly, causing a chip in the plastic, and the foglight is missing. Otherwise, it has no rust, and the paint is not scratched up or faded.

The interior is in excellent condition. The person I purchased it from was not a smoker, and I am not either, although I never really got a chance to spend much time in it. The leather seats have no rips or tears, the power functions all work great. All of the other electronics and gauges function properly, including an aftermarket transmission temperature gauge and trailer brake sending unit. It has the premium sound system with a factory sub and six disc changer, and has steering wheel controls. It also has keyless entry.

The title is clear and in hand. I will require a $500 PayPal deposit within 24 hours of the auction's end. The vehicle must be picked up within one week of the auction's end, or I can haul it for a fee. Obviously, the vehicle does not come with a warranty, express or implied. I've done my best to describe its condition in detail, but obviously it needs some work, and so please take that into account before you bid.

Thanks!

Auto Services in Iowa

Waln Repair & Collision Ctr ★★★★★

Automobile Body Repairing & Painting, Windshield Repair, Glass-Auto, Plate, Window, Etc
Address: 21 Williams Blvd, Fairfax
Phone: (319) 846-3434

Sorensen Auto Plaza ★★★★★

Used Car Dealers, Financing Services, Self Storage
Address: 1100 W Sheridan Ave, Shenandoah
Phone: (712) 246-1600

Shade Tree Auto ★★★★★

Automobile Parts & Supplies, Auto Body Parts
Address: 3450 SE Miehe Dr, Adel
Phone: (515) 986-5241

Quality Lube Center Incorporated ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Auto Oil & Lube, Auto Transmission
Address: 300 5th Ave SW, Brunsville
Phone: (712) 560-1710

Pippert Cars & Trucks ★★★★★

New Car Dealers, Used Car Dealers, Used Truck Dealers
Address: 2047 Highway T47, Gladbrook
Phone: (641) 473-3121

Nebraska Tire & Automotive Service ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service
Address: 5034 S 24th St, Crescent
Phone: (402) 731-9166

Auto blog

Automakers tussle over owners of 'orphan' makes

Thu, 10 May 2012

When General Motors put down several of its brands in recent years, it also let loose thousands of brand-loyal customers who will eventually need another car.
R.L. Polk Associates estimates there are more than 18 million cars from 16 discontinued makes on the road today. Those "orphan owners" have sales-hungry competitors seeing dollar signs. GM is offering Saturn owners $1,000 cash toward a Chevy Cruze, Cadillac CTS or a GMC Acadia. Ford is giving its Mercury lease customers a chance to get out of their contracts with no early-termination penalty and offering to waive six remaining payments if they drive off in a Ford or Lincoln.
Edmunds.com research shows the efforts are paying off somewhat for GM, with 39 percent of Pontiac owners, 37 percent of Hummer owners and 31 percent of Saturn owners taking delivery of another GM-branded vehicle. But that leaves as much as 69 percent of owners going elsewhere. Ford, Honda and Toyota seem to be attracting many former GM owners.

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

NHTSA advances investigation of Ford Crown Victoria headlights

Sat, Aug 15 2015

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is opening a preliminary evaluation into reports of suddenly failing headlights on 517,945 examples of the 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis. The government started looking into this problem in April when the North Carolina Consumers Council filed a defect petition with the agency. Now, the inquiry has moved to the next step. According to NHTSA's documentation (as a PDF), it examined its own database and worked with Ford to come up with a total of 3,609 complaints of the front lighting control module suddenly failing. When this happens, drivers lose the low-beam headlights, but the high-beams can be used by holding the stalk. Sometimes turning the switch off and on fixes the issue. Additionally, there are 15 allegations of crashes, and one reported shoulder injury. NHTSA's preliminary evaluations "evaluate the scope, frequency, and consequence of the alleged defect" and don't necessarily lead to a recall. NHTSA looked into this problem once before in 2008 and 2009 and decided that a recall wasn't necessary. Ford also extended the warranty on the front lighting control module for these vehicles. INVESTIGATION Subject : Loss of headlights Date Investigation Opened: AUG 10, 2015 Date Investigation Closed: Open NHTSA Action Number: PE15028 Component(s): EXTERIOR LIGHTING All Products Associated with this Investigation Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) FORD CROWN VICTORIA 2003-2005 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS 2003-2005 Details Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company SUMMARY: After receiving a defect petition (DP15002) concerning the loss of headlights and other exterior lighting in model year (MY) 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) analyzed Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) complaints received from consumers and identified a total of 605 reports (for all submission dates) alleging headlight failure. The complaints indicate failures of both low beam headlights typically while driving, a defect condition that was evaluated under a prior ODI investigation (PE08066). Most consumer VOQs indicate that the headlights failed suddenly and without warning leaving the driver with no forward lighting, however some report the headlights flickered or dimmed prior to turning off. In some cases drivers were able to turn the headlights back on after a period of time while others reported the headlights would not come back on at all.