Poor Mercury. While the brand may not have been treated to the same levels of uniqueness from Ford and Lincoln that other “near-luxury” brands such as Buick, Chrysler, and Oldsmobile were from their respective lower and higher ranks, there was a time when Mercury actually offered something distinctively different.
Sharing more with Ford had begun as early as the 1960s, and by the 1990s all Mercurys were little more than rebadged versions of Ford (or Nissan, in the case of the Villager) vehicles. Often, Mercurys were treated to a few unique styling elements, but their differences largely came down to trim. Although Mercurys sometimes came with a longer list of standard equipment, this was the result of base models often equaling the related Ford’s mid-range model.
In terms of lacking distinction, Mercury’s lowest point came with the 1997-1999 Tracer. Mercury had been selling the Tracer in the United States since 1987, when it initially arrived as a rebadged version of the Australian-market Ford Laser, which itself was derived from the Mazda Familia. With no North American-market Ford version, one could say that this was be the high point for Mercury’s smallest offering.
The second generation Tracer would come in 1991, and was now a rebadged North American-spec Ford Escort. There were a few small differences, mainly limited to trim. The Tracer received unique taillight clusters, wheel designs, bodyside moldings, and a plastic grille insert that was replaced by Mercury’s lightbar in 1993. The Tracer was arguably the better-looking of the two, but its negligible differences in appearance and features only further highlighted the question of Mercury’s existence.
Ford would redesign the Escort in 1997, and given its low sales, it probably came as a surprise to some that a Tracer would continue being offered. Its continued existence was likely as a way for dealers to lure buyers into Lincoln-Mercury showrooms, and then try to up-sell them on the slow-selling Mystiques that were piling up on dealer lots.
With this third generation Tracer, any minor trim differences between it and the Escort were virtually eliminated. Apart from the barely different split grille, the Tracer was more of an Escort in all but name than ever – and few people had even heard of the Tracer.
Looking like the Taurus and Contour had a baby, the 1997 Tracer continued the ovoid theme that was popular among Ford sedans of the late-1990s. Maybe it was the oval shape, but for some reason this generation Tracer/Escort didn’t look quite as solid as their immediate predecessors, and tended to scream econo-box much louder.
The story was similar on the inside, where seat fabrics and cabin plastics were noticeably downgraded from ’96 as a result of cost-cutting measures that were taking place in most other Ford products at the time. While the 1991-1996 Tracer’s interior wasn’t anything extraordinary, it had a look and feel that was on par with most other vehicles in its class. This generation’s interior was a downright penalty box, which is exactly what it felt like that night in high school I was forced to ride around in an identical colored Escort.
Door panels were chintzy-looking, hard molded plastic. Door handles looked like they’d break if they were pulled by more than a single finger. Seat backs and sides were covered in vinyl, whereas seating surfaces were upholstered in thin, industrial carpet-like cloth. Of course, all of this would generally be accepted in an economy car, which the Tracer was. But at the same time it was a Mercury. Weren’t Mercurys supposed to be a cut above your average Fords?
For those who asked themselves (or a salesperson) that question, the Tracer could indeed be equipped with leather seats that had all the suppleness of a doctor’s office examination table.
Whatever theoretical premium Mercury once carried over Ford had long eroded by then, and this was made clearer by none other than the Tracer.
The slow-selling Tracer was promptly discontinued during 1999, three years prior to the Escort. The slightly larger and more luxurious “tweener” Mystique ended production the following year, and Mercury would never get a compact sedan again, further thinning its already weakening lineup.
Given their much higher sales numbers and longer production, Escorts of this generation are still frequently seen on the road as cheap beaters. The Tracer of course, is much rarer, and I’ll bet that the majority of them (along with plenty of Escorts) have found a similar resting place is this one.
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Looks way cleaner than most Tracers I see on the road. We always joked about that name- (in hippie voice)- ” Wow, man….I’m seein’ Tracers!”
Somebody screwed up big-time by scrapping that one out. As a life-long Rust Belt inhabitant, one that free of damage, rust, dents, or even baked clearcoat looks well worth repairing.
Truly a car that I would think is an Escort 9.5 times out of 10, so I can’t say how common they are or aren’t! As a proportion of the Escorts of this generation, there are bound to be a few.
The “light bar” grille insert of the previous model was more distinctive. I can say with confidence I’ve not seen one of those in a while.
I never even realized Mercury made a Tracer in this body, I’m sure I’ve seen them but, as you said, the Mercury differentiation is practically nonexistent. Oddly enough the few details that are different from the Escort are details I normally expect on the Ford version of cars, like the grilleless nose, as well as the trunklid taillight, which on pretty much every other Mercury since the original Sable had the center blackened out, whereas it’s red on this and black on the Escort.
I remember the second generation slightly better. My parents had a teal one as a rental car when I went to Disney World in Orlando.
I had a 1996 Escort wagon, with lovely upholstered door panels and nice seats. FIL had a ’97 – was considerably cheaper inside.
I forgot the backup lights were not part of the rear cluster until now. Do you think one is turned into a rear foglight for Europe? Makes me feel a bit older that turn of the century vehicles are cycling through junkyards.
What was the reliability of these cars in the real world anyway?
I forgot the backup lights were not part of the rear cluster until now.
At least on the Escort, the backup lights were moved to the taillight cluster somewhere around 99 or 2000. My 02 fleet special Escort had the backup lights in with the taillights.
“Do you think one is turned into a rear foglight for Europe?”
This version of the Escort wasn’t sold in Europe. The Escort sold here and in Europe stopped being similar in 1991. Europe had their own version afterwards while the last two generations sold in North America were on a Mazda platform.
I actually saw one in Italy.
Maybe it was an American Forces in Italy car owned by a solider.
The third generation Escort was created and designed on the cheap; the intention was they were only to be a temporary stopgap until the global Focus would be ready for the 2000 model year. I would assume this is the reason the Tracer was continued; to help amortize the costs of developing the new car. That said, these are such a far cry from the previous generation. Did you know the 1991 Tracer LTS was one of Car and Driver’s “Ten Best” that year? Neither did buyers, apparently…
One reason the LTS was 10 Best was that it as only 4 door with the Mazda DOHC motor. The EGT was coupe only, but then for ’92, Ford got its “LTS”.
I have a 1997 Ford Escort – best car I’ve ever owned – was one of the first 97’s made in August 96 – dead reliable and looks like new. The interior was not as cheap as stated here though if you follow the 1998’s and later, the door upholstery that matched the seats was removed and the entire seat back was changed to vinyl whereas the 97 had mostly fabric and a lower portion in matching vinyl (main color). 97 had the tiny cup holders in the front which were revised later – I think in 1999.
I love my car and will keep this one until it is totaled. 170k miles on it and it delivers consistent 47 mpgs over its life with as much as 53 on the highway on good flowing interstate traffic.
Sadly enough,I don`t remember the Trancer……ehhhhh, Tracer.
A friend had to buy a new car in 97 and I accompanied him to a few Ford dealerships. This was the car they pushed on him, never mind he is well over six feet tall and liked to take lots of road trips.
He finally settled on a comfortable Thunderbird and drove it all over the country.
These little guys got no love at all. I think they were good little commuter cars but I would have opted for a ZX2 instead.
This was the car they pushed on him, never mind he is well over six feet tall and liked to take lots of road trips.
Actually, I am 6′ and used my 02 Escort for road trips. The Escort had creature comforts my Civic lacked: air, cruise, cassette player. Really pretty reasonable proposition as it would cruise comfortably at 70, the limit in Michigan. Only real failing was the weak shocks. OEM dampers done at 40K, aftermarket Monroes ditto after another 40K.
At 6’4″ I find my ’99 to be very comfortable for road trips- once I get through the door opening. Actually I think I’d prefer a little LESS equipment; such a light car doesn’t need power steering and where I live a/c is more a luxury than a necessity. Also mine has the a/t and while it functions pretty much exactly as I’d want it to, I think I could squeak out a few more mpgs with the 5-speed. It’s still riding firm on the stock struts… maybe my region is blessed with very smooth roads that are easy on those parts?
It’s still riding firm on the stock struts… maybe my region is blessed with very smooth roads that are easy on those parts?
The OEM struts on mine were OK around town. It was on the freeway, in cold weather, that they were a problem. My theory is that, in subfreezing weather, the gas in the struts would contract enough to take pressure off the fluid and it would start to foam. Driving at 70, I had the impression the tires were dancing on the pavement as I had trouble keeping the car in the lane. Once I had gone 50 miles or so, the agitation warmed the struts up enough that the gas expanded enough for the struts to start working again. There was a particularly cold day that the struts didn’t start working until I had gone about 100 miles.
When the weather warmed in spring, the struts were OK. When the next fall came, and I was again facing the prospect of the struts being ineffective, and Monroe put their struts on sale, I got a new set. After 40K miles, the Monroes went away, regardless of temperature.
How odd- I’ve never experienced or heard of that. You’d think that pretty much a strut is a strut is a strut. Replacing with a different brand took care of it but then only lasted 40k? It’s such a light car, I don’t know what would cause it to be harder on struts than other vehicles.
How odd- I’ve never experienced or heard of that. You’d think that pretty much a strut is a strut is a strut. Replacing with a different brand took care of it but then only lasted 40k? It’s such a light car, I don’t know what would cause it to be harder on struts than other vehicles.
Well, I had that Escort on the freeway a lot, for 5 years, 120 miles non-stop at a time. The Escort also had really soft springs. Far softer than a Civic or Focus. Bottom line is a lot of rapid, high amplitude movement. As I said, I figure the OEM’s problem was loss of gas pressure at subfreezing temps. The Monroe’s more likely leaky valves as their poor performance was independent of temperature.
Could be that Monroe was working the probabilities. The warranty was only good to the original purchaser, and it only covered the struts, not installation labor, and labor is more than the struts cost. The bet for Monroe is that most people will either not be running an older car on the freeway a lot, which exposes the weakness, or will sell the car before the struts go off, voiding the warranty.
The Civic’s OEM shocks finally got squirrelly too, at 100,000 miles.
Odd – my struts lasted nearly 170k – original fronts – rears were replaced in June of 2016.
Ford went to the trouble to style a (slightly) different nose for the Escort ZX2 but put almost no effort into the styling differentiation for these Tracers. I wonder why the Tracer couldn’t have carried a “Junior Sable” look, like the Escort did with the Taurus?
It’s also a shame that low sales numbers kept Ford (and Mercury) from repeating the “performance” versions of the early 90s Escort/Tracer, the LX-E and LTS, respectively.
I actually like the styling of these last Escorts, but as this story points out, the EXTREMELY cheap looking interiors were/are a turn off.
I think more of these cars might have survived if owners were STRONGLY recommended to get a water pump/timing belt change by the 75,000 mile mark.
I actually like the styling of these last Escorts, but as this story points out, the EXTREMELY cheap looking interiors were/are a turn off.
When my Escort was built, 02, they were only being made for fleet sales. The fabric inlay on the door panels and the multicolor upholstery were long gone, replaced with utilitarian plain grey.
I think more of these cars might have survived if owners were STRONGLY recommended to get a water pump/timing belt change by the 75,000 mile mark.
In the 90s cars, the change interval was 60K. Around 99 that changed to 120K. I asked the service guy at the Ford dealer, as there was no time limit on the belt, just mileage. He said “they say it will go 120,000”. I said “even if that takes 12 years?”. He pondered “it is rubber, and rubber dry rots”. I parted with the car at 85K and 8 years old, so not my problem any more.
Penalty box indeed.
Escort/Tracers of this vintage had shockingly cheap interior door handles. Thickness of the plastic was on par with six pack rings. And a continuous reminder to the owner that their car purchase was just about the lowest rung of the quality ladder.
And yet I haven’t broken a single piece on my ’99 vs the trim piece that disintegrated on the extra-cost 40-20-40 seat upgrade in my F-150.
Not a penalty box and having my car for nearly 20 years I never had an issue with the door handles.
I never much cared for the goofy oval styling these cars had. My mom used to have a 97 Escort and it wasn’t the worst thing ever except the purple color. With the round styling it looked like a grape. But what I do remember about they terrible oval center console was when my sister got the car as a hand me down to change the radio required an adapter that made the inside seem even more cheap.
+1 on Ford’s goofy oval styling.
Tracers were few and far between when new, and extinct around here. I had a ZX2 and really liked the little buzz box. Noisy as hell inside but I put 185,000 miles on it with very little maintenance. I always wondered if an Escort wagon wouldn’t have been a good little wheelbarrow for runs to the hardware store and garden center.
“… but for some reason this generation Tracer/Escort didn’t look quite as solid as their immediate predecessors …”,
As one who owned both a 91 and a 2000 Escort, the newer ones were more solid and modern. And to me the interior was better fit and finish, without the rolling mouse seat belts. Also quieter. I would take a ’97 over a 91-96 any day.
Sure, compacts now are richer, but for a beater, the Scort was bargain. Want more? Pay more.
As one who owned both a 91 and a 2000 Escort, the newer ones were more solid and modern.
I was always impressed with the solid structure of my 02. No symphony of rattles or tinny ring like some cars when I closed the door.
How does this car “look less solid”? It has a thicker “C” pillar for sure. What a curious assertion.
I’ve already noted my ’99 is well suited for long road trips; very quiet and stable. Also as noted, I added some sound insulation to the trunk and trunk lid that cured an exhaust boominess that luckily wasn’t at cruise speed in the first place, but now the silent ride and lack of rattles and squeaks is in my opinion pretty remarkable. Actually, I lined all of the trunk except the lid with corrugated cardboard so I could put filthy stuff in there and the sound insulating qualities of it were a happy accident. I cardboarded the lid to further enhance the sound attenuation.
No rattles in my 1997 after 170k miles and nearly 20 years. I’ve never had a single quality issue with this product. I paid $10 for a base LX with a/c. I would buy another if these were still made.
What an effective way to place the car so no one can remove parts from the bottom. Out my way the yards take the rims off and then place them under the four corners allowing one to pull transmissions and suspension parts if desired.
Most of the good yards do that by me too, Victory auto Wreckers is the only place that still dumps them on the ground like that, and it’s super irritating. They’ll let you take suspension parts IF you get the fork lift drivers to rip(and I mean that literally) the parts out for you, if they didn’t destroy what you needed lifting the car with a forklift.
Compared to a Neon of the same vintage, the interior and material used in the Escort/Tracer were luxurious.
The Tracer of course, is much rarer, and I’ll bet that the majority of them (along with plenty of Escorts) have found a similar resting place is this one.
Ayup. sold my 02 Escort in May 2010. Looked it up on CarFax a couple months ago. A salvage title was issued for it 3 months after I sold it. A VIN search on the net brought me this pic. Could be my old car. Right body style and color.
The differences between the 3rd gen Tracer and the Escort were so minor that there really was no point in buying one over an Escort. The main killer of this generation of Escort and Tracer (and early Ford Focus(2000-2002ish) was that the 1.9 (and later 2.0) SOHC engine was prone to dropping valve seats(most of the time on cylinder #4) and that damaged the engine.
I actually like the 91-96 era of Escort/Tracer because I think the car looks better with the hatch and the GT
I’m surprised the rear wheel wells aren’t rusty or primered
My late wife and I took a cross-country trip in one of these in 2007. 4 cylinder 5 speed manual. Being 6′ 7″, it wasn’t the most comfortable ride, but I’ll tell you what. It performed flawlessly from St. George, Utah to Long Island, New York and points north, then back along the northern route. All while averaging 35 MPG.
Here’s a picture of me trying to get in the damned thing.
Goodness, that looks like a pain in the neck!
We had the previous model Escort and my mother in law had one from this generation we drove occasionally. I agree with the other commenter, these were much better on the road than the earlier cars, cheap interior or not. They were noticeably quieter than a Civic or Corolla of the era as I recall. The engines were less refined so it evened out.
They were noticeably quieter than a Civic or Corolla of the era as I recall. The engines were less refined so it evened out.
They may have left the sound insulation out of my 02 fleet special Escort, because it certainly was not quieter than my 98 Civic DX, and it was a crude penalty box compared to my Aunt’s 98 Civic LX. All these cars were around at the same time, so I had years of back to back comparison to base my opinion on.
The late 90s Civic had it all over the Escort: interior quiet, competent suspension and smooth, quiet engine. Actually, I found the Escort’s crudeness amusing. I remember one particularly snowy morning. The 5″ of snow killed all the road noise, so all I heard was the chugging of the engine as the car pitched and rolled over the ruts in the snow. It struck me that the sensation was very much like piloting an old fishing boat through a swell.
While the Civic and Escort sold in comparable numbers in the late 90s, half the Escorts were sold into fleets, where the person buying them, wasn’t the person that had to drive them, while nearly all Civic buyers were plunking down their own money for a car they would be living with.
FoMoCO, GM, and Mopar should have never let their “near luxury” marques sell market/rebadge compact cars and vans or if they thought it absolutely necessary to do so, they should have really made them an obvious cut above the entry level brands.
FoMoCO, GM, and Mopar should have never let their “near luxury” marques sell market/rebadge compact cars and vans or if they thought it absolutely necessary to do so, they should have really made them an obvious cut above the entry level brands.
“Badge engineering” is the obvious beancounter way to do things. Grab a few more sales for minimum investment. Stick a “near luxury” badge on a cheap car and maybe you can get away with charging a higher price and make more profit. They wouldn’t do it if they didn’t think it was working for them.
I had no idea you could get a Tracer with “leather” seats… most of these things didn’t even have power windows. That must’ve retailed above a base Mystique or even a Sable- I bet dealers never ordered them like that.
These weren’t as terrible as you make them sound (I would handily take one over a nasty J-body with their flex-y structures and even worse interiors), but there were definitely better compacts available. You could at least feel a little Mazda in the structure under all the cheapness. Remember that a Civic was probably thousands more comparably equipped, new or used. These were very inexpensive cars and the did sell loads of the Escort version.
Remember that a Civic was probably thousands more comparably equipped, new or used.
Cars.com gives the base price of a 97 Escort LX, meaning manual trans and crank windows, as about $12K new. That equipment level is equal to a Civic DX at $13. My Aunt gave about $16 for her Civic LX, which had air, cruise, power windows, power mirrors and power locks standard, and she bought an automatic. I have no idea what an Escort listed for comparably equipped, but I would not expect it to be dramatically less than the Civic.
Used is another matter. When I was looking for a second car, people wanted as much for a 2 year old Civic DX hatchback as I gave for my Civic DX hatch new. I gave about $7,500 for a two year old Escort, with Civic LX level of equipment and 23,500 miles with nearly a year of the new car warranty remaining. In 2008, I sold my Aunt’s Civic LX, by then 10 years old, with 78K on the clock, for $7,500, the same as I paid for the 02 Escort when it was far newer.
According to CarFax, my Aunt’s old Civic is in Iowa now. The registration was renewed this week. At the last oil change it had a bit over 210K on the clock.
I paid $10k for a manual equipped with A/C and remote driver’s door lock (didn’t have the other three doors but I’m single and didn’t need it). This car was one of those that said “from $9990” in the dealer ad in the newspaper. It had exactly what I wanted and nothing more. I did spring for a 10 disc CD changer added for around $300.
I have a ’99 and am quite pleased with it. It has the a/t yet on E10 I get around 40 mpg with a best of 44. This non-flex fuel car just loves E85! No CEL or driveability issues under any circumstances and not a huge mpg penalty either. I don’t understand the criticism for the interior; looks good to me, is comfortable, is loaded with power windows and such, and the quality meets my approval. Richard has a few inches on me but I also scrape the doorway on ingress/egress but am comfortable once in. I do have two nits to pick; even though the exhaust is in perfect condition, it’s boomy at certain lower revs. Luckily the car responded very well to some additional sound insulation. The other nit is I find the non-driver spaces a bit user unfriendly for stuff other than people but that’s pretty much my fault for not having the wagon. I’d sure love to have the passenger door on that car shown in the scrapyard; it’s the same color as mine and mine has a big dent/scrape.
I was a Ford/Mercury service manager when these cars were new and I owned a 97 Escort 5 speed back then. I disagree with the author on some points. These cars did not have hard plastic IPs and door panels. These were a soft touch material, like the Taurus/Sable. Also, the seat upholstery was quite good for the price class. The engine was also quite a bit more powerful than the previous generation. These were durable cars. I always got 35 MPG in mine. No squeaks and rattles. Negative was difficult entry and exit if over 6 feet tall, but not too bad once you were inside. Really cheap carpet, too. All in all, good solid little cars that lasted a long time
Negative was difficult entry and exit if over 6 feet tall, but not too bad once you were inside.
Agreed. I have the same problem with every 4 door car: the B post gets in the way when I try to get in as, when I have the seat adjusted, it’s behind the post.
…good solid little cars that lasted a long time
Maybe, if you don’t drive them on the highway a lot, or maybe I was just unlucky. In spite of oil changes every 3K, mine developed a nasty bearing knock on the first start of the morning when it only had about 50-60K on it. Could be the Ford dealer’s oil was second rate too, because a switch to Valvoline improved, but did not eliminate the knock. My Taurus X developed a bearing knock on Ford dealer oil too, at 40K, and the T-Rex’s knock did not go away after a minute, like the Escort’s did.
I used to be a 3k mile change person that all changed with my Escort.
I now do the 7500 mile point and have nothing to report on knocks. Car uses less than 1 qt of oil at this point after 170k miles during that oil change interval. I am not sure what oil is used in mine where I take it to a local place.
I simply have no issues in ownership of this vehicle – original clutch (did replace master slave cylinder at 100k. One set of brakes front and rear; changed water pump as preventive maintenance item during timing belt change at 90k. I’ve put two sets of tires on it.
Original AC charge – has never let me down since new to produce cold air and freezes me out to this day.
L. Klokow
I agree with your Escort analysis.
About 1998 I bought a used 91 Escort 5 spd. to flat tow with my Motor Home.
It was as you state a good small car overall, the Mazda designed OHC engine ran super and did not consume oil and as you state it did achieve 35 mpg. on hwy.
Another plus was the non-interfere engine, I found that out when driving just outside of Gatlinburg, TN. at 55mph the engine quit,timing belt broke.
No engine damage.. $125. for labor and belt replacement, 2 hours latter I was back on the road.
I also didn’t mind the auto seat belt, I quickly got used to it.
The Escort gave me great “almost trouble free” service for three years..
still building rust free escorts/ tracers with escort zx2 engines
I am just now reading this article after seeing steven freyler comment on it. Yes, my family had a ’97 Tracer as well, a red LS. This was the car that replaced my mom’s ’83 Plymouth Horizon after its transmission cable broke. But after at least 14 years on the road it was about time for a new car anyway. We owned the Tracer from the end of the ’90s to around 2010, so you can pretty well say I grew up with it & my dad’s ’89 Town Car for most of my early life.
By 2010, the Tracer began having transmission trouble too, but not b/c of a broken cable. Several years prior, we were going to a Cub Scout meeting at my church on a Monday evening when the car hit a fallen tree taking up the entire width of the road & it actually went completely airborne for a few seconds before slamming back down, activating the emergency fuel pump shut-off switch in the process. Help soon arrived & we went the rest of the way in the Town Car. The impact was so hard that it made a small leak in the oil pan which was later patched up. Unfortunately, the the “patch” eventually failed & the leak got worse; you could hear the oil sloshing around as you drove the car! The ultimate diagnosis was that the oil was leaking into the transmission & everything would have to be overhauled to permanently fix the problem. For the potential cost of the repair, it was once again time for a new(er) car: a fleet-owned ’06 Ford Focus SE ZXW from Cromley’s of Saluda, SC. This is the only good view I have of it…
…b/c after only 2 or so years, “stupid” 18-year-old me decided to go a different way to Piedmont Technical College & wound up over-correcting the car on a tight curve. Flipped over, windshield busted into a million pieces, airbags went off. I survived, but the car was totaled & had already gone through TWO alternators! I had my ’96 Aerostar by around this time & became a much more cautious driver after that, but what was mom going to drive now…the ’88 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera from my deceased grandparents! I’ve already told what happened with it (it had already gotten old); what we’ve got now is ANOTHER Focus (an ’07 SE sedan). No major problems with THIS car as of yet!