1996 Mercury Tracer - Good car for "new to the road" drivers.
Firstly, it's not the best car out there. It's small, even cramped at times, and not the most attractive vehicle out there, but it's different. It's next to identical to the Ford Escort of the same years and shares the same components throughout the entire vehicle. Gas mileage is above average for this time period of the '90s boasting 31 mpg in the city and nearly 40 mpg on the highway. A more realistic figure, based on general upkeep and maintenance at approximately 165,000 miles, is an average of 32 mpg in the city and almost 50 mpg on the highway. The trunk is not extremely spacious but will fit any roadside equipment needed without sacrificing space for other items. The wagon base comes with a roof rack from the factory and will hold two single person kayak's with ease. The short s... (more)
Firstly, it's not the best car out there. It's small, even cramped at times, and not the most attractive vehicle out there, but it's different. It's next to identical to the Ford Escort of the same years and shares the same components throughout the entire vehicle. Gas mileage is above average for this time period of the '90s boasting 31 mpg in the city and nearly 40 mpg on the highway. A more realistic figure, based on general upkeep and maintenance at approximately 165,000 miles, is an average of 32 mpg in the city and almost 50 mpg on the highway. The trunk is not extremely spacious but will fit any roadside equipment needed without sacrificing space for other items. The wagon base comes with a roof rack from the factory and will hold two single person kayak's with ease. The short stature of the vehicle also makes loading and unloading items from the roof rack a breeze. As a 21-year-old car that has been well maintained, the car is an overall good condition. The exterior paint needs minor touch ups but isn't fading or cracking. The interior dash is still soft and the cloth seats have yet to tear. The door panels are a different story. They are poorly made, and the armrest are known to rip off. Performance and maintenance wise is a breeze. An oil change every 6,000 miles will keep the car happy and running strong. The timing belt is not interference. If it breaks it wont destroy the head or affect timing. In an extreme case you could take a quality leather belt and fit it around the gears to attempt to put-put into the nearest town if you find yourself stranded. In short, I'd buy the car again. I'd also recommend it to anyone needing something to get started with as the car is fairly inexpensive. Bluebook is around $1,500, if it's in good condition.
One time, late at night, I took a friend of mine to see a house I was interested in buying. The driveway was poor, and it had just recently rained so we pulled into the yard. On our attempt to leave the car started spinning and dug a rut into the yard. We bounced and yanked until the car was free, and we took off spinning tires across the yard. We never went back to check on it, but we believe... (more)
One time, late at night, I took a friend of mine to see a house I was interested in buying. The driveway was poor, and it had just recently rained so we pulled into the yard. On our attempt to leave the car started spinning and dug a rut into the yard. We bounced and yanked until the car was free, and we took off spinning tires across the yard. We never went back to check on it, but we believe it was trashed.
Gas mileage. The car is advertised from the factory boasting a 31 mpg city and 38 mpg highway. More realistically, it has an average of 34 mpg in city and up to 50 mpg on the highway. It also has a bit of oomph coming from a dead start and is more pull then you would expect from a 1.9l fwd engine.
Gas mileage. The car is advertised from the factory boasting a 31 mpg city and 38 mpg highway. More realistically, it has an average of 34 mpg in city and up to 50 mpg on the highway. It also has a bit of oomph coming from a dead start and is more pull then you would expect from a 1.9l fwd engine.
This car doesn't suffer many cons, but the ones it does are enough to ward off potential buyers. It's cramped at times. I'm roughly 5'11 and 150lbs, and it is uncomfortable on road trips over three hours. The car sits low to the ground from the factory and isn't large by any means.
This car doesn't suffer many cons, but the ones it does are enough to ward off potential buyers. It's cramped at times. I'm roughly 5'11 and 150lbs, and it is uncomfortable on road trips over three hours. The car sits low to the ground from the factory and isn't large by any means.
1993 Mercury Tracer - Amazing commute car
This car is 21 years old and still running.
Back in the day when it was bought, it probably was a nice but a wallet friendly car.
Great on gas mileage, automatic seat belts, and air conditioning.
It is comfortable for smaller sized people.
No blind spots.
This car is 21 years old and still running.
Back in the day when it was bought, it probably was a nice but a wallet friendly car.
Great on gas mileage, automatic seat belts, and air conditioning.
It is comfortable for smaller sized people.
No blind spots.
None. I hate this car. It is my husband's work car. It is ugly, dirty and we call it the "Trashy" instead of "Tracer."
None. I hate this car. It is my husband's work car. It is ugly, dirty and we call it the "Trashy" instead of "Tracer."
This car has fantastic gas mileage averaging about 33 miles per gallon on the highway.
It still has working cold air conditioning.
It still has hot heat in the winter.
Automatic seat belts ensure that we never get a seat belt ticket.
It doesn't have any blind spots and surrounding traffic and environment is easily seen from all windows.
Huge trunk for such a little car.
Maintenance cost is low for this car.
This car has fantastic gas mileage averaging about 33 miles per gallon on the highway.
It still has working cold air conditioning.
It still has hot heat in the winter.
Automatic seat belts ensure that we never get a seat belt ticket.
It doesn't have any blind spots and surrounding traffic and environment is easily seen from all windows.
Huge trunk for such a little car.
Maintenance cost is low for this car.
It is UGLY.
It is uncomfortable for rides longer than five minutes.
Seats are hard with little cushion, which may be because it is 21 years old.
If you are taller than 5 ft, this car is cramped.
If you are on the large side weight wise, this car will be cramped.
No fancy features like power locks or windows.
Seat cloth, ceiling cloth, and cloth on mirror does not hold up well with time sagging and falling off in places.
Windshield wipers only have a few speeds.
It is UGLY.
It is uncomfortable for rides longer than five minutes.
Seats are hard with little cushion, which may be because it is 21 years old.
If you are taller than 5 ft, this car is cramped.
If you are on the large side weight wise, this car will be cramped.
No fancy features like power locks or windows.
Seat cloth, ceiling cloth, and cloth on mirror does not hold up well with time sagging and falling off in places.
Windshield wipers only have a few speeds.
1994 Mercury Tracer - This vehicle is big enough for a family of four or five (depending on ages of children) and it also efficient.
When I first saw this car, I fell in love with it. It was small but large enough for my family. I bought this vehicle used as a work vehicle for me. After discovering the awesome gas mileage this vehicle got, it soon became a family car. Although snug, this car could seat all of my family, which is two adults, mid teenager, and two smaller children who did not need car seats. I would not try to fit any more than two car seats in this vehicle. The car also had enough space in the back (as it is a wagon) for large shopping trips and still seating five people. After purchasing this vehicle there seemed to be no mechanical issues. Due to age, and previous miles this car has needed some replacements, however it has not been very often, and the parts are reasonable. I am able to handle this ... (more)
When I first saw this car, I fell in love with it. It was small but large enough for my family. I bought this vehicle used as a work vehicle for me. After discovering the awesome gas mileage this vehicle got, it soon became a family car. Although snug, this car could seat all of my family, which is two adults, mid teenager, and two smaller children who did not need car seats. I would not try to fit any more than two car seats in this vehicle. The car also had enough space in the back (as it is a wagon) for large shopping trips and still seating five people. After purchasing this vehicle there seemed to be no mechanical issues. Due to age, and previous miles this car has needed some replacements, however it has not been very often, and the parts are reasonable. I am able to handle this car on the iciest of icy roads. This car also has endured a trip into the ditch and needed pulled out of a soft muddy road. This car is also the main car that I have used to teach my 16 year old son to drive. It is small enough that as a passenger, if needed I could reach the steering wheel and redirect the car until he was able to control it himself. He has used this vehicle to take several driving tests, the failure is not that of the vehicle, but more of the driver. The biggest con to this car is the frequent issue of door handles not working properly. Every so often it would snap a spring or something and not open until the door was torn apart and the handles reset.
One of the top positive things about this vehicle are the gas mileage. This car gets approximately 30 mpg. The size of this car was just perfect for what I needed. This car has endured well. It has almost 200,000 miles on it and is still going, with minimal repairs. I also like the fact that the back seats fold down one at a time so as to be able to get larger item into the vehicle and still be able to seat one person in the back seat. This cars braking system stops the car quickly and well. This car was the best "learning car" as stated above it's design is such that the passenger can rea... (more)
One of the top positive things about this vehicle are the gas mileage. This car gets approximately 30 mpg. The size of this car was just perfect for what I needed. This car has endured well. It has almost 200,000 miles on it and is still going, with minimal repairs. I also like the fact that the back seats fold down one at a time so as to be able to get larger item into the vehicle and still be able to seat one person in the back seat. This cars braking system stops the car quickly and well. This car was the best "learning car" as stated above it's design is such that the passenger can reach the steering wheel if necessary. This car handles curves extremely well. I like the automatic shifter on the floor. This car also has several built in safety features: the key lock, and air bags, (seat belts are a given). I like the air controls for this car. In the Winter it heats up quickly, and in the summer it cools down quickly. One thing about this car is that the doors never froze shut(and I live in a place where Winters get cold). The lightweight of the doors made it easy for my children to open and close the doors. They were able to close the door without slamming it.
One of the more annoying things about this vehicle was cosmetic in nature, the trim seemed to peel off very easily. I did not have this vehicle more than a month (100,000 miles) and the black trim around the car started peeling. I also do not care for all the plastic that was used for the bumpers and inside the car. A part of the switch that allows for the keys to be removed from the car actually was easily broken and now my keys are stuck in the car, unless I (not mechanically inclined) can reach my finger in to manually flip the metal latch and take the keys out at the same time. Another... (more)
One of the more annoying things about this vehicle was cosmetic in nature, the trim seemed to peel off very easily. I did not have this vehicle more than a month (100,000 miles) and the black trim around the car started peeling. I also do not care for all the plastic that was used for the bumpers and inside the car. A part of the switch that allows for the keys to be removed from the car actually was easily broken and now my keys are stuck in the car, unless I (not mechanically inclined) can reach my finger in to manually flip the metal latch and take the keys out at the same time. Another thing I don't like about this car is that the door handles seem to not work frequently. There have been several times when I have reached to open my door, or the kids go to open the passengers door from inside and the handle gives way ( no tension to open the door from the inside.) My kids managed to break both arm rests of the front seat. The motor for the automatic seat belts wore out shortly after I bought this vehicle. Another flaw is that the windshield wipers do not seem to be able to reach enough of the windshield for a clear view on a snowy cold winter day.
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