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It's very similar to five hundred, but it looks a little different (better) on the exterior. Mercury used to be a more upscale version of Ford and even had better reliability ratings. Nobody bought them because there were problems with brand name recognition and most people don't know cars that well so they only follow the mainstream trends. At the same dealership I bought mine there was a five hundred, much more expensive with much more miles and much fewer features. Mine even had aftermarket rims.
No one bought Mercury's because they couldn't see the point in paying an extra couple thousand dollars for a different badge, bumper and a nicer graining on the interior plastic. Mercury pretty much ceased being a more upscale Ford in the 1980's. Ford tried hard to keep it going, but the brand just got slowly whittled down to nothing. You got such a great deal on yours compared to the Five Hundred sitting next to it, because at the time you bought it Mercury was a "dead brand". Look at the pricing of Saturns and Pontiacs compared to their twin Chevy's and you can see the same thing.
As for whether or not you want to pimp it out, it's all up to you. Some of the things you want to do are pretty pricey. If your goal is to get a "real" luxury car, then save that money towards that purpose. If you love you car and want to mess around with it, then have at it. The choice is entirely up to you.
I drive an Accord and kiddies often ask me when I’m going to lower it and put wheels on it. It’s funny when what might be the last stock Accord gets more attention than a riced out one.
I got Mercury Montego 2007. It's a real nice car, reliable, big and cozy and looks good too. Also, its pretty rare and has been discontinued so it will be nice to be unique, especially later on when you will see even fewer of them. I've had it for a year and a half-bought it used, got a great deal on it, but I was thinking about changing the interior, putting different type of leather seats, a wood wheel and so on, to make it feel more luxurious. Is it worth doing that though, especially that it's not the most high end car to begin with or I should I just save money and buy a luxury car some day? (benz, caddie, etc)
Back in the day we used to call this "customizing ,or rodding, your car" which makes the entire process a personal project with no sale recovery in mind.
If you manage to get bragging rights when you're done with your car that is all the payment you can ever expect.
Anytime anyone can look at a project and say "I did that" it's a good day!
I am modding my VW Golf 2.5. But I do it because it helps me to love my car and I consider it a hobby, albeit an expensive one. My car is brand new however so I plan to keep it a minimum of 5 years. Also, I wont be doing anything that I cant take off and resell later should I want to part it out and sell it off as stock so I dont lose more on the car.
You can buy a wood dashboard insert kit and wheel insert kit, which is less expensive than replacing the wheel. That would enhance the interior appeal of the vehicle, but I would not bother to reupholster the seats right now, especially if they are in good condition.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
"Pimping out" is never worth it, for anyone with reasonable taste and an eye for monetary value. Tasteful, sensible add-ons or modifications are great. I'm a fan of "form follows function", meaning in this case that mods have an effect on the performance of the car, rather than just the appearance.
Bad examples:
1. Putting $3K of dubs on a $500 car, with the necessary junkyard lift necessary to accomodate the wheels.
2. Same car, with a $4k paint job with candy bar names on it.
3. Same car with a $4k interior made of Skittles colored vinyl.
4. Same car, with speakers or TVs anywhere there's enough surface area to put them, regardless oh how they look or sound.
5. Same car, running a beat to death 200K mile old engine that only had 150 HP to begin with.
If lightning struck me and somehow allowed me to think spending $15K on a sub $1000 car (I know yours isn't) made any sense at all, I'd put a custom suspension and brakes under it, 500+ HP in it, and and then spend whatever is left over on a nearly invisible trick sound system, an alarm loaded with toys, and maybe then some paint and clean up the interior.
Well, you know everyone has a different taste. I am happy with how it performs so I am only considering cosmetic, non performance related add ons thus the title pimping out.
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