Mercury Sable Wagon: Great car, needs very little. (UPDATED)

This is my mother's Wagon but I do drive it a lot and I thought everyone should know what a great car it really is.

The interior is very straight forward and is very easy to use. The buttons for the stereo and HVAC are big enough for even someone like my grandmother to understand and use. The cupholders are great and hold a lot of drinks well. The car is equipped with the optional Mach Audio with the 6-disk changer in the center console. One word: PHENOMENAL! One of the best system's I have ever heard. Well worth the $700. However, some of the interior plastics are not very good, especially where the cupholders and shifter are located. They look and feel very cheap. However, there are no squeaks or rattles yet, but time will tell.
The seats are extremely comfortable but could use some more side bolstering when driving on those windy roads around Pittsburgh.There are airbags everywhere in the front, which is why these cars are one of the safest on the road. The back seat is equally comfortable, but needs head rests (do not know why they didn't put these in). The trunk is roomy enough for our two 90 lb. dogs can fit with moving room.

The exterior is well....a little bland for my mother's, and my, taste. It is somewhat handsome and flows well, but it's not inspiring at all. It blends in very easily with the rest of the crowd. It needs something to bring it out from everyone else. The paint is a great metallic beige color and it is very full and well done.

The mechanical aspect is just as good. The 3.0 DOHC V6 has some excellent mid-range passing power. Getting from 50 to 80 mph is very quick. The steering is a tad on the light side and doesn't give much feedback to the driver, but you never lose confidence in it. As goes the suspension. It is set for a softer ride, which is nice when traveling on long trips, but when you want to have a tiny bit of fun, the car rolls in the turns and is more of a hassle than fun. Enthusiasts, look somewhere else.
Brakes are very good, especially because of the EBD, or Electronic Brake Distribution. This little device helps braking by making sure each brake is doing its share of the work and no one brake is doing all of the work. The pedal could be a little more responsive in stop and go but when you need to slow down in a hurry, it works well.

So far, we have almost 11,000 miles in 6 months and the car has had zero mechanical problems. However, we have had a few little problems. One was a window that squealed when was put down. Another was the trunk lock would sometime lock loudly. Finally, the front passenger door would rattle when the song playing on the radio or CD would have a high amount of bass. It just needed tightening.

Overall, we are very pleased with the car. It is powerful, roomy, very safe and reliable. Plus for getting a fully loaded station wagon (leather, CD, upgraded audio, side airbags, moonroof, EBD)for $26,000, you have to look really hard to find a car as good as this one for the price. My family is looking forward to many years and miles being spent in this great car.

UPDATE
My mother has owned the car for over two years now and I felt that this needed an update for you.

The car has been very reliable. No major issues have come up since this was last reported. There is still a loud squeal from the rear locking mechanism, but other than that, everything is holding up (i.e. no rattles, shimmies, creaking of the body, etc.)

The interior is holding up better than I thought. We have a big 110 pound Bouvier that has made a second home in the back half of the wagon. Besides the tan leather becoming dirty quickly, it is easily clean and is holding up to him. Both front seats have begun to crack on the butt part of the seat. It is not bad and I am going to try to rejuvenate the leather when I get the time.

Fuel mileage is excellent. She is getting around 25 miles per gallon on 50/50 driving. On road trips she is getting around 28-30, which is pretty good for such a large car.

However, there are two things that I do not like. For one, I have noticed that I do not like is the transmission. The upshifts are fine, but when hustled, there is a small lag. Downshifts are slow, but once in the right gear, it makes up for that time. Also, I do not like how the shifter is set up in the L-3-D fashion. I really do wish for a 1-2-3-D like most cars have.

Also, the trade-in value of the car is horrid. This car, with 46000 miles in Good Condition is worth $8,860. High miles, but in comparison, a Passat GLS of the same year with the same mileage, condition and options has a value of $12,800. Thank God we got a great deal on it or I would be very upset. (I do know that these products have poor value retainment, but this is more than I thought.)

She still loves the room, reliability and safety of the Sable. You just notice more things as time goes along.