2003 Mercury Sable Consumer Reviews

Magnificent Mid-size

Written by: falsesmall on 01/22/2008

Vehicle

2003 Mercury Sable LS Premium 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 4A)

Review

Bought this car with 100,000 miles on it and couldn't be happier. Runs like new. The Duratec 6 is responsive and quiet. Flawless shifting in all gears. Loaded with luxury and safety features that make this car a steal..leather, alloy wheels, sunroof, traction control, adjustible pedals, heated mirrors, 6 cd mach audio, ABS, side air bags, etc.,etc. If you want to buy American, here is where you do it. Much more for less. Ford did this one right.

Favorite Features

Brakes, sunroof, luxury feel, mach audio

Suggested Improvements

None

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Magnificent Mid-size

Written by: falsesmall on 12/06/2007

Vehicle

2003 Mercury Sable LS Premium 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 4A)

Review

After 100,000 miles this car is a dream. The premium model is chock full of options that leave you wanting nothing. This a "true" mid-size sedan that looks and rides great. Interior design is conservative yet attractive. Controls are logically laid out. Excellent climate control. Handling is precise enough..what you would expect in a car of this size and weight. I love the solid feel and feel quite safe with the side airbags and ABS. Duratec six cylinder is powerful and, with the 4 speed automatic/overdrive, smooth as silk. Frankly the best engine/trans marriage I think I ever owned, new or used. Luxury and power at a great pre-owned price tag. This is an American car done right.

Favorite Features

Engine/transmission, Mach stereo with CD changer, adjustable foot pedals, auto climate control, heated mirrors w/chromatic rear-view, sunroof, bucket front seats, center console, large trunk, alloy wheels

Suggested Improvements

Nothing worth mentioning

3 out 3 people found this review helpful

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Decent Family Car

Written by: owensry on 12/17/2006

Vehicle

2003 Mercury Sable LS Premium 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 4A)

Review

overall this sable is a great family vehicle, and not too horrible on gas mileage, i have the 24 V Duratech engine with 200 HP great pep to the engine, very nice leather seats, and paint color combination.

Favorite Features

Console shifter w/Wood Grain (LS Premium ONLY), Electronic Climate Control, size of leg room in the rear seat, 24 V DURATECH ENGINE, and DEALER REMOTE STARTER!

Suggested Improvements

Make the driver seat leg room a lot larger, wayyy too crammed, even with the seat all the way back, make CD6 standard, i have the LS premium and still doesn't include, a couple paint blemishes, transmission shifts too slow when going into D from R. Accelerator too touchy, car has a boatish design!!

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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Great Value...Safe and Reliable

Written by: Mercster on 11/13/2006

Vehicle

2003 Mercury Sable GS 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 4A)

Review

Very safe and reliable car for us. Drives smooth and quiet you can talk in normal tone on the highway. The doors close with a heavy clunk. Trunk space is great...we fit all our camping gear and still have room left over. The car now has 60k and still running strong (bought at 20k). Replaced front brakes at 40k and new battery but that is it. Love to take it on long trips. We drove cross- country in it in less than 3-days (NY to AZ) no problems driving virtually non-stop. We do the maintenance as required...change oil and just replaced cooling and transmission fluid. This is our third Sable/Taurus and the other 2 have served us well as well (over 100k each).

Favorite Features

Large size and room inside. Neat storage in middle of seat. Compass in the mirror is great so is the auto- dimming feature. Drink stays in place (large cup-holders). Deep map pockets. Great visibility and comfort. Love to take it on long trips. Car feels safe and solid.

Suggested Improvements

Power seat on the passenger side, little bigger trunk opening, 110V power plug would be great. Climate control with dual zones.

3 out 3 people found this review helpful

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OOH- shiny!

Written by: chris1016 on 10/30/2006

Vehicle

2003 Mercury Sable LS Premium 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 4A)

Review

I bought the LS Premium with about 22k on it 6 mo. ago. AC compressor went bad after a couple months (luckily I had the extended warranty, but it still cost me a little over $100 deductible). Otherwise, car seems pretty solid. Somewhat luxurious (compared to the blander Taurus anyhow). But my LS came without a 6disc changer! Also, as others have said- the trunk, while of a decent size, is hindered by a too- small, oddly-shaped opening. And yeah, drum brakes? Shame on Ford for that one... Otherwise, I'm liking this car quite a bit.

Favorite Features

Automatic climate control is impressive, the stock speakers don't sound too crappy, the leather trim is very nice. The center shifter with console is classy.

Suggested Improvements

The rear end is too rounded-off. This leads to an odd-shaped trunk opening, which prevents you from putting in larger items. Drum brakes in the rear is inexcusable. Transmission could be a little smoother, but maybe I'm too picky. Then again, it is just a glorified Ford...

2 out 4 people found this review helpful

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average car

Written by: Eric on 09/14/2006

Vehicle

2003 Mercury Sable GS 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 4A)

Review

Bourght in late summer 03, had 7000 miles on it. This is not a bad car but I would not buy it again. Bought with extended warantee. Went back with paint peeling on front air vents. They said car was in a accident Repainted front bumper. They did not tell me this when I bourght car. Would not make good on warantee. Transmission had to be rebuilt at 35,000 miles. Had better cars.

Favorite Features

compass and headlight dimming mirror. lights in outside mirrors.

Suggested Improvements

Motor noisy, better shifting transmisson, better seats, and do away with hump in drivers side floor

1 out 2 people found this review helpful

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Mercury Sable LS is a High Quality Sedan

Written by: d. gearey on 09/10/2006

Vehicle

2003 Mercury Sable LS Premium 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 4A)

Review

We purchased a lease return Sable LS with 50K miles. It looks and drives like a brand new car. Leather interior is beautiful, sunroof and climate control systems work perfectly. Installed new Goodyear triple Tread Tires, drives like a dream, very quiet with precise steering and ABS brakes. I cannot understand why american auto magazine reviewers give excellent U.S. made cars like my Sable such a bad rap. We rented a highly touted japanese car while on vacation and we found it to be slow, underpowered and tinny, with excessive road noise. We were glad to get rid of it at the end of the trip. Our Sable is a much better built car, quieter,with a more substantial structure,and much better power.

Favorite Features

interior, comfy seats, good responsive engine, excellent steering and handling. Well designed power sunroof, climate control and sound system. Very quiet smooth riding car with lots of interior room. decent mileage (mid 20's) and very nice solid build quality, no rattles or buzz like our german cars

Suggested Improvements

not very many: a standard equipment locking gas cap would be nice, shape of trunk opening restricts load sizes slightly, but the trunk is very large.

6 out 6 people found this review helpful

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This One's a Sleeper

Written by: Richard on 10/15/2005

Vehicle

2003 Mercury Sable LS Premium 4dr Wagon (3.0L 6cyl 4A)

Review

Bought this car used with 31K miles in 2005. It's more than met my expectations. Handsome, spacious, easy to drive, good build quality, comfortable for long trips. If you are looking for a performance car to push to its limits, look elsewhere. If you are considering this vehicle as a used car, take advantage of the weak resale value and enjoy it.

Favorite Features

Visually appealing, plenty of room, very comfortable. This car also has adjustable pedals for my (short) wife. Tight car, no squeaks or rattles. Leather is a must for this car.

Suggested Improvements

Brakes are OK but take considerable pressure to stop. Road noise is higher than I would prefer. Radio and climate controls are a forest of buttons.

6 out 7 people found this review helpful

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Nice Car for the Money

Written by: Richard on 05/30/2005

Vehicle

2003 Mercury Sable LS Premium 4dr Wagon (3.0L 6cyl 4A)

Review

I bought this car used three months ago for a second car, mainly short haul. It's capable, comfortable and solid. Leather seats are great. I had a Sable Wagon 12 years ago and the difference is night and day. Makes me a believer in Ford again.

Favorite Features

Exterior looks, leather seats, comfortable, powerful and responsive Duratec engine. Solid, no squeaks or rattles. You can buy these cars used at a very attractive price.

Suggested Improvements

Brakes take heavier pedal pressure than I would like. Some road noise; could use more sound insulation.

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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great buy new, even better used!

Written by: dan m on 12/31/2004

Vehicle

2003 Mercury Sable LS Premium 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 4A)

Review

A steal at the used price level. Second one I bought at $12K with 8K miles fully loaded. Last one I kept for 4 years (cost $3k/yr) plus gas, oil and tires. Smooth quite commute ride. I HIGHLY recommend for that use.

Favorite Features

The interior room and driver access.

Suggested Improvements

More padding in front seats.

6 out 6 people found this review helpful

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