MIAMI — In light of Ford's recent decision to cease production of Mercury, executives from LeaseTrader.com went back through its archives to find vehicles from the brand that generated the most activity at its site.

It turns out by a relatively slim margin, the Mercury Mariner topped this list. Site officials found the Mariner constituted 19.8 percent of all search and takeover demand for the brand. The other models with the highest percentages were the Mountaineer (17.8 percent), Milan (15.6 percent) and Montego (13.4 percent).

As a whole, LeaseTrader.com determined Mercury represented less than 1 percent of its total vehicle transactions between 2000 and this year. The site figured the activity level placed Mercury slightly above two other brands eliminated by domestic automakers, Plymouth and Oldsmobile.

As a way of comparison, executives mentioned Ford represented 8.9 percent of total LeaseTrader.com transactions during the same period. They also noted Mercury was in the bottom five for vehicles whose brands were listed on the marketplace that had a low transfer success ratio.

"Mercury followed the same path as several other car brands that recently ended production because of a distinct lack of focus and a failure to connect with buyer demand," explained Sergio Stiberman, chief executive officer and founder of LeaseTrader.com.

"Although in the short term there is a population that will sorely miss Mercury, in the long run Ford is making the right decision in eliminating its dead weight and aligning its U.S. position with a global strategy," Stiberman insisted.