Finally my DTR is back in action

[Zee1nonly]

I bought an 04 DTR Marauder off eBay March of ‘21. It was wrecked from the rear and sold as a salvage/parts vehicle at auction.

The guy I bought it from, said his buddy bought it to use as a chasis swap for an old cord truck. He said he thought it was too nice for that, so he bought it from him and started the repair. 52209
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I bought it as an unfinished project. He added some crown Vic tail lights and I drove it home to Texas with zero issues.
I bought it knowing my buddy would be able to finish it for me.
While I waited for him to make time on his schedule for my car, I bought a trunk, filler panel, tail lights and bumper from a really nice gentleman in Michigain.
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After many months of waiting, it finally went to the body shop. Initially I just wanted the car repaired and the paint matched. After going through it and realizing this is an old car after all, we decided on a quickie full car respray.
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Well, I should have known better. He’s a perfectionist (worse than I am) he didn’t like how the car would turn out so… it turned into a full tear down paint job. Took way longer than I expected (and a little more than I hoped to spend) however, the car came out amazing. It’s not perfect but it looks amazing. It’s the DTR of my dreams for a budget I could afford.
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Next thing on the list is to polish the wheels, install a radio with Bluetooth and a new set of tires up front.
The goal for this car is for it to replace my 2010 Grand Marquis as my daily driver. I really like my Marquis but, it is a bit too boring for me (even after exhaust, gears, intake etc).

Anyhow, just wanted to make a post to introduce myself, since I’ve been a lurker forever on here.

I’m located in the Rio Grand Valley area south of Corpus Christi.


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[WhatsUpDOHC]

The paint looks great!!

Thanks for saving it.

[justbob]

Turned out very nice!


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[FMCI]

Looks fantastic! Great job saving it!

[Zee1nonly]

Thanks everyone, I hate seeing cars get scrapped. Especially if it’s a special car like a Marauder.

I’ll be looking for odds and ends to finish it. Hopefully I can find parts here in Texas.

Currently looking for a full size spare that won’t break the bank.


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[offroadkarter]

The wheels are clear coated, treat them like paint and they should clean up the same way

great job with the resto

[Mr. Man]

Looks good. Happy Maraudering. :burn:

[PsychoB]

Looks great!! Love the DTR....

[BAD MERC]

That's incredible how the panels were replaced. It's nice to see these saved.

[massacre]

Car looks great nice job

[Turbov6Bryan]

So glad to hear of another red one saved. I spun out in my daily DTR on the highway and stuffed the rear into a guardrail 2.5 years ago so hard i broke the seat metal assembly, there is a video of us pulling the frame out some in my signature.
Car looks great man, congrats on the repair and being a daily driver... i put 19k on my blue last year... 23k since sept a year ago.... 131k to 154k now.. lol

[Zee1nonly]

So glad to hear of another red one saved. I spun out in my daily DTR on the highway and stuffed the rear into a guardrail 2.5 years ago so hard i broke the seat metal assembly, there is a video of us pulling the frame out some in my signature.
Car looks great man, congrats on the repair and being a daily driver... i put 19k on my blue last year... 23k since sept a year ago.... 131k to 154k now.. lol

This car was really lucky that the frame was untouched. I think it would have ended up in a junkyard had the frame been bent. No one saves cars these days. I was looking at some parts on eBay and the recycler posted pictures of the marauder complete with no visible damage. No idea why it was being parted out.
The same business had a bunch of cool cars being parted out.

[Turbov6Bryan]

Its sad that the parts are worth more than the car as a whole is why some part them out. I have dealt with this on other platforms, and regret it parting them. Now i try and not part them out, except when they are damaged beyond repair... i am currently trying to save a red, and a silver... I just work a lot, so it takes me longer. These cars are worth repairing and driving, eventually be worth more and more.. i see it now more than before, and have been paying more for them as time goes on.

[Zee1nonly]

The only downfall with this car is that it has a rebuilt Texas title which affects resale value. I didn’t buy to resell it so really not a big deal to me.
I would have liked a silver one only because the paint is easier to maintain.


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[gdmjoe]

Zee1nonly... I would have liked a silver one only because the paint is easier to maintain.
However... a PITA to match-paint when doing (say) panel repairs and/or touch-ups.
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