Great Car

[FastMerc]

:rock: OK people as far as all the wondering about the future of the Marauder,this is the way I see it.We are the FORTUNANTE few among the masses to owne one of Mercurys best MUSCLE cars in a long time,yes I said muscle car OK now,the last Merc, I bought was 1988 Cougar XR7 with a 5.0and it surprised many of the unexpecting on the street.Oh hell it only hade 185 hp thats nothing.My Marauder is much more than the Cougar ever was, but still there were only 11,000 built in 1988 and only in 3 colors Whight Black and Red a rareaty in its owne. Now as for my self every car I owned has been different than the masses,For instance my first car that I still owne is a 67 Pontiac LeMans.Which back in high school every body else had camaros,mustangs,chevells or the occasional firebird but I tell ya a lot of people admired mine and they knew who I was on Friday night. Now back to today my Marauder is the same way so I dont care about that damn 300c hemi or not or the NEW STATIONWAGON,Wich I also owne a 1968 Buick SportWagon 400 this car came with a 400 GS hypo motor and has a glass top,So this new dodge isnt anything new.And my Buick is 4sale its from California. I got side tracked sorry,Back to the Marauder I know of a few around my area those who dont see any you miss that special feeling of hey I owne of those,when you do see another one.I tell ya it is nice to see one now and then.Think of that when you see 3or 4 or more 300s in one day or camaros or mustangs IF you know what I mean. Now I would love to have a new 05 Mustang but I can tell ya now that you will see them every where just like in 1964.Reguardless of what the future holds for the Marauder, as you cruise down the boulevard there is always going to be some one that says wow there goes a Marauder what a COOL car wish I had one. Got to Love it! :rock: :rock:

[buckyboy]

I agree, well said.:up:
:rock: OK people as far as all the wondering about the future of the Marauder,this is the way I see it.We are the FORTUNANTE few among the masses to owne one of Mercurys best MUSCLE cars in a long time,yes I said muscle car OK now,the last Merc, I bought was 1988 Cougar XR7 with a 5.0and it surprised many of the unexpecting on the street.Oh hell it only hade 185 hp thats nothing.My Marauder is much more than the Cougar ever was, but still there were only 11,000 built in 1988 and only in 3 colors Whight Black and Red a rareaty in its owne. Now as for my self every car I owned has been different than the masses,For instance my first car that I still owne is a 67 Pontiac LeMans.Which back in high school every body else had camaros,mustangs,chevells or the occasional firebird but I tell ya a lot of people admired mine and they knew who I was on Friday night. Now back to today my Marauder is the same way so I dont care about that damn 300c hemi or not or the NEW STATIONWAGON,Wich I also owne a 1968 Buick SportWagon 400 this car came with a 400 GS hypo motor and has a glass top,So this new dodge isnt anything new.And my Buick is 4sale its from California. I got side tracked sorry,Back to the Marauder I know of a few around my area those who dont see any you miss that special feeling of hey I owne of those,when you do see another one.I tell ya it is nice to see one now and then.Think of that when you see 3or 4 or more 300s in one day or camaros or mustangs IF you know what I mean. Now I would love to have a new 05 Mustang but I can tell ya now that you will see them every where just like in 1964.Reguardless of what the future holds for the Marauder, as you cruise down the boulevard there is always going to be some one that says wow there goes a Marauder what a COOL car wish I had one. Got to Love it! :rock: :rock:

[FastMerc]

I agree, well said.:up: :rock: Just my opinion glad you agree!

[Silver_04]

Couldn't agree more.

I'm still smiling about my trip to KFC for lunch today because after the guy gave me my food in the drive through he talked to me for a bit about the MM, nevermind there were people still waiting behind me. Gotta love it.

[Bluerauder]

:rock: Reguardless of what the future holds for the Marauder, as you cruise down the boulevard there is always going to be some one that says wow there goes a Marauder what a COOL car wish I had one. Got to Love it! :rock: :rock:
I agree about the unique position we are in. However, we still have a ways to go before they say "there goes a Marauder". I am still getting lots of "What the heck is it ... who makes it .... nice ride" comments. There's still lots of folks out there who don't have a clue ..... but we are making progress by educating them one-at-a-time. Got 2 today.

[Sactown]

I agree about the unique position we are in. However, we still have a ways to go before they say "there g\0\0
??H?\0\0\0\0?}?\00I am still getting lots of "What the heck is it ... who makes it .... nice ride" comments. There's still lots of folks out there who don't have a clue ..... but we are making progress by educating them one-at-a-time. Got 2 today.
Yea, I had a guy walking around my MM in the parking lot at McDonalds a few weeks ago. He had that confused but very interested look on his face. He jumped when I chirped the alarm as he peered through the window :) I went out and talked with him about the car...he had never heard of it but loved it.

[FastMerc]

I agree about the unique position we are in. However, we still have a ways to go before they say "there goes a Marauder". I am still getting lots of "What the heck is it ... who makes it .... nice ride" comments. There's still lots of folks out there who don't have a clue ..... but we are making progress by educating them one-at-a-time. Got 2 today. :banana2: Oh I agree but I blame FORD for not PROMOTING better and they should have went through with the drop top project! :rock:

[Tallboy]

my 300a turns more heads and generates more interest than any firebird [i've owned 8] camaro [3] or mustang [6] i've ever owned.

<[roger taylor] from queen's "a night at the opera"> "i'm in love with my car. got a feel for my automobile!"

[Bigdogjim]

Americas # 1 sleeper auto:):):):):)

[89VERT]

I agree whole heartedly.

I was out for a quick lunch at Subway a while ago with all my gals ( three daughters and bride ) when I notice a guy giving my MM a thorough inspection .

This is the good part :

He walks in to the Subway and asks in a fairly loud voice ....

"Who owns the Marauder ? "

I spent 10 minutes talkng cars with a total stranger .And this wasn't the first time it's happened.

Unreal.

[FiveO]

I was cruising at 55 in a 4 lane divided highway a month ago when I mint condition Galaxie 500 convertible comes sliding up next to me. The guy looked over, gave me a :up: and said "Awesome car!!!". I'm like...wtf...Guys driving a classic and telling me I have an awesome car :D

[hitchhiker]

I was cruising at 55 in a 4 lane divided highway a month ago when I mint condition Galaxie 500 convertible comes sliding up next to me. The guy looked over, gave me a :up: and said "Awesome car!!!". I'm like...wtf...Guys driving a classic and telling me I have an awesome car :D

I have received sentiments like that too!

Fun, Isn't it...

Best Regards,

David

[HwyCruiser]

Well said by all. I feel like going out and hugging mine...

- JD

[teamrope]

Well said by all. I feel like going out and hugging mine...

- JD
I just did.:)

[Donny Carlson]

:banana2: Oh I agree but I blame FORD for not PROMOTING better and they should have went through with the drop top project! :rock:
Actually, I don't blame Ford. Cars like the Marauder, SVT Focus, SVT Cobra, and SVT Lightening are "image" cars of a limited production run. These are not bread winners for FOMOCO, so they don't spend expensive ad dollars on these cars. There is some advertising -- in enthusiast magazines and on specialty TV or cable shows -- but no real ads like for, say, the F150, which is a big money maker. It was actually pretty gutsy for the Mercury division to produce the car, after all their demographic was and still is an older car driver, or families looking for something a bit more upscale than a Ford.

What hamstrung the Marauder was there was no organization like SVTO to support the car. That, and as nice a platform it is for turning it into a fast, well handling machine, the car on dealers lots just was not ballsy enough to impress those buyers who gravitate to SVT's performance. Had they put a supercharger in every one out the plant door, that alone would have made a huge difference between the somewhat lukewarm reaction of the automotive press, and would have sold a lot more cars. Anybody who wonders what a production MM with a supercharger (and NOTHING ELSE) would be like should drive Trilogy 2. This would have placed the sticker on MM's near or just over $40K, and once all the gottahaves bought the initial stock from dealers and some price dealing/incentives kicked in, you could have probably bought a production supercharged MM for $30K or just above.

Mercury's decisions aside, what they did produce for us is, in many ways, what Ford does with the Mustang. They produced an affordable base for owners to modify and turn into their dream muscle cars. Certainly if the Marauder cost $40K when I was in the market, I would have passed. But I could afford the price of admission, and will have spent more than $40K for the car and mods once its all done. And it's been tremendous fun.

[buckyboy]

you bring up a great point. Mercury was trying to go after a younger consumer. I believe these are the same consumers buying`Audi a4, G35, 330i, baby benz kompressor ,ect. I am one of those consumers. Ive had saabs, audi, and bmw. I always wanted a big v8 rear wheel drive car. The last one i saw that was ever an option was the imp ss.I think they had to convert these buyers, because the people who love the mustang Gt, but wants something bigger isnt a big enough market. The problem with some of these import consumers, is that they are image conscious. The merc marauder didnt create enough image other then what we who bought and love it already know about it. They gambled and loss, well its ok they won me over, and im lovin it! The marauder is only for people who "get it".

[teamrope]

Actually, I don't blame Ford. Cars like the Marauder, SVT Focus, SVT Cobra, and SVT Lightening are "image" cars of a limited production run. These are not bread winners for FOMOCO, so they don't spend expensive ad dollars on these cars. There is some advertising -- in enthusiast magazines and on specialty TV or cable shows -- but no real ads like for, say, the F150, which is a big money maker. It was actually pretty gutsy for the Mercury division to produce the car, after all their demographic was and still is an older car driver, or families looking for something a bit more upscale than a Ford.

What hamstrung the Marauder was there was no organization like SVTO to support the car. That, and as nice a platform it is for turning it into a fast, well handling machine, the car on dealers lots just was not ballsy enough to impress those buyers who gravitate to SVT's performance. Had they put a supercharger in every one out the plant door, that alone would have made a huge difference between the somewhat lukewarm reaction of the automotive press, and would have sold a lot more cars. Anybody who wonders what a production MM with a supercharger (and NOTHING ELSE) would be like should drive Trilogy 2. This would have placed the sticker on MM's near or just over $40K, and once all the gottahaves bought the initial stock from dealers and some price dealing/incentives kicked in, you could have probably bought a production supercharged MM for $30K or just above.

Mercury's decisions aside, what they did produce for us is, in many ways, what Ford does with the Mustang. They produced an affordable base for owners to modify and turn into their dream muscle cars. Certainly if the Marauder cost $40K when I was in the market, I would have passed. But I could afford the price of admission, and will have spent more than $40K for the car and mods once its all done. And it's been tremendous fun.
Well said Donny. Had it been $40K Iwouldn't have done much more than kick the tires. Now we have two. The mods come a litte slower, but by the time we're done who knows how much we will have in them?

[FiveO]

I just did.:)


Got ya beat....I'm going to keep my new ceramic coated headers next to my bed tonight.. ;) ;)

Hey...my Marauder gets to spend eternity with them....I can have 'em for one night!!!!


;) :D


J/K of course. They're in the trunk of the MM...ready for the 8am appt. to get them put on!

[hitchhiker]

Marauder...

Is there a pattern here?

63 64... 69 70... 03 04...

Maybe... they do seem to do only a couple of years each time they
cycle around to promoting Mercury Marauder Muscle.

Maybe they will do it again in 2009 and 2010.

What do you think?

Best Regards,

David

[Bigdogjim]

Marauder...

Is there a pattern here?

63 64... 69 70... 03 04...

David

Forgot 65:)

[hitchhiker]

Forgot 65:)

I thought 65 and 66 were Mercurys with 'Marauder' engine options...?

[RCSignals]

I agree whole heartedly.

I was out for a quick lunch at Subway a while ago with all my gals ( three daughters and bride ) when I notice a guy giving my MM a thorough inspection .

This is the good part :

He walks in to the Subway and asks in a fairly loud voice ....

"Who owns the Marauder ? "

I spent 10 minutes talkng cars with a total stranger .And this wasn't the first time it's happened.

Unreal.

I've said this before. You know, despite the lousy review in Car and Driver, and almost every other magazine, this car, "old skin" and all, has excited many people's interest in new cars, many who would never have thought twice about any new car.
It's too bad, as someone said above, there are people out there still who had no idea the car was even made, yet are excited by it when they encounter it for the first time.

All that needs to be done now, is for right people at Ford to take notice.

[RCSignals]

Actually, I don't blame Ford. Cars like the Marauder, SVT Focus, SVT Cobra, and SVT Lightening are "image" cars of a limited production run. These are not bread winners for FOMOCO, so they don't spend expensive ad dollars on these cars. There is some advertising -- in enthusiast magazines and on specialty TV or cable shows -- but no real ads like for, say, the F150, which is a big money maker. It was actually pretty gutsy for the Mercury division to produce the car, after all their demographic was and still is an older car driver, or families looking for something a bit more upscale than a Ford.


That is the reason given for little advertising for the Marauder, that they don't advertise SVT vehicles.

The difference is, the target audience for SVT knows about SVT, and awaits every vehicle.
The Marauder is not an SVT vehicle, and it's been a long while since such a vehicle came from Mercury. One of the goals of the Marauder was to draw a younger buyer into Mercury showrooms. In order to do that, you have to advertise the vehicle. The low production car may not be a main bread winner for Ford, advertising it can have a bump effect on sales of other models. Ford/Mercury marketing didn't get, or follow through on, that concept.

The Marauder has ended up appealing to a much broader, and younger, buyer than Ford expected. They missed out capitalising on that effect.

[stevengerard]

so give us details on the buick wagon!

[spub]

:rock: OK people as far as all the wondering about the future of the Marauder,this is the way I see it.We are the FORTUNANTE few among the masses to owne one of Mercurys best MUSCLE cars in a long time,yes I said muscle car OK now,the last Merc, I bought was 1988 Cougar XR7 with a 5.0and it surprised many of the unexpecting on the street.Oh hell it only hade 185 hp thats nothing.My Marauder is much more than the Cougar ever was, but still there were only 11,000 built in 1988 and only in 3 colors Whight Black and Red a rareaty in its owne. Now as for my self every car I owned has been different than the masses,For instance my first car that I still owne is a 67 Pontiac LeMans.Which back in high school every body else had camaros,mustangs,chevells or the occasional firebird but I tell ya a lot of people admired mine and they knew who I was on Friday night. Now back to today my Marauder is the same way so I dont care about that damn 300c hemi or not or the NEW STATIONWAGON,Wich I also owne a 1968 Buick SportWagon 400 this car came with a 400 GS hypo motor and has a glass top,So this new dodge isnt anything new.And my Buick is 4sale its from California. I got side tracked sorry,Back to the Marauder I know of a few around my area those who dont see any you miss that special feeling of hey I owne of those,when you do see another one.I tell ya it is nice to see one now and then.Think of that when you see 3or 4 or more 300s in one day or camaros or mustangs IF you know what I mean. Now I would love to have a new 05 Mustang but I can tell ya now that you will see them every where just like in 1964.Reguardless of what the future holds for the Marauder, as you cruise down the boulevard there is always going to be some one that says wow there goes a Marauder what a COOL car wish I had one. Got to Love it! :rock: :rock:
I totally agree. BTW I owned (list this under if I would have known then what I know now) a '69 Cougar Eliminator. One of the most unique cars I've ever had. A 390 with more balls than I would have thought.

[teamrope]

Got ya beat....I'm going to keep my new ceramic coated headers next to my bed tonight.. ;) ;)

Hey...my Marauder gets to spend eternity with them....I can have 'em for one night!!!!


;) :D


J/K of course. They're in the trunk of the MM...ready for the 8am appt. to get them put on!
Oh ya? I've got the 4.10's comming, and they will be under my pillow til I put them on! :P

[merc406]

I thought 65 and 66 were Mercurys with 'Marauder' engine options...?




Check out the MMC and yahoo sites for facts and pictures. :rasta:

[STLThunder]

Yesterday I had four seperate people comment on my MM and what a cool car it is. Over the last week that makes it about seven people who have commented on it.

[FastMerc]

so give us details on the buick wagon! 1968 Buick Sportwagon 400 California car.Car has origional motor trans rear and interior.Motor rebuilt and converted to run UNLEADED fuel, trans rebuilt with shift kit,new distributer,new edelbrock carb and more all mech, restored 4:10gears in back front disc,everything for the A.C. is there but it needs to be redone.Body solid no rust glass top roof just like the Vista cruiser Olds.The motor is a GS400 not a stock 400 the speed shop verified this.The interior is unmolested,the origional radio is still in the dash.The data tag numbers verify what is in this car,IT WAS BUILT THIS WAY! I am the 3rd owner.I bought from a guy who bought it for his daughter,she didnt want it cause it was to BIG NOT! They bought it from the origional owner.Its COOL its RARE its Fast,I will take on any Magnum with it.... :uzi:

[FastMerc]

The details on the Buick wagon are on this thread.

[jaywish]

This is kind of nice.

I usually back into the parking lot at work so I can swing off to the side and try and keep it door ding free.

The parking lot attendent, if he sees me coming, will position himself back aways from the gate so he can listen to the pipes as I goose it a little in reverse on the way in.

Today I drove the wagon and you should have seen the sad look on his face. He stoped me and said where is the Marauder? Is it oK?

I'm sure he asks after the Chrysler 300's, mercedes, volvos, audis, and various high end jap name plates also. :rolleyes: