Internal response on Marauder cancellation

[Matt In Detroit]

Here inside Ford Motor, we get a newsletter called True Blue News which outlines some of the goings on in the company and it has a Q @ A area for employees to e-mail in questions for Greg Smith, one of the product exectutives. Here is todays response to a Marauder question asked by an employee and the lame answer.
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Q. Why did we pull the plug on the Marauder? <NOBR>--</NOBR> William @ AutoAlliance

A. Marauder has been a great niche product for Mercury. Since its introduction as a 2003 model, Marauder has brought excitement and attention to the Grand Marquis lineup, which experienced an 8 percent sales gain in 2003 in a tough environment. We believe Marauder served us well as a limited-run vehicle. Now, we are concentrating our resources on other new products for Lincoln Mercury <NOBR>--</NOBR> including 11 new vehicles in six new segments within four years.

[valkyrie]

Here inside Ford Motor, we get a newsletter called True Blue News which outlines some of the goings on in the company and it has a Q @ A area for employees to e-mail in questions for Greg Smith, one of the product exectutives. Here is todays response to a Marauder question asked by an employee and the lame answer.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Q. Why did we pull the plug on the Marauder? <NOBR>--</NOBR> William @ AutoAlliance

A. Marauder has been a great niche product for Mercury. Since its introduction as a 2003 model, Marauder has brought excitement and attention to the Grand Marquis lineup, which experienced an 8 percent sales gain in 2003 in a tough environment. We believe Marauder served us well as a limited-run vehicle. Now, we are concentrating our resources on other new products for Lincoln Mercury <NOBR>--</NOBR> including 11 new vehicles in six new segments within four years.




Was there actually an answer tied in there?

[Embassy]

Sounds like typical spin and deflection. :rolleyes:

[Paul T. Casey]

Wow, I could hear the answerer's voice, same one that I often hear at work, or from politicians. The sound of :bs:

[MERCMAN]

That answer reminds me of the noise one emits from eating a bad buritto!!(and about as informative as well) :bandit:

[RF Overlord]

Talk about double-speak... :blah: :shake: :razz:

[jerrym3]

Wonder how many buyers went in to buy a Marauder and drove out with a GM?

That's almost as bad as Ford's response to the killing of the TBird; "It was always meant to have a five year limited run".

Says who?

As for the Lincoln Blackwood, they couldn't even put a spin on that one.

[2003 MIB]

Wonder how many buyers went in to buy a Marauder and drove out with a GM?
You took the words right out of my mouth.:bows: :bows: :bows:

[Bluerauder]

Wonder how many buyers went in to buy a Marauder and drove out with a GM?
Probably very few ... but I imagine a handful might have. :D

I went in to my dealership with one thought in mind ... to hunt down a Marauder, bag it, and bring it home. You mean they had other cars in there. :rofl:

As to the wording of the response, many of the same words (like the 8% boost in GM sales) show up in the press release announcing the 25 June 2004 last Marauder. So, what you are seeing here is the company party line approved at HQ. Too bad, I think the guy was looking for an honest, candid & reasonable explanation ... and ended up getting blown off by the bigwigs. This is a Leadership 101 failure and sends the message that "We are not really interested in your opinions or stupid questions". This attitude does not breed loyalty or trust in the company or its leadership. That's my :twocents: so I will get of the :soap:

[DEFYANT]

That answer reminds me of the noise one emits from eating a bad buritto!!(and about as informative as well) :bandit:
The noise and stink too! Bottom line is the car did not sell as well as they hoped. Why couldnt they just respond with the truth???

[RF Overlord]

So, what you are seeing here is the company party line approved at HQ. Too bad, I think the guy was looking for an honest, candid & reasonable explanation ... and ended up getting blown off by the bigwigs. This is a Leadership 101 failure and sends the message that "We are not really interested in your opinions or stupid questions". This attitude does not breed loyalty or trust in the company or its leadership.

Well said, Blue...!

Unfortunately, the same attitude prevails at many, if not MOST big companies. Nothing matters except the size of managements' bonuses and share-holders' dividends...

[TripleTransAm]

Wow. 11 new vehicles in six new segments within four years. Something to be proud of.

Wonder how many of them are going to be, or have already been, cancelled.

[Eric91Z]

Better yet, I wonder how many will be FWD and not a V8. Seems like other manufacturers are bringing back at least the RWD setup, but FLM seems to be going to FWD or AWD with a V6 at most...

[TripleTransAm]

Interesting point, Eric. Can anyone working at Ford confirm recent rumours of ongoing R&D involving horses and open carriages? I seem to recall seeing a call for submissions for wooden wheels that got leaked out...

[Fourth Horseman]

The noise and stink too! Bottom line is the car did not sell as well as they hoped. Why couldnt they just respond with the truth???

While they're at it they should probably tell the truth about how they over-priced it, too.

[merc]

While they're at it they should probably tell the truth about how they over-priced it, too.

That was a .50 caliber shoot in the pants :o

[RF Overlord]

I wonder how many will be FWD and not a V8.

ALL of them... :mad: :censor:

[Fourth Horseman]

That was a .50 caliber shoot in the pants :o

I mean, obviously it was worth it to me, but I think that most potential consumers felt the price was too high for the performance the car delivered. Oh well, that's all under the bridge now.

[merc]

I mean, obviously it was worth it to me, but I think that most potential consumers felt the price was too high for the performance the car delivered. Oh well, that's all under the bridge now.

I purchased my Marauder very early and paid too much also, and I am still finding ways to dump more money in this bottomless pit. :D You are member number 48. Most people in the in the early days wanted the car in pre-production. As soon as Mercury production was official I had a hook in my mouth for this car. I really wanted a Impala SS, but the price was much too high in the used market for these cars. Plus the Marauder was a more refined car with better looks. The bonus to owning this car is the friends we meet along the way and the countless conversations on this website. It’s been a great ride Ladies and Gentlemen. :burnout:

[mrjones]

[QUOTE=jerrym3]Wonder how many buyers went in to buy a Marauder and drove out with a GM?QUOTE]

I think of that in backwards terms - I wonder how many went in to buy a GM and came out with a Marauder? "Hey Ethel! Did you see see that pretty black Grand Marquis with the shiny wheels? Let's get that one!"

I read in Automotive News that the Grand Marquis has the most loyal buyers of any model name - a higher percentage of GM's are traded in on GM's than any other vehicle.

[Bradley G]

While they're at it they should probably tell the truth about how they over-priced it, too.I think they have, with the amount rebated to the buyer.I was think'in Clown vic till i found out no bun warmers.
Bradley G

[Silver_04]

More like this...

Q. Why did we pull the plug on the Marauder?

A. We overpriced it, dealers gouged early buyers, lackluster quality for a $30k+ car, we moved only 11k units in two model years, dealers have no idea what it is, most stock MM's can't break the tires loose with out power breaking, we now hate RWD and baciscally because we suck.

I keep sayin' it...I went from three Fords to no Fords for a reason.

[Petrograde]

I wonder how many went in to buy a GM and came out with a Marauder?

that would be me! :burnout: I never even heard of a Marauder until the day I bought one. :cool:

[Bluerauder]

that would be me! :burnout: I never even heard of a Marauder until the day I bought one. :cool:
Yeah, there's always one in the crowd. :D Just kidding, Tom.

I heard about the Marauder early on; but just kept thinking on it. The $35K stickered price tag was a bit more than I was willing to do at the time. The rebates, incentives and such pushed it too a cost area that didn't choke me as much. Personally, I think that I am caught in a 10 year time warp lag with regard to MSRPs. :rofl:

[Mad4Macs]

The noise and stink too! Bottom line is the car did not sell as well as they hoped. Why couldnt they just respond with the truth???

Ford never intended to "sell" the Marauder, because if they did, they would have advertised it.
I'd never heard of the Marauder before I bought mine, and I only bought it because my SHO was broken down (again) and there was this Big Black car on the lot that had nice seats ;)

[423REED]

Here inside Ford Motor, we get a newsletter called True Blue News which outlines some of the goings on in the company and it has a Q @ A area for employees to e-mail in questions for Greg Smith, one of the product exectutives. Here is todays response to a Marauder question asked by an employee and the lame answer.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Q. Why did we pull the plug on the Marauder? <NOBR>--</NOBR> William @ AutoAlliance

A. Marauder has been a great niche product for Mercury. Since its introduction as a 2003 model, Marauder has brought excitement and attention to the Grand Marquis lineup, which experienced an 8 percent sales gain in 2003 in a tough environment. We believe Marauder served us well as a limited-run vehicle. Now, we are concentrating our resources on other new products for Lincoln Mercury <NOBR>--</NOBR> including 11 new vehicles in six new segments within four years.


HI MATT!,
First, thanks for this info you posted. Second, you know, we are all looking for some highly convoluted answer with lot's of incompetence and intrigue. But it all really does boil down to production numbers. I believe that had the Marauder sold 15-20,000 cars a year, it would still be in production. All of us who purchased Marauders, made very sound decisions. We received a great and wonderful car in return that we can drive and enjoy for years to come. You're right about the letter being typical political canned nonsense. IMHO, that's disrespectful, and talking down to their customer's. They're treating us like idiots. I think we are a cut above the average Grand Marquis buyer, because we understand, and enjoy the difference in a Marauder. We must really make them nervous, and shake their cobwebs a little.
JIM
_________________________
2004 MARAUDER 300A - DTR
1994 TAURUS SHO - DK GREEN

[jgc61sr2002]

[QUOTE=Mad4Macs]Ford never intended to "sell" the Marauder, because if they did, they would have advertised it.


I concur, you can't sell it if you don't advertise. :(
How many Marauders were sold as the result of this site? :D

[GarageMahal]

I purchased my Marauder very early and paid too much also, and I am still finding ways to dump more money in this bottomless pit. :D You are member number 48. Most people in the in the early days wanted the car in pre-production. As soon as Mercury production was official I had a hook in my mouth for this car. I really wanted a Impala SS, but the price was much too high in the used market for these cars. Plus the Marauder was a more refined car with better looks. The bonus to owning this car is the friends we meet along the way and the countless conversations on this website. It’s been a great ride Ladies and Gentlemen. :burnout:

I was waiting for Ford to build a car like the MM for years. I basically picked a dealer and kept bugging them for information. The first time I was there they had no idea it was comming out.

After a while they started to get some info but I was always way ahead of them. At one point they tried to get me to put money down before they even knew how much it would cost :P I declined, but I was there the day they got their first two in. I owned one the next week.

I love the car and plan to own it forever.

jta

[Merc-O-matic]

Watch out....GREG SMITH maybe thinking of
running for president next time around.

Gotta Love It! :mad2:

[FastMerc]

I learned of the Marauder in Hot Rod magazine,seen 9 of them on the power tour Mercurys big publicity run,with the magazine in 2002.I said cool car price way to high.Look ot GMs price people see same car alot cheaper not knowing the differences.Lots of hype at first and let it fizzle.There response was:bs:

[RF Overlord]

How many Marauders were sold as the result of this site? :D

THAT is a good question, John... I bet quite a few more than they would have without this site!!! So they OWE us...heh...

[Fourth Horseman]

I keep sayin' it...I went from three Fords to no Fords for a reason.

You said it! You and me both, brother. I'll keep the Marauder, but I have no plans to buy another Ford product. Not until quality improves.

[MM2004]

Yep. MM's were always priced high as I have wanted one since knowing what they were in 1969.
The launch was delayed time and time again for the '03. My '89 GM was getting vey tired and nickle/dime time was already happening.
Fell in love with an '01 GM LSE and bought it. Interior was very similar to the Marauder but $6,000.00 cheaper. Drove it until this year.
If it weren't for the incentives, I probably would not have my MM today.
Historically, unless I'm mistaken, the MM's were only produced for two or three year runs.
Glad to say I purchased one of the last years. So far that is.

[Bigdogjim]

A. Now, we are concentrating our resources on other new products for Lincoln Mercury <NOBR>--</NOBR> including 11 new vehicles in six new segments within four years.[/font][/QUOTE]


This is too funny:lol: Every one of these "11" new vehicles are going to be a re-badged Ford.....DUH :banned: :depress:


The world really, really need a Lincoln pick-up:nono:

[Bigdogjim]

Was there actually an answer tied in there?


Don't worry sir. Marketing will sell it to someone:woohoo:

Spin doctors will have to work overtime:neener:

[Bigdogjim]

That answer reminds me of the noise one emits from eating a bad buritto!!(and about as informative as well) :bandit:

Is that what happened that day in Indy when everyone came runing out the store you were in right after lunch? :hmmm:

[Bigdogjim]

Talk about double-speak... :blah: :shake: :razz:

Nothing was said in the first place:tmi:

Only lips were moving emitting no sounds:banghead:

[Bigdogjim]

Wonder how many buyers went in to buy a Marauder and drove out with a GM?
I went to buy one and they tryed to sell me an SUV? 8 Marauders parked on the grass and they had no clue?
That's almost as bad as Ford's response to the killing of the TBird; "It was always meant to have a five year limited run".
Nothing a engine could not help? Funny Marauder suffer from the same problem?

Says who? "marketing"

As for the Lincoln Blackwood, they couldn't even put a spin on that one.

Same old story, same old dance!

[N40GL]

Wonder how many buyers went in to buy a Marauder and drove out with a GM?

Technically, every one of us who bought a 2003, since Babcock told us that the necessary documentation to call it a "Mercury Marauder" were filed too late for the change to be effective, making every one of 'em a Mercury Grand Marquis Marauder.

The problem is that they killed the 'De Sade' all-leather option on the Grand Marquis.

[Bluerauder]

Q. Why did we pull the plug on the Marauder? <NOBR>--</NOBR> William @ AutoAlliance

A. Well, William the truth is that we were doing really well with sales on the Marauder. In fact, from what I have seen posted on the MM.Net -- the owners just love them and the Marauder just has so much potential. We really missed the mark by not giving it a 5.0 or maybe a 5.4 from the get-go and then even offering a supercharger and other performance modifications while keeping the factory warranty intact. That said, the real problem was the jacket program. Those folks in China just could not keep up with the overwhelming demand and we had to slow down cars sales to let them catch up. Darn shame too --the car was doing so well. We could have kept it in production for several more years. It was the Jackets that did us in. Thanks for your question William. You will notice a large bonus in your paycheck this month.

Now, that's the real reason for the demise of the Marauder. :rofl:

[telson]

I think people are being unrealistically critical of the Q&A response. We've already had a prior response that the Marauder wasn't aligned with Ms. Ford's (head of Mercury) vision for the Mercury brand. Of course, we don't like that response, but my guess is that's where most of the other "But why didn't Ford <lower prices, do more marketing, etc.>" stems from.

Given that another Q&A question was about Ford's commitment to performance vehicles, he can hardly give an answer that essentially says "Well, except for Mercury Division".

Let's look at the answer and do some thinking -- there's more to it than people seem to realize:
> Marauder has been a great niche product for Mercury.
Read: low volume

> Since its introduction as a 2003 model, Marauder has brought
> excitement and attention to the Grand Marquis lineup, which
> experienced an 8 percent sales gain in 2003 in a tough environment.
It helped actually increase a vehicle line that's pretty hard to get excited about.
[Ok, but not as much as we had hoped]

> We believe Marauder served us well as a limited-run vehicle.
> Now, we are concentrating our resources on other new products
> for Lincoln Mercury <NOBR>--</NOBR> including 11 new vehicles in six new
> segments within four years.
And this all takes a ton of engineers and resources, so we're going to focus on these higher-volume vehicles instead.

That's basically it. He's saying that when you run a cost:benefit analysis, the company makes more money by taking the Marauder resources and using them on the other vehicle lines. You can argue with methods by which the company could make more money on Marauder, but I refer you to the Mercury vision comment above.

Yes, we'd all like it to have been lower cost, more marketing, etc. but if he says "Dang, we overpriced it" that begs the response "Great, then lower the price and go for a 2005 model year too", so of course he doesn't want to go there.

Now, do I, as a Ford employee wish that we still made this exciting product? Sure! I had my 1992 Taurus from 1992 to 2004 mainly because there was no product that interested me. But the company doesn't have the money to spend on vehicles that are going to give a limited return (and returns in the auto business have a lot to do with volume). It's not free to continue offering a vehicle line; you have to keep up with all the engineering changes and testing for any unique Marauder parts that are impacted by changes to the other Panther parts, plus I don't know if there's any annual governmental stuff (other than admin).

Also remember that Mercury is trying to identify itself as a distinct brand identity -- not easy considering that many of the products are also available with a Ford badge. So, it confuses buyers if they can buy performance Ford vehicles and performance Mercury vehicles. So what is Mercury's identity? Um, I'm not sure, but apparently it's not performance. Again, we don't like that, but if your leader has a vision and specific direction that they plan to go, it's much easier to motivate the troops than just trying a bit of everything.

So, I don't like it, but I can understand it.

Why did we sell our Heavy Truck business? I don't know. I rather liked the idea of Ford semi's. But we can't produce every product that we'd like to, so choices have to be made.


Given that they must get dozens or hundreds of questions, and Marauder was one of the four that received an answer, I think we should be pleased to have even achieved that.


And finally, while I'd like Marauder to be super-popular and made for years and years... if there really were five times as many Marauders out there... man I'd be bummed! I love having a distinct vehicle!

[jspradii]

Ford blew it, it's that simple. The concept was to re-introduce the "muscle" sedan of the 60's and early 70's. The problem was (and Steve Babcock confirmed all this) that there wasn't enough motor (designers originally wanted to go with the 351, but it would be problematic for the EPA in all 50 states), the price was 5K over reasonable market value, and they didn't spend "Dime One" advertising this thing. The only way you would find it is to have heard Steve Babcock on a radio show (like I did in April of 2002) or drive to the lot looking for a GM and FOUND a Marauder. The bottom line is the other majors have discovered what Ford should have known, and actually DID know when they commissioned the Marauder: There is still a huge market for large rear wheel drive performance vehicles. They didn't have the balls to put the money where their mouth is, and now the competition is eating them alive. Bill Ford needs to stop talking to MBA's from Harvard and Stanford, and spend more time communing with the driving public. That's how he'll make Ford "Job One" again. It ain't gonna work otherwise.:beer:

[telson]

> Ford blew it, it's that simple. The concept was to re-introduce
> the "muscle" sedan of the 60's and early 70's. The problem was
> (and Steve Babcock confirmed all this) that there wasn't enough
> motor (designers originally wanted to go with the 351, but it would
> be problematic for the EPA in all 50 states), the price was 5K over
> reasonable market value, and they didn't spend "Dime One"
> advertising this thing.
Oh sure, I agree with all that.

I'm just saying that expecting the Q&A session to come out and state that is unrealistic. Those are all fixable issues, but they didn't fix them, they discontinued the vehicle line. So he wouldn't even want to get on the topic of "what went wrong" because it automatically leads you to "how to fix it".

I also agree that Ford should be producing more performance vehicles like Chrysler and General Motors, for financial reasons, not just because they're nifty.

[teamrope]

Now, we are concentrating our resources on other new products for Lincoln Mercury <NOBR>--</NOBR> including 11 new vehicles in six new segments within four years.


Q Will they be as bland, uninspiering and rice-a-roni as Chevrolet's new line up?

A Chances are, yes.

[teamrope]

While I'd like Marauder to be super-popular and made for years and years... if there really were five times as many Marauders out there... man I'd be bummed! I love having a distinct vehicle!
Good point. It's rare enough to draw attention where ever it goes. :)

It also brought more than one owner over that never would have considered owning a Mercury before.

I had 3 GM's befor our 1st MM, never a new one. Didn't see the point in buying new and taking the hit on depreciation. The MM is the only car I have ever "had to have" new. (The 94-96 Impall SS was close, but I had other priorities at the time.)

[Zim Hosein]

A. Well, William the truth is that we were doing really well with sales on the Marauder. In fact, from what I have seen posted on the MM.Net -- the owners just love them and the Marauder just has so much potential. We really missed the mark by not giving it a 5.0 or maybe a 5.4 from the get-go and then even offering a supercharger and other performance modifications while keeping the factory warranty intact. That said, the real problem was the jacket program. Those folks in China just could not keep up with the overwhelming demand and we had to slow down cars sales to let them catch up. Darn shame too --the car was doing so well. We could have kept it in production for several more years. It was the Jackets that did us in. Thanks for your question William. You will notice a large bonus in your paycheck this month.

Now, that's the real reason for the demise of the Marauder. :rofl:
LMFAO :D

Cheers Bluerauder :beer:

[HwyCruiser]

Technically, every one of us who bought a 2003, since Babcock told us that the necessary documentation to call it a "Mercury Marauder" were filed too late for the change to be effective, making every one of 'em a Mercury Grand Marquis Marauder.

I love my GMM! :up:

...and who wouldn't be inspired by Mercury's badass "Its my life" theme?

http://www.mercuryvehicles.com/extras/music/

[EbonyMarauder03]

That is a typical Ford answer. Sad to say those resources went to cars like the GT and wasted developement on the Forty-Nine. These cars nice and all give little profit to Ford. Ford has a bad habit of neglecting their core vehicles that pay the bills. They have a focus that wears out brakes by the time you need your next oil change. They have spent a lot of time trying to fix their piss poor hinge design on the current generation 4 door expolorer. Sales are down partly because word of mouth about the crappy owner satisfaction.

The Marauder was a great idea. Very little R&D needed since it was based on existing and proven technology. It brought me into a Mercury showroom that I wouldn't have wondered into on my own. It was also the first time I saw an informercial on a Ford product.

[Silver_04]

Q Will they be as bland, uninspiering and rice-a-roni as Chevrolet's new line up?

A Chances are, yes.

Ouch. But they do have one car that isn't bland? Ya know ya want one :D
http://home.earthlink.net/~ctt9/images/vette/the_z06.jpg

But aside from this car, everything else is FWD w/a 4 banger or a 6. Yuck.

[SouLRioT]

is that the Z06 concept?

[Silver_04]

is that the Z06 concept?

That is the Z06. It also has a 7.0L engine.

[teamrope]

Ouch. But they do have one car that isn't bland? Ya know ya want one :D
http://home.earthlink.net/~ctt9/images/vette/the_z06.jpg

But aside from this car, everything else is FWD w/a 4 banger or a 6. Yuck.NO offence to the tried and true Corevette. I was refering to the rest of the cars in their line up.

[Dan]

As far as I am concerned the only car that Mercury ever made was the Marauder. I have no idea what they made before it or what they make now.

Too bad, eh?

Dan

[jgc61sr2002]

Ouch. But they do have one car that isn't bland? Ya know ya want one :D
http://home.earthlink.net/~ctt9/images/vette/the_z06.jpg

But aside from this car, everything else is FWD w/a 4 banger or a 6. Yuck.



The Corvette is probably the best bang for the buck of any 2005 American vehicle. :D :up:

[BlackHole]

As far as I am concerned the only car that Mercury ever made was the Marauder. I have no idea what they made before it or what they make now.

Too bad, eh?

Dan


So I guess a 1968 Cyclone Spoiler II with a 428 CJ isn't even close. Or how about a 1966 GT Comet with 390 HO with 4 speed. Or a 1967 427 side oiler Cougar. There was a lot of Bad mercurys before the 2003/04 MM I would like to see the Messanger brought out with a 350 HP 3 valve 4.6 or maybe a 400 HP 5.4 DOHC.

[Bigdogjim]

I So, it confuses buyers if they can buy performance Ford vehicles and performance Mercury vehicles. So what is Mercury's identity? Um, I'm not sure, but apparently it's not performance.
In the late '60 Mercury embarked in the biggest engine building program EVER!

Mercury need's to sell cars that are not Ford's overpriced twins!

That my friend is what confuses buyers!

Marauders biggest problem was it's own Dealers! NO CLUE for the most part!

[Bradley G]

Good point Big Dog,

I was selling Fords when I spotted my first Marauder.There was a L/M dealer just a few blocks away!The car had been out for over a year.There's no doubt in my mind that Mercury mis handled the promotion of the car.I understand that they(mercury) claimed that the volume of cars built did'nt warrant a big advertising campain.But they keep saying how the need to create a more Youthful image,what better way than letting the people know what your up to.Doesn't that bring people into the dealerships?Would'nt there be some residule sales of other models in there line up?Thier logic doesn't make any sense to me.If this is not true then how come big companies pay huge money to advertise on the Nascar circuit.If I see a Tide sticker for 1.3 seconds going down the straighaway do I run out a buy some ?I don't really care if Ford advertises or not, I just would like them to apply the same logic other sucussful companies do that works.Letting the public know what is it that you have to sell.How ever you do it ...........:cool:
Bradley G

In the late '60 Mercury embarked in the biggest engine building program EVER!

Mercury need's to sell cars that are not Ford's overpriced twins!

That my friend is what confuses buyers!

Marauders biggest problem was it's own Dealers! NO CLUE for the most part!

[MENINBLK]

I've been waiting for this Marauder ever since the New York Times ran an article about the 1999 CV Blackwood.
It started out as a performace vehicle then, and it was delayed year after year
because no one at the show knew anything about it to introduce it properly,
and no one at the show was collecting data on public interest.
Mustang, Contour, Exploder and Escort were the buzz vehicles then.

I'm glad to be able to own a vehicle that is rarely seen.
The Police in the area know my Marauder, and I get stopped at lots of gas stations with the usual conversation...
"What's a Marauder ?"

I'm extremely happy that Marauders are not circulating the streets of NY like the 300C is today.
300Cs are running around NY like ROACHES...

[Dan]

So I guess a 1968 Cyclone Spoiler II with a 428 CJ isn't even close. Or how about a 1966 GT Comet with 390 HO with 4 speed. Or a 1967 427 side oiler Cougar. There was a lot of Bad mercurys before the 2003/04 MM I would like to see the Messanger brought out with a 350 HP 3 valve 4.6 or maybe a 400 HP 5.4 DOHC.

As far as their relevancy to me as a car buyer in 2004 they weren't even close. On other levels I am sure they the cars you menteioned could be considered superior. Those cars came out when I was 1, 2 or 3 years old.

To elaborate a but further on what I said, Mercury simply hadn't made anything that I considered worth buying or that came up in my consciousness as something to buy until the MM. Yes, I saw Merc on the road but always put them in the same league as Buicks. Yeah, I know Buick makes cars but don't ask me for a model.

Dan

[Silver_04]

NO offence to the tried and true Corevette. I was refering to the rest of the cars in their line up.

None taken teamrope. I too agree the rest of the line up leaves a whole lot to be desired.

[TechHeavy]

So I guess a 1968 Cyclone Spoiler II with a 428 CJ isn't even close. Or how about a 1966 GT Comet with 390 HO with 4 speed. Or a 1967 427 side oiler Cougar. There was a lot of Bad mercurys before the 2003/04 MM I would like to see the Messanger brought out with a 350 HP 3 valve 4.6 or maybe a 400 HP 5.4 DOHC.
LOL! I owned a Comet GT with a 302 Boss and a 3-speed! I could go about 50mph in first gear! lol. What a hoot! But I digress...
To be honest I'd never considered buying another Mercury until I saw the Marauder pass me on the freeway a year ago. From that moment I knew I wanted one. Given the response of this limited 2-year engagement, Mercury may decide to bring back the Marauder again in the future... Who knows??

[SC Cheesehead]

LOL! I owned a Comet GT with a 302 Boss and a 3-speed! I could go about 50mph in first gear! lol. What a hoot! But I digress...
To be honest I'd never considered buying another Mercury until I saw the Marauder pass me on the freeway a year ago. From that moment I knew I wanted one. Given the response of this limited 2-year engagement, Mercury may decide to bring back the Marauder again in the future... Who knows??
I heard rumor of a MM re-release in 2007, anybody else have info on this? Following this thread, I agree that it would have been great to see the product line continue, but it is pretty special to own a limited edition vehicle.

SCCH

[Vortex]

Ford blew the Marauder program just like the General blew the 04 GTO program. Both fine products that should have sold great but were initially overpriced and had a few (correctable) flaws in product design; MM - not enough hp, GTO - bland styling. I see the General is sticking with their product and making some quick changes, 50 more hp (to 400), scoops and other minor stuff. The 05s should sell well and wont be screwed up by horrible initial delivery problems. Ford gave up on the MM. All they needed was about 100 more hp and a few advertising dollars and I think they would have done quite well (see 300c sales). The rest of the car (interior, exterior, handling was fine). Naturally some training of sales staff would have helped... :(

[Vortex]

The Corvette is probably the best bang for the buck of any 2005 American vehicle. :D :up:
...if you are in the market for a plastic pig. :banana: Just kidding!

[GordonB]

Vortex,
I have a Plastic PIG and 2 MMs, thank you very much!!!! You are forgiven, BUT I'll keep my Vette and my MMs!!!! If I had unlimited resources, I'd transplant an LS1 into one of the MMs (it would fit VERY well without the 5.4L hood headaches). No that would be SWEEEEEET!!!!!! Now you would have HP and TQ in one compact NA package.
GordonB

[jerrym3]

BigDogJim

Could the Bird/LS have used a bigger motor? Sure, most cars could. (It would have been nice if the TBird/LS had the Jag S R motor as an option, but that would have ticked off the Jag-u-ar folks and put the Bird/LS way up there on price.)

But neither car was ever advertised as a performance car.

Unfortunately, my days at the drag strip are far behind me, but, the 3.9 motor that's in my Bird (and Lincoln LS) with VVT and the 5 sp SST trans/3:58 rear moves the cars quite nicely and delivers close to 30 MPG on the highway.

I've let some folks drive my LS (not the TBird, at least not yet), and the first comment that any one of them makes is on the acceleration.

The Bird died because of a number of reasons, and here's just a few: limited market, initial price gouging, chassis jiggles, so-so (at least the first year 2002) acceleration, initial overheating problems, etc.

The LS seemed to die from lack of interest by Ford and styling that, while attractive IMHO, makes the car vanish in a crowd. You don't introduce a fairly decent product, get pretty favorable reviews from the auto press, and just let the car hang out there while the competition keeps advancing.

The bar kept getting raised, and Ford didn't react. Sound familiar?