why did they kill the marauder what was fords reason

[iboss429]

:flamer: i wanna know who send all hate mail to

[cyclopsram]

The car in its stock form was too expensive and not enough of a tough off the line performer... at least that is why I did not buy one, although I tried really hard...test drove 8 of em at up to $5K over list. The price came down with incentives and rebates, but because of poor advertising the number of sales was low as has been reported here many times.. The poster showing the burnout off the line must have been done with STP on the tires..cuz as most of us know it is a tough thing to do in stock form... However, the mods which can be purchased from the fine supporters of this site will make your Marauder into a real machine... ( I have about a million miles behind the wheel of Panther platform cars... mostly CVPI and a TownCar and look forward to the 5.4 or similar with 350 hp eventually in the PI) ...RAM pps...there will be USD $300,000,000 invested in the STAP in the next three years.... V8 RWD.. R

[the_pack_rat]

All the people responsible for one of the biggest marketing blunders of ALL times over at General Motors ...

"This is NOT your fathers' Oldsmobile" ...

All got jobs working for Ford.

[Warpath]

Why it was killed? It didn't sell. If it did, they would find a way to produce it. Same thing for the current Thunderbird. I also disagree with everyone regarding advertisement. Sure, they didn't advertise it. But, these type of vehicles don't need it. How many comercials do you see for the Cobra or Lightning? None. Its all word of mouth and through the media (news stories). You may be thinking that you see comercials with the Ford GT or Chevy Corvette (with the Cobalt). But, those comercials aren't intented to sell that particular vehicle. They're intended to create an image for the OEM so that you associate their other vehicles with these vehicles (halo effect). Off my soapbox now.

[MarauderMike]

A recent R.L. Polk research study regarding the Marauder showed that the number one reason people didn't buy it was that they didn't know about the car. Price was not the number one reason the Marauder didn't sell well although it was a contributing factor.

[Bigdogjim]

Why it was killed? It didn't sell. If it did, they would find a way to produce it. Same thing for the current Thunderbird. I also disagree with everyone regarding advertisement. Sure, they didn't advertise it. But, these type of vehicles don't need it. How many comercials do you see for the Cobra or Lightning? None. Its all word of mouth and through the media (news stories). You may be thinking that you see comercials with the Ford GT or Chevy Corvette (with the Cobalt). But, those comercials aren't intented to sell that particular vehicle. They're intended to create an image for the OEM so that you associate their other vehicles with these vehicles (halo effect). Off my soapbox now.
Right on the money!!!!!!!

Good point!:up:

[cruzer]

I've followed the Marauder program since the first rumors--from the start, the planned price was $29, 995--many of us were more than willing to pay thatprice---pre-production verbal orders were Very encouraging--as soon as the $ 34, 800 price was announced, many dealers were swamped with calls cancelling any plans to buy the Marauder . Rumor has it that when the dealers were introduced to the Marauder in Dearborn, they were the one's that raised the price---IMHO, this is what really killed the car

[Bigdogjim]

One other factor is the fact that Mercury has not used the Marauder nameplate in 33 years. Last Marauder was 1970:)

The dealers for the most part were very under trained:mad: Most were culeless:confused:

Grand Marquis "GT" etc......

[merc406]

Why it was killed? It didn't sell. If it did, they would find a way to produce it. Same thing for the current Thunderbird. I also disagree with everyone regarding advertisement. Sure, they didn't advertise it. But, these type of vehicles don't need it. How many comercials do you see for the Cobra or Lightning? None. Its all word of mouth and through the media (news stories). You may be thinking that you see comercials with the Ford GT or Chevy Corvette (with the Cobalt). But, those comercials aren't intented to sell that particular vehicle. They're intended to create an image for the OEM so that you associate their other vehicles with these vehicles (halo effect). Off my soapbox now.




That sounds like what I and another member heard from a FORD man, it is no wonder why they did not sell......
And the extra 5 grand didn't help for the people that wanted one, and we had quite a few lining up on the other Marauder site back in 99.

[MENINBLK]

Here's why I think the whole plan failed...

1 - First mention of the vehicle was as a Ford BlackHawk (Crown Victoria Sport) way back in 1997.
(You can get it in any color you want, as long as it is BLACK. Henry Ford)
2- First photos of Ford Blackhawk surface in spring 1999.
3 - Ford Blackhawk makes 1999 Auto Show circuit.
4 - 2000 Auto Show previews Mercury Marauder ??? (Where did this come from ? New Direction of Mercury ?)
5 - Ford plans releases of 2002 CV LX Sport $28.900 (Marauder would put a dent in these sales)
6 - MERCURY ANNOUNCES 2003 MARAUDER at 2002 Auto Show.
(Salespeople are clueless. Price quoted was $29,995, Show car on floor locked up tight, and all panels are not color matched althougth the car is BLACK. If you can't get BLACK right ??? Maybe this explains our POOR PAINT JOB ?)
7 - Mercury Releases 2003 Marauder with expected sales to top 20,000+ vehicles.
(Here is where the plan fails... They should have built a car and limited production to say... 5,000 vehicles. Then the $35,000 sticker wouldn't have hurt so bad.)
8 - 2003 Mercury Marauders returned to dealer with SEVERE TRANSMISSION problems.
(I was reading this BEFORE I joined MM.net. Owners had blown trannies with only 40 miles on them.
The INTERNET is a lovely way to spread bad news and it is very effective!)
9 - Mercury releases Marauder Commercial - "Make Room For It." ( :rofl: )
10 - Rumor spreads of Marauder available in 2 additional colors !!
(What a way to KILL SALES !!! Do I still want Black ? Do I want Silver or Blue ? Why do these new colors have LESS Options ?? :dunno: )
11 - FORD doesn't respond to transmission problems, and repairs spawn even more returns. (Now owners that had the tranny replaced are having replacement failures too.)
12 - 11,000+ Marauders produced for 2003. (There are still a few NEW 2003 still sitting in showrooms.)
13 - 2004 Marauder released with upgraded transmission, and a new color.
(Dark Toreador Red, a color used for the Taurus and Contour, is used on the Marauder.)
14 - No Marketing at all for the 2004 Marauder. a little over 2500 vehicles sold.
15 - Mercury announces no plans to build a future Marauder on the current Panther platform. Rumors state a Marauder could be planned for 2007. 2007 will be the last year for the Panther platform before it gets its $300Million makeover.

[Rider90]

Well Said! More than I knew...which uh...well thats not saying much...
:beer:

[Sully008]

Here's why I think the whole plan failed...

1 - First mention of the vehicle was as a Ford BlackHawk (Crown Victoria Sport) way back in 1997.
(You can get it in any color you want, as long as it is BLACK. Henry Ford)
2- First photos of Ford Blackhawk surface in spring 1999.
3 - Ford Blackhawk makes 1999 Auto Show circuit.
4 - 2000 Auto Show previews Mercury Marauder ??? (Where did this come from ? New Direction of Mercury ?)
5 - Ford plans releases of 2002 CV LX Sport $28.900 (Marauder would put a dent in these sales)
Snip...

Hmm....Mercury/Ford sure has a history of not being able to sell a really good car. This sounds similar to why they couldn't sell the Merkur XR4Ti/Scorpio's in the mid to late 80s. Both cars were "cutting edge" for their time, but dealerships didn't know anything about them, most buyers knew more than the salesmen. It's such a shame, the Ford/Mercury had the market to themselves after the Impalas disappeared, they just didn't know how to bring people in the doors. Maybe they should take a closer look at how D/C markets the 300. But it's all water under the bridge now. :depress:

[STLR FN]

Let's not forget that Elena Ford had a hand in this.:mad2:

[David Morton]

And I thought the car was more of a romantic car engineers dream, produced mainly for the hell of it.

"Hey guys! Why don't we take a Grand Marquis, put the really hot DOHC high tech all aluminum engine in it, dual exhaust of course but not too loud, supe-up the suspension with good shocks, springs and sway bars and top off the drivetrain with some hot-hot wheels and tires, then go inside with a top-of-the-line interior with all the amenities, just like a Town Car. Man that would be great!" Then some "realist" says, "Nobody's gonna buy it. The things too big to keep up with a Mustang and too big to hold turns with it either. And those that want a nice interior like a Town Car want a soft ride too. We have cars for those markets that are better. You want a compromising customer, willing to trade off either performance for luxury or vice-versa."

I like to think a real car guy was in power in that room though, the one with the power of decision and that he (or she) knew that a legendary idea, one that had fallen short of ideal in the old days, could be rekindled and reborn like the Phoenix, better than before and brought closer to the ideal, even if not perfect. "What's the "compromise" car?" he says, "It's an old style police interceptor-like cruiser with the amenities and luxuries of sound and leather and climate control, etc. No police departments or cab companies are gonna buy 'em, but a small niche of guys like us will because they understand. And we're gonna build it for us and for them because we're brothers. Selling them is secondary."

It's like a tiger. Lions are more powerful and cheetahs are faster, but tigers, ahhh. You can't help but admire his compromise style, a loner, powerfull still if less than the lion, very quick and fast if less than the cheetah, but nothing is like the tiger and the Lord is well pleased with his unique grace and beauty. The tiger is a rare and precious cat.

The Marauder is an idea in the mind of the god of cars. Blessed be the priests of Mercury for answering his call to make an offering for his faithfull followers to purchase in his showrooms as befits the true believers' deserved rewards.

And for those of you that don't understand this rave review, I say...

...Infidels! You have bespoiled the temple with your false supplications! Begone varlots, lest the godshead of Mercury curse thee with banishment through his high priest Logan.

...or, just stop b!tch!ng about why they aren't making more.

I'm a believer and I think everybody that is a believer will get one too. ;)

[jabo731]

David i like that Lion,Tiger, and Cheetah comparison. I'll have to use that in the Future.....

[Marauderjack]

It was a "Parts Bin" car.....They simply built it until they ran out of parts!! ;)

Marauderjack :cool:

[rookie1]

Snip...

It's such a shame, the Ford/Mercury had the market to themselves after the Impalas disappeared, they just didn't know how to bring people in the doors. Maybe they should take a closer look at how D/C markets the 300. But it's all water under the bridge now. :depress:

The Impala SS was not a profitable vehicle for GM either. I think (this is just my humble opinion) that the market is just plain not there in significant enough quantities.
Face it, how many people are in the market for a full size performance vehicle? The younger generation seems to go for much smaller platforms and the boomers are seemingly in love with truck platforms. Profitably in auto manufacturing is based and high volume parts and assembly disregarding the boutique mfgrs. While both the MM and the SS did quite a bit of parts bin raiding they had enough unique items to skyrocket the internal costs.
The other strike against a vehicle of this type being continued is that accountants are more and more prominent in every facet of the auto industry and can't understand things like halo effect and showroom traffic.

[Ross]

I still say it was a total lack of marketing. Cobras and other "special" cars don't need advertising because Mustang fans have been around for decades and they keep up with what's going on in that line of cars. The MM was a totally new concept (unless you go back more than 30 years), so there were no ready made fans of the car like the Mustang crowd has. You cannot sell what potential buyers don't even know exists.

[Haggis]

It's like a tiger. Lions are more powerful and cheetahs are faster, but tigers, ahhh. You can't help but admire his compromise style, a loner, powerfull still if less than the lion, very quick and fast if less than the cheetah, but nothing is like the tiger and the Lord is well pleased with his unique grace and beauty. The tiger is a rare and precious cat.

Lions and Tigers and Bears...er, Cheetahs, Oh my!!

[Warpath]

The Impala SS was not a profitable vehicle for GM either. I think (this is just my humble opinion) that the market is just plain not there in significant enough quantities.
Face it, how many people are in the market for a full size performance vehicle? The younger generation seems to go for much smaller platforms and the boomers are seemingly in love with truck platforms. Profitably in auto manufacturing is based and high volume parts and assembly disregarding the boutique mfgrs. While both the MM and the SS did quite a bit of parts bin raiding they had enough unique items to skyrocket the internal costs.
The other strike against a vehicle of this type being continued is that accountants are more and more prominent in every facet of the auto industry and can't understand things like halo effect and showroom traffic.

I couldn't say it better myself except the marketing dept's do understand halo effects. MMs are not what people want. If it had the 5.4 or a blown 5.4, perhaps it would have sold better. But, most people don't want to buy a vehicle for $30k and have to put in another $5k-$10k IMO. I hear people tell me all the time, "I hate big cars," "How can anyone like the way that car looks," ...


I still say it was a total lack of marketing. Cobras and other "special" cars don't need advertising because Mustang fans have been around for decades and they keep up with what's going on in that line of cars. The MM was a totally new concept (unless you go back more than 30 years), so there were no ready made fans of the car like the Mustang crowd has. You cannot sell what potential buyers don't even know exists.

Then why did the Lightning do so well? It was totally new as well. MM's were covered in the magazines too. Besides, Mustang fans grow up and have families. They leave their Mustangs for family vehicles. It seems an MM would be a perfect fit. Mustang fans know about the MM too. Ford even stated the new Fusion vehicle was intended for Mustang fans who outgrow their Mustangs and are looking for a sporty family car. :rolleyes:

IMHO, anyone who wanted an MM bought an MM save the few who couldn't. I've seen them as low as $28k-$29k. So, price doesn't seem to be a big factor either.

[Bluerauder]

IMHO, anyone who wanted an MM bought an MM save the few who couldn't.
I agree ^^^^^ :up: While I had never, ever considered a Grand Marquis ... there was something special in the styling, looks and feel of the Marauder. I really liked the raked stance, the monochrome treatment and sinister look in Black. :D Somehow, I ended up with a Blue MM. :rolleyes:

The $35K price tag held me up for more than 18 months before I made the jump after I found out that I could have one under $30K. After rebates, I paid about $27K and I was happy as heck !!! I wanted one and I bought one at the point that my needs and wants matched my willingness to pay. :)

Only 2% ever heard about the Marauder --- and we are them !!!! :rofl:

[STLR FN]

I agree ^^^^^ :up: While I had never, ever considered a Grand Marquis ... there was something special in the styling, looks and feel of the Marauder. I really liked the raked stance, the monochrome treatment and sinister look in Black. :D Somehow, I ended up with a Blue MM. :rolleyes:

The $35K price tag held me up for more than 18 months before I made the jump after I found out that I could have one under $30K. After rebates, I paid about $27K and I was happy as heck !!! I wanted one and I bought one at the point that my needs and wants matched my willingness to pay. :)

Only 2% ever heard about the Marauder --- and we are them !!!! :rofl:
I also agree^^^^^. Even as a Ford Employee with access to A-plan it still was a tad bit outta my range. Waited till '05 got one for a little under 24K.

[wchain]

David i like that Lion,Tiger, and Cheetah comparison. I'll have to use that in the Future.....
How come Panther wasnt thrown in there? :confused:

[Digital Man]

Here in Canada, Marauder is an aquired taste. An expensive one. $48K (plus tax!) So expensive that I ended up buying mine out of the states. Also hard to find, thus, unless you knew about the car and were genuinly interested in it, you probably never heard of it. Also, the '04s are nearly impossible to find here and frankly, the fact that the '03 didn't come with a moonroof really ticked me off. Who builds a sports car without a moonroof?!:dunno: So when I saw that heated seats and moonroof were available on '04 I began my serious hunt. I couldn't find one of these anywhere, and the '03s were still upwards of $40k. Then I went to autotrader.com, researched the whole importing thing, then found my car, then got it!:banana:

What happened to the Marauder? Basically, no one knew about the car, it was pricey for what you got, and I still have people asking me why I bought a Grand Marquis/Cop Car! Especially now with the winter rims on it. I tell them its a Marauder, and they say, "A what?!"/.

In any case, I really like driving something unique. I'm glad they aren't popular. Everyone and his brother are driving 300s or Magnums. We ain't the Jones's!

[David Morton]

How come Panther wasnt thrown in there? :confused:Didn't wanna draw the flames bro. Political correctness and all that rot you know, so many of the Marauders are black and I was trying to keep away from the revolutionaries.

:D

Actually, panthers are smaller cats and don't exist in far flung places like Africa, India and Siberia. Plus there's nobody that questions the power of a tiger.

[rumble]

And I thought the car was more of a romantic car engineers dream, produced mainly for the hell of it.

"Hey guys! Why don't we take a Grand Marquis, put the really hot DOHC high tech all aluminum engine in it, dual exhaust of course but not too loud, supe-up the suspension with good shocks, springs and sway bars and top off the drivetrain with some hot-hot wheels and tires, then go inside with a top-of-the-line interior with all the amenities, just like a Town Car. Man that would be great!" Then some "realist" says, "Nobody's gonna buy it. The things too big to keep up with a Mustang and too big to hold turns with it either. And those that want a nice interior like a Town Car want a soft ride too. We have cars for those markets that are better. You want a compromising customer, willing to trade off either performance for luxury or vice-versa."

I like to think a real car guy was in power in that room though, the one with the power of decision and that he (or she) knew that a legendary idea, one that had fallen short of ideal in the old days, could be rekindled and reborn like the Phoenix, better than before and brought closer to the ideal, even if not perfect. "What's the "compromise" car?" he says, "It's an old style police interceptor-like cruiser with the amenities and luxuries of sound and leather and climate control, etc. No police departments or cab companies are gonna buy 'em, but a small niche of guys like us will because they understand. And we're gonna build it for us and for them because we're brothers. Selling them is secondary."

It's like a tiger. Lions are more powerful and cheetahs are faster, but tigers, ahhh. You can't help but admire his compromise style, a loner, powerfull still if less than the lion, very quick and fast if less than the cheetah, but nothing is like the tiger and the Lord is well pleased with his unique grace and beauty. The tiger is a rare and precious cat.

The Marauder is an idea in the mind of the god of cars. Blessed be the priests of Mercury for answering his call to make an offering for his faithfull followers to purchase in his showrooms as befits the true believers' deserved rewards.

And for those of you that don't understand this rave review, I say...

...Infidels! You have bespoiled the temple with your false supplications! Begone varlots, lest the godshead of Mercury curse thee with banishment through his high priest Logan.

...or, just stop b!tch!ng about why they aren't making more.

I'm a believer and I think everybody that is a believer will get one too. ;)


You, my friend, are the closest to anyone on this. Those of us who were at Marauderville 1 heard Steve Babcock, the creator of the Marauder, tell us many things, many of which you have repeated here. He told us (this was in 03) that the car was only meant to be built for 2 years and that the sales
up to that point had put the Marauder Project in the "black" financially. (Pun intended). The whole thing started when he was put in charge of the Panther platform cars in the mid nineties and he went to the brass at FMC and said
he wanted to build an Impala fighter.
The reason this car didn't sell any more is because it is a very specialized
automobile. Very few people have that special élan that it takes to appreciate what this car and the
Impala are all about.

Thank God you and I and many others on this site do and my condolences to those who don't.

[Marauder386]

I have printed out David Mortons message and have it posted beside my computer as I type. You hit the nail on the head and drove it cleanly through the casket Sir !

:cool:

[Merc-O-matic]

You can write 2-3-4 pages of why it didn't sell or
write one sentence, etc.
In simple English: No Sales = No money.
End of Story.. No money No car.

I was on board from the "git go"....bought a 2003
because rumor had it, there would be no 2004's.
And that could have happened, except they had
too many parts left over (hard to stop the supply chain)
:(

[Warpath]

I don't buy the 2 yr plan. Its just PR spin. If it was only planned for 2 yrs, why didn't Ford announce that when it launched? It would have made the vehicle a little more desireable due to limited production and, therefore, the sticker price could have been justified. Ford already announced that the GT is a limited vehicle (5 yrs I believe).

Lack of advertisement didn't kill it. I've been thinking about this thread recently. It brought back memories of all the ads I've seen. I've seen MMs in magazines (that's were I mailed in for the free MM DVD). The DVD is the half-hour informercial shown on Speed channel (aired more than once). I remember seeing commercials too. So, it was advertized (a lot more than other specialty vehicles).

I get people asking me what a Mustang Cobra is too.

[Jeff]

Snip...

Hmm....Mercury/Ford sure has a history of not being able to sell a really good car. This sounds similar to why they couldn't sell the Merkur XR4Ti/Scorpio's in the mid to late 80s.


I did my part with the XR4Ti! Loved that car. I only wish that they
had let that 6 cyl. model into the U.S.!

[JohnE]

All Ford high performance vehicles went away for 2005, except the GT(40). I think this was related to government certification. As a company Ford chose to focus on their mainstream vehicles.

The Marauder was ready at least a year earlier than its release, however they chose to wait for the 2003 frame and suspension improvements to the Panther platform before bringing it out.




Guess it just didn't have a Hemi......

[ctrcbob]

OK, Good posts on how Ford screwed up the Marauder sales, so I will not add to that. Let me tell you about how Ford screwed up Continental sales.

For the 1998 model year, Ford brought out a new redesigned Town Car. Looked nothing like the previous Town Car. For the same 1998 model year, Ford did a slight redesign of the Continental. Basicly the same car as the 97,96 & 95. So for 98 they had two cars which were hyped to the same buyer, had the same price, and that looked so similar that only people like me who like the Continental could tell the difference. Of course, the little old guys would buy the Town Car, as that is what they always bought. The Continental, with front drive, and the 24V, DOHC Intec Engine was a far better car than the Town Car, but who knew?
The Town Car had/has a 16V SOHC engine with about 220HP. The Continental started out with 260Hp, but later upped to 275HP.

Cars sold for the same price, looked almost the same to most people, plus dealers would push the TC. Last year for the Continental was the 2002. I had two 1998's and loved them. When I sold one of them, I started looking for a final year 2002, but it had to have the:
1. Floor Shift (five passenger),
2. Moonroof (wife wanted this)
3. Driver Select System (rare)
Found perfect one off lease, and bought it. Kept the remaining 1998 until last November when I sold it.

If Ford had to drop anything, they should have dropped the Town Car, not the Continental. The Continental looks better, performs better and is just a nicer car. I call it a "Luxury (Detuned) Marauder". It also scoots and handles great when I have the suspension set to firm (part of Driver Select).

[BlackHole]

If Ford had to drop anything, they should have dropped the Town Car, not the Continental. The Continental looks better, performs better and is just a nicer car. I call it a "Luxury (Detuned) Marauder". It also scoots and handles great when I have the suspension set to firm (part of Driver Select).

Yeah and there goes over 65% of Lincolns sales. As the Town Car is they'er biggist seller. What really killed the Conti was the LS that came out in 2000
Both with V8's Sporty type suspension except the Conti was FWD with a 4.6 DOHC 32 valve V8 vs a RWD with a 4.0 DOHC 32 Valve V8 both was priced similar aimed at the same type of buyer the 1 that wasn't ready or wanted a TC but also wanted a sportier type ride and Lincoln just couldn't keep both. But there are some good news that the Conti might make a come back as a 2 door new model

[johnfain]

They shot themselves in the foot with the car b/c they failed to market it it (e.g failed to distingush it from a grand marquis). They easily could have taken the center cap gods head and used it for the f/r badges, (as our awesome members have shown us), that alone with one cool TV commercial would have probably increased sales.