Mercury Dealers Miss the Marauder...

[Breadfan]

I think some Mercury dealers really miss the Marauder, they finally had an interesting performance sleeper-type car that was attracting a fair amount of attention and could get new Mercury buyers into the showroom...

...some can't let go, and who can blame them with Mercury's current lineup...

Check out the banner picture for this dealer's Mercury page:

http://www.manisteeford.com/new_mercury.html



And lets not forget the last CAM Meet at Safford Lincoln/Mercury, yes it was for their yearly car show (and was a great show and a great time), but I think they were happy having 14 Marauder's there, prospective Mercury buyers were intriqued as they saw all the Marauders. In fact, I had 2 people ask me how much they were and why there were none in the showroom. :)

[ctrlraven]

Haha I remember the older lady asking you about your car. I got a big kick out of that. Give Ford a decade (lol) and they might come back out with something to compete with the new Impala and Charger. I usually park my MM inside my shop and my clients that come in every month always ask about the car and stuff like that. One of my client's that came in on Monday told me his friend up in Philly, PA just bought a black MM, once I heard that I handed my client a Marauder card and said make sure your friend gets this card or give him the info on the card. ;)

[merc6]

When people still have no clue what it is, that really means it was one hellova limited run.

[Breadfan]

When people still have no clue what it is, that really means it was one hellova limited run.

That is true! 11,000 MM's, compared to about what, 60,000 - 70,000 Impala SS's? If people catch on to our cars we may enjoy the same high and stable resale values for good examples of our rides.

For Mercury dealers though, they may have only sold a few, but the demise of the Marauder was a demise of a Mercury image vehicle, like a Ford GT is for Ford, or Corvette for Chevy.

I have a really good idea, I should strike a deal with the local Mercury dealership to let them store my car indoors behind velvet ropes for the summer. Keep it out of the heat and the sun, hood up, and it can be their image car. :)

[merc6]

That is true! 11,000 MM's, compared to about what, 60,000 - 70,000 Impala SS's? If people catch on to our cars we may enjoy the same high and stable resale values for good examples of our rides.

For Mercury dealers though, they may have only sold a few, but the demise of the Marauder was a demise of a Mercury image vehicle, like a Ford GT is for Ford, or Corvette for Chevy.

I have a really good idea, I should strike a deal with the local Mercury dealership to let them store my car indoors behind velvet ropes for the summer. Keep it out of the heat and the sun, hood up, and it can be their image car. :)You might get it back with 1000 more miles and a dead battery ;)

[ctrlraven]

You might get it back with 1000 more miles and a dead battery ;) only 1000 more miles? thats giving the dealership too much credit. they will fill it up with their on-site 87 gas and kill it 2 miles down the road. just today i noticed about 6 ppl stairing hard at my car, our cars have the appeal but its like no one knows about them because of the pour marketing. i think we are the only ppl that are trying to keep this car from being lost and forgotten.

has anyone seen the show called "top gear" out of the UK? i wish they had done one on the marauder.

[Bluerauder]

And lets not forget the last CAM Meet at Safford Lincoln/Mercury, yes it was for their yearly car show (and was a great show and a great time) .... :)
I am already planning to go back next year. :D I have a really good feeling about that $1000 door prize. ;)

I might slap the MSRP sticker on the window and see if I can get a couple offers. :rofl:

[423REED]

Breadfan,
This could probably be a very volatile thread, with people on both sides of the issue. Speaking for myself, I've never owned a Lincoln-Mercury product before, in my over 40 years of driving! It's not that Mercury hasn't had some wonderful cars. They've had some high performance, and some cars were just great cars. So in my case, the Marauder lured me into their showroom, as it were. I actually delt through both the internet and the showroom. But, it was this car that made me a Mercury customer, and I've had my dealer service my Marauder every 3 months since I bought it on June 5th, 2004.
*
That's why I thoroughly agree with you. Any L-M dealer with half a brain should miss not having Marauders on their floor to bring in more floor traffic and the badly needed fresh blood. When I take Big Red in for oil change service, and I sit in the waiting room with the other 5 or 6 people that are always waiting for their cars too. They're all old geezers driving Grand Marquis's, Town cars, etc. I'm not mocking their cars, only the average age of the L-M owners, almost all in their mid to upper seventies+! Mercury needs an identity car (i.e., a real performance car) again to attract some fresher, younger buyers into their showrooms. They need younger persons cars now! I know that I'm almost 58, but I'm still a helluva lot younger than the typical geriatric L-M buyer. I don't buy old timers cars. I hope that when I'm 65 or 70 years old, I'll still be driving more performance oriented cars and convertibles. The love of performance just gets into your blood, I guess. The other drivers of the family sedans and soccer mom mini-vans just don't get it at all! They could care less.
*
The only other car that I currently like a lot at L-M is the new Mercury Milan. My wife leans more toward the Ford Fusion, and I admit that I also like the front-end styling of the Fusion. Ford seems to have gotten the Fusion right.
Jim
______________________________ ________________
2004 MARAUDER 300A - DTR BORN 04/19/06
1994 FORD TAURUS SHO - GREEN

[merc]

Back in the day, approximately Mid June 2002, the Mercury dealers were excited about having the Marauder sedan. The main driving force behind the excitement was profitability. The Big 4 doors filled in the gap G.M left behind with the Impala. The poorly trained sales force coupled with a Zero advertising budget from mother Ford killed this car out of the gate. We can all talk about what it could have been, but the reality is the car was over priced for the market and under powered from the factory.

That is true! 11,000 MM's, compared to about what, 60,000 - 70,000 Impala SS's? If people catch on to our cars we may enjoy the same high and stable resale values for good examples of our rides.


'94 Impala SS = 6,303
'95 Impala SS = 18,649
'96 Impala SS = 23,000 to 26,000 (estimated)

[MarauderMark]

And lets not forget the last CAM Meet at Safford Lincoln/Mercury, yes it was for their yearly car show (and was a great show and a great time), but I think they were happy having 14 Marauder's there, prospective Mercury buyers were intriqued as they saw all the Marauders. :)
Sure wish i was with you guys..Hey Merc shave and a hair cut. Great avatar:rofl:

[jimlam56]

Sure wish i was with you guys..Hey Merc shave and a hair cut. Great avatar:rofl:

I believe that was the Godfather of Soul's mug shot before he went to jail for beating on his wife...(which time, you ask?)

[bryanthomas]

...the reality is the car was over priced for the market and under powered from the factory.

I agree. :flamer:

[stryker]

!Hmmmmm! I have a wish to demand Mercury for the no longer production of the Marauder. ¿ Anyone want to join to the lawsuit ?


STRYKER.

[n-cherok]

at my dealership we could not sell them new, but we can sell the hell out of them used.... new we only sold 4

[Donny Carlson]

Any L-M dealer with half a brain should miss not having Marauders on their floor to bring in more floor traffic and the badly needed fresh blood. When I take Big Red in for service, and I sit in the waiting room with the other 5 or 6 people waiting for their cars. They're all old geezers driving Grand Marquis's, Town cars, etc. I'm not mocking their cars, only the avergae age of the L-M owners, in their mid to upper seventies! Mercury needs an identity car (i.e., performance car) to attract some fresher, younger buyers into their showrooms. I know that I'm almost 58, but I'm still a lot younger than the typical geriatric L-M buyer.

When I bought my MM in July '03, there were five sitting in a row along the front of the dealership and my car, which was on the show room floor. Mine had been in that dealer's inventory for over a year unsold.

The reason I went to look was I was in the market for a Crown Vic Sport and wanted to compare it to these Marauder thingies I see over at the LM dealer. What sealed the deal was the dealer, basically, gave the car away price wise and Ford Credit financed the Marauder at 60 months, zero percent loan.

At that time LM dealers were stuck with the cars and they couldn't sell them to their bread and butter buyers, namely older people who were trading into a new Grand Marquis. A year earlier dealers were raping willing buyers of Marauders with over sticker prices, which had to hurt sales, and there was bad automotive press that the car was not as quick as expected or as compared to cars in that price range. Mercury made a mistake, imo, in not offering a supercharger option for the 04 model year, which would have solved the complaints about power and speed.

MSRP was set too high. It wasn't until deep discounts and cheap financing that these cars really started to move off the lots, and by then Elena Ford had written the death warrant for the Marauder.

I notice ocassionaly a Marauder at the local LM dealer, and they do put it out front on the used car lot. So does the Ford dealer, and I notice that they have far more used trade in MM's than the LM dealer. My guess is owners trading their MM's for Mustang GT's or F-150's.

I don't think the Marauder would particularly be a halo car for a dealer now. Most people look at a Marauder and see a police car or a government owned car, though there are some that recognise it for what it is and appreciate it.

I do think that Mercury could infuse itself with youger buyers (something it failed to do with the Capri and Cougar of recent vintage) by reskinning a Mustang as a new Cougar. These buyers will still have to rub shoulders in the service department waiting area with elderly Town Car and Grand Marquis owners, and trust me, those owners will get preferential treatment over the 25 year old Cougar owner, because those older owners spend beaucoup bucks on maintenance intervals at the dealer, where us Marauder owners (or Cougar, you get the idea) are in their complaining about the cup holders rattling, or the speakers buzzing, or a myriad of other complaints the old folks never bring up.

[Breadfan]

I agree, the Marauder new was overpriced and underpowered. Yes it did pretty much match the Impala SS performance-wise, but those were out in '94-'96 -- nearly 10 years later the Marauder should have smoked those numbers straight from the factory...

I'm not all that concerned about the slow sales of the Marauder though. Honestly right now, I have got mine, and I love it, and thanks to people like this sites vendor sponsors, I've got tons of options for upgrades. So I don't need them to bring it back, I'd rather it stay rare. :)

BUT, as I mentioned, the Marauder was Mercury's "image" car.

Image cars do not mean high-sellers. In fact, image cars are typically the slowest sellers or atleast lowest production.

The Ford GT is Ford's image car. It attracts people to Ford, and to Ford dealerships when they have one in the showroom. But the people who come in leave in a Taurus/Fusion or for performance a Mustang. Or an Explorer.

The Corvette is Chevy's image car. It sells well, and is a great sports-car deal. But for as many people who come in and oogle at the Corvette in the showroom, they walk out with keys to a Cobalt.

Image cars are not money makers. They may not even recoup their R&D costs by themselves. But they are strong marketing tools.

Mercury dealers miss the Marauder for this. It got people to come in, and got a new demographic to come in. But it's gone now, and what's left for them? The Milan? Maybe a nice car, but certainly no image car...

Mercury needs a hot image car. It may be a slow seller, or expensive, but it should be something that people dream about while signing papers for a more mainstream Merc.

[Donny Carlson]

I kinda sorta agree with you, bf. Not about the Corvette, which is a solid money maker for Chevrolet, (it cold be argued the Z06 is a halo car, but then they make a boatload on them as well). SSR's were (are, still on the lots) halo cars for Chevy, and they lost a ton when they didn't sell up to the business plan. But I think Chevy will have more to draw people into the show rooms once the Camaro and V8 RWD Impala SS hits. Certainly D-C is enjoying the halo effect of the SRT lineup. Cadillac may sell more STS's and DTS's and XLR's because of the V series (and please, $100K for the XLR-V, which is $25 K more than a ZO6 and ugly as sin?)

The GT did get poeple into show rooms, though I never was actualy able to see one in a show room since few were ever on any show room around here. I have seen Vipers on several show room floors, and they are waay cool cars. Never actually made me want to go buy one of the *****boxes out on the lot, though.

What I see as halo cars for Ford are the Saleens and Roush Mustangs, the Shelby GT 500's, HD F-150's. Those are head turners whenever I go into a show room.

Maybe some of the new stuff about to hit Mercury showrooms will help. I don't see anything that would make your heart race, though.

Here's a suggestion to Ford: BUILD THE FORTY NINER!!

http://a332.g.akamai.net/7/332/936/0001/www.edmunds.com/media/2001/naias/Ford.Forty-Niner.f3-4.350.jpg

[Vortex]

I really just think it was an advertising failure. When I bought mine in Oct of 04, they had a DTR, two silvers and a black for sale, only one silver w/o the sunroof and thats the one I bought. The salesman seemed to know the product because when I compared it to a CV (as a trick to get him to come down on the price) he got all hyper and started telling me in great detail the differences. This is why I think they are more popular now than when new, nobody heard of them back when North Park in San Antonio had 34 (!) of them on the lot in mid-04. As confirmation of this fact, see Fords new slogan "Bold Moves". Sounds to close to another BM if you catch my drift.

[Brutus]

I really just think it was an advertising failure. When I bought mine in Oct of 04, they had a DTR, two silvers and a black for sale, only one silver w/o the sunroof and thats the one I bought. The salesman seemed to know the product because when I compared it to a CV (as a trick to get him to come down on the price) he got all hyper and started telling me in great detail the differences. This is why I think they are more popular now than when new, nobody heard of them back when North Park in San Antonio had 34 (!) of them on the lot in mid-04. As confirmation of this fact, see Fords new slogan "Bold Moves". Sounds to close to another BM if you catch my drift.

I agree. I have had countless people approach me about the Marauder that never heard of it and think it is an awesome car. I think Ford really dropped the ball on this one.

[fastblackmerc]

I was at a cruis-in last Saturday and most people that looked at the MM had no idea what it was. In fact some people asked me what the "fireman" badge was for???? Of course they were talking about the Carmotorsport's god's head on the front grill......

[Merc-O-matic]

When people get greedy they loose......$28,995 MSRP would have been
a winner!

Gotta Love It!:pimp:

[Breadfan]

The original price woulda been fine with 50-100 more HP. Or a blower.

You know, even with the Marauder not selling well, was it really so special that it was worth killing? The R&D and retooling was already completed as it was produced for 2 years. They could've just kept it around, there weren't all that many special parts on it. Keep it around as a low seller with too high a price and it's still acting as a Mercury image car.

That '49 Merc remake would be the best though. Marauder's are cool, but the one Mercury that is best known is NOT a Marauder but a '49 Merc custom. The '49 Mercury is a household name. A retro version with a hot power plant would be a great image car for Mercury.

Or maybe a new Mercury Capri. :D

[RF Overlord]

That '49 Merc remake would be the best though. Marauder's are cool, but the one Mercury that is best known is NOT a Marauder but a '49 Merc custom. The '49 Mercury is a household name. A retro version with a hot power plant would be a great image car for Mercury.I agree with you, Breadfan...unfortunately, Elena Ford does not. As long as she's in charge, Mercury will not have a performance car...just more soccer-mom crapola...

[Breadfan]

Mercury needs "soccer-mom" cars just as much as anyone, but their soccer-mom cars will not compete with Camrys and Accords so they really *need* an image car to get the younger crowd and help drum up brand-interest.

Cadillac has nearly done it, they have the Escalade and their new offerings have reached a new demographic. Even Lincoln has moved to different demo's with the Navigator. Mercury? Nope. The Marauder would've/could've done it. A '49 retro-rod would too.

[STLR FN]

Well if I had money
Tell you what I'd do
I'd go downtown and buy a Mercury or two
Crazy bout a Mercury
Lord I'm crazy bout a Mercury
I'm gonna buy me a Mercury
And cruise it up and down the road

....just not as long as they're selling the BS they have now. Though the Milan has peaked my interest. So guess I'll keep the 'Rauder til the wheels fall off.

[lwblumjr]

at my dealership we could not sell them new, but we can sell the hell out of them used.... new we only sold 4
Cherok,

Yeah, I wanted one when they came out but just could not afford one. I always said if I ever saw one on a used car lot I could afford I would buy it! Well, my Marauder is the very first one I saw on a used car lot. It was at the local Lincoln Mercury dealer's used car lot. The previous owner bought it new, drove it for two years, and then traded it in. (Or leased it and turned it in, I don't know.) I just love it! I can see why people might want more power, especially off the line, but I love mine stock like it is. I can only imagine what it would be like with 4.11's and a super charger.

[lwblumjr]

I was at a cruis-in last Saturday and most people that looked at the MM had no idea what it was. In fact some people asked me what the "fireman" badge was for???? Of course they were talking about the Carmotorsport's god's head on the front grill......
Fastblackmerc,

Yeah, at the last car show I had my Marauder in a guy comes to me after looking at my Marauder and asks about the neat "Fireman" wheel caps. This guy had no clue! I had to explain about Mercury "the winged messenger of the gods" and the "god's head" emblems. Some people knew what it was and thought it was a really cool car. And when they looked under the hood they were really impressed! (And mine is stock!)

[1stMerc]

[quote=423REED]Breadfan,
That's why I thoroughly agree with you. Any L-M dealer with half a brain should miss not having Marauders on their floor to bring in more floor traffic and the badly needed fresh blood. When I take Big Red in for oil change service, and I sit in the waiting room with the other 5 or 6 people that are always waiting for their cars too. They're all old geezers driving Grand Marquis's, Town cars, etc. I'm not mocking their cars, only the average age of the L-M owners, almost all in their mid to upper seventies+! Mercury needs an identity car (i.e., a real performance car) again to attract some fresher, younger buyers into their showrooms. at all! They could care less.
*
Jim]

I agree, it feels weird taking the car in for service and being 49, all the people in the waiting room have you by 10 to 15 yrs. The only thing on the premises with any umph and panash and draws attention is my Marauder. Once we leave it's back to normalcy. I kinda like the looks of the Lincoln Zephyr though espeacilly in Maroon or whatever color they call it.

[1stMerc]

The original price woulda been fine with 50-100 more HP. Or a blower.

You know, even with the Marauder not selling well, was it really so special that it was worth killing? The R&D and retooling was already completed as it was produced for 2 years. They could've just kept it around, there weren't all that many special parts on it. Keep it around as a low seller with too high a price and it's still acting as a Mercury image car.

:D

Breadfan, i agree to a point. They should have put a blower on the MM or at best more cubes and lowered the price. But with it running on premium fuel and the price of said fuel, it takes car nuts like us to willing go in and pay the initial out lay to play and still keep paying for that fun every time we go to the pump. There's just not that many of us to go around. No offense to anyone, but look how many here or were here that have given up there MM's because of the ever escalating price of petro. Worst yet the insurance companies would have finally gotten wise to the true status of our cars and demanded they're cut.

Truth told this car should have been sold at a Ford and not Mercury dealership. I wonder how many then would have still have bought they're Mustangs given they're particular station in life.

My .02 cents

[Joe Walsh]

These buyers will still have to rub shoulders in the service department waiting area with elderly Town Car and Grand Marquis owners, and trust me, those owners will get preferential treatment over the 25 year old Cougar owner, because those older owners spend beaucoup bucks on maintenance intervals at the dealer, where us Marauder owners (or Cougar, you get the idea) are in their complaining about the cup holders rattling, or the speakers buzzing, or a myriad of other complaints the old folks never bring up.

That's because they are hard of hearing.
Heck, if the buzzes & rattles bother them too much they can always turn down their hearing aids!

BTW: If the average age of the Safford LM Car show attendees is any indication...L-M will be losing customers at an ever increasing rate.
How many car shows have a 'Big Band' playing swing era music and a Franklin Roosevelt re-enactment???
I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy it...I had a great time...I'm just commenting on L-M's target buyers.:geezer: :geezer: :geezer:

The Marauder brought into the show room a much younger potential customer.

[mr.continental]

IMHO, even though ford killed the Marauder itself, they should have offered the drivetrain as an option. who knows they might have even sold more cars that way too.

[STLR FN]

IMHO, even though ford killed the Marauder itself, they should have offered the drivetrain as an option. who knows they might have even sold more cars that way too.I like this idea. Throw the drivetrain in the Crown Vic and call it ????. Who knows what would've happened.

[michael ward]

I agree with you, Breadfan...unfortunately, Elena Ford does not. As long as she's in charge, Mercury will not have a performance car...just more soccer-mom crapola...and then eventually mercury will die and Elena ford can scratch her head and wonder what went wrong!! HEY ELENA AND BILL FORD TAKE A LOOK AT DODGE THAT THING HAS A HEMI IN IT.. and there going strong!!! I think you always need a performance car in your line up. look at oldsmobile they droped the cutlass why?? that was there performance car until it went front drive and sales droped. now olds is dead and if mercury don't wake up they will be lying next to oldsmobile sooner than later..

[fastblackmerc]

Fastblackmerc,

Yeah, at the last car show I had my Marauder in a guy comes to me after looking at my Marauder and asks about the neat "Fireman" wheel caps. This guy had no clue! I had to explain about Mercury "the winged messenger of the gods" and the "god's head" emblems. Some people knew what it was and thought it was a really cool car. And when they looked under the hood they were really impressed! (And mine is stock!)
I do all the splain'in also. Isn't it neat when their eyes pop out of their heads when they see the engine? Even tho it the same as the Mustang Cobra it looks bigger under our hood..... :banana2:

[sspmustang]

at my dealership we could not sell them new, but we can sell the hell out of them used.... new we only sold 4
Which dealership is that?
--Mike

[423REED]

Today I had my 2004 Marauder into my dealer, Elmhurst Lincoln-Mercury (Elmhurst, Illinois), for scheduled two year service. They did an oil and filer change, replaced my fuel filter, did the full transmission service, and they also flushed and refilled the cooling system. While waiting for my Marauder to be washed before delivery, I was looking at the Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr. I started talking to a very pleasant saleswoman. When I told her about my Marauder, she said they wished that they had a Marauder or two in their used car inventory. She said people come into the dealership all the time and ask about used Marauders, and that they are very hot and sought after by potential buyers! I was very surprised to hear that, to say the least, since we just did this thread about this very subject. We both expressed our disappointment that the 2003 and the 2004 (especially) Marauder didn't originally sell better. She asked me about my quality experience with my Marauder. I told her that I haven't had a single quality issue in over two years of ownership!
*
I also told her that my Marauder is definitely not for sale. I love driving and owning it. I'm probably going to buy my wife either a Ford Fusion or a Mercury Milan soon. Just thought you would find this story interesting, proving your point that the some Mercury dealers do miss the Marauders, And they do attract customers.
Jim
Elk Grove Village, Illinois

[Johnman]

My 2003 Marauder stickered for $36K in 2003 (including the dealer-installed spoiler). I recently bought a 2006 Dodge Charger SRT8 with 123 more HP for $39k sticker. So did Ford overprice the Marauder? Obviously! For full disclosure, I should mention that I bought the Marauder late in the model year, and they weren't selling well, so I only paid 29k for it. And the Charger I paid full price, so after taxes, etc., it came to around 45k. But still-if you want a large powerful RWD sedan, Mopar is the only domestic game in town. And a better value than the Marauder ever was,with other levels of Hemi engines (340-350hp) at even lower prices than the SRT. I love the Marauder, but it seems it was both ahead of (Hemis) and behind (Impala SS) the times. Still a great car though, and definitely a future collectible.

[Redster]

I asked Steve Babcock this question at MVIII. And his answer was they didn't think they could market it. Dumb me, I didn't respond, look at Chrysler, they offer the hemi in everything but the Neon and they seem to be selling like crazy. Too bad that Ford didn't think of marketing a 'CAMMER' like the way they market the hemi. But hindsight is always 20-20.