Are You A 2nd Generation Owner???

[MERCMAN]

Did you purchase your first Marauder used? Then you are a 2nd generation owner. Take some time and let us know why you purchased the beast. What do you like and what don't you like about it. Those of us who bought them new would love to hear your impression of the MM as the new owner of this used car. There is a lot of info here for you to digest and we welcome you and your ideas for your car. Let the rest of the "collective" get to know you and you,,, us!!!

[KillJoy]

I am owner #2 of my MM. I purchased it on Jan 9, 2006.

No regrets yet :D

KillJoy

[kj31067]

i am the second owner of mine as well. i was driving a 97 cvpi
that was pretty nice and was owned by the casino in conn. it had the cloth rear seat and carpet and was loaded as cvpi s go, but i wanted the ultimate panther. i started shopping for a marauder
and went looking at 3 in one day.. i looked at my current ride and looked at a black 03 that had the check engine lite on , tinted windows ( a rarity in r i ) , and about ten extra feet of really thick stereo wire hanging around in the trunk. this car screamed " abusive young driver"..........i took a pass and as the day was waning i told my wife " skip the 3rd one , i m gonna get the red one".......so we went back to the red one and to make a long..long story short , i got it for what i told the salesperson it was worth and what i was willing to pay. i can tell you that i will never buy another vehicle there again... it all worked out in the end as i got
the better tranny in a color that is somewhat limited.......... in fact my wife and i were in ogunquit maine about two weeks ago and an older gent from conn was in the parking lot of our hotel and mentioned that i should put my car on blocks and save it and buy another to drive.
he said" that will be a collectors item someday"......I LOVE MY 04 DTR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !:D

[Blackened300a]

Second owner here. I always loved the car but when they were new the dealer wouldnt budge on the price so I let the car go.
Scrolling the internet over a year ago, I came across the famous BillyGman burnout video and that very day I was on autotrader tracking down a certified used Marauder with low miles. I found one in NJ and made the hour and a half trek to make a test drive. After only a 1/2 hour I was signing the papers and made a deal.
No regrets. The previous owner must have cherished this car as much as I do.
I considered this my Birthday present to myself.

[Mike]

2nd owner as well. I thought about getting a Mustang GT convertable, but decided that I can get not only the power in the MM, but the much needed space as well if the kids and I go on vacation. I always liked the MM and am glad that's the road I went down!!

[Raudermaster]

2nd owner here as well. Picked mine up......I believe, July 28th-31st. Before that I had a '95 CV since '02 and was brought to the attention of the MM when it was released in '03 and I quickly became attracted. At that time though, my current job sucked, so I couldn't afford one. Since then though, I got a great paying job this past February and started saving for a car. My options were either an STi, '99 Cobra, '03-04 Cobra, any year Lightning(2nd gen), a GNX or a Marauder. Well, I was just driving around town when I drove by it at a Chevy dealer! Stopped, within an hour I was signing papers for it. It was as flawless as you could get, seems like it just rolled off the assembly line. I'm so pleased with mine and don't think I would ever have any regrets. Only regret I have though, why didn't Ford put 4.10's in these things stock?!

[Big House]

Proud second gen owner...Wanted to get a Marauder before I moved to Washington, but the wife wasn't on board. Got here and my beloved T-Bird was stolen, and I needed a car. Te door was wide open to get my Marauder. The first one I attemped to by was sold 30 minutes before I got to the dealership. There was a guy test driving it when I drove up. Bummed I got home and found my beast in Baltimore. Still driving a rental...I called the sales guy up and asked if he still had it. Drove up, looked her over, pulled her out and took her home. It has been joy ever since.

[BigGuyBigCar]

I have not bought a new car since 1978. Last prior to buying my DTR in March 2006 was a 1993 Taurus SHO. It was both breaking down and coming apart (rocker panel held on with duct tape), so it got the tow-a-way to a charity donation and I needed a replacement.

I decided it was time to give up manual transmission, and was looking for a full-size sedan with zip. Research got me to a choice between a Marauder and a Mercedes S500. I test drove both. Six months later and I have no regrets.

[whoskal]

I bought mine used........But It may as well been new... it had zero flaws, and only 3,000 miles on the clock.....Not a single regret

[DarthMarauder]

Not sure what owner I am but bought mine used with 50000 on the clock just broke in. Got her a year ago this month. Always wanted one since I saw it in the Detroit Auto Show, but could never afford it new. Waited till they came down in price and found one at a dealer then told them I wanted the car and they had the financing getting approved before I even test drove it. Didnt need to drive it first already knew I wanted it no matter what.

[jim geary]

Bought mine on Aug 31st. 05. The same day I retired. Saw one brand new on
CH5 news program. They looked awsome and sounded great. Decided then and there that I wanted one. Can't think of a thing I don't like about this car.
Put alot of money into car so far but not done yet.
Always wanted a muscle car when I was in high school. Couldn't afford then.
But I can now.

[lwblumjr]

Hi all,

I am the second owner of my Marauder. I really liked them when I first saw that they were coming out but I just could not afford a new one. I told myself that if I ever found one on a used car lot that I could afford I would have it. Mine is the very first Marauder I saw on a used car lot and I got it! A friend bought a DTR 2nd hand for his wife just a week before I bought mine from the same place. I really love it as I knew I would. I traded in a tired '93 Lincoln Town Car Executive that I had bought well used. I drove it for 2 & 1/2 years and traded it in on the Marauder (and got $50 more than I paid for it as a trade in.) I bought it at the end of December of 2004. It is a 2003 300A. It had just under 36K on it when I bought it and it has over 72K on it now. I love driving it and my son loves it, too! He was still 16 when I first got it and really impressed his friends when I let him drive it around. (Am I a great dad or what?) He is 18 now and would still rather drive my Marauder than his bagged 2000 S-10. In fact he "borrowed" it just last night. Even my wife likes driving it and she is not "car people" at all. I can't wait to see everybody at Marauderville IV in Orlando.

[Vortech347]

3rd gen here, Got it with 28k last november. She's now got 43k.

First owner put 10k on it. 2nd owner put 18k.

I bought it because its been a dream car I've wanted since they came out and ran across this one just when I was looking for a new ride...

[ctrlraven]

2nd gen owner here. I had seen a few before but really never knew anything about the car. I was hit by a drunk driver back in Oct '05 and my daily driver was totaled. The drunk driver hit me in the rear going over 100mph while I was going 60mph on the highway and I knew my next car had to be bigger and safer. Did a lot of searching and comparing between 96 Impy's, magnum's and a few other vehicles and I saw Mercury Marauder in a compare slot and clicked on it. After doing a lot of research and coming across this site I knew this was the car to get. Shopped around on ebay, cars.com , autotrader.com and saw a lot of black mm's with high mileage (50K plus) going for mid 20's. One day I thought I'd look again on autotrader and saw a 04 silver birch for 40k for 21K it was love at 1st sight and I had no clue they came in other colors. Called the dealer the next day to set up an appt to come in and check it out. On Dec 2nd (wife's b-day also) almost 2 hrs later I was on my way home with it and I had thee biggest GRIN on my face until I got home and gave the wife her presents and she got all ticked off cause I bought a car for me on her birthday :lol: . I'm so glad I got this car because it has made me feel safer, made me want to drive again and I have met and talked to some of the best upstanding and outstanding people to share a love for cars just as much as I do. I tell people now when you buy a marauder and join this site your just not getting a car your getting a family and a lifetime of friendship with people.

[69marquis conv]

I'm a 2nd gen also. I had looked at several used ones and a new one that was identical to the used Silver Birch I bought. The new one had been on the dealer's lot for a little over a year, and had only 43 miles on it. After trying to negotiate with the dealer it became clear why it had been on their lot for so long.
I found an identical one 200 miles away with only 8900 prestine miles on it for thousands less, and that's the one I bought.

[RoyLPita]

I'm in the 2nd generation group here, too. I found mine 2 1/2 years after joining this site. I had a 1995 GTS Mustang and other Panther cars (2 1992 GMLS w/HPP and 2 1995 CVPIs one after the other in VIN #). I saw mine on Ebay w/7500 miles with before and after pictures. It seems that the last owner leased it, drove it hard (on Woodward?), wrecked it lightly and lost it. The wholesaler who bought it fixed the damage, delivered it and sold it to me w/ 7811 miles on 8/16/05 for $17k. I have over 23k now and I still love to drive it.

[ckadiddle]

Second owner, was returned early from lease according to dealer. Great car, first it was unwanted but now it's loved and adored. I can't afford pristine new cars, I always buy slightly used, I can afford much nicer car that way.

[NATEHAWK]

2nd genration owner here too! I was driving home from work me and my buddy in my work truck and she was sitting on a i guess you call it a display ramp...She twinkled and i came a running...Only had 14k when i got it super clean from top to bottom...Best gift i brought myself and it really made me happy and proud to finnaly have a car that could whoop the hell out of these chevy caprices and impalas everyone drives in my area...I just think they should have had a option for the cosumer to pick between N/A or S/C...Besides that im happy...

[jgc61sr2002]

No - Bought mine new Jan. 2003.:D

[Merc-O-matic]

2nd gen owner here. I had seen a few before but really never knew anything about the car. I was hit by a drunk driver back in Oct '05 and my daily driver was totaled. The drunk driver hit me in the rear going over 100mph while I was going 60mph on the highway and I knew my next car had to be bigger and safer. Did a lot of searching and comparing between 96 Impy's, magnum's and a few other vehicles and I saw Mercury Marauder in a compare slot and clicked on it. After doing a lot of research and coming across this site I knew this was the car to get. Shopped around on ebay, cars.com , autotrader.com and saw a lot of black mm's with high mileage (50K plus) going for mid 20's. One day I thought I'd look again on autotrader and saw a 04 silver birch for 40k for 21K it was love at 1st sight and I had no clue they came in other colors. Called the dealer the next day to set up an appt to come in and check it out. On Dec 2nd (wife's b-day also) almost 2 hrs later I was on my way home with it and I had thee biggest GRIN on my face until I got home and gave the wife her presents and she got all ticked off cause I bought a car for me on her birthday :lol: . I'm so glad I got this car because it has made me feel safer, made me want to drive again and I have met and talked to some of the best upstanding and outstanding people to share a love for cars just as much as I do. I tell people now when you buy a marauder and join this site your just not getting a car your getting a family and a lifetime of friendship with people.

Yes, that's a BIG NO NO...buy yourself a present on your wife's Birthday!
Enjoy!

Gotta Love It!:lol:

[ntrudr]

I'm a 2nd gen DTR owner. Just bought it one month ago with 31k on the odometer. The original owner was 71 years old and took it on trips mainly. I had a 99 crown vic with 50k I got after I traded a 04 supercrew f150 4x4 (Didn't need a truck and too many 1st year probs). I really liked the CV, but wanted more power and better handling. I had a 1994 LT1 caprice and 96 Impy SS, but these are getting hard to find for a reasonable price (I think i'm going to like the MM much better though). I really like the handling of the MM and the comfort and rear leveling is great for trips with a loaded trunk. I kind of miss the low end torque from the LT1 though. I ran the MM a little harder this weekend and it does seem to pull pretty hard once it is rolling and up in the higher RPM's. My only dislike or really just a minor annoyance about the car is the tranny seems to hit 4th and lockup WAY to early and I find myself locking out OD quite a bit (Oh yea, the different sized special tires are kind of a drag). Love the exhaust sound, styling and I'm sure these are going to be very rare as the years roll by!!! :)

[AstroVic]

Second gen. owner here.

I just bought my first Marauder two weeks ago - and I *LOVE* it!

Of course, I'm not new to the Panther world. I've owned and driven numerous Crown Vics for work and personal duty, putting about half a million miles on them without once being left stranded on the side of the road. Needless to say, I've desperately wanted a Marauder since they came out, but I couldn't afford one until recently.

In April, a lady blew an intersection and totalled my cream-puff 1995 Crown Victoria LX, so the door was opened to begin searching for a new car. It took awhile, and I became so discouraged with the search that I temporarily considered settling for a Crown Vic LX Sport (which wouldn't have been all THAT bad really). Fortunately, I held out and found the perfect Marauder - a black 300A with 45k on the odometer and a suitably anal previous owner - for $16,000. (I always put the price in perspective; I tell people that I couldn't even buy a stripped out Honda Civic for that kind of money. And when you think about it like that, there's really no doubt this was the best car purchase I've ever made.)

I honestly doubt I'll ever get rid of this car. It's everything I wanted in a car - big, comfortable, practical for the family, etc. Plus, besides being exclusive due to its limited production, it's got that big, beautiful double-cammer V8 under the hood! Who could ask for anything more?!

Consider me in Panther Heaven! :)

[Sully008]

2nd gen. owner here as well. I bought my Marauder in April of '05. I've always wanted one since I first saw the "Garage" commercial in 2002. I even printed out the comparison sheet off Ford's site to compare when I bought my Taurus. Needless to say I wanted the Marauder.

Problem was when I first saw the car in the showroom the MSRP was $46,000 Cdn. Couldn't afford it back then, so I just got the Taurus instead.

When it was time to return the Taurus, I bought an '04 CVLX and had that for six months until my brother told me there was a Marauder for sale. Went down that evening and took it for a drive and the rest was history.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed with the performance from factory. No guts down low and weird shift schedule. It definately wasn't the "hot rod" Mercury that I thought it was. But with my current mods I can leave rubber from the get go and break loose the 1-2 shift. So far I'm happy. All I need now is a S/C.

[Steve_NC]

I am a second gen MM owner also. I picked up the MM from a local dealer and I love the car. I fell in love with the MM in 2002. I had just signed the papers for a new Jeep Wrangler (for the wife) and was reading the booklet for the not yet released '03 Marauder. It was love at first sight. There was no way I could afford the Jeep and a new Marauder or just the new Marauder for that fact. I bought my car at the beginning of this year, and I dont regret it a bit. What I dont like about the car is the paint. Not the color, but the quality. It should have a TRUE oil pressure guage, and a revision of the old HURST dual gate shifter. NOW that would be the tits! overall I think the car is amazing, and I am proud to own one. OH YEA BTW I HATE! that stinkin hood ornament that was "SPECIAL" ordered by the previous owner.
I was looking for a BMW 740 iL befor the MM, but bad reviews and large price for parts steered me to the MM. I am happy for this :banana:

[2003godshead]

I am also a 2nd gen. owner. Would have preferred new, but with wifes car payments and everything else that sucks $$ from the wallet, that wasn't going to happen. My previous car was a Anniversary edition Cougar, which I bought new in 1987. The Marauders clock had 17000 miles and about 1 years warranty. I went to Newark Ohio just to look at it. It was as close to perfect as one would expect, so I brought it home. No major problems. Tickled to death with it.

[kj31067]

I'm a 2nd gen DTR owner. Just bought it one month ago with 31k on the odometer. The original owner was 71 years old and took it on trips mainly. I had a 99 crown vic with 50k I got after I traded a 04 supercrew f150 4x4 (Didn't need a truck and too many 1st year probs). I really liked the CV, but wanted more power and better handling. I had a 1994 LT1 caprice and 96 Impy SS, but these are getting hard to find for a reasonable price (I think i'm going to like the MM much better though). I really like the handling of the MM and the comfort and rear leveling is great for trips with a loaded trunk. I kind of miss the low end torque from the LT1 though. I ran the MM a little harder this weekend and it does seem to pull pretty hard once it is rolling and up in the higher RPM's. My only dislike or really just a minor annoyance about the car is the tranny seems to hit 4th and lockup WAY to early and I find myself locking out OD quite a bit (Oh yea, the different sized special tires are kind of a drag). Love the exhaust sound, styling and I'm sure these are going to be very rare as the years roll by!!! :)




get yourself a sct tuner with a tune from one of the vendors here and you will wondering " what the hell took me so long"? i highly recomend one........ like night and day!!!!!!!!:D

[Peter]

I bought mine from the dealer with 20 KMs on it, now it has 44000!

[MeanMachine]

hopefully in the near future, I will be a 2nd generation owner...but no, not now :alone:

[SergntMac]

As usual, I'm an oddball again. I don't know where I fit in, but it feels like I should.

My first 2003 Marauder was purchased new in June of 2002. I drove the car all of 2002 and into 2003, modded it to a conservative degree (conservative today, more like everything possible in those early days). I was extremely pleased with my purchase and choices in mods.

Then comes Bill Karrow, who seduced me into buying his Kenny Brown #1x Marauder S. This is the first (ever) supercharged Marauder, a custom built car from top to bottom, and somewhat of an automotive "star". I sold my first Marauder to finance this purchase in May of 2003.

Why? Well, another gentleman wanting to buy it, was going to hide it away in storage for automotive historical reasons. Back then, no one could predict what the future held in store, we didn't have a clue that L/M would come to disown the car. Maybe I'm just whimsical, but I thought to myself "that car can't go away, it belongs on the street". And that's where I kept it, out and about, entertaining anyone showing interest (mostly just fellow owners).

I learned a lot from owning that Marauder and overall it was a great three years. I broke stuff, fixed stuff, and spent a sinful amount of coin on the car. Most important though, I made a lot of new and very special friends. The #1x has moved on now, recently sold to a LEO in Hawaii, where it will see some LE duty. A fitting challenge for the bravest of street brawlers anywhere.

In December of 2005, I decided to buy a third Marauder as a second car to the #1x (no plans to sell back then). Found just the right candidate, another 2003 in silver birch. High mileage and very little maintenence, it begged for love and attention. The price was right, and it's responding to my care and attention very well. This is my "#3" Marauder today, and it's responding so well, I've gone on the hunt for another "winter beater".

They are remarkable automobiles, cornerstones of classic Detroit iron that anchor a fickle and ever-changing high performance market. They are also great starts as a blank canvass for the creative enthuiast. When someone asks me "what can I do to my Marauder"?, my answer is "anything you can dream of (and pay for)". Just look at out amazing project cars, "Legal Knevil", "Pro-Rauder", and "Trilogy #1".

Thank you Martin, John and Jerry.

[Marauder]

Me too...got her with 13291 miles on 1/16/06.

[LordVader]

Another 2nd gen here. Saw one brand new a few years back, liked the stance, etc. But I also knew I couldn't afford one at that tme. Almost two years ago I was passing a used car lot and saw one, stopped immediately and went in, only to find out it had been sold. My appetite was now keen to have one. Went on Autotrader and found one for sale up in Oklahoma (over 5 hours away). Sight unseen, we worked the deal on the MM and my trade. Drove up, gave the dealer my keys, signed the papers and drove home a happy man. That will be two years this month. I have put on twenty thousand miles in that time and I look forward to more happy motoring.

[Bubba Hyde]

Second generation here as well. Purchased the car in February of this year with 32k on the clock. Finally purchased a tuner to eliminate the funky shift schedule. Just got back from a trip to Ormond Beach, put about 1500 mile on it with no problems. Just to show how rare these are, I only saw one other Marauder during the whole trip - Wednesday night on I-4 eastbound out of Orlando, a Silver Birch with bumper inserts and a Florida tag.

Regrets? Only one.....

I didn't win the S/C raffle!:D

[magindat]

There was no way in he!! I could have afforded to buy one new. It was a dream car since the concept at SEMA. I posted a picture of one in my office as inspiration to work for promotions, raises and overtime. I kept my eye on the various car sites, just waiting.

One day, she appeared. 03 300A with only 5100 on the clock and the price was right. It was through a broker/dealer in Ft. Meyers (across the state from me). I called and he said there was another buyer working on financing. I called by bank and amazingly had financing secured within 30 minutes and had a draft within an hour and a half. I called the broker back and he dropped the former deal. I was across the state the next morning to take home my new baby.

From what I could research, it belonged to an older man who had taken ill. The car sat for nearly a year. He apparently died and it seems the estate brokered it off cheap to get rid of it.

After owning her for only a few months, we wrecked. 17K worth of damage. This was when she was truly reborn as Magindat's Marauder. If ever there were an episode of Overhaulin' this was it. Parts coming in from everywhere. Only difference is it took 13 weeks and not just 1!!!

[O's Fan Rich]

Well, techically I suppose I am a 2nd generation owner.
I, or should I say, my company, leased the car from new( picked it up 9/05/02). When the lease was up in May, 06 I bought it from the lease company. Don't ask for how much, it'll only cause pain and jealousy to come upon you. I have the title now.... it's mine.

I've been the only driver since it was new.

Now, I'm waiting to drive the next company car, probabaly my Dad's Lincoln LS ( about 9k miles on it), then he can get a new car.

[gpfarrell]

The Marauder is one of the few cars I ever considered purchasing new... but a group of inept dealers and even Mercury made buying a new one just a bit too hard to do.

I was really attracted to the Marauder, but the initial choice of Black or Black put me off. I think a clean black car looks great... but I had no desire to keep a black car the size of a Marauder clean.

Had Mercury provided the magazines with test cars that had been "broken in" I might have been a bit more tempted, but the lazy acceleration times available from green engines didn't seem to inspiring... I wanted something at least as fast as my 5-speed SHOs were. Imagine if Mercury offered a dealer installed "S-55" package with a bit more program, 4.10s & the spoiler.

Then I stumbled upon a Blue one. Hmm. Me likes Blue! Of course, Mercury didn't do much to spread the word about any color choices, but I still ventured off to the dealership. We looked at the Lincoln LS and the only MM they had, a black one. Really liked the LS, but liked the MM more.

I drove the MM, as did my wife. My first impression was that it was big (keep in mind I still have my '78 Marquis, but rarely drive it). I also thought it was less than quick.

My wife said the car, with just 54 miles on it, was a pig. I thought she described it perfectly.

Almost a year went by.

Days before son #1 arrived the SHO had to be towed for the 3rd time in a year. It was overdue to retire, and I needed wheels.

Liked the BMW 7-series alot, but for the same money in early '04 I'd be looking at a '99 - '01 with no warranty instead of an '03 with the balance of the 3/36.

Plus, I like driving different stuff and didn't think the 7-series would be much different from the 5 we already had.

I bought a Muscle Mustang & Fast Fords magazine (I think) while waiting for the flatbad to get my SHO. Saw a photo of a banner that said MercuryMarauder.net.

Life changed.

Owned blue one within 30 days.

Much like the early SHOs, I think this car will get more popular with enthusiasts as the years go on. It's a great platform and a very solid value... loved the $16,000 Honda Civic comparisson above! The aftermarket has been very generous with goodies for such a low volume car, and now it's our job to buy as many of those goodies as we can.

This one's a keeper.

The fact that FoMoCo couldn't find homes for them doesn't bode well for their future.

[Architect]

Man I'm surprised at the number of 2nd. generation owners....:awe:
Well count me in too....
I had wanted one, but just couldn't seem to get around to it...
but when I heard they had stopped building them, I knew I had to have one...I like cars that you don't see many of....
Found one on internet in Phoenix AZ, a young guy had bought it, but didn't like it... and traded it in on a GTO...it had 5,000 miles on it...:D
Made the deal, flew out to Phoenix and drove it back...
It now has 23,000 on the clock. I felt it really lacked the power that it should have been built with...so I added an air charger, Xcalibrator tune and last but not least a 4:10 gear. It's not fast, but it's fun to drive now...
I know of 3 more here in the Memphis area
Architect

[quota]

I am a 2nd generation owner.
The car was in Alberta, quite far from my home in Quebec. Its mileage was very low - less than 10.000 kilometers - and the dealer told me that it was in pristine condition, having been taken care of by a adult owner. The black MM came to me by railroad in the beginning of December 2005 and I garaged it till the end of our - long - winter.
Why did I look after the MM ? It is a stunning "sleeper". It can be tuned easily from stock to "interesting" level of power. It is a distinctive, classy and aggressive car in the same time. It gives you access to the greatest "die hard" club. It is relatively cheap to maintain, as well as relatively reliable. It features the best you can get from an american made car...
I understood quite quickly that I would not waste it as a commuter so it made me knowing and buying its kind sibbling - the LSE Grand Marquis.
All in all, I am fully satisfied to have in my garage Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde...
JP

[Cheeseheadbob]

Bought mine with 40K. Was driving down a divided highway, and she was up on a display ramp. Did a U-turn and had the keys 40 minutes later. A little over two years later, and umpteen thousands spent, got myself a certifiable MONSTER. Man, I love this car.:D

[RoNiN77]

2nd Gen owner. got mine in April of 05 for $20k with 20K on the clock. Dealer told me a Ford exec owned the car before me. The only mod he did was the ss lettering. I like rwd cars. Was always into T-birds, Camaros/Trans Ams, the Taurus SHO and 94-96 Impala SS. I wanted something like that. Those cars are all gone now, only the MM remains...so I will keep mine until it dies or until I can afford one of the new Camaros or Dodge Challengers.....unless Ford pulls its head out of it's a#@ and develops something cool...other than the Mustang.

[merc6]

3rd genner. Florida was owner #1...Texas was owner #2 where I got it. Few issues here and there that warrenty handled.

[RUSTY]

I to am a second gen owner. It was my father inlaws car and he took really good care of it. I had no idea what it was when he bought it. I used to drive him to the hospital in it when he was having his cancer treatment. After he passed my wife couldn't let it go, nor could i. So i bought it from the estate and my wife and i are proud owners of a proud man's car.

[ahess77]

I bought my 300B Blue in November 2003. It had been sold new in May 03 and exchanged in September for a new mustang. It had 8000 miles and was in pristine condition. Previous owner had highlighted all important aspects in the owner's manual. I let it sit on the dealer's used car lot for 6 weeks because they were asking too much. They initially wanted $26,500, after 6 weeks of losing money, they sold it to me for $23,500.

[Marauderoz]

I don't!

Purchased my 2003-300b sb in Feb of this year. Paid $ 22,500 with 21,000 miles. The car was and is still flawless.

During the two weeks of searching within a 100 miles of my home, (Connecticut) I could not find the kind of deals listed in the previous threads. If the car was less money, there was always a scratch, dent, tear, or flaw.

This week I went out and got a daily driver!

Maybe I did pay too much!

[jaywish]

Hi All,

Yes I to am a second gen. I went from a beautiful green 93 GM LS sport to this.

I negiotiated the deal on the phone sight unseen while it was still on the truck in the dealers lot comming in from the Ford auction. I'm still thankfull to ROYALPITA for his kind assistance. Not to mention Logan and all the members of this board who helped me make the right decision (buying a Marauder) with my eyes open.

I'd also like to give a very special thanks to the Marauderer who turned me on to this site. I can't remember who it was. I had bid on a Marauder on EBAY (while looking for a Grand Marquis Sport) and they Emailed me to tell me to check out this site. Thank You!

I bought used because of the money. I paid $22,300. Fully factory loaded. I bought mine in March 04. It went into service March 03. It had only 3K miles on it. I needed to paint the rear bumper as it had a large paint scratch. I added the spoiler at the same time.

[JACook]

Bought Blue in September '04.

Only cars I've ever bought new were a '95 Windstar, and it's replacement, a '00 Windstar. Both were very
disappointing cars, but not nearly so much as was Ford's warranty service.

While on vacation in Germany, one of our sons totalled the Windstar, and soon as we returned, I seized
the opportunity to get out of minivan hell. We did briefly consider an Odyssey, but I really didn't want
another front-driver.

We shopped a couple new '04 MMs, one black, one DTR, but the dealers weren't very interested in moving
'em, and I wasn't gonna pay much extra for that new car warranty. Besides, the moment I laid eyes on
Blue, it was a done deal. It was in like-new condition, with 16K miles on the clock. We're up to 48K now.

The Wife still misses having a minivan, I don't. ;)

[SlkMerc]

I was in the market for a CV, GM in LX trim and happened upon an ad on Cars.com. Turns out it's a Ford dealer employee that bought it from the original owner and had it for 40 days. He needed cash and was in a bind. He brings it by, I am a crappy poker player and consequently cannot put on a bluff face and my enthusiasm showed. I got the car, 57k miles and new tires for 13,700.00. It had HID's Meg's deletes and a stainless exhaust. JLT and the stock airbox as well.

I love this car! It is so " me " She needs paint and next summer she gets sprayed ( Im deciding on staying with the black or something else.


Donnie

[Hotrauder]

I am a second generation owner, also. I liked the color and my wife liked the console between us. I think I like the car and someday I hope to do a modification or two. It seems like a nice car but I don't want to take any chances. Besides my wife is afraid of fast cars that make loud noises. Are the door switches suppossed to light up and what oil should I use? Dennis:beer:

[WPG_Merc]

I'm a second generation owner .
I always wanted one when I saw a MM in a ford show room in 03 .
Then this Aug I was looking in autotrader.ca & found a show room shape black one
at a local VW dealership with 56,000 KMs .
Someone traded it for a V8 Audi so I checked it out
,Test drove it & went through a nerve-racking week to set up financing.
But well worth it because finding a MM here in Canada in good shape with low Kms is rare.
The big pay off is the response i get at car shows because people didn't think the MM's existed here.
:banana2::banana2::2thumbs:
Gord

[Taemian]

2nd Gen owner here, another Canuck....
Bought it over the internet (Vast.com and ebay.com) but my bids weren't high enough. Called the dealership, I was $300 short of their price. I caved, and got one of the 304 '04 SB with flint int and every option, 9k miles. Had it shipped up here, I AM STILL waiting to insure it due to paperwork hassles. Met up with another MMN member, and am soon to get a few of us together once I'm street legal. Driven CVPIs forever (even an armoured one...you think YOUR mileage sucks?!) and love the combo of size, RWD, and functional durability. Now to add some HP to the mix, I'm excited.

[Aren Jay]

Half price the only way to fly.

[Local Boy]

2nd generation here also...Passed on a '04 DTR with 38K on the clock going for 23K...was hard to walk away...but really wanted BLACK...

Was blessed...3 months later...found '03A with 28K on the clock for 18K...and here I'am...

BLESSED...

ALOHA

[freakstatus]

I honestly didn't even know they existed until one blew past me on the hwy in '05. I raced to catch up to him in my old '96 Explorer cause i didn't see any badges on it and i had to know what it was. I finally got one in May of '07 after my wife drove through a deep puddle and wrecked the Explorers engine...I had it shipped over from Calgary, AB with 48,000Kms...it now has 55,000...should have a Lidio tune soon..

[RaceLegend79]

Im a 2nd gen owner of a wonderful 03 Dark Blue Metallic. I got mine from Johnman. I have wanted one since there inception, but as I was only 21 and had no credit built when these first came out I had to wait. The first opportunity that I had to have one was a choice that I thought I never would regret. As at the time I was driving a 97 CVPI that I so badly wanted to upgrade but the choice of my then newly wed wife was to move to Lufkin and buy a house. At that time it had already been out for 2 years and there were some on the lot still brand for great deals, and I thought that I wouldnt see one for a very long time. Then last year I was searching around hoping to find another great deal on a Blue, since I had waited this long I was going to exactly what I wanted. I got mine from Johnman and brought 1/2 way home when it died. When I had stopped for its 1st fill up the fueling station that went had inadvertantly put disel in the ground where super was supposed to be. Well I finally got my car, after fuel cleansing and new exhaust(vroom). But now I want more power, unfortunatly there may be a set back/great thing bc I am waiting to find out if the tests done on my car will prove its recent power loss linked to the disel incedent. But all in all I plan keeping this car as long as they are allowed on the road.

[Shaft333]

I bought mine used.

It's no secret that I have a love hate with this car.
I love the way it looks. I love what it represents. But I hate how it's the biggest piece of crap I've ever owned supported with poor dealer service.

My list of repairs and woes is longer than a car this old should have. And the way I had been treated by several dealers is pathetic.

I am shopping to replace it. Knowledge is power, and I'm not going to let my next car be as horrible of an ownership experience as this one has.

Laundry list includes:
Cruise isn't working (WTF?!?!)
Paint sucks and is now having rust in spots and was told that is "normal." (WTF!??!)
Adjustable pedals are jammed (It's a stupid feature to begin with)
Air suspension busted once (This car doesn't have 40kmi it thinks it has 140kmi)
Oil leaks (I nearly understand this one.)
Finish on interior trim coming off (OMG!)
One choice of tires without size comprimises (I should'a researched this one)
Fog light connections corrode and fail (WTF?!?! It's like they didn't do salt spray test on an electrical connector!)
and more....

Right now the cruise control bugs me the most. This is not new technology!
I should've known better to buy a Ford. I KNOW how they buy electronics! (Won't make this mistake again!!!)

Props to this group though. Enthusiasm is awesome.
The car is just cool. It's a POS, but it's still cool. It's big. It's black. It's mean. It's got a V8! It has RWD. It sounds awesome. It scares women and children. It smokes cigarettes and plays in rock bands. It likes dangerous women. It owns guns. It drinks bourbon. It's just plain cool.

[Bluerauder]

I bought mine used.

It's no secret that I have a love hate with this car.
I love the way it looks. I love what it represents. But I hate how it's the biggest piece of crap I've ever owned supported with poor dealer service.

My list of repairs and woes is longer than a car this old should have. And the way I had been treated by several dealers is pathetic.

I am shopping to replace it. Knowledge is power, and I'm not going to let my next car be as horrible of an ownership experience as this one has.

Laundry list includes:
Cruise isn't working (WTF?!?!)
Paint sucks and is now having rust in spots and was told that is "normal." (WTF!??!)
Adjustable pedals are jammed (It's a stupid feature to begin with)
Air suspension busted once (This car doesn't have 40kmi it thinks it has 140kmi)
Oil leaks (I nearly understand this one.)
Finish on interior trim coming off (OMG!)
One choice of tires without size comprimises (I should'a researched this one)
Fog light connections corrode and fail (WTF?!?! It's like they didn't do salt spray test on an electrical connector!)
and more....

Right now the cruise control bugs me the most. This is not new technology!
I should've known better to buy a Ford. I KNOW how they buy electronics! (Won't make this mistake again!!!)

Props to this group though. Enthusiasm is awesome.
The car is just cool. It's a POS, but it's still cool. It's big. It's black. It's mean. It's got a V8! It has RWD. It sounds awesome. It scares women and children. It smokes cigarettes and plays in rock bands. It likes dangerous women. It owns guns. It drinks bourbon. It's just plain cool.

What?? No mention of wacky wipers and blinking button LEDs ?? :rolleyes:

For the record, I have had my MM nearly 4 years (original owner) -- now just shy of 50,000 miles and have experienced none of your problems. Haven't encounted any problem in getting tires either. Could be the prior owner beat the crap out of it and neglected routine services. :dunno:

Sounds like your MM was "pre-Katrina-ized" before you even got it. :o Sorry to hear of your troubles; but I think your experience is in a real minority from what I have seen posted.

[Aren Jay]

You would be real surprised to hear the problems that the Japanese car crowd have. Everyone thinks Subarus are indestructable. They are if you don't mind driving something that you have to tape together, replace the glass transmission and replace the windows, window seals, keyless entry doesn't work sometimes, sometimes the doors can't be unlocked from the outside, even had one that couldn't be unlocked at all for 2 minutes. Bad transmissions over heating wheel bearings, etc...

Many people only believe that they have the real lemon of a car what ever make it is because they don't know of all the problems that everyone else is having.

And most of these problems are on Subaru's bought new. Like mine.

Buy used and you run the risk, which is why you get it inspected. I didn't, blinky switches, bad amp or sub, Ford used bench seatbelt sockets in a bucket seat. (more a mental defect the last one). But then I didn't have much choice, not many red Marauders in Canada.

[Richy04]

I came here about 3 months before I bought mine used.. I decided to go with an 04 instead of an 03.. I am not knocking the 03 but my wife drive it as well and didnt want any axle trouble etc.. I liked the heated seats and T/C and the slightly better paint, 3000 stall convertor.. etc..

When they were new, I went to the dealer to check them out, the sticker was more than I wanted to spend as I just put a built in pool in the yard with the fence and all landscaping so I blew my load so to speak..

Anyway, I nursed the family car until this year and bought an 04 cash. I looked at a few within a few hundred miles of me and found one in NJ at a local dealer, it had a few minor correctable marks on it but it was well taken care of, had every option and was clean. The dealer was very nice and I felt they were very pleasant to deal with. I was paying cash for it and they wanted it gone so we were both happy.

Mine had 39k and I paid 18.5 plus tax for it. Its black with the black interior, I picked up an SCT2 here with the LIDIO tunes in it and its sweet. If I get another one next year I am going to try the DR tune in that one. BTW, I make fun of the other colors but I would buy any color out there if I found one I liked..

It sucks on gas and my wife reminds me every day, to keep the peace, I fill it up on my days off so she doesnt complain about the fact that its emptying her wallet.. She loves it too and takes good care of it like I do.. So we both love it I guess.. The kids love the roomyness and the cup holders and the armrest and always tell me to go fast so they can hear the exhaust growl..

[racorcey]

I bought mine used.

Paint sucks and is now having rust in spots and was told that is "normal." (WTF!??!)




I also have rust growing on my '04, on the driver's side where the roof meets the C pillar, and two spots on the trunk lid. After being verified by the dealer, I made a call to Ford directly. They are covering a re-paint of those two items under the infamous "secret" warranty that covers rust defects for 5 years. You just have to find a dealer that's more in tune with this stuff. Ford issued me a reference number to cover it. In addition, they will cover paint prep problems under the 3/36 warranty, and wound even extend that a bit as a courtesy. Other paint blems? ****etaboutit!! Covered under a 1/12.

[Bobmiddle]

I am another second gen owner of a MM. Bought it in Jan of 2005. I wanted to get a used town car or CV/GM and S/C it. Then I had a friend tell me about the MM. I did a little research and I was hooked. I could not do black because of living in the desert. 115 to 120 degrees with a black cars is not fun. I was looking for a Silver one with low miles. I found one in LA selling for 24k with 12k miles. I emailed the internet sales manager and he sent me an e-mail a few days later the price had been reduced to 18k. (what a deal) The day after I got the e-mail the internet salses manager's boss called me and tried to back out of that deal. I was down that weekend a bought it for 18k. I also tried to trade in my v6 mustang convert but they were only going to give me $800 for it. So I sold it for 3k cash to one of there customers in the parking lot. LOL. I love my silver MM

[OO91]

I am the second owner of my baby. The summer the Marauders came out I had the honor of riding a brand new one in a local parade, it was the first Marauder that I had ever seen. I allways had a love of cars, mainly police cars, because of my dads job (and now mine). Im not one for flashy cars (nor stickers and funny sounding exhaust pipes) so I really liked the whole 'wolf in sheeps clothing' and 'A message to those who know' approach to this car. Where I live you do not see these cars at all. I only know (knew) of one sixty miles to the north and another thirty miles to the northeast of me. I found mine 2 months ago on AutoTrader from Imlay City Ford, and lucky me, they left the original owners papers in the owners manual; so I will be contacting him shortly to get the full scoop on my new car.

There are far too many words that I could say about a Marauder to put here, but to those of you who have one; my hat goes off to you.

[meanmerc]

I'm happy to say that I purchased an 03 MM about a month and half ago and I love it. I have wanted one for some time but already had too many toys and a full garage, not to mention our first child on the way! I played the whole "need a family car" game with my wife and recommended a full size sedan...I didn't play up that it was really a mean machine. Anyway, after
convincing the wife and much searchingI found one in a little sleepy town in Ohio. The black beauty had 34k miles and sounded great. All it needed was a new serpentine belt, two new rear tires and a good wax job.
Fortunately,but unfortunately this is my everyday driver....at least for now. I hate putting the miles on it and figured I should drive it at least a year before I tell my wife it should be stored in the winter months. This will give me some time to save for my winter weather "beater". I know....I'm a bad person....but the heads turn when I go by in my merc.

[jgc61sr2002]

Congrats and welcome aboard.:welcome1:

[fastcar]

I have been driving LTDs and P-71s since 1987, CONTINUOUSLY.
When the Marauder came out, IT WAS EVERY BIG FORD FAN'S DREAM CAR.

I wanted one, but would not spend $36,000 on it. I waited 4 years, and bought it for 27 cents on the dollar :)

My 1995 CV P-71 seized up on me at Watkins Glen (with 250,000 miles on it). I had $5000 to buy a new one. I convinced my wife that we could afford an MM IF I could find one for $10,000. She agreed, and I flew down to Atlanta and bought one off Autotrader a few days later for $10,500.

I HAD ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE AUTO EXPERIENCES DRIVING IT BACK TO BOSTON, up agains the rev-limiter a lot of the time ;)

I LOVE MY MM. I LOVE IT! With 4.10s, and a tune, it is simply magnificent on the highway. Around town it's a Lion.

I'm so happy, so happy. Now my wife wishes she had known she would love it just like me, and wishes now that we had spent even more to get a lower mileage example (mine had 100,000 when I bought it)

MERCURY MARAUDER: THE QUINTESSENTIAL FULL FRAME, V-8 POWERED REAR WHEEL DRIVE, ALL AMERICAN EXPERIENCE!!!!!!!!!!

fastcar:burnout:

[meanmerc]

Congrats and welcome aboard.:welcome1:


Thanks for the nice welcome! Looking forward to getting to know everyone!

[88LTDCV351]

I got mine used. Just happened to read a news paper article in 2002 before the car came out and knew I wanted one someday. Couldn't afford it until 2006. Seems the original owners didn't want them anymore or probably traded up to a Charger SRT/RT or a Chrylser 300, I bet. Anyway, got a black 03 at the stealership (got ripped off on the price). On the test drive I was a bit disappointed that it lacked some low end power like I thought a muscle sedan car would have. Anyway, I love the look of it and the top end performance. I'm only 32 and just recently single again but I always liked bigger cars (not just for the family man!) and still have my old 88 Crown Vic police package (God I wish it had the power of my Marauder). I'm going to be buried with both of my cars, just kidding. And if I can ever swing it, I'd love to have a 69 Dodge Polara with the 440 or even the 74 Dodge Monaco. Would also love to have a 70 Chevelle SS 454 and many other muscle cars. But I don't make much money really and I don't have the space at my apartment to park anymore cars. ha ha

[seans]

[quote=Marauderoz;426147]I don't!

Purchased my 2003-300b sb in Feb of this year. Paid $ 22,500 with 21,000 miles. The car was and is still flawless.

During the two weeks of searching within a 100 miles of my home, (Connecticut) I could not find the kind of deals listed in the previous threads. If the car was less money, there was always a scratch, dent, tear, or flaw.


I don't think that you paid too much. I am a second generation owner as well and ran into the same problems that you did. I purchased mine in 2005 and it had a lot of scratches but low miles. I got tired of waiting for a decent one to show up anywhere near CT. One dealer in New London said that they could get me a leftover 2004 for $5000 over the sticker price.

I told him to go f--- himself and settled on the black one that I still own and love.

[daveshipley]

After seeing a Marauder at Brenspeed.com 's dyno day for mainly mustangs, I was captivated and decided I had to have one. After having 2 Mustang GT's and 2 Contour SVT's, I just knew this was the car for me. I am the second owner and believe it or not, I bought it at a dealership who originally sold it to the Fire Chief of the town. When I bought it, it already had a DR Tune. Since then, I've added gears, JLT intake, and a brenspeed tune. I know he's the best with mustangs, but he is my brother-in-law and I accept free gifts anytime I can. I drive the car 80-100 miles a day on the highway. I love it and it still looks and drives like new.

[dohc324ci]

I have always been a BIG fan of American V8 Muscle. Loved the Pony Cars especially the Trans AM WS6 however in 2004 purchased a 2000 Mustang GT for 12K vs 23k for the TA on the same lot. The Mustang was my daily driver for three years ;getting tougher as the commute is longer. I decided to look for a CV Sport LX 03 or newer. I happen to do a search on Autotrader and found one that was 11.5k w80k and only 30 miles from my house. I scheduled to meet with the owner on Wednesday 11.28.07 right before a meeting that was 1.5 miles away from the owners home....needless to say I picked her up after my meeting and have been all smile since. I love the big commanding driving feeling of the Marauder with the quicks of the Mustang (now the wifes DD).

[captain]

Me two... intended to buy a new one... way over priced and way over sold. Remember the promo pak??
Smoking tires, screaming engine? Fish tailing? NOT! not even close. Reminded me of the early chrysler 300m (for mutt)
Test drove a Lincoln the same day.
MM didnt cut it. Both performance and price. The Lincoln was better at every level.
Decided to wait for the price to come down. Fortunatly, the folks that did buy them, took a super good care of them, and took a super big loss.

New was 38K.... barely used... 17K

[03blackvegas]

I bought mine, (2nd owner also), because during the time that I owned a 02 CVPI, I became very intrigued with the marauder. It's the top of the food change, if you know what I mean, the more I looked at them, the more I wanted one.

[buttsandwhich]

Second generation owner. My brother bought it then in June sold it to my dad. So, we went to New Hampshire to look at the marauder in the beginning of March 2007, test drove it, my brother fell in love, sounded mean and everything it was a steal only 12,900 and had 55,000 miles. The very second her drove it off the lot he went to pick up his friend in the middle of no where New Hampshire, when the car came back to Boston it was covered in dirt. My brother being only 22, and still a kid treated the car ....He did donuts all over a stop and shop parking lot within a week of having it. Then he would rather party then have the car and sold it to my dad. Now the car gets treated right. There is no regrets with the car and its great, hopefully in two years it'll be mine! The only thing I would suggest to ford when they were building it was possibly putting the supercharged 4.6 in it out of the cobra. Oh yeah did I mention by brother got a 495 dollar speeding ticket in it? Going 119mph down i-95 :shake:

[Bluerauder]

Second generation owner. My brother bought it then in June sold it to my dad.
So your Dad is actually a 3rd generation owner, right !!

[DetroitMarauder]

I wish I was a 2nd Gen owner...

According to car Fax,

First owner bought the car in Michigan and put 12,000 miles on my baby.

Second owner bought the car and lived in Penn'. He/She drove it to Ohio everyday bringing the miles up to 98K.

She/He took good care of her cause I haven't yet found a flaw except for the obvious wear and tear with a car with 100K miles.

I still wish I had the money to buy a MM new, but I'm just happy now that I have one.

[J D]

Turns out I'm the 4th owner, according to car fax, it was bought in Penn. then sold after only a month (sounds like a misprint during a dealer's consigning from ford to me). Second guy had it for about a 4 and half years then got sold to the guy I'm buying it off of after having it only 5 months. Yeah, it sounds fishy but with only 28K documented miles on the odo looks like there were a lot of people who had bad luck with their loans.

But technically, I guess I'll be the fifth owner as my dad is taking the title so insurance isn't off the charts, but in five years when the price breaks it'll be mine nice and legal.:banana2:

[mtenderenda]

Looks like we are all 2nd gen owners, I am. Me and the other half was searching on the web for a Marauder. I just happened to find the name interesting for a car "Marauder" hmmmm
Well anyway, both searched on the internet and she found a great deal!!
The car had....17,000 miles, it was a 03 and they put down the price as 17,000!!!!!..I couldn't believe it...
We show up at the dealership about 10AM...looked over the car went for a test drive...Went thru changes that she like to make ;)..can you put in heated seats? can you tint the windows the nine yards, lol!!!!At first they promised all the bells and whistles...Then they came back saying, no to this no to that...I flipped my lid, lol....The owner of the dealership decided to drop the price of the car down to 15,000....SOLD!!!:banana2:

[Speed]

2nd generation owner. I wanted one from the start but $$ wasn't right. Now that have one I really must say i never had a car that i was willing to keep forever. I've found that in MM though. The Ms has even hinted on me buying another for her (or so she thinks) within the next 1-2 yrs, either Blue, DTR, or Silver but must have the light flint. Of those, which one was made the less with that interior?

[Aren Jay]

Blue and flint.

Blue was just made the least.

Black was limited to 147 but I'm not sure if that was just in 2004.

See the sticky: http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=14785

[lonnieleo]

Second generation owner. Actually first saw the car 5 years before I bought it. It was part of a rental fleet (belive it or not) of the local Merc dealer for about a year. A guy brought to a job site I was on and I was really impressed with the car. Fast forward five years later, I am driving by the local Merc. dealer ( who was going out of business) and there sits the same car for sale. The dealer had pulled it from the rental fleet and stored it for three years it had 16,000 miles on it. The car had rearend and transmission problems but was still under factory warrenty. I made a very low offer and the dealer accepted. Everything fixed under warrenty and no problems since. It now has 22,000 and is sitting out a terrible northern Maine winter safely in storage. I consider my purchase a rescue operation.

[Egon Spengler]

Long story short, my dad told me about his dream car being at a dealership, i liked the car too and I was looking to trade up, come to find that the car belong to a fire department chaplain, being a firefighter myself that was pretty neat. I drove by it and it looked rough so I went up the street and looked at some rangers, on the way home I drove by it again and figured it would hurt to take it on a test drive and beat on it a little... I signed the papers shortly there-after... Love the car with the exception of the air suspension, it blew in the first week of owning it... I was bull shnikes, but it was covered and the dealership fixed that among other PSA's I brought to their attention that my car was experiencing.

PSA's + Other Issues: crazy headlight operation, gas gauge went down too quick, the fog lights didn't work, and the passenger door handle was busted.

The paint was rough but my dad paid for it to be buffed and it looked great, I think he likes the car more than I do... and I LOVE IT!