Mangled front and rear fascia

[Brack1]

Hey guys, great site. I am very close to being the proud new owner of this vehicle:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=005&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=150082432276&rd=1,1#ebayphotohosting
As you can see, she has some major damage to both fascias. I checked out a couple of online stores that have both of them, but they are like $1200 shipped. Add cost of painting the rear fascia, the front comes black already, plus installation (could I do it with my moderate mechanical skills?) and I am looking at a whole heck of a mess of a lot of money. Being a n00b when it comes to MMs can you guys advise me on other (read: cheaper) options for replacement? I would really appreciate it.

[ggt4]

There is a front bumper on ebay now at $180

[not5-0]

I know the price may seem enticing but this car looks as though it was not well cared for. I recall seeing some higher mileage MMs recently at only slightly higher prices. I would also consider looking for a southern car that is not exposed to the salt, etc. such as this one. If you send RoyLPita the VIN he can run OASIS report for you. Good Luck in your search and welcome to the site.

[jimlam56]

I know the price may seem enticing but this car looks as though it was not well cared for. I recall seeing some higher mileage MMs recently at only slightly higher prices. I would also consider looking for a southern car that is not exposed to the salt, etc. such as this one. If you send RoyLPita the VIN he can run OASIS report for you. Good Luck in your search and welcome to the site.


I agree, I'd be careful.
To answer your question, the bumper covers are held on by screws and clips; you will have to take out the headlight and grille assembly.
It's self explanatory once you take a good look at them.
Good luck!

[HwyCruiser]

Those fascias might be repairable. My rear fascia is a reman I got stuck with after an insurance repair. After taking a good look at the inside of it after I pulled it off the car for some other work, I found that the reman actually had more damage to it than my original did. As long as there's no big pieces missing, a good body shop that has experience repairing fascias might be able to do a decent job repairing even those.

[Brack1]

I am going to have someone in Michigan go test drive it for me. The seller said that they would call it off and give me my deposit back if I was unsatisfied with the car. So I can still call it off. Should the guy I send to drive it look for anything in particular? What appears to be wrong with this car? Is there something so apparent that I should call it off now? I know it is a repo and I think that when it was towed the damage to the bumper fascias occurred. The seller swore up and down that the car was fine, but I suppose that is what he knows I want to hear.

[Mills Marauder]

i am a collision repair technician at a local dealership in tallahassee fl. these cars are very capable of hiding severe damage beneth the bumpers. those bumpers look pretty nasty from the pictures. they are not repairable at all! if you are going to have a marauder then you should put marauder oem parts on it because aftermarket and remaned parts NEVER fit according to the manufactures tolerences. new covers fromn ford or mercury appear to be painted but this is the primer / sealer over the raw plastic and it must be prepped and painted. same as for any plastic bumper on any car. spend the time to find a well maintained car that will give you the best service for years to come. afterall this is not just any car its a MARAUDER! i hope i have helped and if you have any other questions please feel free to pm me or email me @ gatordodge2500@aim.com good luck!!!!
MILLS MARAUDER

[HwyCruiser]

Heck, even the original fascias don't fit very well.

[RoyLPita]

Welcome aboard. I woul have the underside inspected on this one. I actually have a rear bumper cover that was repaired before but it might be already spoken for.

Enjoy the site.

[AzMarauder]

Let us know how it goes and if you get the car! Good luck !

[SHERIFF]

There also appears to be exhaust damage to the car. Facing the rear, the left exhaust has been pushed in under the bumper. Almost out of sight.

I would walk away from this car rapidly. Even if you have to pay $15,000 to $16,000 to get one much nicer with the same mileage on it.

http://i2.ebayimg.com/06/i/000/85/69/6199_3.JPG

The left exhaust pipe is totally out of sight in this picture.

http://i13.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/85/69/5c89_3.JPG

[427435]

I sent you a PM. Unless you're buying this car for a lot less than the "buy it now" price, I suspect you could buy the one I have in the classifieds for less than the total $ you'll end up spending to get this car into good cosmetic shape, and the mechanical shape of my car is excellent. Gotta like DTR, however :D .

[Brack1]

Alright, I appreciate all of the input. Well I can't get anyone to go test drive the car, it is actually in Bad Axe. I need someone to scrutinize the entire car and to let me know of anything that seems wrong. If the only problems are cosmetic (the ones I know about), I think that the car is worth it. I figure on about 2 grand to fix the bumper covers, hopefully the exhaust can just be re-bent. If that's the case, then $14,000 doesn't seem so bad. Thanks for the offer 427435. Your car is officially a steal at that price, but black and blue are my favorites. But who knows, if this deal goes awry I might just make you an offer. What are the differences between 2003 and 2004? Seat warmers? Sunroof? Side-impact airbags? I am a n00b.

[Mills Marauder]

the 2003a cars have pockets in the front of the seats and a clock in the dash

[O's Fan Rich]

Hey, they say they are willing to refund the deposit if you're not happy with the deal.
Who knows? Could be a good deal.

[ShelbyMotorspts]

My two cents is that this car is overpriced. Besides the exterior damage look at the rip in the drivers seat. Now take a look at the carpet.

This car was not taken care of and if the previous owner didn't maintain it cosmetically do you really think they maintained it mechanically?

Too many nicer MM's out there.

[not5-0]

Have you considered an LX Sport. I know you can get some really nice ones in that price range with decent mileage. I know its not an MM but you can always upgrade when the right MM comes along...If I see anything worthwhile here in S FLA I will PM you. Good Luck Dave

[Blackened300a]

My two cents is that this car is overpriced. Besides the exterior damage look at the rip in the drivers seat. Now take a look at the carpet.

This car was not taken care of and if the previous owner didn't maintain it cosmetically do you really think they maintained it mechanically?

Too many nicer MM's out there.

^^^Exactly what he said^^^
This was someone's beater car from the way it looks. Chances are that this Marauder was driven hard and the owner didnt care about it.
There are better deals out there for cars that are in much better condition.

[jgc61sr2002]

Welcome aboard. :D As others stated and I agree there may be more damage than meets the eye. Good Luck I hope it works out for you.

[2003_MM_FYRE49]

Sizing up the damage I would venture a guess from the way the fascias and exhaust are damaged that that car may have been airbore and came down hard when the damage was created. Another possibility was that it was launched in a ditch. Either way like the rest of the guys are saying, you can find a much nicer vehicle than this one.

[Meteorite]

Check what else the same ebay Seller is selling! And with a Ford powertrain, no less. This is a 1 of 1 creation!
http://i12.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/86/9e/1344_12.JPG
No fair bidding against me on this one, guys!

[Brack1]

Well I called the seller today to inform him that I wouldn't buy the car. He was fine about, but said it cost him $100 to put the car on ebay. I ended up paying for it to be relisted, but I did get $100 back. I am fine with paying $100 for one stupid mistake instead of possibly paying $12,000 for two. My hat is off to 427435 for almost singlehandedly swaying my decision based on the screaming deal that his car is going for and comparing that to the rolling turd that I almost bought. Thanks guys for all of the input, this is exactly the kind of help I envisioned when I made the post (plea) for help. Now I am once again in need, this time for the perfect (for me) 'Rauder.

[RCSignals]

you've made the right decision, although the seller has backed out a bit on his word of refunding the deposit. At least it's just $100.

I think in a re-list he gets his re-list fees back if it sells, unless they have changed the rules again.

There is also an eBay procedure where he can get his sell fees refunded if the two of you agree not to complete the sale.