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View Full Version : What a Friggin Car (Middletown, CT)



mm.owner
09-30-2007, 08:07 AM
Hi Everyone in New England, especially in Middletown, CT!

On this site, I previously used the ID MM.Buyer. I now go by MM.Owner, because I just purchased a 2003, Blue, MM, with 27K. THANK YOU to the site administrators and members for helping me with info about these great vehicles.

NOTE: I used CarFax to re-assure me of what I was about to buy and verify what the seller told me. I got unlimited VIN searches until 10/10/07. If you send me a VIN, I'll run it and send the report to your email. Hope this doesn’t violate any site policies.

ALSO NOTE: During my search, I've come across 2 MM in CT: Silver at Dealer in Milford, CT with 60K miles (ask for Hugo) and Red at Dealer in Vernon, CT. Also, CarMax has a Black in Laurel, MD with 17K miles.

FINALLY: I know the following missive is rather long, but I like to write.

OBSERVATIONS:
All I can say about the Mercury Marauder is: "Whatta friggin car!"
When they first came out, I loved the whole idea. Like the GNX. I appreciate fine, thoughtful engineering. But at $32K-$36K, I said "I'd have to sell or re-finance everything I own". Then I found out folks were paying $4K-$6K over MSRP. I said "Fer-getta-bout-it". Which I did. Sortta. 5 years later, here I am. "Whatta friggin car!"

First impressions:
* APPEARANCE: Big, roomy, 4-door, aggressive looking. Gotta love it.
* PERFORMANCE AND HANDLING: Very similar to my CV, PI, P-71, only quieter, smoother and with more luxury. See SIDE-BY-SIDE below.
* CRUISE CONTROL: Did I miss something? There is no dashboard indicator light.
* EXHAUST: Am I hearing things? After a ride, I shut it down and within a couple minutes, I hear a "DING". Sounds like a hammer hitting a pipe. A couple minutes later, another "DING". I think it's the exhaust cooling down.
* OK, EVERYONE, ALL TOGETHER NOW: "Whatta friggin car!"

LONG TERM PLANS:
This will be a fair weather car. Nevertheless, see TIRES, below.
Keep the vehicle stock, with few mods. It already has some kinda cone shaped air filter. And some kinda tuner do-dad that changed the tranny shifting pattern. I'm learning. Just give me a Marauder Minute or two and I'll catch on. Mods are fun, expensive and need to be proven worthwhile.
* PAINT:
This MM musta suffered thru 1,000 car washes. Swirls all over. Some chips, too. Someday, I'll spring for new clearcoat, maybe several layers of some tough stuff. Like for it to look wet, all the time.

SHORT TERM PLANS:
* FLUIDS:
Changing all fluids in a couple days at the Ford dealer in Berlin. Having them inspect everything front to back. Hope they let me have a look underneath. Maybe I'll take some pics.
* TIRES:
Original BFG tires need replacing. NOW. They look good, but I know there is nothing better or safer than new tires. I'm researching options. Like to stay with same tires and sizes because I respect what the Mercury engineers did. But, I'm a good listener. Whatever I decide, it must be safe on wet surfaces. I've had 15 years experience with GY GT Plus 4's, GY RSA's and GY RSA Plus's on 3 CV's. Those tires are all noisy and great on dry roads, until they wear out at 30K miles. But around 15K miles, they all become unsafe on wet roads, slippin and slidin all over the place. Not fun!
* SIDE-BY-SIDE:
I have a 2001, CV, PI, P-71 with 127K miles. This is a very fast vehicle, from a stop to ???. A harsh ride compared to the 2003 MM.
Like I said above, this CV is very similar in performance and handling to my MM. Before I sell the CV (asking $5K), I'd like to do a side-by-side compare.

MOTTOS:
"There will always be someone bigger, faster or with more money than you"...Biker John

"You must be young and foolish, in order to become old and wise"...Ole Biker Bob

"Let it go, let it go, just, let it go"...Biker Spot

"Less government, more individual responsibility and with God's help, a better country"...Robert Welch (John Birch Society founder)

"The work of the individual, is the spark that moves mankind ahead"...Igor Sikorsky

Stay in touch,
Bob Vincent
MM.Owner
Middletown, CT.

knine
09-30-2007, 08:47 AM
"Whatta friggin car!" :party1::party1::party1:Welcom e, you're now on::cloud9:
:welcome: fellow "Blues Brother". You got the best color available !!! Party time !!:party:

No dash indicator for cruise.....do you mean a "cruise light" that comes on after it's activated? If so, no there isn't one. Dings on cooldown? Yup, that's what's happening. Normal. Freeking sweet? I agree. :banana2:Smile on your face? :) Permanent !! :drive:

What interior do you have, dark or light flint?

Feel free to copy and paste>> Proud member of the MM "BLUES" Bros.
Now, HOW ABOUT SOME PICS???????????:eek:

"Problems cannot be solved on the level of which they were created" Albert Einstein ........so, good luck Ford.

SMOKE
10-01-2007, 08:52 AM
Hey, there you are! Congrats on the ride. I'll try to take responsibility for any havoc I unleash on Middletown...but considering we're two different colors we'll know who's been bad depending on whether or not the police are looking for a black or a blue!:cool4:

J/K....don't actually get my car out all that much these days and I outgrew the wreckless part of my driving life over 10 years ago...except for the lapse of reason I list in my signature, that is.

Keep an eye on the forum in case there is actually a plan to meet other owners (shows, cruises, etc) if that's your thing (the Northeast forum is a good reference too and NY/NJ is THAT far away). I also see you are good at asking questions too which is nice because that's the way I learn too.
Best and good luck w/ the car. I'll wave if I see you around!:wave:

Jonathan

cyclopsram
10-01-2007, 09:24 AM
Outgrew "wreckless" ? Does that mean you had a wreck.... or did you mean reckless as in wanton erratic behavior? Both of which, happen to some Marauderers....I wasn't speeding officer, it was the car...

SMOKE
10-01-2007, 11:50 AM
Whoops....gotta bookmark Merriam-Webster and use it more often...had a feeling I was spelling something wrong in that post....

Nope...the old wanton (not the soup) erratic behavior...nice big, fat speeding ticket within the first 30 days of having the car...but the b**ch doesn't make much of a fuss at triple-digit speeds...so maybe it was the car?:nono:

JWM

magindat
10-01-2007, 12:36 PM
The cruise DOES have a light. My bulb has been out for over a year though.

SMOKE
10-01-2007, 03:14 PM
The cruise DOES have a light. My bulb has been out for over a year though.

Huh?

Where is it? Never seen anything in the manual...

Is this (no light) the result of another crappy soldering job (like the window switches)??

Jonathan

knine
10-01-2007, 07:20 PM
The cruise DOES have a light. My bulb has been out for over a year though.
Are you talking about the switch on the steeringwheel?..:confused:...c ause I'm not. I am talking about a seperate light in the dash that would come on. I have 2 panthers, neither one has a dash light when the cruise is on.

magindat
10-02-2007, 04:55 AM
Are you talking about the switch on the steeringwheel?..:confused:...c ause I'm not. I am talking about a seperate light in the dash that would come on. I have 2 panthers, neither one has a dash light when the cruise is on.

Mine HAD one. Stopped working after my wreck. Don't know if it was the repair, the bulb or the tune (which went in before it left the shop) that made it inop. But I DID have one in the dash.