Sell it or keep it? My MM

[Vortech347]

I love this car. I think by far its one of the coolest cars I've ever had the pleasure of owning. The "bad ass" factor is just were I like it. I have the stereo perfect, the ride is awesome and it has plenty of power.

However with only 66k on the car its suffering from a BIG issue.

PAINT!!!

As some of you know I had "crows feet" on my car and had the roof, hood, trunk, and the top parts of the doors redone by Ford under warranty at 35,000 miles. Yea that close.... And it was a battle to get that done.

Well its gotten even worse. The door pannels, fenders, and quarter pannels are now crows feeting pretty good. To make matter's worse the rear drivers side door has rust about 2" up from the bottom of the door all long it. It even has a business card sized spot where paint is completly gone and you just see rust.

I planned on owning this car till the wheels fell off and it had 200k on it. But I just don't see that happening now. Spending 6-8k on a car that is only worth about 12-13 (I owe 12) is rediculous since it is NOT my play car and simply my daily for my Real Estate business. Honestly I'd rather have the damn engine blow up than this paint issue. The car could be down for months.

I totally hate the idea of selling this car. I lost alot of sleep last night over it. When they first came out I wanted one sooooooo bad.

What do you guys think I should do? I'm looking at Fusions and even with the Nav and sync I still dont' think they are quite the "bad ass" a Marauder is. I've looked at chargers but god damn it they are so UGLY...

[2,4shofast]

That is a hard call, since you only use it for work purposes it seems to me that there are more choices out there that would suit you better. I dont think I would be able to get rid of it if it were me but if it bothers you that much it seems like it would be a good decision. BUT it would suck to have one less Marauder running around town.:(

[Vortech347]

Yeah but I just can't deal with the paint issue. I mean so many problems can come because of it down the road. Ya know what I mean?

[Iowa Rick]

Let me ask a question you may not have considered. If the MM is as bad as you say who is going to buy it?? If you do find a buyer it certainly wont be for the $12k you owe on it.

Why not turn the into a self help project. Replace the back door and do all the prep work for painting yourself. If you cant afford a quality paint job have Maaco put one of its better paint jobs on it. Regardless what you may think Maaco does a pretty good job laying on paint. Then if you are still not happy you will have something in a lot better condition appearance wise to sell. Rick

[2,4shofast]

Yea I do understand what your saying. Its a good thing you havent seen my paint yet, it is horrible...there are places where the clearcoat has clouded and spotted all over the place, scratches etc. I have always wanted a Marauder and I cannot let it go no matter how bad it gets. I guess I would have to see how bad the rust etc is on your car but if you only owe $12K on it I can see getting rid of it. With the amount of totalled marauders lately I wouldnt think it would be hard to find some replacement parts for yours. The Utah winters will take a toll on any car... My .02

[JAYSILVER04]

i am glad i bought a silver one!!

[Blk Mamba]

Mine is not as bad as yours, but I plan on a full, down to the metal paint job this winter, I don't care what the cost, (with in reason), I bought a Marauder, because I wanted one, nothing will deter me now. If you are even thinking of selling it, I'll quote my wife "It's just a car."

[hot-rauder]

i hear ya.. my paint has some scrathes i dont like and crows feet on the right of the bumper( real light though). however, with only 51k i had my motor blow up. it took 5 weeks for a used motor to be located and put in and cost me roughly 4300 bucks. thats with internal rate for labor at the dealership. trust me paint issue are better than motor issues. my crank, bearing, and oil pump had been replaced with ony 35k on it last year!!

[TiTo35]

PAINT...when was paint a reason to sell a car???

My car has this that and the third with the paint...I notice it before I get in the car. I get in close the door and start her up...and the hell with the paint! When I wash and wax the car...people still compliment the car...even when the car dirty ppl compliment it. Keep the car!

[Raudermaster]

If you do decide to sell it, you will not be disappointed with the Fusion. Father just picked up an SEL V6 and it's absolutely a blast to drive. 30mpg on the highway, 18-20 in city, ans Steeda makes plenty of bolt-on's for them. It's already got a TB spacer and a silencer delete.

[2,4shofast]

PAINT...when was paint a reason to sell a car???



And Rust ;)

[offroadkarter]

I wouldnt, i just got complimented today on how great my car looked, your not going to get that in a fusion.

save up, and when you have the time to, send it to a reputable paint shop and have it done right, it will be worth it in the long run ;)

[Canucksmarauder]

I've had the same issue with the car I bought from my father. Same area rusting on the rear door. My car will be back from the paint shop in a couple of days and will look better than new as Ford paint Sucks azz:mad:

I can't believe how nice the Marauder looks with the new paint. Spend the $5000 and call it a write off. You need the car to sell houses right!

I will post pics soon of my beast when she hits the road,
P

[sd8683]

After I wash my car I dry everything with a microfiber cloth, door jams, sills the trunk, everything, sure I have my fair share of scratches but there is not ONE spec of rust on my car and it is my daily driver

[Vortech347]

Bad paint leads to bad rust. Bad rust leads to me looking like Joe Dirt when I use the car for business.... The car crows feet are pretty small still and if I clean up the car really well I don't think it will show. I'm not really excited on the idea of replacing that door. All the quotes I got said the rust is bad enough it requires a door skin replacement and possibly an inner frame. $1500. The car can't have downtime. It is not the pleasure car, its the work car. That thing needs to be more reliable than a .45 when it comes to my line of work. Also re-paints can be spotted a mile away and paint is NEVER done "exactly" how you want it and the quality unless you pay insane prices and the car is torn down. I don't have the time or money for that. 5,000$ write off. Thats funny. You do realize that first you need to have 5000$ to use first?

I know there is another Realtor on here with a DTR I'm sure he understands exactly what I'm saying.

I may end up getting another MM but definatly NOT a black one. If I can find a DTR, Silver, or Blue one I may jump on that and continue to enjoy MM ownership and drive put 200k of fun miles on it. I just need to find one.

Just pisses me off Ford dropped the ball on the ONLY v8 4dr performance car worth a damn since the SHO. Now the lineup looks like crap. Finding a car that has the "presence" of the MM is going to be hard.

[2,4shofast]

Matt I have a good detailer down in Riverdale that I know would take care of your car really well...Let me know if you want his number and you can see how it turns out and go from there.

[fastblackmerc]

It sounds like your talking yourself into selling it.....

[airborne_mp84]

buy another MM too easy

[Canucksmarauder]

Sounds like you ready to sell. Paint does not take that long and a replacement door is easy to find. No need to spend $1500 fixing a rusty door. I guess I'm lucky I made enough $$$ to write off the paint job this year:rolleyes:

P

[Vortech347]

I write off to much already with my mustang. hahahahha

Time start the search for another MM if that dosn't fly I've also considered a C32 AMG. They're pretty damn fast, look good, and under 20k.

[Canucksmarauder]

Here is a VDuB Racing a c32 They are not that fast:D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNICDoIW5-o

P

[J D]

I've looked at chargers but god damn it they are so UGLY...
I like the Charger . . .:alone:

In my search for a car I wanted something big, black, bad, and powerful. Had I not discovered the MM it would have been that since my only car bias is domestic Vs foreign, instead of infighting between the big three.

[Vortech347]

I'm sorry. I just don't like them. The only one that sparks my intrest is the SRT-8.

I found out the C32 because I got my ass royaly handed to me by one in the MM.

[Bigdogjim]

Also re-paints can be spotted a mile away and paint is NEVER done "exactly" how you want it and the quality unless you pay insane prices and the car is torn down. I don't have the time or money for that. 5,000$ write off. Thats funny. You do realize that first you need to have 5000$ to use first?

I can prove you WQRONG. My marauder has been re-painted by the local Ford Dealer for $8000.+ (Ford paid :) ) I dare you to spot that as a "re-paint)

You are correct a good paint job is a lot of $$$$$

[Motorhead350]

Just get another unless you really really like your own.

[Aren Jay]

Bad paint can be lived with. After 17 years my Mustang was a white car with matt black livery and little spots scraps and missing paint. You could only see it up close, and a touch up can of black paint fixed the bumper yellow showing through, encounter with a fence in and icy back alley. Don't worry about the paint. Fix the rust or get a new door, junkyard, not sure which years fit, but someone should know.

[Vortech347]

Just get another unless you really really like your own.

Exactly what I've decided to do. :)

Bigdog, it dosn't surprise me. I was just quoted 5k from the bodyshop we take all our hotrods too.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

My MM was a complete repaint w/ 35 miles on it due to "industrial fallout" causing clear coat damage during storage or shipment. So luckily I am a 300A that does not have flaking paint. One of the few times that I would actually prefer a repainted car (done nicely) over OEM paint. Usually I'd always go for OE first. That does suck though. You do NOT want your run of the mill quickie $3,000 insurance-quality repaint on this car. On a black car, that enthusiasts are going to be looking at and potentially purchasing in the future, visible signs of a repaint (sanding scratches, body work, fisheyes, etc., even the best paint job can never be totally undetectable by a critical eye, unless it is sprayed by a robot in a clean rooom, but for sure on a black car, you want the prep work especially done much better than average) are not a good thing .. so yeah, getting a better than OE quality repaint is not going to be cheap on a black car.

Just how bad is the paint, is it saleable without the paint totally killing the resale? I'd get rid of it, wait 6 months, and buy another MM w/ better paint, when the prices of V8 cars and trucks has tanked even further than they already have. These cars ain't going up in value for a long time, so if you are patient you will make out like a bandit.

[Vortech347]

My MM was a complete repaint w/ 35 miles on it due to "industrial fallout" causing clear coat damage during storage or shipment. So luckily I am a 300A that does not have flaking paint. One of the few times that I would actually prefer a repainted car (done nicely) over OEM paint. Usually I'd always go for OE first. That does suck though. You do NOT want your run of the mill quickie $3,000 insurance-quality repaint on this car. On a black car, that enthusiasts are going to be looking at and potentially purchasing in the future, visible signs of a repaint (sanding scratches, body work, fisheyes, etc., even the best paint job can never be totally undetectable by a critical eye, unless it is sprayed by a robot in a clean rooom, but for sure on a black car, you want the prep work especially done much better than average) are not a good thing .. so yeah, getting a better than OE quality repaint is not going to be cheap on a black car.

Just how bad is the paint, is it saleable without the paint totally killing the resale? I'd get rid of it, wait 6 months, and buy another MM w/ better paint, when the prices of V8 cars and trucks has tanked even further than they already have. These cars ain't going up in value for a long time, so if you are patient you will make out like a bandit.

Exactly. Black to be done correctly and OE, the way I like it would just be far to expensive. The car right now to the un-trained public eye looks great. I'll definatly disclose the door but I'm leaving it up to buyer deligence for the crows feet. They may or may not be an issue.

Driving that car today I realized how much more I love that Marauder. I planned on keeping that car for a LONG time. It pains me to get rid of it but at least I can find another one. I'll miss the sunglass holders I can't tell if thats an option in 04. Its a great place to put my .45 for long road trips. :up: I use the keyless entry all the time, I use the homelink every night without an ugly ass brick remote on my visor.