Newbie looking for opinions on 2003 MM 300A

[YankeeMarauder]

Hi All. I had been a fan of the Mercury Marauder since I first saw one back in late 2002 when we lived in Maryland. Unfortunately, at the time, our family was still "young" and we simply couldnt afford it. 8 years later I was blessed about 10 days ago to find one where I live in Texas now and bought it. I wanted to get thoughts on what people in the community think about the car and what value I got for my money:

2003 Mercury Marauder 300A
Black on black
48k miles
built 06/02
Clear carfax
I am the third owner

Thats the good, heres the bad:

Smells of smoke bad
Has burn hole in center of rear seat cushion
I had to buy one rim and tire (was on Marauder spare when bought)
Missing spare tire hardware and cover
Stock radio went up right after I bought it
CEL on (code P1451 EVAP solenoid)
Minor wear, tear and blems, normal for 9 year old car
Minor noise on pass rear (brake caliper?)

appears to be stock with the exception of a K & N filter setup.

paid $10,500 for it.

Thoughts?

Thanks!!

Aaron

[Paul T. Casey]

Sounds like you did pretty good. If you figure out how to get rid of the smoke smell, let me know. I'm a quitter, and I can now smell it in my car. If you don't find it before Thanksgiving, I may still have the spare tire junk back home. I don't carry one.

[CBT]

Sounds decent for the low milage. Welcome aboard and stuff! :beer:

[YankeeMarauder]

Cool thanks, if I dont find one (and I doubt I will) I will let you know. No luck so far at salvage, Ebay, Craigslist, ETC.

As for the smoke smell, I was told "Ozium" will take the smell out. My friend manages a custom upholstery shop and he recommend it. website says its a chemical to remove the particles causing the scent, not an air freshener designed to mask the odor. Seems to be working so far. You can buy it at Auto Zone for $3. He said spray liberally on vent on top of dash (defog vent?) and let the AC blow. It comes in "new car smell" and "Original"

[BurpyTurtle]

Smoke smell removal.

http://mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=65533

[Doohicky]

Take a can of Lysol and spray all the carpeted areas including the back window, door area, seats, roof liner, and then put the A/C on Max and spray on the passenger floor area. There is smoke residue in the vents and heater system that needs to be taken care of that's the reason for the A/C. Also, make sure to change the setting to Defrost, Heat and Vent after a while. I had my sister do this at her house, but, spraying the ceiling, drapes, carpet and walls. This should take care of it. I Burnt some sausage years back and couldn't get rid of the smell. Finally I spayed everything down including the ceiling and it took care of it.

[dohc324ci]

Welcome to the site and congrats on the new ride!

[RF Overlord]

Minor noise on pass rear (brake caliper?)May also be a bad axle. Cars made before January of '03 (like yours) had a TSB (03-5-5) for bad axles. Mine was on the right, too.

[3CzSCrewHead*]

Sounds decent for the low milage. Welcome aboard and stuff! :beer:
what he said ^^^^^^^

where in Tx are you loCated????

and Congrats again have fun be safe lol

[cruzer]

Hi, I'm Maury--kinda the official greeter for the North Texas Marauders--a group of Marauder nuts that try to have a social group. The next big event is the gathering at Centerville -- halfway between Houston and DFW--in November---check the NTM Forum for details. Call me at 817-296-3819 if you have any questions--hope to meet you soon, Maury:burnout:

[J-MAN]

Sounds like you did pretty well to me! Fix what has to be fixed(axle bearings) and keep an eye open for replacement parts on the site and elsewhere. It might be worth getting the car detailed to improve the overall appearance and raise the owner satisfaction level. A detailer may also be able to get rid of the smoke smell. ENJOY!! :D

[RoyLPita]

Welcome aboard. Enjoy the site and your new ride.

[Ms. Denmark]

Congratulations on your Marauder....and welcome!!

[musclemerc]

Buy yourself a steam cleaner and get to work.

Oh yeah and WELCOME TO THE SITE!

[tbone]

Don't use max a/c for a while, till the smell goes away. It recirculates air inside the car. Most people who smoke in the car don't know this. It compounds the smelly factor big time.

[BLACKMARAUDER04]

Look for a an Escape/Mariner radio from 2005.If it says Mach 1 its compatible. Great upgrade. I got mine for $85.

Try Frebreze.

[Rocknee]

Also, when not driving car, leave heater/AC controls in any position cept MAX and OFF. Allows the inside to breathe.

[YankeeMarauder]

Hi again all!

RF Overlord: If the axle was bent, shouldnt I get a shake or at least a vibration at high speeds?

3zSCrewhead - Im in DFW by the DFW Airport!

Cruzer (Maury) Thanks and I will!!

[myrodr]

try m97auto out of detroit they salvage lot of MM may ship you parts you need

[TFB]

Sounds like you did pretty good. If you figure out how to get rid of the smoke smell, let me know. I'm a quitter, and I can now smell it in my car. If you don't find it before Thanksgiving, I may still have the spare tire junk back home. I don't carry one.

Back in April I bought a one owner 33K mi, '98 Grand Marquis that I believe was used more as a smoking parlor than for transportation, she stunk... What I did was wash everything, all plastic and windows with Windex, the leather seats and fabric(headliner, visors, package tray), carpet with mild soppy water and rinse with clear water, followed by a liberal spraying of Fabreeze over the WHOLE interior, especially at the air intake for the HVAC by the passenger kickpanel(use max setting with A/C on for the spray, then std A/C for normal use)... Also let the car set in the sun with windows open as much as possible... I took maybe a month for it to clear out but it's no longer noticeable now... If the car has been smoked in for years you'll probably get a brown film from everything you clean...

BTW Yankee, congrats on the new toy, I've had mine less than a month and am still grinning...