Learning About Marauder

[cdcdguy]

I want to purchase one in the next 6-12 months and am trying to learn all I can. Lots of good info here. Have also read the sticky about 03-04 differences. Can someone answer these questions?

I want a totally stock car. Do some or most of you modify your cars?

I am not that mechanical. Are these cars reliable and can any Ford dealer maintain them?

I actually like all the color choices. Are there some paint issues that show up on certain colors? It looks like black was the most produced color.

Are these cars more prone to rust than any other car and are there any other things that commonally go wrong I should look for or avoid?

I think my budget will be in the 13-14k range so I am hoping to get a lower miles car in very good shape.

Do 03 and 04 have much other differences other than color? Could I tell them apart? Thanks for the help!

[yjmud]

black has paint issues and I would say about half or more modify their cars
Stock leave a lot to be desired

[Ms. Denmark]

black has paint issues and I would say about half or more modify their cars
Stock leave a lot to be desired
I would say that you would want a tune for sure. That alone will correct a lot of the undesirable issues with the shift schedule. Some do 4:10 gears to boost low end grunt so those 2 relatively cheap and easy mods are prolly well worth doing. Beyond that, there's the whole super charged madness. ;) Those aren't for everyone and can be quite costly.....but really multiply the car's fun factor. :D If you don't drag race, you may not find it essential to your daily driving!

[efi4eye]

I'm pretty new to the game also, but can tell you that lots of the black cars had paint issues in '03. Actually a lot of '03 Ford products in general had paint issues from what I can tell. '04 Marauders are much harder to find, so the paint issue is hard to get around. It seems like the majority of enthusiasts do simple mods at least, because the car can be made so much better with simple mods. It's a shame to leave that much potential on the table without a tune and gears at least. These cars do hold up extremely well from what I can tell, so don't let simple mods scare you away from a car. $13-14k should get you a very nice Marauder with decently low mileage. Just my .02

[Guittard22]

Just keep in mind parts for the mm are getting hard to come by :(

[Comin' in Hot]

I want to purchase one in the next 6-12 months and am trying to learn all I can. Lots of good info here. Have also read the sticky about 03-04 differences. Can someone answer these questions?

I want a totally stock car. Do some or most of you modify your cars?

I would say most modify their cars because they were very slow from the factory

I am not that mechanical. Are these cars reliable and can any Ford dealer maintain them?

For the most part they are very reliable, there are issues, like the wipers, headlights, and climate control modules, but all the fixes can be found here and are of minimal cost.

I actually like all the color choices. Are there some paint issues that show up on certain colors? It looks like black was the most produced color.

04s have better paint than 03s mainly on the hood, roof and trunk
Are these cars more prone to rust than any other car and are there any other things that commonally go wrong I should look for or avoid?

As for rust, it's all about how you take car of it, I had one with 178,000 miles on it that I sold to another member, I drove it in the snow and salt. It never saw a garage, but I ran it through the car was weekly with under body wash and it looks better than the car I bought out of southern California.

I think my budget will be in the 13-14k range so I am hoping to get a lower miles car in very good shape.

If you are patient and search everywhere I think you are realistic

Do 03 and 04 have much other differences other than color? Could I tell them apart? Thanks for the help!

Beside the transmission upgrade from the 4r70w to the 4r75w the use of two knock sensors in the engine, and painted or unpainted cam covers, they are pretty much the same. There is a bigger difference in the 300a and 300b models. There is a thread here about those differences.

Welcome to the site:beer:

[Ozark Marauder]

Good Luck in your search! Consider the "Marauders for Sale" here on the forums. Most have the updates you will want,(tune and gears), and some are still totally stock.

:welcome1: to the site!

OZ

[Merrill]

The wifes car is completely stock and has had nothing done to it besides normal
maintenance. Also both or cars are 03's and the paint is fine, I have a theory that cooler temps are easier on the paint. Good luck, you will love it when you get one.

[CWright]

You can do many things with the MM no doubt. I bought mine with anticipation of keeping it stock but that lasted about 1.5 years then I went NUTZ!! :D

[DOOM]

The 03's have the "bad paint" issue.

04's have higher stall torque converters and dual knock sensors.

[Curless]

Got mine with 90,000 great car black...I feel the paint would have been fine if the owner had not gone thru a car wash everyday. Anyone can maintain it, as for stock or mod its up the owner. For the $$ you are willing to spend you should have no issue finding a nice one. Good luck!

[IwantmyMMnow!]

FWIW, I've owned mine for almost a year and a half now. Didn't know much about them other than I REALLY wanted one. It's by far the best car I've had...even though the 'newness' of a different vehicle has worn off, I still enjoy driving it just as much now as I did on day 1.




I want a totally stock car. Do some or most of you modify your cars?

There are MMs out there that have not been 'molested', however, finding one with a tune and/or 4:10 gear would be beneficial. A tune makes the car perform/run better and they were slated to have the 4:10 gear straight from the factory. I would consider this a 'stock' piece vs an add-on. The great thing about these cars is there is a wide variety of 'mods' than can be done, so you can mod to suit your taste; you can do a little w/o having to go all-out. I've only spent about $800-900 on mods (in relation to speed) so far, and I'm content with how she runs AND I'm in a position where I DON'T need to drop more $$$ unless I want to.

I am not that mechanical. Are these cars reliable and can any Ford dealer maintain them?

Neither am I. I've put 35k on mine since I bought it, and the only 'issues' I've encountered were an oil leak (oil filter seat gasket) and a chaffed wire that was causing my brake lights to not work. This website is a GREAT source of information; even though I will have to take my car to someone else 90% of the time to have something done, I have enough knowledge gained from this website to help keep me from being taken advantage of by a mechanic. If you do eventually buy a MM, have the EATC and LCM repairs done immediately...and NOT at a dealership. Just search these terms on this website and you'll get the whole picture about these issues. Most dealerships can maintain them, but there have been members that have come across dealerships that can't.

I actually like all the color choices. Are there some paint issues that show up on certain colors? It looks like black was the most produced color.

Most 03 blacks have encountered paint issues. Black was the most produced, followed by Silver, DTR (red/burgundy), and Blue. Just buy a Silver and you'll be ok! ;)

Are these cars more prone to rust than any other car and are there any other things that commonally go wrong I should look for or avoid?

I think the biggest player with rust is where you live; EATC & LCM, as mentioned above.

I think my budget will be in the 13-14k range so I am hoping to get a lower miles car in very good shape.

You shouldn't have much difficulty finding a lower-mileage car at that price.

Do 03 and 04 have much other differences other than color? Could I tell them apart?

Black/Silver was offered in both years, blue only in 03, DTR only in 04. (I'm not 100% certain on this...I'm sure someone will chime in if I'm wrong). Telling an 03 & 04 apart from looking on the outside...probably not...maybe the moonroof? (Dealer installed vs aftermarket?) You'd have to go inside the car to determine if it's an 03 or 04.

Thanks for the help!

Good luck with your search!

[JBeezy]

I say this everytime I see someone wanting one of these cars, I'll sale mine. Being that I haven't drive it in almost 2 weeks it's easy to say. Soon as I drive it I change my mind. Mine is black and a '03 but paint looks great, but only has 41k on the clock. 4.10 gears program and cold air. Wouldn't have it any other way

[cdcdguy]

I am impressed with all the replies. I am glad I joined. Thank you all for the advice so far. Following other discussions on here, does the AC seem to be a common problem, or did I just pick up on that on select cars? All cars came with leather interior? Aside from cd player, were their any other interior options? Was there a most popular option package like most cars have, or were these pretty much loaded? Thanks again.

[Curless]

They all came with leather light grey is an option but rare, cd changer in the trunk is an option, moon roof from the factory is another option...other than that I don't know of anymore options. A/C is the control unit, they all will have it sooner or later but there is a very easy fix that will not take more than a couple of hours for even the most un qualified tech.

[Ms. Denmark]

They all came with leather light grey is an option but rare, cd changer in the trunk is an option, moon roof from the factory is another option...other than that I don't know of anymore options. A/C is the control unit, they all will have it sooner or later but there is a very easy fix that will not take more than a couple of hours for even the most un qualified tech. AKA light flint.;) ( Rare in the black cars.) They came with only a small handful of options available: 6 CD changer (vs single), trunk organizer, trunk cargo net, heated seats. (not available at all early on) Otherwise they were loaded.

[Mr. Man]

Paint issues on the '03 black cars were early in the production run. I've see a few blues with similar roof issues. Most have most likely been fixed or the paint on the cars not fixed hasn't been an issue for its owner.

[Bluerauder]

I would say that you would want a tune for sure. That alone will correct a lot of the undesirable issues with the shift schedule.

+1 ^^^^^^. The difference with the tune is a vast improvement over the stock shift schedule and premature O/D lock-up. With or without a gear swap, the tune is highly recommended.

The '03 Blue MM have the roof and hood paint problem as well. The Black MMs noticed it first. My problems started to show about 2-3 years ago. I suspect as others here that heat absorption aggravates the problem. I have had NO issues with reliability over the past 9 years.

[JBeezy]

AKA light flint.;) ( Rare in the black cars.) They came with only a small handful of options available: 6 CD changer (vs single), trunk organizer, trunk cargo net, heated seats. (not available at all early on) Otherwise they were loaded.

I have the light flint interior, 6 CD changer, and trunk organizer. I obtained this by luck. I wanted a low mile marauder and found mine. I researched it after I bought because I knew I wanted one simply on how good it looked and the engine. Best car I've ever purchased

[Gryphonzus]

And then there are ones like me that Love the car basically stock, my DTR I bought new, with the tune and dead pedal. It has plenty of power stock for a daily driver and a little fun. But I also wanted one to modify so I bought a Black. My wife likes them too so she twisted my arm to buy a Dark Blue Pearl. As if I needed much twisting. And maybe if I am lucky one day I will own a Silver Birch. My suggestion is to drive one and decide if you like it stock. Come to Marauderville X and you will see all variations of them in one place and have fun and meet others with the same interests. Good Luck with whatever you decide to do.

[cdcdguy]

And then there are ones like me that Love the car basically stock, my DTR I bought new, with the tune and dead pedal. It has plenty of power stock for a daily driver and a little fun. But I also wanted one to modify so I bought a Black. My wife likes them too so she twisted my arm to buy a Dark Blue Pearl. As if I needed much twisting. And maybe if I am lucky one day I will own a Silver Birch. My suggestion is to drive one and decide if you like it stock. Come to Marauderville X and you will see all variations of them in one place and have fun and meet others with the same interests. Good Luck with whatever you decide to do.

I am thinking stock will have enough power for me. Just looking for a big car that has a little more pep than a Grand Marquis. And I love how the car looks! I will check out Marauderville too.

[JBeezy]

I'm sure you will find one closer to you before you start looking down this far south. Just in case you don't I may be interested in selling mine. Just maybe. Depends on the day

[wannaMM]

1st I'd like to thank Cdcdguy for asking most of the questions that I've been mulling over for the last couple of months...nicely put,great responses.
I'm hoping that the "Newely Educated" members here @ MM.net will continue to keep the welcome feeling of the site for years to come:burnout:

[cdcdguy]

I'm sure you will find one closer to you before you start looking down this far south. Just in case you don't I may be interested in selling mine. Just maybe. Depends on the day

I actually may even look in the south as rust free is very high on my list. I may not purcase until spring though.

[cdcdguy]

1st I'd like to thank Cdcdguy for asking most of the questions that I've been mulling over for the last couple of months...nicely put,great responses.
I'm hoping that the "Newely Educated" members here @ MM.net will continue to keep the welcome feeling of the site for years to come:burnout:


Yeah, these people seem very helpful and are clearly passionate about this car.

[Chevyguy]

100% stock is the way to go to BUY. Sure you can get great deals on the price of modified parts as they have no value to the car or actually REDUCE the value vs a original one BUT..

Quality of modification etc can cause headaches, better to have nobody but yourself and Ford to blame.

The price premium for say a 25K car vs a 50K car is not really worth it IF you plan to drive it. Mine had 52K now it has 85K, it would not be worth much more if it had 60K at this point.

The Marauder specific parts are long out of production and obsolete according to FORD

This means, door panels, seats, bumper covers etc.. These are the precious parts.

Chassis parts mostly swap over up to 2011, The engine was made from 2003-2005 in Lincoln Aviators as well as 2003-2004 Mach 1, engine parts will be available for a long time.

[cdcdguy]

100% stock is the way to go to BUY. Sure you can get great deals on the price of modified parts as they have no value to the car or actually REDUCE the value vs a original one BUT..

Quality of modification etc can cause headaches, better to have nobody but yourself and Ford to blame.

The price premium for say a 25K car vs a 50K car is not really worth it IF you plan to drive it. Mine had 52K now it has 85K, it would not be worth much more if it had 60K at this point.

The Marauder specific parts are long out of production and obsolete according to FORD

This means, door panels, seats, bumper covers etc.. These are the precious parts.

Chassis parts mostly swap over up to 2011, The engine was made from 2003-2005 in Lincoln Aviators as well as 2003-2004 Mach 1, engine parts will be available for a long time.

How good is the network of specialty parts by vendors? How difficult would it be to repair/replace a bumper cover?

Also a seperate question: Is the spoiller an option or is that something that people added? Not all cars have them,right?

[SC Cheesehead]

How good is the network of specialty parts by vendors? How difficult would it be to repair/replace a bumper cover?

Also a seperate question: Is the spoiller an option or is that something that people added? Not all cars have them,right?

There are some imported replacements on the market for bumper covers, grilles, etc, but quality of these parts is hit or miss.

Finding good used parts can be a challenge, and repair may or may not be an option, depending on the level of damage (especially relating t bumper covers).


Spoilers were a dealer installed option and are still available through one of our site vendors, Sparta Performance.

http://spartaperformance.com/

[STEPS]

03 options addition rear trunk organizer, and rear spoiler

[cdcdguy]

One more question-sorry if it is stupid, but what does Trader mean on the users profile?

[Ms. Denmark]

It's a way to provide feedback about buying-selling transactions between members.

[cdcdguy]

So someone with a trader number of 10 might be someone to possibly purcahse a car from one day?

[Ms. Denmark]

So someone with a trader number of 10 might be someone to possibly purcahse a car from one day?
Not necessarily. You need to check out the feedback that person was given by members who dealt with them. The best indicator of whether to purchase a car on this site is to get to know the players here and it will be clear who takes great car of their car, has a solid rep with other members etc. Then again someone could join today & post up a great car for sale. That's when you use all the knowledge you've gained here and you also reach out to members whose opinions you trust.

[cdcdguy]

Thanks, MS. - that is why I am here!. I would love to own an MM that has been treated well, and not been treated like an everyday car! I would not toss out a non member car though. Have to wait and see what the market brings after this upcoming winter!

[Spectragod]

Thanks, MS. - that is why I am here!. I would love to own an MM that has been treated well, and not been treated like an everyday car! I would not toss out a non member car though. Have to wait and see what the market brings after this upcoming winter!

When I purchased my DTR, I bought it from a board member, I looked at a LOT of MM's, most every one on a dealer lot was trashed, as were some of the privately owned one's I had found on AutoTrader, and the like.

DTR was not my first choice, but it was an absolute garage queen..... and still is. I would recommend buying from a member before looking into an "outside" source.

If you want to drive a "modified" Marauder, I'm down here in Dayton Ohio, I'll be glad to spend some time with you and talk cars.

[cdcdguy]

When I purchased my DTR, I bought it from a board member, I looked at a LOT of MM's, most every one on a dealer lot was trashed, as were some of the privately owned one's I had found on AutoTrader, and the like.

DTR was not my first choice, but it was an absolute garage queen..... and still is. I would recommend buying from a member before looking into an "outside" source.

If you want to drive a "modified" Marauder, I'm down here in Dayton Ohio, I'll be glad to spend some time with you and talk cars.

And color is not my first choice either. Excellent condition is, but just by the numbers, looks like black would be most likley. What was your first color choice? I would like to talk to you sometime and maybe see your car. My parents live nearby in Middletown. Thanks for the offer!

And I guess this is a good question for any MM owner. Did you end up buying a different color than you set out, and if so why?

[SC Cheesehead]

And color is not my first choice either. Excellent condition is, but just by the numbers, looks like black would be most likley. What was your first color choice? I would like to talk to you sometime and maybe see your car. My parents live nearby in Middletown. Thanks for the offer!

And I guess this is a good question for any MM owner. Did you end up buying a different color than you set out, and if so why?

Wanted a DBP, but didn't start looking at Marauders until 2004, and the color was discontinued at the end of he 203 model year.

We looked at both a 2004 DTR and a SB, and decided to go with DTR as my wife liked the color a lot.

Ended up crashing the car a year later, and found a used low mileage DPB for sale up in Charlotte to replace it, so after everything was all said and done, I got my Blue car. Do miss the moonroof that I had on my DTR, tho...:(

Never considered a JPB, as my wife doesn't like Black cars.

[IwantmyMMnow!]

I wanted a silver one and bought a silver one. I didn't even know they came in DTR or DPB until after I joined the website; wouldn't have mattered because I wanted silver. I think all the colors are great and wish I could buy one of each...plus an extra to custom paint.

[Spectragod]

And color is not my first choice either. Excellent condition is, but just by the numbers, looks like black would be most likley. What was your first color choice? I would like to talk to you sometime and maybe see your car. My parents live nearby in Middletown. Thanks for the offer!

And I guess this is a good question for any MM owner. Did you end up buying a different color than you set out, and if so why?

Silver Birch with dark charcoal interior was my first choice, I spent about 8-9 months trying to find one that I considered nice, and I wanted it 100% stock, not that I kept it that way, but anyhow.......

I found mt DTR living way south in Florida, it was very well cared for, it took a little over a month to put the deal together and I drove it home, 1260 miles. I had greater expectations for a Marauder, it ran good, it had a tune and CAI, but that was it, the rest of the mods were cosmetic. I have probably had a dozen Crown Vics and Grand Marquis, I didn't feel the MM ran that much faster, but clearly, it handled way better. I fixed the power part of it.;) :D

My first mod, Trilogy twin screw supercharger, then long tube headers, then I just inserted a funnel and started dumping $$$ into it, stop by, we can go for a ride.:burnout:

But.... back to your question, what car to buy? I think it would be determined on where you want to be, you will find great examples of stock and modified on the F.S. section of this board. If you are planning on modding the car, you can possibly find one with the mods already done and save yourself a bit of money. And, there are some beautiful low mile all stock examples out there too, what ever you buy, you will most likely be the only one at your local cruise in with a Marauder.:D

[SC Cheesehead]

Silver Birch with dark charcoal interior was my first choice, I spent about 8-9 months trying to find one that I considered nice, and I wanted it 100% stock, not that I kept it that way, but anyhow.......

I found mt DTR living way south in Florida, it was very well cared for, it took a little over a month to put the deal together and I drove it home, 1260 miles. I had greater expectations for a Marauder, it ran good, it had a tune and CAI, but that was it, the rest of the mods were cosmetic. I have probably had a dozen Crown Vics and Grand Marquis, I didn't feel the MM ran that much faster, but clearly, it handled way better. I fixed the power part of it.;) :D

My first mod, Trilogy twin screw supercharger, then long tube headers, then I just inserted a funnel and started dumping $$$ into it, stop by, we can go for a ride.:burnout:

But.... back to your question, what car to buy? I think it would be determined on where you want to be, you will find great examples of stock and modified on the F.S. section of this board. If you are planning on modding the car, you can possibly find one with the mods already done and save yourself a bit of money. And, there are some beautiful low mile all stock examples out there too, what ever you buy, you will most likely be the only one at your local cruise in with a Marauder.:D




^^^^^^ True that! ^^^^^^

And then you get to answer all the questions about your fancy "cop car" or listen to the "experts" that will "inform" you about all the "real" details of your car. (You know, they only made 'em black, don't you?...;) ----->:D)

[Spectragod]

^^^^^^ True that! ^^^^^^

And then you get to answer all the questions about your fancy "cop car" or listen to the "experts" that will "inform" you about all the "real" details of your car. (You know, they only made 'em black, don't you?...;) ----->:D)

Yep, they were all black, most had the cop chip removed before it was pressed into taxi service, and my all time favorite.......... it's an old man's hot rod, because it has 4 doors, too bad it will kill 95% of the stuff that shows up at those car shows.:D If I could actually get any traction....:(

FWIW, I do have the "cop chip", I keep it in the console, "just in case" I may need it....:lol:

[SC Cheesehead]

Yep, they were all black, most had the cop chip removed before it was pressed into taxi service, and my all time favorite.......... it's an old man's hot rod, because it has 4 doors, too bad it will kill 95% of the stuff that shows up at those car shows.:D If I could actually get any traction....:(

FWIW, I do have the "cop chip", I keep it in the console, "just in case" I may need it....:lol:

Me too. Paid over a hunnert dollers for it...



http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3VacQmbfriQ/Tdm4FiOiYvI/AAAAAAAAAhc/lHkeaqtCOpY/s320/cube%2B3.jpg

:D