marauder307
02-21-2004, 09:10 PM
Been so busy this week, I forgot to post this on the day...but my one-year anniversary of MM ownership came and went on the 18th. And what a year it's been...
I'll never forget the evening I went to pick the car up. I had driven all the way from Montgomery AL to Daytona Beach FL, was going to meet the movers for my move to STL the next day. Still had the LX 5.0 in the storage unit in DAB, was in my V-6 '01 Coupe. Stopped at Yeomans Ford when I got into town; wanted to see what they had. Real nice-looking smoke-colored Mach I on the showroom floor, but it was an automatic, and for that car I wanted a stick. Went on to DAB L-M. There were two Marauders sitting out front, side by side, nose to tail. Got in there at 6, and the process started immediately. They sure did move things along; come to find out my car had been sitting there since delivery to the dealership back in summer '02. When I finally got to the hotel at about 9:30 or 10 that night, it was in the Marauder...
The next day I delivered up my old faithful 5.0 as part of the trade-in deal. Yer not supposed to get emotionally attached to cars; they're cold metal things that don't feel or care. Still ripped my guts out anyway...anybody in the Daytona area may have seen it. Bright red, with retroreflective Boss 5.0 stripes running down the sides, and the stock 5-spoke rims for '93 still on it...
Trust me, it wasn't stock when I turned it over...
And what a year it's been. The MM has met or exceeded everything that the Mustangs were ever able to do for me, and I've actually got room to put schtuff in. Those long drives...first home to Montgomery, then up to STL. Last Christmas, STL to Montgomery and back a week later. Car's hypnotic at 75...
Haven't done any serious mods yet. After tax season if I've got the money I'm going for Dennis's Stage I trans upgrade with cooling mod. If I'm gonna have the trans apart I want to do the TC as well...anybody know the best price on these Stallion TCs? Have put in the K&N air filter, and replaced the wimpy-azz wipers with Bosch Excels.
Car actually does ok in the snow. I was genuinely apprehensive (read: scared ****less) when the snow arrived. But I learned to drive in the middle of Seoul, South Korea; my skills at handling snow and hills reasserted themselves soon enough. Just don't expect to get anywhere fast in the MM when there's white junk on the ground; abrupt throttle movements will only spin you around. I've got one of the early-build cars (build date 6/20/02) so there's no Traction Control...whatinthehell was L-M thinking?
Have had some warranty issues; I've got a kickazz crew over at South County Sinclair L-M who knows the car and takes excellent care of it. Rear brakes have been "skinned" once, when a rock/something etched the pass. side rear rotor, pass. side headlight cover's been replaced under warranty, fuel guage sending unit's been replaced under warranty (although I'm gonna have to take it back, still reads less than full when full). Haven't done anything to the rear axles yet, and the trans is mushy. But I know about those things, so I'm prepared to deal with it if/when they krappe out.
So, how's it running? Well, not too bad. Ticking under hood, don't know if it's just the injectors or something actually serious. Fronts have been slightly out of balance since I've had it (~13,500 mi.), gonna have that fixed. Driver's seat has an absolutely awful squeak in it, gonna have that fixed too. Squeaks when I hit bumps..or sit down...or look at it...or whatever. Not a little squeak either, great big dang ear-piercing squeal that is slowly driving me mad. That funky TC is giving me 2-for-1 shifts with every gear. But all these things go to the back of my mind when I hit the gas. Or see the reactions from the gate guards at my office when I pull in in the mornings...'cause you see, they drive a CVPI at the installation. But it's not like the MM...
Otherwise it runs great. Helped sell a car for Sinclair 'bout a month back, see my related thread. One of my office mates is now considering a Marauder, gonna trade in a F-150 X-cab for it. I have become the "Marauder Ambassador".
And, in a fitting gesture, one of the local ricers got to find out how well it runs today...dumb schnit in a ZX2 almost sideswiped me as I was making the turn from I-64/Hwy 40 onto I-270. Heard the phart cannons before I saw 'im, even inside my car, even at speed. Tried to run away; had his skank in the car with him, guess he thought he was gonna impress 'er. He lasted until 105; I lasted longer. Prolly thought I was one of the local polizia. I wished I was... Good thing I look like one. At those speeds, if the cops had seen us, I'd a never seen my car again...
Well, I've rambled long enough. Hopefully, the first meeting of the new Gateway Marauders will go off here in another few weeks. Been great being on this board for the last year, with all the support; I daresay I woulda really been lost without the tech help that I've gotten here. Very special thanks to Logan:up: and Rick, Dan, Todd...keep checkin' yer PMs. Be talking to you soon.. :cool:
I'll never forget the evening I went to pick the car up. I had driven all the way from Montgomery AL to Daytona Beach FL, was going to meet the movers for my move to STL the next day. Still had the LX 5.0 in the storage unit in DAB, was in my V-6 '01 Coupe. Stopped at Yeomans Ford when I got into town; wanted to see what they had. Real nice-looking smoke-colored Mach I on the showroom floor, but it was an automatic, and for that car I wanted a stick. Went on to DAB L-M. There were two Marauders sitting out front, side by side, nose to tail. Got in there at 6, and the process started immediately. They sure did move things along; come to find out my car had been sitting there since delivery to the dealership back in summer '02. When I finally got to the hotel at about 9:30 or 10 that night, it was in the Marauder...
The next day I delivered up my old faithful 5.0 as part of the trade-in deal. Yer not supposed to get emotionally attached to cars; they're cold metal things that don't feel or care. Still ripped my guts out anyway...anybody in the Daytona area may have seen it. Bright red, with retroreflective Boss 5.0 stripes running down the sides, and the stock 5-spoke rims for '93 still on it...
Trust me, it wasn't stock when I turned it over...
And what a year it's been. The MM has met or exceeded everything that the Mustangs were ever able to do for me, and I've actually got room to put schtuff in. Those long drives...first home to Montgomery, then up to STL. Last Christmas, STL to Montgomery and back a week later. Car's hypnotic at 75...
Haven't done any serious mods yet. After tax season if I've got the money I'm going for Dennis's Stage I trans upgrade with cooling mod. If I'm gonna have the trans apart I want to do the TC as well...anybody know the best price on these Stallion TCs? Have put in the K&N air filter, and replaced the wimpy-azz wipers with Bosch Excels.
Car actually does ok in the snow. I was genuinely apprehensive (read: scared ****less) when the snow arrived. But I learned to drive in the middle of Seoul, South Korea; my skills at handling snow and hills reasserted themselves soon enough. Just don't expect to get anywhere fast in the MM when there's white junk on the ground; abrupt throttle movements will only spin you around. I've got one of the early-build cars (build date 6/20/02) so there's no Traction Control...whatinthehell was L-M thinking?
Have had some warranty issues; I've got a kickazz crew over at South County Sinclair L-M who knows the car and takes excellent care of it. Rear brakes have been "skinned" once, when a rock/something etched the pass. side rear rotor, pass. side headlight cover's been replaced under warranty, fuel guage sending unit's been replaced under warranty (although I'm gonna have to take it back, still reads less than full when full). Haven't done anything to the rear axles yet, and the trans is mushy. But I know about those things, so I'm prepared to deal with it if/when they krappe out.
So, how's it running? Well, not too bad. Ticking under hood, don't know if it's just the injectors or something actually serious. Fronts have been slightly out of balance since I've had it (~13,500 mi.), gonna have that fixed. Driver's seat has an absolutely awful squeak in it, gonna have that fixed too. Squeaks when I hit bumps..or sit down...or look at it...or whatever. Not a little squeak either, great big dang ear-piercing squeal that is slowly driving me mad. That funky TC is giving me 2-for-1 shifts with every gear. But all these things go to the back of my mind when I hit the gas. Or see the reactions from the gate guards at my office when I pull in in the mornings...'cause you see, they drive a CVPI at the installation. But it's not like the MM...
Otherwise it runs great. Helped sell a car for Sinclair 'bout a month back, see my related thread. One of my office mates is now considering a Marauder, gonna trade in a F-150 X-cab for it. I have become the "Marauder Ambassador".
And, in a fitting gesture, one of the local ricers got to find out how well it runs today...dumb schnit in a ZX2 almost sideswiped me as I was making the turn from I-64/Hwy 40 onto I-270. Heard the phart cannons before I saw 'im, even inside my car, even at speed. Tried to run away; had his skank in the car with him, guess he thought he was gonna impress 'er. He lasted until 105; I lasted longer. Prolly thought I was one of the local polizia. I wished I was... Good thing I look like one. At those speeds, if the cops had seen us, I'd a never seen my car again...
Well, I've rambled long enough. Hopefully, the first meeting of the new Gateway Marauders will go off here in another few weeks. Been great being on this board for the last year, with all the support; I daresay I woulda really been lost without the tech help that I've gotten here. Very special thanks to Logan:up: and Rick, Dan, Todd...keep checkin' yer PMs. Be talking to you soon.. :cool: