Test Drive Gone Wrong

[Eric007]

Hey everyone, my name is Eric and I have been a member of this fine site for about a year or so, but I don't log in too often nor have I ever posted anything. (Hope this thread is in the right place; apologies if it isn't) This month makes it 1 year since I got my driver's license (I'm 20 years old). I have been driving my grandmothers Toyota Corolla on the weekends since I got my license and it's been good to me, but it doesn't have much power and frankly I feel uncomfortable in it at highway speed. Great city car though. In the year that I had been driving, I have tried to learn about how to drive defensively, smoothly, efficiently and safely (Both for the safety of myself and for racing applications). I've also learned bit of mechanics as well. I have been drooling over the Mercury Marauder since I was 16 even though virtually all my friends were into Civics and other 4 bangers. I wanted something bigger, heavier, more powerful and just something to challenge the teen car trend. Hence this sexy beast.

So yesterday I finally found a 2003 Mercury Marauder close enough to my area that I could take a look at it and test drive it. I get there within 5 minutes of the scheduled time, the guy at the dealership gives me a quick tour, I set the mirrors and we- well, I peel out of the lot (There was a lot of traffic, so it was difficult to get out AND my daily driver is a '99 Corolla, so I'm not use to that much power under my right foot :D )

Anyway, a few short city block and highway pulls later I pull up to a stop light. The light turns green, I go for the gas and :snoopy: . The car stalled and both the engine light and battery light came on. I try to let the car crawl :geezer: over to the shoulder and try to start it. It came on and the rpm's settled for a little bit at idle then die. I go to open the hood and find the radiator cap and the top of the battery have water or I guess to be coolant all over them. As you can imagine this is probably the worst thing that the car can do on a test drive, so the guy from the dealership riding shotgun gets out and we both push the heavy son of a :censor: up the hill into a parking lot to which he proceeds to call back up for a ride back to the dealership. He told me their mechanics are going to take a look at it and give me a call tomorrow with the results.

Now if any of you think this isn't major fix, a couple of my friends say I can use this as major leverage if I actually go back and negotiate a price (they want 10 grand for it). What do you guys think went wrong? Should I still go for it if they repair the car? Should I move on and just wait for a better car to roll on by? How long does it take for someone like me going from a small car to larger car to get use to driving the Marauder? Your feedback would be much appreciated! :)

[lji372]

Don't walk away, run!! Imho

For 10k you should be able to get a car with under 70k that won't break down on the test drive.

Overheating these cars normally doesn't end well. There "mechanics" will only band aid a problem to get the car gone.......

Good luck

[loud2004marquis]

^^^+1^^^


How long does it take for someone like me going from a small car to larger car to get use to driving the Marauder?

I got my license at 16 and at that time, learned to drive in a 1983 grand marquis, 1992 crown vic and 1996 grand marquis. You just get used to it. Keep searching, you'll find the right one.

[fastblackmerc]

I'd run from that one.

Checkout the For Sale forum here. Bet you find one. I'd rather buy from someone on the site than a dealer. Better yet maybe a member close by could help you checkout an MM you find locally.

Why wait until 19 to get DL?

[sailsmen]

Frankly, the fact you never noticed it was over heating tells me you should buy a Toyota Corolla with a warranty.
Good Luck.

[Eric007]

Frankly, the fact you never noticed it was over heating tells me you should buy a Toyota Corolla with a warranty.
Good Luck.

The car was fine the whole test drive except near when it broke down and we were like 5 blocks away from the dealership. I admit I'm still ignorant of some things when it comes to cars and frankly I was too excited and didn't pay any attention to the engine temp; I don't even remember how much gas the thing had. Rookie mistake, I guess? This was the first time I had ever driven anything other than the corolla and the first test drive I've ever done.

Based on what the rest of you said I think I'm going pass on this particular Marauder and just wait for a better maintained one. Something tells me that there was just distilled water in the radiator and little to no mix of coolant. Again, that's just the opinion of someone who is far from an expert so I could be totally wrong either way I don't want to do business with someone who takes shortcuts. Thanks for the replies!

[RF Overlord]

Let us know what dealer the car is at so someone else here doesn't buy it.

[88LTDCV351]

Let us know what dealer the car is at so someone else here doesn't buy it.

Actually, I hope someone with good negotiating skills, good mechanical skills/experience and with trusty shops to support any repairs goes and saves this one. We need more Marauders saved.

But this one is probably not a good one for a beginner.

[Eric007]

Let us know what dealer the car is at so someone else here doesn't buy it.

Yeah I was going to, but I was afraid it would be frowned upon if I dropped names here. Is it okay to do?

[MERCMAN]

Yeah I was going to, but I was afraid it would be frowned upon if I dropped names here. Is it okay to do?

Spill the beans, We don't want any of the members to get the shaft.

[Eric007]

The Dealership is called Done Deal Motors out in Canton, MA.

[sailsmen]

The car was fine the whole test drive except near when it broke down and we were like 5 blocks away from the dealership. I admit I'm still ignorant of some things when it comes to cars and frankly I was too excited and didn't pay any attention to the engine temp; I don't even remember how much gas the thing had. Rookie mistake, I guess? This was the first time I had ever driven anything other than the corolla and the first test drive I've ever done.

Based on what the rest of you said I think I'm going pass on this particular Marauder and just wait for a better maintained one. Something tells me that there was just distilled water in the radiator and little to no mix of coolant. Again, that's just the opinion of someone who is far from an expert so I could be totally wrong either way I don't want to do business with someone who takes shortcuts. Thanks for the replies!

Find someone who is mechanically inclined and spend a day working on their car with them. Ask him to point out the basics BEFORE you buy a Marauder.

Some are mechanically inclined and some are not. Just as some can play a guitar and some cannot.Nothing to do with intelligence or education. The MM is a 10+ year old performance car and should only be owned by someone who is mechanically inclined or they will probably have a bad experience.

Good Luck.

[mnrauder]

I would low ball the dealer big time. Chances are the dealer only paid 5-6k for the car.

[RF Overlord]

Actually, I hope someone with good negotiating skills, good mechanical skills/experience and with trusty shops to support any repairs goes and saves this one. We need more Marauders saved.

But this one is probably not a good one for a beginner.You're quite right...I should have said "so no one unsuspecting buys it".

[Eric007]

In case anyone was wondering, the dealership finally called back. They say the thermostat malfunctioned so to prevent damage to the engine the car wouldn't allow it it to turn over and keep running. This explains why it over heated without warning as I did have a friend taking video of me and I watched it over and over again last night to see if the needle on the dashboard ever went to the H. Despite 15 minutes of moderate driving, the needle was still pretty close to the C not even in the middle.

I'm thinking of going for another test drive and this time I'll be much more vigilant. I still may not get it since they did say it was serviced before the previous test drive and yet something critical still malfunctioned, but it would be another chance to get behind the wheel of a Marauder. And you know.............I've been dying to drive it again. :banana: :D

[RF Overlord]

I still may not get it since they did say it was serviced before the previous test drive and yet something critical still malfunctioned,Replacing the thermostat is not part of routine servicing. My DD started perfectly all day until it suddenly wouldn't even crank. Battery went bad just like that on a nice warm day. If you're concerned, ask them to do a compression check and make sure all cylinders are within 10% of each other.

[sailsmen]

In case anyone was wondering, the dealership finally called back. They say the thermostat malfunctioned so to prevent damage to the engine the car wouldn't allow it it to turn over and keep running. This explains why it over heated without warning as I did have a friend taking video of me and I watched it over and over again last night to see if the needle on the dashboard ever went to the H. Despite 15 minutes of moderate driving, the needle was still pretty close to the C not even in the middle.

I'm thinking of going for another test drive and this time I'll be much more vigilant. I still may not get it since they did say it was serviced before the previous test drive and yet something critical still malfunctioned, but it would be another chance to get behind the wheel of a Marauder. And you know.............I've been dying to drive it again. :banana: :D

Many temp sensors require fluid to work, if there is no fluid the temp guage will not register.
As soon as coolant goes all over your engine you will smell it.

[fastblackmerc]

In case anyone was wondering, the dealership finally called back. They say the thermostat malfunctioned so to prevent damage to the engine the car wouldn't allow it it to turn over and keep running. This explains why it over heated without warning as I did have a friend taking video of me and I watched it over and over again last night to see if the needle on the dashboard ever went to the H. Despite 15 minutes of moderate driving, the needle was still pretty close to the C not even in the middle.

I'm thinking of going for another test drive and this time I'll be much more vigilant. I still may not get it since they did say it was serviced before the previous test drive and yet something critical still malfunctioned, but it would be another chance to get behind the wheel of a Marauder. And you know.............I've been dying to drive it again. :banana: :D

That sounds fishy........

If there is an overheat condition the ECM will go into "limp home mode". You should have seen the temp gauge reading high.

I bet they didn't burp the cooling system.

Here is the proper procedure for burping:

http://www.reischeperformance.com/refill.html

[Bradley G]

Even if the dealer serviced it , the Marauder has a inherent issue with the coolant system needing to be burped(sometimes several times) to get any air pockets removed.
I test drove a brand new DTR back in the day with an interested prospective buyer, that had a noise of running water coming from under the dash.
It did not spew coolant on our test drive , but I also know it was not right to hear that noise either.
I would not let that discourage me from moving forward if otherwise the care is square.

[loud2004marquis]

How many miles on the car?

[tylerdurden2816]

Replacing the thermostat is not part of routine servicing. My DD started perfectly all day until it suddenly wouldn't even crank. Battery went bad just like that on a nice warm day. If you're concerned, ask them to do a compression check and make sure all cylinders are within 10% of each other.

As long as they're within 10% of each other, there's no problem with the pistons, cylinders, etc? That seems like a large margin, doesn't it?

[fastblackmerc]

As long as they're within 10% of each other, there's no problem with the pistons, cylinders, etc? That seems like a large margin, doesn't it?

No that percentage has been pretty much standard since the Model T.

[Eric007]

How many miles on the car?

Little over 91,000

[Comin' in Hot]

I would walk away from it, you could do better. Just be patient and willing to travel to get it.

[Ourobos]

Prices high IMHO.. Second, ask them how the burped it, as mentioned, they may not even know what you are talking about.. Finally mechanical **** breaks.. Just their bad luck it broke when you were driving it. I'd definitely use that as a negotiating chip if you are set on this particular one.

[L.Mark]

Regardless if it flies right the next time you drive it, still low ball them since it was......"serviced"....or at least have them throw in a bumper to bumper warranty FOC to prove the car is fine. Which is what they will say...if they don't at least do this then walk...