MM Driving Impressions (kind of long)

**Eric91Z** · 10-11-2004, 07:21 AM

Well, I was granted a wonderful opportunity this past weekend I wanted to share. I am sure all of the owners on this list are aware of what I want to share, but for anyone looking at buying one of these cars, here is some more input to help with your decision.

I found an '04 Marauder still on the local Mercury dealer's lot and have looked at it a couple of times, usually on Sundays. Well, this past Friday, I finally stopped during normal business hours to check out this car a little closer. I actually got a salesman and took it for a test drive. It is a Silver MM with the Nudo leather and every "option" except for the trunk organizer and spoiler (both of which I would have to add). The car was also a demo and had 5,400 miles on it, but still looks new inside and out with no scratches or anything.

Anyway, it was about 4:45pm on a Friday, so there was quite a bit of traffic during the short test drive. Well, at the end of the test drive, the salesman asked if I wanted to take the car home for the weekend so my wife could see it and get a chance to drive it and so the kid could ride in it. I was completely shocked, but said "Yes". He went and filled the gas tank up, put a dealer plate on it, and got a picture of my DL and my phone number.

Needless to say, I hopped on the highway and headed the 35 miles home to show the wife and kid. And this is where my real impressions of driving the car began. I got caught in a little rush hour traffic, but finally got a little open sapce and next thing I knew, I was running about 80 mph. I can not believe how smooth and quiet the car is at that speed. Little bit of wind noise, but nothing else. Very nice.

Now, the seats are comfortable, but are a little lacking in side support for "spirited" cornering. Which is too bad because for a big car, this thing corners very well. Very little body roll and holds a line quite nicely. Actually, in 3 days of driving, my only handing or rid e gripe, is the fact that the front end feels a little loose when driving straight at highway speeds. What I mean by that is the front end bounces up and down a little to much when hitting bumps on the highway. It bounces once or twice and then is back to normal and smooth. I would just prefer a little more control of that. I am guessing that new shocks would take care of that. And I can't imagine what on of these with new shocks, sway bars, control arms or Watts linkage would handle like. I think it would be awesome.

As for the motor: yes, right off the line it is missing a little bit of punch, but it seems to rev quite quickly and you can tell when it is hitting it's power band. The car kind of reminds me of a Honda coming on the V-TEC cam lobes as it has a definite point where it seems to come alive all the sudden. And this motor pulls very nicely at highway speeds. Definitely no problem with passing power. I did drive a couple times with the traction control turned off and the car seems to be more responsive to throttle input. Never did try to turn the tires over, but it definitely gets up and go. The rear end will squat, the front comes up a little, and the car goes.

Now for the bad news. The wife and I have decided there is no way we can fit another car payment in the budget - no matter how good the price and financing. Which really sucks!!!! And I believe they would be selling the car at a great price. Basically, the salesman said check the invoice price, consider the $4000 rebate from Ford, and the fact that this is a demo car and make an offer. I don't think $24,000-$25,000 would be out of line for a brand new MM, but just can't do it right now. Which sucks, because the silver color was really growing on me. Tinted windows and new exhaust from selling my Accord and I would be a VERY happy person.

Lastly, for anyone considering this car - DRIVE IT. I don't know how anyone could be dissappointed. I just don't get why Mercury couldn't make this car sell. The only thing I didn't like about the car was the outward visability. My '92 Accord has much better visability looking out than the MM, but the MM isn't bad. And I definitely don't think it feels as big as it is when driving. It is a sweet car and I will replace my Accord with one when we can afford it. Right now, there is no other car I would go with. The Cadillac STS and Chrysler 300C might be a little more upscale on the inside, but I don't think they are the value the MM is (although the 300C with the Hemi might be close). The MM is the top choice for me since I want a larger, 4-door car with a V8 and rear wheel drive. Something that is not fatiguing on my 2 hour round trip commute each day and gets "decent" gas mileage (if I could keep my foot out of it).

I guess what sums it up for me is every time I got in the car, or hit the gas, or got back out of the car, I had a smile on my face. It is that enjoyable. I even found myself giggling like a little kid at times while driving it. My wife thought I was losing it. And speaking of the wife, she has always given a pretty cool response to the car when I point them out on the road. But after seeing it in the driveway and getting a chance to drive it, she has changed her mind - for the better. I now have her approval when it comes time to get one.

OK, sorry for rambling on, but I figured this was the best place to do it. I know I may be preaching to the choir here, but I hope someone coming here looking for info on the MM can use this to help with a buying decision. It is one sweet car. And I could sit here and read all day about them, but finally getting to drive one for more than a 10 minute test drive sealed the deal - as soon as we can afford it.

Thanks for your time.

**SergntMac** · 10-11-2004, 07:56 AM

Thank you for a wonderful essay, I could not have said it better. I hope you can swing ownership soon, maybe look for a clean '03 300A? Everything you say about this test drive weekend, is in all of the MMs I've sampled through friends here, I hope you get one soon.

BTW, did you mention to your wife that the MM comes with about 300 new friends? That's a no cost option too...

**GordonB** · 10-11-2004, 08:53 AM

Eric91Z,
I second what SergntMac said.
My wife and I l;iked the '03 well enough that we bought a Second MM as a `no brainer'.
Look for a good used MM, either an '03 or an '04.
GordonB

**Eric91Z** · 10-11-2004, 09:32 AM

Since I will be looking at a purchase time frame of some time next year (planning on one more kid and refinance the house for lower rates first), I will be looking for a late '04. I have my mind stuck on the traction control and really liked the one I drove. Plus, I have read about tranny changes and all I can say is that I liked the way this thing shifted and it had no hunting issues on the highway.

No matter what, I will be getting on. I wish they were making them for one more year as I could swing the payment this time next year for a new one, but just not right now, unfortunately. And this silver one seems to be a nice, clean, bargain right off the lot.

**Bluerauder** · 10-11-2004, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by Eric91Z

I guess what sums it up for me is every time I got in the car, or hit the gas, or got back out of the car, I had a smile on my face. It is that enjoyable. I even found myself giggling like a little kid at times while driving it. My wife thought I was losing it.

Eric,
Thanks for the write up on your experience. Your words above ^^^^^ ring true for many of us MM owners .... still smiling after a year or more.

The comment about the wife is right on the money as well !! Been there ...

Must have been hard to take it back to the dealer and walk away. Maybe someday .....

**FiveO** · 10-11-2004, 03:54 PM

I'll be purchasing a 2nd 2004 Marauder, used of course, in the spring of 2006. I'm going to keep it stock and use it as a daily drive to take some miles off of the s/c'ed one.

Good luck with getting one in the near future. You won't be disappointed...as you've already stated.

Patrick · 10-11-2004, 04:47 PM

Glad you enjoyed your weekend in the MM!! Hope you get to get one soon!!!!!

**mdmarauder** · 10-12-2004, 06:48 AM

Go with an 04. I'm much more impressed with it than my 300A.

Patrick · 10-12-2004, 08:31 AM

And I hope in black!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Eric91Z** · 10-12-2004, 09:28 AM

Yes, black has been my first choice all along, but I did kind of like the silver after driving it for 3 days. Plus, I have had a black vehicle before and had quite the love/hate relationship with it. The silver would be much easier to take care of - especially for a daily driver that will see year round use. Although the lighter leather would be tougher to keep clean.

Oh well, I just want to find a low mileage, unmolested, well taken care of 2004 when it is time. And it will be my next car!!!!!!

**423REED** · 10-12-2004, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by Eric91Z

Well, I was granted a wonderful opportunity this past weekend I wanted to share. I am sure all of the owners on this list are aware of what I want to share, but for anyone looking at buying one of these cars, here is some more input to help with your decision.

I found an '04 Marauder still on the local Mercury dealer's lot and have looked at it a couple of times, usually on Sundays. Well, this past Friday, I finally stopped during normal business hours to check out this car a little closer. I actually got a salesman and took it for a test drive. It is a Silver MM with the Nudo leather and every "option" except for the trunk organizer and spoiler (both of which I would have to add). The car was also a demo and had 5,400 miles on it, but still looks new inside and out with no scratches or anything.

Anyway, it was about 4:45pm on a Friday, so there was quite a bit of traffic during the short test drive. Well, at the end of the test drive, the salesman asked if I wanted to take the car home for the weekend so my wife could see it and get a chance to drive it and so the kid could ride in it. I was completely shocked, but said "Yes". He went and filled the gas tank up, put a dealer plate on it, and got a picture of my DL and my phone number.

Needless to say, I hopped on the highway and headed the 35 miles home to show the wife and kid. And this is where my real impressions of driving the car began. I got caught in a little rush hour traffic, but finally got a little open sapce and next thing I knew, I was running about 80 mph. I can not believe how smooth and quiet the car is at that speed. Little bit of wind noise, but nothing else. Very nice.

Now, the seats are comfortable, but are a little lacking in side support for "spirited" cornering. Which is too bad because for a big car, this thing corners very well. Very little body roll and holds a line quite nicely. Actually, in 3 days of driving, my only handing or rid e gripe, is the fact that the front end feels a little loose when driving straight at highway speeds. What I mean by that is the front end bounces up and down a little to much when hitting bumps on the highway. It bounces once or twice and then is back to normal and smooth. I would just prefer a little more control of that. I am guessing that new shocks would take care of that. And I can't imagine what on of these with new shocks, sway bars, control arms or Watts linkage would handle like. I think it would be awesome.

As for the motor: yes, right off the line it is missing a little bit of punch, but it seems to rev quite quickly and you can tell when it is hitting it's power band. The car kind of reminds me of a Honda coming on the V-TEC cam lobes as it has a definite point where it seems to come alive all the sudden. And this motor pulls very nicely at highway speeds. Definitely no problem with passing power. I did drive a couple times with the traction control turned off and the car seems to be more responsive to throttle input. Never did try to turn the tires over, but it definitely gets up and go. The rear end will squat, the front comes up a little, and the car goes.

Now for the bad news. The wife and I have decided there is no way we can fit another car payment in the budget - no matter how good the price and financing. Which really sucks!!!! And I believe they would be selling the car at a great price. Basically, the salesman said check the invoice price, consider the $4000 rebate from Ford, and the fact that this is a demo car and make an offer. I don't think $24,000-$25,000 would be out of line for a brand new MM, but just can't do it right now. Which sucks, because the silver color was really growing on me. Tinted windows and new exhaust from selling my Accord and I would be a VERY happy person.

Lastly, for anyone considering this car - DRIVE IT. I don't know how anyone could be dissappointed. I just don't get why Mercury couldn't make this car sell. The only thing I didn't like about the car was the outward visability. My '92 Accord has much better visability looking out than the MM, but the MM isn't bad. And I definitely don't think it feels as big as it is when driving. It is a sweet car and I will replace my Accord with one when we can afford it. Right now, there is no other car I would go with. The Cadillac STS and Chrysler 300C might be a little more upscale on the inside, but I don't think they are the value the MM is (although the 300C with the Hemi might be close). The MM is the top choice for me since I want a larger, 4-door car with a V8 and rear wheel drive. Something that is not fatiguing on my 2 hour round trip commute each day and gets "decent" gas mileage (if I could keep my foot out of it).

I guess what sums it up for me is every time I got in the car, or hit the gas, or got back out of the car, I had a smile on my face. It is that enjoyable. I even found myself giggling like a little kid at times while driving it. My wife thought I was losing it. And speaking of the wife, she has always given a pretty cool response to the car when I point them out on the road. But after seeing it in the driveway and getting a chance to drive it, she has changed her mind - for the better. I now have her approval when it comes time to get one.

OK, sorry for rambling on, but I figured this was the best place to do it. I know I may be preaching to the choir here, but I hope someone coming here looking for info on the MM can use this to help with a buying decision. It is one sweet car. And I could sit here and read all day about them, but finally getting to drive one for more than a 10 minute test drive sealed the deal - as soon as we can afford it.

Thanks for your time.

* An explanation of why more people have not purchased Marauders.

The problems for the potential Marauder buyer seem to boil down to this:
1) Most people never even heard of a Marauder from Mercury! This is deal to lack of any appreciable factory advertising from Mercury.
2) If some people did hear of the Marauder...they never even went to look at it, or to take a test drive in it. They probably thought it was a more expensive Grand Marquis, for the old timers.
3) If you're really interested in a Marauder, you have to know what your doing when you visit your LM dealer. They just don't seem to have a clue of what to do with the Marauder car, or the Marauder buyer. My dealer had a Marauder special salesman, which helped me a lot.
4) If you depend on the automtive enthusiast maganzines for intelligent buying information, forget it. They must all have been upset with LM, because they only write trash about the Marauder. This would turn off alot of potential buyers.
5) Some potential buyers were probably turned off by the premium fuel issue. My other car is a 1994 Taurus SHO, which runs on premium only. Its not that big a deal.

You're right about the Marauder. I think it rides and handles great, especially when you consider that it is a 4200 pound car. Mercury engineering sure did wonderful work on this car. And the straight-line performance is very good for a car this size. It flies! And if you like, you can readily increase its performance to awesome levels. You're only limited by your pocket book. I just turned 2000+ miles on my baby. The Marauder is also a very comfortable car to drive. Years ago, a muscle car had a terrible ride, and often were stripped of the pleasantries. This car is a joy to drive to work, or any other errand around town.
____________________________
2004 MARAUDER 300A - DTR
1994 TAURUS SHO - DK GREEN

**Bluerauder** · 10-12-2004, 12:28 PM