Hi Everyone,
My wife and I recently had our first child, and thus outgrew her 97 acura integra. She needed a larger family vehicle, but had a few stipulations. She hates minivans, so they were right out. She wanted a sedan, not a truck/suv. We limited our choices to cars with 5 star crash ratings both front and side, further cutting our choice. It came down to the Merc and a Volvo S80. The volvo dealer is 50 miles away, across 2 major rivers, and in another state, so service would not be easy. And the volvo dealer was Not helpfull at all, they gave us a bad vibe. So she decided to go with the marauder, and has loved it.
We got a new silver/charcoal MM, moon roof, heated seats, disk changer, 04/04 build date.
I love to drive this car. I think it has plenty of power, and good low end speed. My other car is a '01 Vette Z06, so I have some experience with fast cars. Around town the merc is a pleasure to drive, and out on the highway it is a blast. Ride quality is good, 70 mph seems SLOW. It is easy to park, and east to turn in around town corners.
Before we got the merc, I was at first nervous due to all the negative reviews I saw on the net, and in car mags. I now think all those people were smoking too much crack, 'cause this is a Nice car. Its a powerful 4 door family car, not a sports car. Sure its slower then my Z06, but thats not the point. My entire family can ride in style in the MM. I see peeps compare the MM in a negative way to cars such as the accord/camry, ie a MM is slower then a manual tranny V6 accord. Again I think these people miss the point. An accord will never provide the same ride experience as the MM. The weight, V8 power, 18 inch wheel, Locking Diff. Etc. of the MM all add up to a uniquely american ride quality/ driving experience that cant be beat in my mind.
HenryIV
04 MM
04 Ford F-150 SuperCrew
01 Corvette Z06