New To The Marauder Community

[BlownEarDrums]

Hey everybody, I’ve been lurking around the forum for a little wile hoping to find some info on the 03-04 Marauder. I currently drive a 95 Ford Taurus. Ever since I drove friends LT1 TA I’ve been dieing to ditch the Taurus for something RWD and with power. The Marauder is my pick because its 4DR, big and I love the look rear end. (Reminds me of my previous lust, the Taurus SHO )
First off, what were the different models, trim levels of the Marauder?
What’s the most desired type of Marauder?
What engines were available, and what have people swapped in?
I’ve seen turbos and superchargers the marauder, what are the major flaws of the stock marauder engine, and what needs to be changed to acquire max gains, from forced induction and long engine life?
The Taurus has a WEAK tranny, what’s the deal with the marauder, what’s the max torque and horsepower one can safely take?

Sorry it all seems noobish but I know absolutely nothing about this car and am very eager learn.
Thanks

Brad

[hitchhiker]

Welcome to the site!

[DEFYANT]

Welcome to the Machine.

The answers you seek are at your finger tips, you only need to look...

[whoskal]

Welcome to the elite!!!!
Do enough poking around and you'll find all the info you need

[GreekGod]

Hey everybody, I’ve been lurking around the forum for a little wile hoping to find some info on the 03-04 Marauder. I currently drive a 95 Ford Taurus. Ever since I drove friends LT1 TA I’ve been dieing to ditch the Taurus for something RWD and with power. The Marauder is my pick because its 4DR, big and I love the look rear end. (Reminds me of my previous lust, the Taurus SHO )
First off, what were the different models, trim levels of the Marauder?
What’s the most desired type of Marauder?
What engines were available, and what have people swapped in?
I’ve seen turbos and superchargers the marauder, what are the major flaws of the stock marauder engine, and what needs to be changed to acquire max gains, from forced induction and long engine life?
The Taurus has a WEAK tranny, what’s the deal with the marauder, what’s the max torque and horsepower one can safely take?

Sorry it all seems noobish but I know absolutely nothing about this car and am very eager learn.
Thanks

Brad

There really aren't any trim "levels" on '03-04 Marauders. The most desirable are black. Silver isn't bad, but black is the most he-manly. Even goth chicks would look good in a black MM! Don't listen to anyone that tells you different.

Only one engine was available, 4.6 32 valve DOHC. The major "flaw" is powerdered metal connecting rods and non-forged pistons. A supercharger was to be installed on the '05 Marauder and got cancelled, along with the car.

Nobody makes a turbo kit for our MM. That should tell you something! Many owners have gone to the superchargers available from the sponsors of this forum.

The 4R70W ('03) and the 4R75W ('04) transmission is probably one of the best Ford has ever made.

[fastblackmerc]

There really aren't any trim "levels" on '03-04 Marauders. The most desirable are black. Silver isn't bad, but black is the most he-manly. Even goth chicks would look good in a black MM! Don't listen to anyone that tells you different.

Only one engine was available, 4.6 32 valve DOHC. The major "flaw" is powerdered metal connecting rods and non-forged pistons. A supercharger was to be installed on the '05 Marauder and got cancelled, along with the car.

Nobody makes a turbo kit for our MM. That should tell you something! Many owners have gone to the superchargers available from the sponsors of this forum.

The 4R70W ('03) and the 4R75W ('04) transmission is probably one of the best Ford has ever made.

What he ^^^^said, especially about the black MM's.... BTW, welcome to the site!

[94_302]

There really aren't any trim "levels" on '03-04 Marauders. The most desirable are black. Silver isn't bad, but black is the most he-manly. Even goth chicks would look good in a black MM! Don't listen to anyone that tells you different.

Only one engine was available, 4.6 32 valve DOHC. The major "flaw" is powerdered metal connecting rods and non-forged pistons. A supercharger was to be installed on the '05 Marauder and got cancelled, along with the car.

Nobody makes a turbo kit for our MM. That should tell you something! Many owners have gone to the superchargers available from the sponsors of this forum.

The 4R70W ('03) and the 4R75W ('04) transmission is probably one of the best Ford has ever made.

Desirability varies I think that a blue could be considered the most desirable given there were only 324(?) made. Or a Kenny Brown could be the most desirable.

PTK makes a turbo kit for our cars.

I guess you could consider 300a vs 300b different trim levels
300A: automatic parking brake release, tinted banner at top of the windshield, in dash clock, electric fuel door, full size spare
300B: no auto parking brake release, dot matrix banner at top of windshield, clock in the radio, no electric fuel door, doughnut, traction control, heated seats option.
I'm probably leaving stuff out but do a search and you will get the full info on the 300a/300b topic.

[BAD MERC]

Welcome! I drove a 1995 silver Taurus for the eight years prior to the invention of the end-all, be-all of human existence- The Mercury Marauder. I had fully intended on building a Roush blown duratec 24V Taurus from 2000 up but Roush would absolutely not sell me a kit (like the blue one from the 2000 Chicago Auto Show). I finally gave up and decided to get a V8 rear-drive with a sunroof and cost really wasn't an issue since I found my ass parked in a Lexus Certified Pre-Owned GS430 that I almost bought. I looked at the Maxima (fwd), the Altima SE-R (fwd), the GS430 (rwd) and lost interest until Tom (MarauderTJA) came to my shop in his silver Marauder. He informed me that he would NOT sell his so I promptly contacted Claude (CarFixer) who found me a 13,900 mile silver sweetheart with the sunroof I yearned for. Well, 8 months later and I fall in love again everytime I grab the keys and hear that raucious growl. There are decades of knowledge available for FREE on this site and people are automatically your friend as soon as you own one. I would not sell my Marauder for twice what I paid for it. My advice - grab an '04 and just buy it. You will never look back. And you may never get another chance to own one affordably. Here's a pic of my old Taurus and the Taurus I wanted to build...

[David Morton]

Hey everybody, I’ve been lurking around the forum for a little wile hoping to find some info on the 03-04 Marauder. I currently drive a 95 Ford Taurus. Ever since I drove friends LT1 TA I’ve been dieing to ditch the Taurus for something RWD and with power. The Marauder is my pick because its 4DR, big and I love the look rear end. (Reminds me of my previous lust, the Taurus SHO )
First off, what were the different models, trim levels of the Marauder?
What’s the most desired type of Marauder?
What engines were available, and what have people swapped in?
I’ve seen turbos and superchargers the marauder, what are the major flaws of the stock marauder engine, and what needs to be changed to acquire max gains, from forced induction and long engine life?
The Taurus has a WEAK tranny, what’s the deal with the marauder, what’s the max torque and horsepower one can safely take?

Sorry it all seems noobish but I know absolutely nothing about this car and am very eager learn.
Thanks

Brad

With an opener like that you'll probably get plenty of opinions.

One model, one trim level, one engine.

There were four paint colors in all, blue, silver, black and red, all with their own appeal. I got silver because, one, I like to get in a car that isn't 150 degrees fahrenheit after two hours in the Goofy section at Disney world and, two, because it's stealthier, it shows up less in the distance in the daytime. The blue one is the most rare and they were only made in 2002 (I think?). The black is the most common one, but many here think the cars' reputation calls for black and that's OK too. I am opposed to ever owning a black car on the principle of aesthetics. A black car shows every flaw, night or day, like a flashing red sign. It's hard to keep a black car looking good.

There were no "levels" of trim but there were choices of leather seat colors. Black and grey (that I know of). My interior option is called "light flint" and has the grey seats with black carpet. I'm sure somebody will correct me on this one.

The engine is the same one that the Mach I (2002?) used, a dual overhead cam, 32 valve (2 intakes and 2 exhausts per cylinder), all aluminum (That's just the block and heads, DOH! No, the valve springs are NOT aluminum.) 281 cubic inch (That's 4.6 Litres to you Canadians) modular engine. Very durable. Plenty of guys out there making 500+ horsepower with this engine.

Most desired? Mine, to me. I 'dropped' the break-in oil (drain and fill) at 1000 miles, again at 2500, then took it in for the 5000 mile filter and oil change. I 'dropped' the coolant at one year and am fixing to do it again. I do regular fluid overmaintenance, so I know mine's been well cared for.

That there's been little turbo experience tells me something, but not what some of the blower owners here think. NOT TO START A WAR HERE but three men named Kenny, Jerry and Dennis decided to offer forced induction systems for Marauders and they all chose blowers (superchargers), belt driven compressors for the intake charge. I think the reason there's little interest in turbos is because most of the guys that got this car knew what it's about, High Peformance, and had the money to go with one of these systems. Why these three men went with blowers is, to me, obvious. Blowers are a lot easier to test and develop, given the (as of 2003) accepted axiom of putting turbochargers (exhaust gas driven compressors) as close to the exhaust ports as possible. Fitment for a turbo under the hood is a big problem, and on top of that there's the heat. Yet one turbo system maker, Pro turbo Kits, HAS A TURBO SYSTEM FOR OUR CAR. Now, Squires Turbo Systems has patented the heretofore unheard of idea of putting it way back where the mufflers are, replacing them in fact. They say it's all about sizing the impeller to use the denser, cooler gases back there and have some pretty impressive numbers to back it up. BUT, (To get back to the subject of this long paragraph) our car is no longer in production and there's not enough market left for our car to get them to offer a kit for their system on our car. I think this type of system is the future of turbocharging. Something must be up with the patent rights for this system to be not in vogue with the manufaturers. But I digress...

Your last Q: Transmissions. Two, the 4R70W up until the 2004 year which had the 4R75W, which has a 11.25 inch high stall convertor with a one-inch stator clutch. The 75 is a better tranny, yet mine wiped out third clutches at 12,000 miles. Stuff happens, but I had the guy put an upgrade kit in it anyways, one he said all the Mustang hot rodders use. There's another more extensive upgrade for the tranny you can find here. If I go forced induction, I will be doing that. I went with a very good brake upgrade as my first performance mod and never regretted it. Most guys put a signature listing their mods. Mines up to date. Soon I will be adding, QA1 dual adjustable shocks at all four corners with the attendant adjustable front mounts, bearings and springs for those front shocks, ADDCO rear stabilizer bar, MMX Driveshaft and a brand new set of factory KDWS tires for my vacation jaunt cross-country with my daughter. We're going to see the sights. DC, Philly, The Big Apple, Chi-town and Mount Rushmore. (It's my last chance, she's 15 and next summer it'll be out of the question.)

If I were you I'd get the lowest mileage, unmodified 2004 I could find...

...or wait a while and keep an eye on when the Florida Highway Patrol puts it's cars up for auction. (I've got a secret.)

[Bradley G]

welcome
Get in,..hold on tight!

[Bootlegger]

Welcome to the site, I've owned an 03, and now an 04, both great cars, take some time and do a search for your questions, it'll take you awhile.

[RoyLPita]

Welcome aboard. Enjoy the site. If there is a MM that interests you, feel free to PM me the VIN for me to run through Ford's OASIS data base.

[Hotrauder]

Welcome. This is the place. Do the search and read facts, opinion, and till your eyes fall out. Buy the car, there are several really nice ones for sale in the classified. the car will answer most of your questions and lead you to more pertinent new ones. Good luck and happy motoring. Dennis

[ckadiddle]

.......or wait a while and keep an eye on when the Florida Highway Patrol puts it's cars up for auction. (I've got a secret.)

I've been thinking about those ever since I learned that FHP was using donated MMs that ahd been through the DR treatment.
Keep Blue Thunder for daily "nice" car, get an FHP MM for an "evil twin" car. heh heh heh heh

[Bluerauder]

Hey everybody, I’ve been lurking around the forum for a little while hoping to find some info on the 03-04 Marauder. Brad

Well, you came to the right place Brad. Lots of info using the "search" feature. I am a little partial to the Dark Blue Pearl MM.

Only 2 years ('03 and '04), 4 colors (Black, Blue in '03 only, Silver Birch, and DTR in '04 only), 2 interiors (charcoal and light flint). All equipment is standard with just a few options (i.e. 6 CD Changer, Trunk Organizer, Heat Seats/Mirrors and some with the moonroof).

Every Marauder come standard with the Grin

New owners got a special "MM owners" leather jacket. Think that is all over now.