2003 Marauder

[lovess]

Originally Posted by bnvus

So...has anyone seen Mercury's new kid on the block?



After all...who wants to be compared to an Impala SS?

Wouldn't be a Marauder if it wasn't for thr Impala SS

[redimpss5]

very true! even on the page to say how cool the marauder is, they compared it to the impala ss! ford did very well with the idea, it just missed in a few areas!

[daveshapellSVT]

i think it's a little late.. they should had made that car to compete with the 96 impala with the LT1 in it.. i personally don't think it will sell well.. normally people that buy lincolns are old and stuff, whats the use of a sporty lincoln...

[Michael_S]

Well, what's nice about a nice beast of a big car is muscle in something you can actually use to transport groceries, take your family on a trip, or take 4 coworkers with you to lunch in comfort.

The 4.6L DOHC V8 is, in my opinion, the sweetest sounding engine on the road and I would love this car.


Ford made one huge mistake with it, though - they never really advertised it. I don't think I saw a commercial for the Marauder, ever. That's beyond stupid.

If they had advertised it, I am certain it would have sold a lot more. If they had made it available with a 5 or 6 speed auto or a 5 or 6 speed manual, it probably would have sold much better, too. But from what I understand the Panther platform (the foundation for the Crown Vic/Mercury Marquis/Mercury Marauder/Lincold Town Car) would require extensive re-engineering to support anything other than their 4 speed automatic transmission.

[423REED]

So much thought (and action) obviously went into the MM, that it is very difficut to suggest any truly meaningful improvements or changes to the basic MM formula, other than the oft-mentioned horsepower issue. I'm very happy with my new MM, but If I had to suggest some improvements, they would likely be as follows:

1) Build the MM with the cool rear decklid spoiler installed at the factory (OEM), so that you don't have to drill fresh holes (which can cause rust up north) in the paint after the new car delivery. I personally didn't install the rear spoiler only for this reason, even though I do like it very much.

2) I'm happy with the power and its delivery in my MM. But I would still opt for more power. Maybe 330-340 hp, or installing the new Mustang SVT Cobra engine which is supposed to be 390 hp. More power is always a good thing. And please don't change the engine to an inferior design.

3) I think the dash and instrumentation layout is very good for a car which was developed off another model's basic dash design. Cars like the MM have always had to compromise in the dash design. I would like to see the Auto Meter gauges moved up on the dash into the driver's normal line of sight, so they'll be more usable. But they're still a very cool addition. I'm still amazed that L-M actually thought enough to add them!

4) Please move the CD changer from the trunk into the center console, as is done in the Ford Explorer. And also, please make the CD changer an eight (or more) disc changer.

5) Wheels and tires. Please no changes here, I think they look and perform great.

6) On the exterior, I like the way it looks. That's part of the reason that I bought the MM! I would love to have a ram air hood. But please no tape stripes or emblem packages. Some more color choices would be nice. I think that the Grand Marquis body style is very attractive when it is tricked out with the monochrome paint and blackout treatment, and with no extra emblems. That can't get any better.

7) On the interior, how about a two-position memory driver's seat? I personally like the Light Flint leather trim with the contrasting dark gray dash and door trim.

8) How about offering the MM owners some Ford Motorsport types of things, such as, performance mod parts, accessories, metal cars, clothing, etc.

['97ventureowner]

Old outdated thread. Closed.