I secretly want an '03-'04 Mercury Marauder ... am I nuts?

Please talk me into (or out of) it.

Looking to buy a comfortable highway commuter in the coming months.

Do eeeet

Ottawa here on the forum just traded his Forester XT on STi suspension for a 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis boat. Traded a hand grenade engine and harsh suspension for woofly torque and pothole swallowing suspension.

It's a cool car, but it was underpowered when it came out. Mid-15s in the quarter wasn't too impressive in 2003, and it's even less so now. A four-cylinder Accord will give you a scare from a stoplight.

Then again, I don't get the Panther love that a lot of this board has in the first place, so you probably shouldn't listen to me.

Do it, I bought mine a year an a half ago and dont regret it one bit, one of the best highway cruisers I've ever owned.

Ditch the stock gears and go to 4.10s with a good tune on the motor and better exhaust and it wakes right up. They screwed up the gearing in favor of fuel economy, with the 4.10s you loose 1-2 mpg but it makes it an entirely different car. Mine is running 14.1 based on the timeslips from the PO. Quite acceptable for a big cruiser.

Start saving for the supercharger it deserves.

Do it - I drove my Dad's 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis, 2005 Lincoln Town Car, and bought his 1989 Town Car. Boats? Yes. Crappy day at work? The commute home is priceless.

Tom_Spangler wrote: It's a cool car, but it was underpowered when it came out. Mid-15s in the quarter wasn't too impressive in 2003, and it's even less so now. A four-cylinder Accord will give you a scare from a stoplight. Then again, I don't get the Panther love that a lot of this board has in the first place, so you probably shouldn't listen to me.

My thoughts exactly although I think the Marauder was the best of the bunch.

From what I know, it's got the same 32-valve engine as the SVT Cobra from the same era. So a supercharger installation shouldn't be too big of a project.

Are there any suspension options that can tighten things up a bit?

Also, why is the tow rating a measly 1500 lbs? With body-on-frame construction, long wheelbase, and robust drivetrain I would have expected much better.

Do it already. Low tow rating likely has to do with lawyers telling the manufacturer to CYA, and the compliant suspension.

OP, you are reading my mind .... Love driving my GTI, but talk about a car with a ticking time bomb of an engine! It's either move on to something "larger" for me, or sink ~ $1k into replacing a cam chain tensioner once the factory power train warranty runs out mid July. The thought of moving to a Marauder is certainly one I am considering!

My racecar is 2700 lbs fully loaded. Add another 200 for spares, tools, and a second set of wheels/tires. Figure 1600 lbs for a small, open, featherlite-style trailer. Doable?

Appleseed wrote: Start saving for the supercharger it deserves.

This, but yeah, I like em.

I have wanted one for a long time....especially now a 5.0 is a bolt in...

Keith Tanner wrote: Ottawa here on the forum just traded his Forester XT on STi suspension for a 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis boat. Traded a hand grenade engine and harsh suspension for woofly torque and pothole swallowing suspension.

Mod motors aren't hand grenade engines? Granted I don't have nearly the experience with the DOHCs, but I've seen enough SOHCs with destroyed cam journals that I wouldn't want to own one. Not enough oil to the heads or something.

Knurled wrote:

Keith Tanner wrote: Ottawa here on the forum just traded his Forester XT on STi suspension for a 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis boat. Traded a hand grenade engine and harsh suspension for woofly torque and pothole swallowing suspension.

Mod motors aren't hand grenade engines? Granted I don't have nearly the experience with the DOHCs, but I've seen enough SOHCs with destroyed cam journals that I wouldn't want to own one. Not enough oil to the heads or something.

I think he was talking about the Forester XT engine being a hand grenade, rightly so!

Out of curiosity I checked the prices on some semi-local examples. Holy cow these things command a premium!

LanEvo wrote: My racecar is 2700 lbs fully loaded. Add another 200 for spares, tools, and a second set of wheels/tires. Figure 1600 lbs for a small, open, featherlite-style trailer. Doable?

Handled this no problem. Although I'd recommend a trailer with brakes at that weight.

The_Jed wrote: Out of curiosity I checked the prices on some semi-local examples. Holy cow these things command a premium!

Yes they dont quite depreciate like other panther chassis cars. And if you do find a cheap one be very skeptical.

I have looked at them and keep coming back to a much newer p71 in a dark grey with tinted windows that is 5 years newer and significantly cheaper.

dean1484 wrote: I have looked at them and keep coming back to a much newer p71 in a dark grey with tinted windows that is 5 years newer and significantly cheaper.

Nothing wrong with that either, but definitely not the same car by any stretch. I've owned both the SOHC and DOHC panthers and the DOHC is a huge difference. As are the interior upgrades in the Marauder/CV Sport. But I'm definitely keeping my eyes out for a good late model CV once I sell the Abarth to keep the miles off the Marauder.

JThw8 wrote: Handled this no problem. Although I'd recommend a trailer with brakes at that weight.

What worries me is getting stopped on the highway for exceeding the tow rating of the vehicle. I'm new to towing and I've heard of this happening. I bet a sedan towing a racecar would be noticed by the PoPo.

Appleseed wrote: Start saving for the supercharger it deserves.

i have a buddy with a supercharged one in the mid 12's with no other work. still sounds stock minus the whine under the hood.

i want one but it would be redundant since i already have a better all black big 4 door sport sedan(impala SS)

I'm not sure if the tow rating is actually legally enforcable for non-commercial use. But realistically, use a weight distributing hitch, run stiffer than stock suspension in it and make sure you've got a trailer with brakes on both axles and it should be able to pull 3000 - 4000 lbs safely. The low limit is likely due to soft suspension and tall gearing, mostly.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=44070&endYear=2017&modelCode1=MARAUDER&sortBy=distanceASC&showcaseOwnerId=0&makeCode1=MERC&startYear=1981&firstRecord=0&searchRadius=200&mmt=[MERC[MARAUDER[]][]]&listingId=422592818&Log=0

Curse this thread.

I'd guess that the air suspension is the reason why the tow rating is so low.