Being the cheapass that I am I would rather snag a CV Sport or Grand Marquis GSE in similar or better condition for half the money then slap a huffer on it.
Being the cheapass that I am I would rather snag a CV Sport or Grand Marquis GSE in similar or better condition for half the money then slap a huffer on it.
The_Jed wrote: Being the cheapass that I am I would rather snag a CV Sport or Grand Marquis GSE in similar or better condition for half the money then slap a huffer on it.
A nice CV sport is still 3-5k or more, how cheap can you get a blower? I had a "cheap" CV sport before the Marauder. Cheap as in it didn't cost much to buy, but I ended up putting a few grand into it just to make it a decent road car.
The CV sports are also pre 03 (not sure about the GSEs) so you don't get all of the suspension improvements that happened in 03
I test drove an '04 Crown Vic LX with a floor shifter and rear air suspension a few months ago. I assumed it was a sport, I guess that's what happens when I assume. It drove nicely, had 66,000 miles and they were asking $6k. It sold before I could I could snag it.
I would NOT buy another pre '03 Panther if I were planning any sort of spirited driving with it. Maybe I got a turd but it drives just like an old farm truck; darty, unstable and lots of steering play.
Out of curiosity, what sort of upgrades did you perform and did it bring the handling/performance up to the same level as the Marauder?
"I bet a sedan towing a racecar would be noticed by the PoPo."
Assuming it's not hot pink and rolling on chrome dubs, it's hard to imagine any Panther even BEING noticed by the PoPo.
The_Jed wrote: I test drove an '04 Crown Vic LX with a floor shifter and rear air suspension a few months ago. I assumed it was a sport, I guess that's what happens when I assume. It drove nicely, had 66,000 miles and they were asking $6k. It sold before I could I could snag it. I would NOT buy another pre '03 Panther if I were planning any sort of spirited driving with it. Maybe I got a turd but it drives just like an old farm truck; darty, unstable and lots of steering play. Out of curiosity, what sort of upgrades did you perform and did it bring the handling/performance up to the same level as the Marauder?
Hmm, I could be wrong, maybe they carried the CV sport into the newer generation.
On the CV sport the money I threw at it was just to make it not suck, thus the warning of buying a cheap one. I got it well below typical value but I had to put new brakes on all around, new suspension bushings, balljoints, tierod ends, new starter, the dreaded cam tensioners and guides. It was just a poorly maintained car that needed a little of everything. Once I had it working well the mind turned to making it perform (and look better because it was a bit haggard) when I added up what all that would cost I was money ahead to sell it and buy the Marauder, so I did :)
LanEvo wrote: Please talk me into (or out of) it. Looking to buy a comfortable highway commuter in the coming months.
This is a good car for that but a newer grand marquis would be just as good without any of the unique body and trim parts. Rare cars have their drawbacks. If you just want a comfy cruiser then the basic version should be just as good. The power difference isn't worth it either. It has the charm of being rare... that is cool unto itself.
The impala ss (body on frame) is probably a better platform to modify but is significantly older.
I've seen a couple of detective special Caprices for sale used (long wheelbase G8).
There are a few G8s around as well, but they don't drop in value that much. Some parts are expensive as well. More legroom in the back compared to a grand marquis but not as much shoulder room.
If you want a big rwd sedan, at a reasonable price, there aren't many options. As a commuter the grand marquis is a great value.
Ignoring the Forester XT hate, if you can swallow the price premium for the Marauder, do it. They still aren't that expensive, all things considered.
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/5447922525.html
So the OP's original requirement was
LanEvo wrote:Looking to buy a comfortable highway commuter in the coming months.
Which is exactly why I traded in the Forester for the Grand Marquis.
If I prioritised acceleration/handling I probably would have started somewhere else. I subscribe to a truncated version of Keith's "A car for every purpose and a purpose for every car" approach, just with a much more limited driveway situation.
Brett_Murphy wrote: Ignoring the Forester XT hate
No hate here, just that the Mercury's transmission fluid is on a 150,000 mile service interval, which happens to be longer than Subaru's engine interval. Yes I have lost three Subaru engines in the past, and no I don't know why I bought the Forester. The Forester just raised a series of CEL that is indicative of future bills so I decided to not be the one holding the bag for a fourth time.
No, you are not nuts. They are seriously cool cars!
I wonder about this often, as being in the Senior Citizen capital of the world I find CV's and GM's and even Lexus LS400/430's all the time.
Sure, they aren't as sporty and they are all autos, but what am I really doing on my commute anyways? Seems like these could be a great appliance and with some suspension, sway bars and wheels/tires can each be made to look above average.
Ive always seen a lot of love for these things, but outside of the 4V motor I dont know much about them.
Can anyone fill me in as to what all was changed with marauder?
Also can you just slap a termie take off S/C onto one of these?
my 5.4 crown vic was significantly faster and cheaper to make than a marauder. some assembly required though.
haven't posted the video in a couple days...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlimBq-CIDU
Knurled wrote: 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.
Damn, those really are holding on to value. 150k miles and they still want almost $7k for it?
There's a guy around town has a black p71, reminds me of a Marauder, but he threw a 5-speed in it. It sounds wicked good, looks wicked, and is seriously cool.
Go for it.
Why not a Lexus? The GS430 has V8 goodness and comfortable cruising.
I figured I could tow the racecar with a Panther
I was under the impression that that engine has more in common with the Mach 1 Mustang engine of that era than the Terminator Cobra engine. As in, it didn't get all the forged internals. So, I'm not sure how much boost I'd want to push through it.
Tom_Spangler wrote: I was under the impression that that engine has more in common with the Mach 1 Mustang engine of that era than the Terminator Cobra engine. As in, it didn't get all the forged internals. So, I'm not sure how much boost I'd want to push through it.
It was the Mach 1 engine, but that was still fairly beefy. It was the 4.6L with the earlier non-supercharged Cobra heads, 5.4L Lincoln Navigator exhuast cam and special intake cam. Unfortunately, the auto Mach 1s and Marauder had cast-steel cranks instead of the forged crank in the manual Mach 1s. But you can still lean on them pretty hard. I'd say 450 crank horsepower would be safe (Remember, RPMs are harder on parts than horsepower), especially if you are running a centrifugal blower or turbocharger where you aren't generating those massive cylinder pressures at low RPMS, like Roots-style superchargers do.
The weird thing was the fact that they took a high-winding relatively torqueless engine (Max torque was at 4,200RPM) and then dumped it in a heavy car with an automatic and a fairly tame rear gear (3.55:1), which made it feel doggy at the low end. If it had had steeper rear gears (say 3.90s or 4.11s) or the supercharged 4.6L that the concept had been blessed with, it likely might have done a bit better.
Instead of the Marauder though, I'd much rather jam an SVT Lightning 5.4L in a P71.
A P71 is probably a more practical choice, but the low-rent interior would be tough to live with as a daily driver.
I have always wanted one! Buy it so we can stare at yours and tell you what you should do with it.
To the OP, your profile says Manhattan. If you ever get down near Philly I'll be happy to let you go for a drive in a mildly modded Marauder to see if it meets your expectations.
I think the 01-03 Jag XJR is a better looking, better handling, quicker, and cheaper option.
But I'm biased.
From what I have learned on this board, interiors for Panthers are strictly plug and play. Even the wiring for power seats etc. is just sitting around under the vinyl floor, waiting to be used. It really sounds like you'd be money ahead to start with a P71 and build it up rather than pay the Marauder tax.
Stealthtercel wrote: From what I have learned on this board, interiors for Panthers are strictly plug and play. Even the wiring for power seats etc. is just sitting around under the vinyl floor, waiting to be used. It really sounds like you'd be money ahead to start with a P71 and build it up rather than pay the Marauder tax.
so first price out the cost of a marauder/cv sport interior. Next price out the engine swap because the P71 doesn't come with the 32valve. Trust me I owned a CV sport which was a marauder minus the motor and I turn my own wrenches and still couldnt justify trying to upgrade the CV to marauder spec over just buying a Marauder. All sounds cheap and easy in theory, all adds up very quick if you want to get close to the real thing.
Can you build a better Panther for less money?...probably, if you don't asses a value to your time, and I love building cars, but sometimes I just want to drive not live through a project, I have plenty of those. If you just want to turn the key and go in the best Panther you can get, buy a Marauder and don't look back :)
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