Mercury Marauder was it a TOTAL FAILURE or NOT ( comment below )
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- Опубликовано: 1 фев 2025
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Mercury Marauder was it a TOTAL FAILURE or NOT ( comment below )
I wanted to know more about the Marauder and started to wonder what happened? I was just bouncing ideas from you guys and myself in this video and may do a Part 2 on this Subject about the Mercury Marauder. First this is a cult classic well designed but i seen that the price point was the worst.. and that was the main issue and the timing.. Like I mentioned I will make a part two to this video.. it was fun making this !
Regular Car Reviews • 2003 Mercury Marauder:...
Gateway Classic Cars • 2004 Mercury Marauder,...
NOT a failure NOT. The 2003 Thunderturd was a failure.
lmao i must say yes they where wack, but i would try to make one cool if i had a chance. they where ugly
The 96 impala ss is one of my all time favorite cars
Those are badass for sure
listen that was a very cool car I would buy one of those also right now
Yes it's true the chevy impala is in 94 until 96 was one of the most sought after automobile people wanted loved and needed in their lives.
My ‘07 Crown Vic LX Sport is nice. Like my floor shift cars like my ‘70 Pontiac Model J
I really want a blue one. Yes, they should have been available with a 5 speed.
I drove one during Power Tour. The factory rep said to accommodate the clutch pedal, they would’ve had to compromise the Panther’s crash rating.
those are sweet to i FORGOT they had a blue 1 also
@@alvon911 well i will have to be careful not to crash the 2004 i manual swapped then 😂
Ford made 18 5-Speed Crown Vic's for Bondurant 's driving school.
I love my blue mm! It took me a while back in 05 to get it, but I got it!
I owned one of these for a couple years. Bought it with 12k miles, sold it with 24k and a bunch of mods.
Cold air intake
Tune
J-Mod trans mod
4.10 gears
Front and rear sway bars
Lowering springs
Tinted windows
I wish I would've kept it because it was a fun car.
Man you where blessed to get one... I think I would have took the Sean Hylan way to make these fast and that was just stroke the motor// That would be it ( if i was blessed to do so )
There is a guy that lived less than a mile from me has 3 of em.
F***kin THREE
I think his wife made him choose between her and the cars....I havnt seen him around in a minute and the cars are gone, however wifey's mini cooper is still there 😄😄😄
Guess he went to live happily ever after
wow thats a crazy story... thats a very odd one also at the same time lol mini coopers still there? The over size power wheels vehicle is still there vs Marauders AMAZING
im really trying to get a second one lol
The thing that people don’t understand is that they would have to go back into history around the time this car has thought about being mean there’s a lot of factors that play into it which cost the cars demise a lot, which has to do with the higher ups, for those two years that car sold very very very well, but jealousy, and not being able to control things is what caused this cars demised
You are correct.. hard to believe people that work in a work place will ( make the company loose money ) just to make sure another person fail cause they got the shot ...
I missed out on one of these for like $4k and i kick myself everytime i see one. Like you said , great cruiser.
really wow man i crying about a wrecked one I missed out on
I love the Marauder, i had a 03 and a 04 a few years ago, i sold em but i plan on getting another one real soon💯 my 03 was silver and the 04 was torred red, damn i miss em😭 this time i want the dark blue 04, i know there the hardest to find but thats what im going for💯💯
Thst is the hardest 1 one get. My boy had one it sit really nice. A very good car
WHAT! you had two dude come on man ... I need 1 lmao... Secretly the BLUE Marauder is the ONE to get for sure... I am right there with you.. Thak you for sharing this story R/T Slim
@@bstfordchannel923 youre welcome💯 and the torred red Marauder at the begining of the video reminds me of mine so much, damn i miss it😩 i have to get that blue one now asap💯💯
(copy & pasted my comment from original post)
What up BST,
I got to test drive one of these brand new back in 2004 at my local dealership.
It was an underwhelming experience. It drove like a regular Crown Vic.
If only they would have fitted a 5 speed manual transmission, with 4.10 gears it would have been something special.
But I doubt that would ever happen because that's the opposite of the Mercury Brand image, and it may have taken sales away from the mustang. So yeah, kind of a disappointing failure. Too little, too late.
-Chuck
you Chuck its all good bro!
Nice, once upon a time I had a 1968 Cougar in just the same green color as the 1967 that shows up late in the video and a black vinyl top. It was a little rough but it was mine.
those are sweet rides I looked at one to buy not to long ago once again I was late to the party.. You had a sweet ride the John B
@@bstfordchannel923 I had a '68 and a '69. The '68 was a little too rough to make a good car but I loved that '69. It was a 351W/FMX car with power steering and factory air. I put a lot of miles on that car and brought my first son home in it. I eventually sold it to a bodywork school student. It went with 2 front fenders and 2 quarter panels complete inner/outer wheelwells, trunk floor part that goes over the springs and down to the back end of the fenders, cut on the C pillar above the body lines so you could really have your choice of where to cut and splice. I still miss that car but I wasn't in a place in my life to do it right. Sometimes for the good of the car you've got to let them go.
Headers, Stainless Steel pipes and muffler with slotted breaks still turns me on after 17 years.
hats the slickness when a guy has that on his ride they about the business i always say
I don't see it as a failure.
It was everything it was supposed to be -
The family man's performance sedan.
With the 4 valve 4.6 and it's lower gearing it was quicker than other Panthers, suspension touches made it corner better, exterior trim gave a performance image and interior appointments did the same - and still maintained an upscale luxury image for the family man that wanted both.
It did what it was supposed to do.
It was never intended as a true 'muscle sedan', Ford knew full well what it would take the car outright fast and chose Not to go that route, they weren't after that market.
great write up by big bro hitting the point hard . very true on all accounts!
@@bstfordchannel923
Well you know, only the truth for my brother...
I have a 04 marauder with sunroof. It was one of my dream cars and I finally got mines in 2017. I believe they should have had at least 420hp to the wheels. But 300 hp was somewhat good in 2003. Still like the car and plan on keeping mines
lmao too much hp in 2003 or 04 you have to think back then... But NOW ohh yes it needs that type of hp just to begin ( to start ) we have Na v6 making 320hp or more now.. I see what your saying though
@@bstfordchannel923 yessss bro, EXACTLY. 2004=302HP ....2020=430HP WOULD MAKE MORE SENSE
That wheel arch lip is a throwback to decades ago when little details were given much love and weeks of refinement. That little lip is the primary design thing I enjoy on my MGM! Modern wheel arches are plug ugly...the cars themselves are plug ugly. That's what happens when you let aerodynamics cancel out the eye and passion of the artist.
Nice job as always.
very TRUE on the all cars are egg shape nothing has BODY or shape to it.. Thats why Dodge is winning in that dept ( sad but true ) Cause they have car guys there ( hot rodders ) pulling the string vs Ford with bankers or who ever making these bad choices.. No passion to go against the grain .. They Follow trends with cars and there small SUVs You said a lot on this Norman . You speak the truth on this
My car had slightly higher mileage, and I loaded my car in a similar fashion. If I had it to do all over again, I would have left Marauder completely stock with the exception of the rear crossover coolant line modification that corrected a serious engineering mis-step.
Great insight on the marauder man! Funny I have been trying to find me one I can afford. Baytown tx has a mystichrome one and I bet after all this marauder RUclips vids. It will go up in price!
lmao you will find on bro just keep looking and have the money READY
Trying to, I had to keep my Hope's up for the right amount of miles and Conditions. They are run hard, that's for sure. That's my favorite panther body bro!
It was a 100% sales success because of it being a parts bin car (that was direct from Steve Babcock) Elana Ford was also the real reason for the demise of the car. She wanted Mercury to be a women's brand, and the Marauder absolutely shattered that image. She fought the project every step of the way.
And she killed the whole brand.
ahhhhhhh? now thats some info that REALLY made sense . The wife stepping in and making things ROUGH, but I see the angle she was doing cause women have to buy the car also to make money ( sad truth ) when selling cars Mustang history proved that. good show CM
One of the highlights of that decade. I love them. 🤘😎🇺🇸
it really was bro!
Thank goodness for their thriftyness, I have 315/35/20 tires on the rear of my LSE Grand Marquis, they wouldnt have look good without the rolled fenders.
you have one of those? dang i wouldnt mind one of those cars .. it would have look wack without the fenders rolled
@@bstfordchannel923 lol, you aren't lying. Yes I actually 5.4 swapped the first one and wrecked it a few years ago and had to get another one, I will drop a 5.4 in this one too. Google "5.4 mgm LSE".
Great video. I remember the first time I encountered a marauder. Back then I was wrapped in JDM, but was a closet mustang fan because of the exhaust note. One day a guy from my block cruised by in his marauder and it sounded as good as a cobra. But, it looked like a "cop" car, which wasn't cool yet. In addition to all the reasons you presented, I think ignorance killed the marauder sell. The lack of internet forums and RUclips channels of that time meant that no one knew what was what until they got spanked light to light. Those were the true sleeper car days.
The car culture has become too obsessed with numbers. There are some things that numbers can't measure such as overall drive experience: the sound, view, smell of a car. The marauder was a great car for its time. Because of that, I would only have added a manual transmission option to give different, not better, drive experiences.
very well put I was in that Jdm ( sport bike ) thing during that time.. I thought they where 5 speed on the stance of the car.. Never knew the engine part of it ( the look is what got me ) only seen black so that was the flavor during that time.. That car was a who knows who car.. I seen street dwellers loved it but never knew what it was or where to get 1. So to me it was something they did not put enough press on ( sure it cost back then ) but now its dang near free.. Great write on this bro
great write -up i have to touch on what could have been or was it to early?
@@bstfordchannel923 thanks bro, I dig your style on these videos. You might mess around and replace Morgan Freeman on the narrative game. Panthers were definitely heavy in the hood when I was coming up. But, there was a slight difference in my area compared to up north. Down south, dudes were putting 24s and 28s on Panthers. It became the 240sx of the dunk culture.
@@bstfordchannel923 Do you think that auto makers take into account the resale value of their cars or is it all about the new sticker price? For example, the demand for some cars often skyrockets decades after their initial release. I'm yet to see any auto makers take advantage of that rise in demand.
I'm glad you loved the package. Can't wait to see how you remix the shirt.
You have no clue what you have done. this was such a blessing. it came at the right time ( you though it was late ) but it really came at a GREAT time my dude.. I really can not thank you enough for everything and the support in this way and beyond is ( is dude stuff )
I have an 01 Grand Marquis. Center console shift. I have 2008 Mustang GT wheels with 235 55 18 all the way around. 2" wheel spacers all the way around. Drilled and slotted rotors. True dual exhaust. That nice red paint. Yeah its now my wife's car. Just hit 102000
Man Jerry that sounds kinda slick.. Thats cool you hooked it up for your wife bro.. ( fist bump )
Ive always loved my Mercury Grand Marquis and wish I had one of these!!
me to i will get one 1 day i will you and me bro!
It needed a 6 speed option, a 5 speed auto option, shaker hood option, supercharger option, and IRS. All independant of each other. The Mustang and Marauder were not competition for each other. No extra badging, so you have to conversate to know what's in it. Or have your doors blown off. Improvements to regular Panthers would have helped along with a lookalike knockoff with no goodies.
lmao dang man how many options lol ... they had to flip that money 1st lol... they need the cheap route for 03 and that would be a 5 speed... then add a supercharger so simple
@@bstfordchannel923 The 5 speeds were too weak to be a factory option. The parts I listed they already made. The cost goes down the more they produce and sell. They should have had a 4 seat option that looks like a Panamera inside. Not doing these things let's the chassis languish with old customers until it dies. Which is what happened. There was plenty of money to work something out with the millions of cabs and cop cars, not that abusing the budget is cool. OR skip the Bullet model, or skip the Mach 1 Mustangs. Superfluous models. I mean if Ford can't get excited about the Panther, who else will?
I would’ve ABSOLUTELY loved to seen the Marauder with a five speed! I remember sitting in one in the showroom brand new. One day I gotta get me one! Thanks for doing what you do my man! 😎👍🏾
i never saw these in a show room.. which state that was.. trying to figure where they was selling the most at
@@bstfordchannel923 It was a Mercury dealer in Massachusetts. I had just bought my 97 Mercury LS and was just learning about the Marauder. I don’t remember the sticker price, but I’m sure it close to what you stated in your video.
It was beautiful, absolutely stunning beautiful ride! The salesman was a jerk to me and my brother though. He assumed we couldn’t afford it so, we peeled out of there.
Anyway, it was a beautiful beast in person.
They should have upgraded to the 5.4 4 valve in a 2005 + model ! I love my 2003 Marauder with 25,700 original miles !
you have one too? Man i have to step my game up this is starting hurt slow lol
I don't have Marauder but an 08 grand marquis, those cars are running so strong i love those cars
I do not have one either Chris but. You have something kinda close bro ( maybe slightly better ) to.. keep it clean bro and well maintain
I just bought an "03. It's been in storage for a bit. It has a new original engine in it. It's like new! I love that V8 rumble. I also have an '06 Grand Marquis LS.
Love your videos man. And yeah, if they had put a 5 speed and a supercharger, wow, I could only imagine...
I second this to😀
thank you for that Tom thank you for the support in that way bro! The 5speeds would have SHOCKED the world at that time. The car would have just sold with that option
Another good video BST love these types of videos.. I can sit back learn some stuff just to talk to like I know some stuff
ahh mna thank you for this King Crown.. I just be sitting back thinking about stuff or reading something and then i just go... Some stuff i start ( video wise ) and never finished like a Lincoln Towncar video 2-3 months never finished
Owning a maurader has crossed my mind a few times.. I dont think it was a failure as far as its performance just roll out
I will get one I am sure of it, but NO WAY near this year or the next lmao.. Look Ford and car makers know the hustle game . they just whip up a car into something else rebadge it and they can make a few millions while be bitch about what car is better.. They car very little about our views just the $$$$ we spend.. Once they have emotions on what we buy and deliver a GOD PRODUCT then they can really win..
I didn’t know a lot of that BST. Really good information. I think ford should have offered the eaton m112 blower as an option on the marauder. I haven’t seen another marauder in 2yrs. Scarce up here
They where going there but no sales.. I think they needed to start with the 5 speed, then if sales jumped then Marauder SVT with super charger or even a Rough badge one. I seen 1 parked about go check nand see if the guy will sell .. if the engine is bad i will take
I still enjoy my 05 LX Sport which I had since 07 and she ain't going nowhere. And I remember those impalas, too. They were nice!
right on Chris! keep that cause the lx sport is VERY close to a Marauder . I feel if you do not have Lx sport you should NOT make a Marauder Clone
Best car I ever had. Had work done and upgraded. Great car.
It sure is!
Man so many of you guys had this car ... Its time for me to get 1
Thanks very much for sharing this post with us. I really enjoy the information packed into each episode you create, you must spend a lot of time researching the facts. For instance, the "Panther" platform? Something for me to read about, thanks. Congratulations on the new shirt! I like it! Keep up the hard work, it’s great to see something that isn’t getting a $100,000 restoration, or replacement engines et cetera. Great stuff!👍🏼👍🏼
Thats what is all about (US REG DUDES) we are the many vs those that have the crazy amount of dough to blow.. I am just doing Bar talk here B Frew. We just kick it sip a brew and talk about cars and the what ifs.. I love my panther brothers and i learn a LOT from the OGs in this.. I am just scrapping the surface on the cars bro!
The silver is beautiful. I've only seen the black. Great video, as usual. 👍
thank you for the comment Dive . I think the silver is sweet color also that birch red type color was nice also..
BST Ford Channel - You're welcome. My old RUclips name was blipco5 before they cancelled that account.
Apparently, the presidential election took its toll on me. LOL.
It turns out that trumpees must be pretty thin skinned underneath their gruff exterior.
I must have said something that offended somebody. 😂
These cars are unreliable money pits.
If anyone has one, I'll take it off your hands.
Had me in the first half...
Yeah and news came out that morel mushrooms are poisons. I have a service, I will come get rid of all of them for you this spring. LOL
There goes Chuck again lmao... lol My boy Chuck !
Oh no you don't! Cornering the market ain't competitive!
I feel u panzer... I will help with this cause
I was in my late teens/early 20’s when this car dropped. I wanted one soo bad. I thought it was better looking than the mustang
i am so sure people though the same thing... and thats where the problems began
The biggest problem I see about the Marauder is ALL of the Panthers should have at least been built like that as a baseline. Supercharged? 5 speed? Call THAT one the Marauder!
👊 i second this 1
i can see that, but that tears into ( The Shirts ) bottom line when building these things tough call, but needed
Nicely edited video, man. Those cars are great cars, they should have had that engine optional on all panther platforms just think of all the crown vic guys that have to do so many upgrades to try to push 300HP out of their 2 valve engines. If they released it earlier by a few years and put the lower price tag on it I bet it would have outsold mustang. Would have been great to have a bunch of 32v engined and compatible panthers on the road
Very true and thank you about the comment on the video Martin... On the next video I will kinda theorize about why the delay on this project... I feel that it was perfect cause it had a stiffer chassis and better steering so out the gate it was a BETTER car all around
So I actually own a 03 marauder and I got nitrous and some other goodies on it but if I wanted them to change it up stock wise more power with steeper gears to make it more like a “muscle car” but I really think it’s missing performance over the auto with a manual it wakes it up so much I would love to swap it to a manual soon but I’m 25 whp off of 400whp so I’d like to fix that first
performance ENGINE wise is the issue. The car is is a well balanced car 100% just the right power but it can not hang with cars of the day even 4 bangers. I love car they just needed TQ in my eyes.. Then it would be FUNNER to drive
@@bstfordchannel923 Yeah I completely agree on the high end it has plenty of power to have fun but I think how it came just the get up and go speed from a stop was lacking a little bit but that’s also why they had the supercharger model which I couldn’t get because I had a tough budget so I bought a beat up one and restored it for 9k but back then that thing was fun to drive for today’s standards it’s like every other car I feel like 0-60 anyway
And have a great smooth ride.
yes it is brother Joe
Ive never had a man make me this happy to wake up 🤘Ive never bought anything from a youtube channel, I would buy that shirt.
thank you for this bro! than you big bro Rob. I wait fore comment also when i drop a video.. I will try to get some quality shirts made. I have idea so i need to try to make that happen
@@bstfordchannel923 cool man if I can help let me know .
An outlier like the Marauder falls into a novelty category (To my thinking). If they had treated it as such, I think they would have sold more of them. My 1960s thinking says a 2 door hardtop of the Marauder and a similar Crown Vic rebadged as a Galaxie 500 XL would have got a lot of attention. Offer the bigger V8 (Optional Supercharger?) and a manual transmission besides the 4.6 W/Auto. They were already making Police Package suspension and brakes so that could have been used. I know it would have cost a mint (Dream Big) but I like to imagine a Station Wagon version, Ranchero and a ragtop also. I'd leave Lincoln out of it.
what you mention John is true car guy stuff.. The issue is there are far more LESS Americans in the country so this will not work.. They buy up all the cars and they do not buy American unless its a Tesla now.. You spoke real car stuff and there are not much of us left so these things will not work.. 5 speed is a start then supercharger ( then stop ) then make Marauder SVT
@@bstfordchannel923 Economic treason is nothing new. Kids in the 80s thought that everything had to come from Japan to be cool. I'd tell them that they better buy American or there wouldn't be any jobs for them. They didn't listen and the rest is history.
The only four door I would ever own! Would look great next to my 64 Marauder!
It would and its very cool you have the old school OG version Dean
I find it interesting a few years later the Dodge Charger comes sells well and still selling well this could have been the Dodge Charger versus the Mercury Marauder. Another thing how come they never offer the manual transmission ? A land yacht with a manual sounds fun
The reason why Dodge sold cause of the Benz parts bin... The Chrysler 300 1st gen was a old Benz chassis e320. Benz got that going for them .. They raided the parts Bin of Benz Then the real hot rod heads at Dodge step in and made history doing thing like making power and such while Ford dancing around and do not take risks. Chassis suv .. They can not even make car for people to buy. Cause they do not take chances they follow trends
@@bstfordchannel923 interesting
Before I even watch the video I wrote that comment and I just want to say thank you so much. I’ve been looking everywhere for that Carol Shelby clip come to find out it was Fort‘s granddaughter who killed the marauder when it came out in 1998 people were loving it because the dean was able to do so much not to mention the 98 version had a supercharger in it, but she wanted to make the vehicle a girls car that’s why back in 2001 when they came back out with it It was a convertible because she was aiming for a female audience but when the other guys seen it, they did not like it so she went ahead and had them rip out the supercharger and all of the goodies that came with the vehicle, and she only let them sell certain amount, then killing it off by its second year
that was more detailed fact than what i got... The Marauder guys have the real detailed facts... She dust away money on the table... She wanted to be the saver the familes legacy, but she never stayed in her place and just ride the wave ( and say dude you was right ) I was wrong ( she sould have though SUV ) vs a sedan car. She did not have forward thinking she is not a car person and is not on the grown level to see what trends are coming... she failed this is her right ruclips.net/video/cSwxCa9ECro/видео.html
I really wanted one of these but the motor was a gelding from the factory. The Marauder was 7.5 sec to 60; the Aviator that weighed 800 pounts MORE with the "same" motor was just as fast to 60. No way the Marauder motor made 302HP. The only color was black, which I will never have in Southeast Georgia. Bought a 2004 Mach 1 that I still have today.
well i hear ya I think everyone was like that honestly ... I think if it was promotd right it would be great ruclips.net/video/BO0QiZ4qzGw/видео.html
That's because the Lincoln Aviator had intake Runners which help with low end tq. It would have work for the marauder too. But the marauder didn't get intake Runners. But that would have made a big difference off the line yes.
@@markjones2185 The intake was not all of the difference. The standard 2V 239HP Merc did 60 in 7.9 seconds; a 25% increase in power should have let the Marauder do 60 around 6.3 secs or so, not a wimpy 7.5. Based on the ET and trap speed the motor was only making around 275HP.
@@paulhudson231 I've been around the Crown Vics Marauder in a whole Panther platform for over 20 years you're not going to tell me what they do or don't do. I got facts I've been there done that. A stock Crown Vic and Grand Marquis does 0 to 60 in about 8 plus seconds get off the BS I know better. Keep in mind I was Moding Crown Vic long before the marauder was even a thing. so I know what they're capable of and I know their limits. I've also owned 11 Mercury Marauders as well as a current 4 valve swap Lincoln Town Car. So why did I put a 4 valve in and get away from the two valve? limitations. My 91 Lincoln sitting on a 2003 Lincoln Town Car chassis with a Marauder engine with a 2800 stall converter 3:55 gears as fast as hell does 0 to 60 in 6.3 seconds that's at the track time. I did put an SCT tuner on it and raise the shift points. The best I could get out of the two valve Engine with the 355 gears and same 2800 stall converter was about a 7.8sec if you choose to believe this or not I really don't care. those are the facts. I don't know why everyone wants to compare the two valves per cylinder to four valves per cylinder. cracks me up every time. Yes you can make a 2Val fast if you want to spend $3,000 on a set of performance Edelbrock ported heads. but it's still never going to flow as much air as a stock 4 valve head! so what's the point. for me it's simpler to go get me a 2001 Lincoln Continental 4 valve head put it on a 2 valve block up the compression and we're good to go. And yes that's right the 2001 Lincoln Continental has the same 4valve heads as the Mercury Marauder. you can get them at the wrecking yard cheap if you pull yourself. So if you build your own engine something to think about. Lastly could The Marauder have been made faster yes! was it no!!! is it an upgrade from a Crown Vic yes! is it the fastest car in the world stock no! is the performance upgrade worth it to me yes. to you probably not. each his own. I'll close it with that. And for reference a 2002 Lincoln Town Car was going for $45,000 back then so there's four ppl bitching about a $35,000 price tag.
@@markjones2185 I have no argument with you. The times I referenced above are from Car and Driver; other tests reported similar or identical times. I also agree that the 4V heads will easily outflow the 2V; that is why I bought a Mach 1 in 2004 instead of the GT. The 4V was just a better motor. I like my Mach 1 because it has the 4V heads but no variable timing. Simple and reliable. My point is that from the factory, the Marauder should have been faster, given the rated HP. C&D also complained about the transmission tuning - their test car wanted to upshift any time you let up on the gas at all. My hunch is that the motor was detuned about 30 HP to get better EPA figures. I am not the only one who believes this - there were many complaints at the time about the slow times and a number of people guessed that it was due to the factory detuning the motor. As a comparison the 94 Impala SS did the quarter at 15.0 @92. It weighed about the same as the Merc but was rated at 260HP. I agree with you about the Panther platform. It is not the most modern chassis but if you want something that rides and handles well, and will last almost forever, it is the best thing made in the last 30 years. Plus, it is cheap and easy to work on. I really like the Marauder. It looks better than any Crown Vic. I just will not own a black car in southeast Georgia. Too hot in the summer time and it shows all of the dirt. Too bad they never offered it in another color.
The panther body is one of the best cars to ever been produced period
I can say top 2 American chassis ever built
Agreed especially when so many other cars were ugly and cookie cutter.
If I was able to own a connection of 10/12 automobiles, the Marauder would definitely be one of my connection...😊✌🏾
@@ericlbell6500 hands down agree with you Eric.. i am looking into it now.. The coins aint looking right , but i will get with though i will have one thats mine on this channel
@@bstfordchannel923 ok, kool I see you are a ford guy. I'm restoring my 69 ford Thunderbird 4dr suicide.Check it out when you have time...ok ✌🏾
Kenny Brown made it work real good !
I think Sean Hylan made a slightly better one than Kenny B... ( thats just me ) I think that would be a great show down though and throw Kenne bell and Roush in the mix
Bro man, Yup man a year or two before they stopped making them I thought about gettin one (on credit), I almost did it but it was just too dang expensive. Price kept me away. If I hade known they would stop makin them a year or two latter I stinkin would have snagged one. Fer sher. I try to forget that day and I'm doin pretty good with that...
i was just looking at 3 lastnight wtf i was thinking but i had to check prices if i had cash i can get 1.. just need a bank to loan me something lol... banks aint giving crap lol. so i am here Marauderless
Oh the marauder, really like em ,
Wish I had pulled the trigger and bought one years ago. But... their pretty proud of them .
What a sweet road trip car it would be though, 5speed would be sweet
very cool story Daniel H.. I wish I bought the wrecked one i saw.. Many panther guys have a story on what they wish they bought a Marauder
As a mercury grand marquis owner these automobiles have power and can move pretty well.
Its really not bad at all it depends on your taste of speed
I lowkey want to get one I own a crown Vic but don’t mind having an all black one 💪🏽💪🏽🔥
me to I I really want to buy one of these
They should’ve just put a supercharger in the 2003 and 2004 models (top trim level) and gave it at least close to 450-500 HP. People would’ve been more interested with having options. You can’t be limited with American 🇺🇸 people. You have to provide as many options as possible.
they where if the numbers where right, but i think internal forces made sure that did not happen.. they made the car with next to zero Tv shine
I had a 2003
Yes, should have came with a manual
I upgraded the rear to 410 gears made a huge difference
I just added those gears to mine.. So I do want to see how it reacts myself
@@bstfordchannel923 yes sir! Was definitely better because if the transmission etc
I’d do it again if I had another Marauder
It's a 4 door mustang but rides better in my opinion
I second this!
Yes it is i can NOT disagree Harley!
i still want one for my panther collection
You have to get 1 for you panther collection
I still think you're clean Marauder cruising rounds is a bad ass ride
lmao right on Johnny!
Beautiful car ! it was just over priced period! should have been in the mid 20's
mid 20s man that would be cheap cheap i do not think that would have even save the car honestly .. Who even knew of the car at the time?
Here are a few other tidbits of trivia for you on the Marauder; coming form the rep I talked to back in 2003 at the Chicago Auto Show when I was writing my preorder check for the upcoming Marauder 2dr Convert slated to start later that year for the 04 model year: The Marauder is built with the Crown Victoria P71 Police Pkg; as far as suspension & gauges are concerned. They All came with a Fed Perf Chip which could be unlocked when doing a simple tune. Ford never recognized any preorder for the 04 Convert Marauder since it would have had to allow Mercury to have a special tooling facility for and would have cut into the Crown Vic & the Mustangs profits. Nearly 70% of the then current Marauder owners were willing to trade-in their sedans for the convert version. Ford had No intention of allowing any other FoMoCo product to cut into their perf line profits; which they saw when Buick was producing the GN Regals in the 80's and the impact they had on the Camaro, T/A & Vette sales; which again happened when Buick redesigned the 8th gen Supercharges Rivera and stole away sales from Olds & Pontiac. If Mercury went rogue and produced the convert, it would have reignited the full sized car perf auto market the Ford & Gm were trying to get away from in lieu of the the truck market sales. It would have stolen at least 15% of the sales away from GM from their full sized fwd offerings and might have pushed the hp wars to restart with Dodge making the HEMI Charger a 2 door convert and pulling away sales from all across the other FoMoCo car lines. BTW, the 1,500 hundred of us who did write the $5K preorder checks were sent back to us in June of that year.
WOW! man you where there? that sucked you did not get the car , but I will say it was best cause you would have gotten a weak chassis... So it was blessing that they waited to 2003
I actually just ran into these guys that had a roush built marauder with a trilogy Motorsports supercharger. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a marauder let alone a supercharged one. Apparently when I met them at a gas station, they had just got it shipped over from Georgia
REALLY? thats wild I need one how did it sounded
@@bstfordchannel923 I was originally gonna ask the owner if he could rev it however the reason they stopped by at the gas station was because of problems with the car. I didn’t ask what it was and i didn’t want to bother them much so I just asked if I could take a picture of the car
O3 i was a kid if if was older n that tome i would've brought 3 of em I still want one smh to me its still better than a mustang
I second this!
I just trying to get my hands on one... I am telling you Blake you did not see them.. Just thing old dudes had them cause old dudes bought the Vics..
Need to bring it back
Or like you said move it over to Lincoln
I second this
Mna i wish but it all depends on the demand thats all
I actually have a big block ford in the garage for a future drag race project from an original Marauder.
really? man you have all the goodies over there. I have to step up my ford game pronto
@@bstfordchannel923 yup. I wish I could remember the year of the car but was early 70s. It's a 429 that I want to build to a 557 with big boy heads and big power N/A. Like upwards of 800hp N/A. drag race only in like a fairmont or a zephyr. It will probably never happen but I have the foundation of a motor and the C4 manual valve body trans out of one of my fox bodies for it.
I thought Elana Ford was who killed the marauder and panther platform. She said people didn't want big rear wheel drive cars anymore but they wanted smaller European styled cars. Then when Daimler Chrysler dropped and successfully sold the Charger/challenger platform, she was promptly let go after being proven wrong and try to force the likes of the Lincoln MK on us! Good riddance to her!
I guy just put me on some game before you mention this and yes she was cause .. i may make a video on this and explain a few other theories about the Marauder
I gotsta have one of them BST Tee-shirts! I love the Marauder so much I'm planning to turn my P71 into a Marauder Clone 😎
well you know how I stand on that Daniel its like me putting a sohc in a Torino ( it doesnt jive lmao ) now LSE or LX Sport is a great starting point.. The vic would take a lot to get going.. to do it light will cost 2k 3k thats just body ( engine is cheap ) the interior now thats where the issue lies lol.. I will touch on this maybe in the next video.. I love the Marauders to big bro
man this video was well made and fun to watch!
ahh man thank you for that Handy Dad!. Just had some thoughts i want to put down on this subject. I have few more thoughts about this also
Just subbed ro you Handy Dad
@@chrisbird1909 thank you!
Performance was lackluster, these things were being gapped by V6 Accords and the like.
very very true, so how do you rate performance only by take off speed or by a complete balance package... Lets take you Lexus ( timeless ) way ahead of its time vs the Lexus of today ( despite your starter being under the intake ) its a great car. This was a great car in its own right. in plan form its better Looking in most lexus then and now... I come from having a Datsun 510 Datsun 810 240sx ( 2 ) Maximas so i do know the jdm side of things just wanted to add that
@Just Wryt or changing diff ratios.
This car inspired anyone with vics or marquis to go to exhaust shops and say give me the marauder tips with my exhaust lol
You so right!
lmao you know I can REALLY see that. And may have to agree with this Jontay lol
7:37 it looks like the taillight doesn't fit right. Kinda weird.
i seen that to lmao
While it wasn't a failure, it sure as hell didn't get the love that the 94-96 Impala SS got from GM. This car had a distinctive exhaust note meaning u knew when one was coming down the street. It was most cloned Ford car in recent memory.
I think things going against it was the resources being used for that 03/04 Cobra program, the impending arrival of the 2005 Mustang, The 05 GT supercar and that the price was touching or slightly above 03/04 Cobra prices when new. Chrysler dropped the Magnum and was coming with the 300 and Charger that also what later snatch up a lot of those Crown Vic and Grand Marquis owners.
It could've been a big deal if the 04 model year got that Terminator engine but it prolly would've needed a Ford emblem and Ford name and it probably still wouldn't have happened, chalk that up to politics.
I think the Marauder and performance variant of the Crown Victoria would've made things interesting at least we'll into the 2010s. Until 2014 when the Scat 392 and Hellcats came into the picture, there was a somewhat even amount of 300s/Chargers Crown Vics/Grand Marquises on the road. I feel a good guage to see if the Crown Vic would've went passed 2011 would've been to see how a coyote powered version of this car would've been with customers. But the writing was on the wall, they were pro ecoboost from 2010 on wards, and they tried to make the Taurus SHO a thing(The Taurus SHO and the fullsize cars that were powered by the ecoboost engines were Failures)
yeah you are RIGHT Blackcobra this car been clone just as much as a Grand National ( i think ) ... GREAT write-up so on POINT bro... I can not debate this at all!
Bro on point with the exhaust note it wasn't loud it had the most unique sound to it
Somewhat off topic I feel like ford didnt treat the panther platform that well they could've updated it alot more & such
To be honest the Marauder help to make the chassis better 1 car did this, but the other advances what would like to see
The need bring these cars back man with a manual love my 2011 cvpi
Thats one will be hard and I think they will mess it up.. Somehow.. the frame on body it will have to be ( if came back ) but we have to get warmed up to the UNIbody version cause thats how it will come IF its comes
BST! Wat up my bro. Was gonna sell mine when I got the baby hellcat. Glad I didn't play myself. So now eaton swap or coyote???????
Thats a good one i would say Coyote.. The simple fact that in Na form it will be as good as a Eaton ( no tuning issues ) Good to se ya D F
That's a way better car than the Mustangs of the same year.
There's a lot of terminators that will disagree.
@@PNW_Car_Mods That's what is good about America. My first car was a 66 Galaxy hard top with a 390. I've always been a full size Ford Guy and I always will be. Just hope they don't stop making them. With all the politics of the little bean counters. They want to make SUVs and compacts.
agreed lol, but the Edge stangs are cool though
I bet if they brought it back now with a 5.0 coyote, it would be a huge seller. The 4.6 DOHC was good, but didn’t have enough low end torque to get 4,100 pounds rolling.
only if it looked the same and had a 5 speed oh yes it would work..it has to look 95% the same even 80% would do
I totally agree. You don’t mess with a classic. There’s a reason why Panther values are rising. People love these cars. Hey, can you imagine how sweet it would have been if they put the supercharged “Terminator” 4.6 DOHC in these back in the day?
No it was not a failure and I'm own a 2003. Love it.
very cool bro it can never be a failure
Great point is it cost Mercury $39 million to develop the Marauder. And made $100million after selling only a little more than 11,000 units. Financially doesn't sound like a failure to me. It should have come with a 5 speed manual. Personal note. I test drove a new 1996 Impala SS and a new 2003 Marauder. The Impala SS with that Corvette V8 was much faster, handled well and remains of my favorite GM cars. However, to me the Marauder handled better, stopped better, was built better, was more luxurious and had a better exhaust note. With that said, gas mileage worse than typical Panthers. And acceleration is brisk but not terribly earthshaking. Buying one if you can find one for sale is daunting. To me, the holy grail Marauder would be an 2004 painted in Dark Toreador Red with a moon roof, bought brand new by an older gentleman or lead foot grandma. Very low barely driven under 30,000 miles. I know doesn't exist. But, I can dream.
that Ss is 1st Gm car I would buy to this date ( as far a new 90s car ) so i am with you there.. Now this comment was needed cause you drove both new.,. This was GREAT it was a far better machine it just did not sell for some odd reason.. You say the 44k for a SS and this Marauder was 35k and nobody bought .. The times where bad... 90s the money was around 2003 money was a bit tough. So maybe that played a part
@@bstfordchannel923 I agree. I believe the sticker price on the new Impala SS I test drove nearly $28,000. The sticker price on the Marauder was a little more than $35,000.
I want one...
I take that back...
I want 3!!!! And 5spd with super chargers!!! Gonna make em!!!
sucks i think i want one also ... I have idea to propose to Ford next video
Mercury needed displacement if only they put a lightning motor in there. Also probably would have gave all the suits a coronary. why didn't they attempt a coupe model of the full-size Merc. They could have used it for resurrecting their luxo coupe line of Lincoln to be the' MK IX' or add a V-10 or call it the Zepher .
they plaid it safe, they wanted women to buy it also.. all they had to do was make a 5 speed marauder and then make a Marauder SVT super charger simple. It would have sold
@@bstfordchannel923 absolutely
@@bstfordchannel923 The Triton V10 was the planned powertrain, but the gas guzzler tax made that impossible. The Mustang HO was not an adequate replacement, accelerating only slightly faster than the base 4.6L.
What’s the top speed on a Marauder bc I hear they will cruise at 140 with power to go faster.?
it was Limited to 117 I heard cause anything above the driveshaft started to shake..
I had a 2012 Mustang that I got above 140 several times after I had a tune put in it to bypass the top end speed limiter and I didn’t know it had a 2 piece drive shaft in it. That was the end of me getting much above 100.
With the governor disabled drive shaft balanced! and supercharged fastest I ever got was 175 by GPS pretty scary⚠️ I'll tell you that.
I always dug the Marauders... too bad they pulled the plug... sales numbers too low
strange a lot guys like those honestly.. It just was not any at Malouf NEVER seen on there
@@bstfordchannel923 haaa. wow... he said Malouf... that was a throwback in the memory files...
Thank you BST. You made my Impala SS look good.
of course that car is sweet. I would buy one of those with no question ( I would a 6 speed in that ) and make it cool
I love my MGM. It's got the comfort for taking the family on long trips, its' got the 2.73 rear axle ratio so it gets 27-30 MPG on the highway, yet it still feels sporty (compared to my Elantra and Civic). I'd like to have a Marauder, but I'm not a fan of black cars, not good in desert heat.
lmao black cars are never mt 1st choice either, but I have a lot now... I had many white cars that reason you mentioned.. The long drives is where these cars shine big time with comfort
My grand father bought his 2003 mercury grand marquis LSE in october of 2002 for 27k cash. Years later I am into panthers and now own his LSE, I asked why did you not by a marauder, he says a marawho??? He had no idea ford mercury made this car. In my grand father knowledge he thought he had the top of the line car. So the dealership he bought it from Landon of thousands oaks didn't even have these on there show room floor too sell. My grandfather said if he knew about these he would have had no problem buying one and wish he did know about them. He thi is having an extra 100 ponies is needed lol. I really think ford mercury could have marketed them better. It's like toyota with there current supra, there is no damn commercials for the car and I never even see them for being a brand new car on the road, Just watch those will be cut cause sales are too low.
Great write up Alex and i was like you Grand father to.. i had no clue about the car until 2009 ish.. I was like what is that? I really though somebody customized the car ( iwas like that smooth ) until I seen another I was ok what is this and then i was like wow.. I really do think ONLY HUGE Lincoln/Mercury Dealers had the car and only 1 or 2 maybe.. This was great read Alex i really enjoyed this..
Should of put the 390 hp cobra motor in it. Even the f150 had a hot motor
true Brandon but it had other issue vs that ruclips.net/video/BO0QiZ4qzGw/видео.html
Mercury should have been Ford's performance brand. Like what Chrysler(Stellantis🙄) has going on with all their SRT products.
ahhhhhh I see what your saying that can be, but mainly thats Mustang now..
Love the shirts!!! And the marauders!!😀😀😀
Thank you for that Corey! The Marauders are sweet
Why didn't ford just make the marauder parts,like the v-8 dohc etc.an option box(boxes) for the vics,marquis,and lincs. That would have given more variety ,and some cool combos.
i see what your saying.. that would work but the parts would be tough to keep up.. I would rather this have place where they will totally take Panther Vic or GM ( revamp it ) for you and make a Certified Marauder .
I had two of these. First one was a black 2003 300A. The second one was a silver 2004 which I supercharged with a Trilogy supercharger. The reason the car died was because the Marauder was supposed to get a supercharger. Engineers made one and took it to then head of Mercury Elana Ford. She didn't like it and killed it. That was the stake in the heart of the Marauder. Anyway, I loved the ones I had. Wish I still had my silver right now.
Yup she did a guy put me on to this... I will mention this in the next video... It really did not make sense why she did it... So odd
You should check out Motor City Marauders on Facebook.
Love your videos. I like them stock but what a canvas for a build.
They should have done was to put a 5.4l doch from the navigator and supercharge it with a 6 speed
dang! lmao that would have been cool but the car would not be balanced ... That would have been the issue if they did.. they just needed a supercharger
The crown vic police car was almost the same car
semi close
In for a shirt!!!!!! Ok I'm done making a mess of your comments BST. :)
I do the same thing Mr Black 😂
it cool Mr Black lmao I done it on your also.. I love you cars and I love your style...I have to copy that rear adjustable spring deal
Guy down the street has a red '64, I drool a little when he rolls past my house. I have the trans apart in my '03, putting some goodies in it.
this guy by my house has a cool ride, but man I need some coin lol... get that trans together brother just take your time
Underpowered and not advertised. Elena Ford wanted to take Mercury in a direction to appeal to woman. This car did not fit that direction so any excuse to kill this car off was used. That excuse came in early 2004 when a pricing mistake on intake manifolds from Roush was priced way too high and made the project too expensive to continue it into 2005. Along with slow sales and almost zero marketing, the plug was pulled and only 11,052 cars between 03/04 were produced and sold. This information came from Steve Babcock who was the marauder project leader. I’ve met him several times at Marauder related events.
this was GREAT COMMENT thank you for telling me this cause what I was reading was not adding up... I felt somewhere there was something or someone ( putting a cap ) on this car. 1st I never seen the car.. 2nd it was perfect as it was paired with simple things to make it cool ( so a good price point ) to keep creating it...3rd they did not push more marketing ( Music video or movie spots ) nothing.. So if she created this it would have been a MAJOR thing.. So it proves the Shelby theory in way.. Its crazy... I may have to use this in the next video... This would a cool thing.. Thats why i love the comment section
I walked into a Chevrolet dealership in 1994 and saw the impala ss . The price was 44k in 1994.
Now if anyone can explain to me how the impala turned into a goddam cavalier, I'd love to hear that excuse, because dodge didn't shit the bed on the charger or challenger, they actually got *better*.
Just say both Ford and Chevrolet fucked up. Who the hell wants a cookie cutter SUV or pickup truck? I want to drive cars dammit! 🔥😡
Bro you had a damn good show today!
I second this comment
lmao thank you for this comment AND I FEEL your passion on this.. We could have been in the 4dr sedan game hard BOTH sides. They keep doing this coupe thing and small.. You have to remember this the WORLD are not car guys... there is a million of us that go out and buy cars.. they are far more NORMALS that just buy cars.. Thats the issue
I would of enjoyed it being a ford Maurader more than mercury. I always call my Lincoln town car a ford town car. It has ford written in the rocker panel and all over 🤣
My uncle would always say everyone thought he was driving a crown Victoria , when he would take his Maurader to places back in the day , like when they were new. Non car people just assumed it was a crown Victoria. I think the impala ss def got in the muscle sedan scene perfect timing. The Maurader was a good while after those. Not to say I dislike the Maurader but I’d say I’m a bigger fan of a standard ford crown Victoria over a Maurader
My uncle is who really made the Maurader name matter to me though , he passed away back in 14. I know where his Maurader is tho, that I rode in as a 10 year old.
Also was that a bst shirt your selling ?
love the story about your uncle very true.. that none car guy people ( they did not want to question n) car guys question when they do not know. The car came to early, but the car made advancement to out panthers in plain and police form . so the Marauder really set it off for the 2003-2011 vics.. Great write up LV VA
I think they were in over their head on the project but as you say they did profit . but it was a time going away for these cars in favor of the crossovers and larger SUV market.
Panther sales were eventually at a dropping point and they probably didn't want to compete with the other brands either. im not sure . i know i love mine and take care of it as much as i can . but the motivations are hard to put a touch on.
But they just gave us a car with a rarity and slight appreciation in its value to this date now. and as less and less of these can be found on the road the more sought after they will be.
it made sense to do what they did.. Look at all the the Suv are the wave 100% MR.E85.. All I like is to give the car dudes a taste of heaven thats all.. make a Limited amount thats it
@@bstfordchannel923 for sure. I love the channel. Def got subs out of me for it. I've been trying to increase content. Work life balance makes it hard but I try to stay consistent in my journey with the cars. Keep up the great content!
so sad, they dont make these anymore. cant afford a used one.
lmao me to i am right there hurt with ya curt