[img]a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/pictures/227424.jpg[/img]

Full size
300 horses
rear-wheel drive
Only comes in black

Everything a chubby man could want...

POS or what?

Tempting, but I have not been impressed with Ford products.  We have an Expedition that, while it is currently running well, just feels cheap I guess.  Plus Ford can't seem to put a nice seam between body panels.  When it was in for service I was checking out the Thunderbird.  For a 40 grand car the seams are very wide and inconsistent and the paint had quite a bit of orange peel to it.

How much does that go for? Hopefully around the low thirties at most.

Once again, the concept sure is tempting though.

The Crown Vic/Grand Marquis that they built the Maurauder from is Fords best vheicle, there should be little trouble.

Consider buying a computer chip for it, because Ford is shipping them with a speed governer in the computer that limits it to 120 mph.

This is in part to prevent the car from breaking its drive shaft, a problem that has been plaguing the Crown Vic police cars for some years now and which Ford has been unable or unwilling to engineer a solution to OTHER than to keep the vheicles from exceeding 125mph, which is what the police cars are governed to.

Edmunds lists the TMV at just over $34,000. Sounds like a lot for 1970's technology, but then again, this car, along with the Marquis and Ford Crown Vic appear to be the only remaining rear-wheel drive American cars.

I'm also looking at the Toyota Avalon, but there's a lot to be said for rear-wheel drive V8s.

Another thing I am considering is a used BMW 740I or 740IL. Big car, lots of room, but parts are expensive.

I don't want an SUV.

BTW, it has the same engine as the Cobra, but some guys are griping that it's almost criminal to not include the blower kit. Now, that would be a fat man's delight.

Matt-  I was looking at a few '96-'98 740Is before I bought my Suby.  There were quite a few in the Coco times in the low twenties with about 70K on them.  Not bad for a 70K dollar car.  I think it is my favorite large sedan.

Thanks, I saw a lot in there too. My buddy has a '95 740i he bought new. White, with aftermarket wheels and tires. Sweet. Man, I have to say I have never driven such a sweet riding car. Firm, no mush, but not bumpy. Just solid. I drove it from Santa Cruz to Dublin once and I was stoked. And I normally don't give a sh*t about cars.

The only issue is if you have to have work done on it, it kills you. You can get Ford parts for next to nothing, but BMW really jams you.

Wow! Ford builds an Impala SS fighter...six years late.

Do they still make it?

Like the original 1969 Marauder it's a day late and a dollar short.  The original was Ford's attempt to recapture some of the "personal luxury cart" market.  Ford invented the market with the 1958 T-Bird then lost it in the mid-1960's to the Pontiac Grand Prix, Buick Riviera, Olds Toronado and Caddy Eldo.

The original Marauder was a Ford copy of a 1968 Grand Prix.  The badge lasted two years then died for lack of interest.

Guess there are enough cop shops out there with more money than sense.  Expected.

I'm really interested in what's available today. Full size, V8, rear-wheel drive. If Chevrolet has such a beast, what the hell is it? The only Impala I can find is a front-wheel drive 2.8L six.

Unfortunately, the SS can now only be found in used car lots.  It is still on my "want" list though.  If I can find a decent deal on a low mileage one from 96, I might spring for it to replace my aging Stratus in a few years.

The dealers out here are asking up to $22k if it has low miles (less than 70k). Sounds a tad high for a 6 year-old Chevy. Of course, by all means it's not a standard Impala.

I like it...but it does seem a bit pricey.  Ford should make a bundle on them.  I'll bet it goes like hell if you get somebody to fix up the computer.

I drove a rental Crown Vic last year and liked it a lot.

A couple of years ago, when it came time to replace Momma's Honda Accord that met it's end as the baloney in an I-95 sandwich, we shopped around and finally narrowed our choices down to the Toyota Avalon (VERY nice...loads of goodies.) and the Infiniti I-30 (Also very nice...plus FAST.)  Momma chose the I-car...for about $31k.  She really likes the car, especially the horsepower (237)...and how she can merge easily onto the interstate.  Where she'd have to pause with her anemic Honda, she now jumps on the I-car and gets right in there.  Its loaded with airbags all over the place...side ones too.  The seats are kinda weird...if you're rear-ended, the front seats sort of collapse to provide max support for your back and neck.  Never tried it but it's supposed to work well.

I especially like the two-position memory automatic drivers' seat.  Touch of a button and the seat assumes one of two pre-set positions.  Neat.  The Bose sound system will blow your ears off...but the Missus won't let me turn it up.

The dealer's service writer told me that when they first got the 2001 I-30 that year, they took it out on the Capital Beltway around 0400 and ran it up to 134mph.  He said it would go faster but they got scared.  Uhuh...me too.

The I-30 is no more...having morphed into the I-35.  FWIW, the Avalon ride is a bit cushier.

All good cars, but for the bucks...I'd check out some alternatives to the Marauder.

Sometimes person to person sales are better.  every once in a while an older lady will sell a jewel of a car for a song.

People are always trying to buy my grandfathers '76 Ford Bronco with 30,000 miles on it for $10,000-$15,000.  "What am I going to replace it with?" he always asks.  Another $15,000 Bronco?  Not likely.

It is always worth a try though.

First time I seen one of these was at the local dealer..  I was definately impressed with the looks of it.  Definately one sweet looking ride.  

Would I get one?? Probably not unless I had that much extra money to play with. If I was going to buy a car in that price range, I would be getting a BMW 330CI which will definately be fun to drive and will probably get double the amount of milege on the vehicle.  

Go to crownvic.net to get the skinny on them.

Crown Vics and Grank Marquis are 2 of the best cars made in the US. I have a 99 with the High Performance Package and it is absolutely super. Best car I have ever owned. No problems in 81k. Even with the SOHC 4.6 it is damn quick for a 4000lb car.

Edmunds.com rates them as a used best buy.

BrenLover

In typical GM fashion they killed it in 1996.  I bought one of the last ones on the lot in 1997.  It still is a kick-ass car.

I think these cars are slick.If you want a rear drive, fullsize(American idea of fullsize)V8 its the only game in town.All blacked out with fat wheels,IMO a real cool ride.Just because it sports a 281" motor ,don't let that fool you,there are plenty of fullsize trucks runnin around with the same thing and they've got plenty of grunt.There are always the common little things you can do to squeeze more power like chip,intake,pullies ect.

If you did drop some bills on the supercharger kit(shoulda offered it from the factory)you'd have one badass ride.
If I had a need for a large car I'd definatly be looking to get into one of these.

That is the salient point, isn't it? It's a totally cool car, but it's based on dated technology and priced up there with SUVs. If you want something full-sized, but don't want an SUV and can't afford a new BMW 740, this is your car. I think it's overpriced by about $4k. The bottom line Crown Vic is about $24, and although this car is cool as hell, it's $10k more than the Vic. I have to ask myself if it's worth it. If it was $29k, it would be more appealing. For $34k, it should come with the blower kit.



I really can't get comfortable in the mid-sized cars, so I ruled everything out other than the Avalon and perhaps a used BMW 740.

Damn! If I get this car my brothers will call me an idiot for buying a new car. They always buy used and fix them up as necessary. Not to mentions all the guns I could buy. he he

If you like the Marauder, look at the Crown Vic LX Sport, most of the toys but only 236 HP, can you say blower.  Nice looking car 26K loaded.  May be in my future.  Jeff

I don't think the Marauder is the news here,it's the fact that American car makers finally get it!
Stop trying to out Jap the Japs and just make big ass cars with V8s,cheap and small is not Detroit's thing.
Every time they try to build cars that way they come out to cheap and too small!

SVT trucks,Marauders,new Caddies,Chevy SSR,ZO6s and a host of other goodies sends a auto nut like me off in to lala-land like Bill Klinton on a pantie raid.

Guys like you are funny! 1970s hu? do you mean the ECU running the fuel sys. or the 20mpg?

See you on the race track BMW boy[:D]just look out of your windshield.

"but it's based on dated technology and priced up there with SUVs."

Whats with this crap about old technology,either it works or not.

BMW does not make one damn thing that could so much as read the plates on a ZO6 and it's a push rod small block Chevy.
That piece of technology came out in the 50s but still won back to back 1st place finishes at LaMans this year and last.

May the EROs should put all that RD money in to making a less gay SUV[:P]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38444-2002Aug2.html


washingtonpost.com

The V-8 Power and the 302-hp Glory

By Warren Brown
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 4, 2002; Page N01


Automotive journalists are notorious backsliders. We are as addicted to speed and horsepower as some people are to alcohol and drugs. This causes inconsistency in our lives and views.

We sometimes get religion, and we agree that, yeah, it makes little sense to produce big cars with big engines when the global climate is heating up and when tempers are flaring over access to the world's oil reserves.

But we never become the kind of environmentalists who seem more interested in controlling lives and consumer choice than they are in controlling pollution. Still, some of us reform our lives enough to at least consider alternatives to the internal combustion engine. We even feel a bit pious about that modest conversion.

Then something like the 2003 Mercury Marauder comes along. It's a big car, painted gloss black. It's menacing in stance and demeanor. It looks serious in the way that an unmarked police cruiser looks serious and intimidating.

Everything about the Marauder speaks to power. It has big, 18-inch-diameter wheels, wider in the back than in the front, so that more rubber is planted on the pavement when power flows to its rear wheels. That's a whole lot of power, too! The Marauder comes with a 4.6-liter V-8 that puts out 302 horsepower at 5,750 revolutions per minute and 318 pound-feet of torque at 4,250 rpm. What's a recovering speed freak to do?

I tried to ignore the Marauder. There were other vehicles in the driveway when it showed up at my place. There were more responsible models, such as the oh-so-practical 2003 Subaru Forester wagon and the 2003 Toyota Corolla. But in the presence of the Marauder, those goody-goodmobiles were too weak to woo a wavering penitent away from the road to perdition. I got into the Marauder, touched its racing-style gauges, and fell in lust.

The peculiar thing about sin is that you don't feel the least bit ashamed when you're enjoying it. This is especially true when power is a part of the pleasure. Other motorists repeatedly mistook the Marauder for a police car. Speeders slowed down and tailgaters pulled back when they saw it coming. It's no wonder. The Marauder shares the same frame used for the Ford Crown Victoria and the Mercury Grand Marquis -- the favorite cars of police departments nationwide.

That frame has been updated for 2003. It's 24 percent more rigid than the frame previously used in Ford's full-size, five-passenger sedans. Ford also employed a front sub-frame on which are mounted various suspension components in the Marauder. The upshot is a heavy sedan (4,165 pounds) that moves with the confidence and stability of a smaller sports car.

Ford accomplished something of the same magic back in the 1960s (1963, 1964, 1965 and 1969), when it turned the Mercury Monterey, Montclair and Park Lane sedans into full-size hot rods. Those cars still have a passionate following among graying believers in "buy America."

But whether that trick will work again in an America concerned about its energy future, and where younger buyers are turning to smaller cars, is another question. And for the moment, it's one I prefer not to answer. I like this car. I want to drive it a little longer.

Join Warren Brown at 11 a.m. Wednesday at www.washingtonpost.com/liveonline for "Real Wheels," his live discussion about cars.



© 2002 The Washington Post Company


Nuts & Bolts


Complaints: The Marauder might be the right car to pick up Mercury's sagging image, but it's arguably the wrong car for the times. A big, roaring engine in a world where the environment is barely squeaking by somehow seems out of place.

Praise: God, I love that big, roaring engine! Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!

Head-turning quotient: The intimidator. Move over. Get out of its way.

Ride, acceleration and handling: Unbelievably good in all three categories. It's the most fun you can have in a full-size sedan -- almost.

Layout: Front-engine, rear-wheel drive.

Engine/transmission: The standard 4.6-liter, 300-horsepower V-8 is linked to a standard, electronically controlled, four-speed automatic transmission.

Capacities: The Marauder seats five adults and carries 20.6 cubic feet of luggage. Fuel capacity is 19 gallons. Use premium unleaded for this one.

Mileage: I barely averaged 19 miles per gallon in city and highway driving.

Safety: Standard anti-lock brakes and side air bags.

Price: Base price is $33,790. Dealer invoice is $30,926. Price as tested is $34,495, including a $705 destination charge.

Purse-strings note: If Mercury sells enough Marauder sedans, it will produce a Marauder convertible. So, do a convertible-loving friend a favor and buy the sedan.

Does anyone else expect when you see the name Maruader, some kick ass 3/4 ton 4WD?

It looks awful expensive to me.

My Mom had a 1963 Mercury Marauder with the 390 4-bbl.
Yellow with a white top.
I learned to drive in that car.
Bitchin'.

GM is my preference, but, I secretly lust after a Ford "CopCar".  They just look really cool. [:D]

The new Maruader looks decent.  Go for it!
You just have to put on some "Steve McQueen" exhaust, though.

Why have a nuetered Nissan when you can get a Nissan Skyline V35..errr I mean the Infiniti G-35. Rear wheel drive, 260 hp engine.

I have a friend who bought a 96 Impalla. Me and he boyfriend installed a 160 degree thermostat,
Hypertech chip, 52 mm throttle body, K&N cold-air intake and smaller pullies. She sent it out to have a Borla cat-back put in it and a B&M shift kit.
Even though the interior is so friggin cheap looking it is a blast to drive.

smarty_pants is a fitting handle, isn't it? he he

We're talking sedans here, not muscle cars. The kind of people who can afford a new 740i (not me) are probably less interested in raw power than comfort, reliability, and style. Those who are interested in raw power, handling, and quality and have the money would opt for an M5 or a Porche. Again, not me. I'm too po for that. The ZO6 is cool as hell, as is the Vette, Viper, and those sporty cars, but I don't fit comfortably in mid-sized cars, so my options are limited.

Anyway, I'm not looking for a sports car or a race car, just a rear-wheel drive, full-sized car with a little bit of muscle for those days when I'm not driving the wife and baby around.

I know what you mean,I just wanted to touch on your point about technology.

To tell you the truth I am an SUV anyway.

I personally like the Ford Crown Vics as I drive one almost all the time at work. I wouldn't mind a Merc Maurauder, but only after a few mods...black-tint windows, police strobe lights package, supercharger.

I love it too, wanted to get one but two things held me back: lack of traction control and price. I'm looking at getting the Caddy Fleetwood of that year. It's a monster, but it's the same thing under the hood as the Impala with computer controlled traction control, nearly half the price for half the mileage.

GM has been wanting to import the Holden Caprice for awhile now, not sure why it hasn't happen. Don't you love it? The Arabs get current model, brand-new rear-wheel drive Caprices with Corvette LS1 engine and all we get is a front wheel drive "Impala" with a 3.8L V8.

yes

I guess when you live in a barren, endless sand dune dotted with refineries every 12 feet, you don't really worry about polluting your air with hydrocarbons.

Anyway, I'm sure it's a MPG or emissions issue. Either that or they don't want the Caprice to threaten Corvette sales (as if it could.)

Pisses me off also!  Too bad the Monaro / GTO is going to cost around  $40K.

[url]http://www.holden.com.au/app/gmbp/au/en/gmbp/gmbp/homepage[/url]

Xanadu, and what do you base that opinion on? Do you own one?
BrenLover

It's better than an import, but a 'Fix Or Repair Daily' none the less...

GM
LS1 350
300+ HP...
25MPG Highway (in the Firebird, anyhow)
Several car-styles to pick from (less 2 for '03, RIP F-Body)...

How do you know?

"It's better than an import, but a 'Fix Or Repair Daily' none the less..."
You speak of experience with CVs?

Brand loyalty in cars is so friggin stupid (almost as stupid as Gun maker loyalties) as most car companies put out very similarly reliable products now.

My current ford has 81k and is a 99 and has had not one problem NOTHING. My last I sold at 231k and it is still going, still runs well and has a nioce body and interior (90 Ranger 4x4). 90% of car longevity and reliability is owner maintenence. My CV gets 25mpg easily and weighs 4100lbs, its like riding a couch thats on rails and has a jato assist.
BrenLover

On the subject of GM killing cars, WTH on killing the Firebird/Camaro. RWD, V8, and a whole lot better looking than the Holden 'GTO' with the Aztec shovel-nose.

I just wanted the chance to get at least ONE new one in my lifetime... As it stands, the 'newest' I'll get is a 1995...

And yes, it's 1970's technology (ex the SFI induction system, and 'reverse flow' design in the 93-97 cars), but I'd personally prefer a N/A 300-349hp '1970's' V8 to a Jap-style turbo-4 or 'ultra-high-tech' 260hp V6. Easier on the wallet in terms of parts and (not having to pay for) labor. Simplicity has it's virtues (in cars and other things too (M1911)).

I agree fully, I love the F-body and will miss it. The LT-1 is not old-tech, it is mearly older tech, updated with the LS-1 being the latest culmination of the overall design. Its a fantastic engine. So is the 32V DOHC 4.6 and 5.4L, they rev like mad and sound SO good!

BrenLover

Simplicity absolutely has it's virtues. But as a rule of thumb, 30 year-old technology should be cheaper than current technology. That doesn't seem to be the case with automobiles.