The Car Thread ... !

[44267547]

Check this out:

Talked to my buddy down in Chicago last night. If anyone’s interested, he has a 2004 Mercury Marauder factory supercharged 4.6l that he will be placing for sale. It has approximately 60,000 miles, one owner and has about $10,000 in stainless upgrades with the exhaust/engine components. They only made 11,052 supercharged Marauders, and his model is #152 off the line. The supercharged editions are extremely rare, and even more so, difficult to find with low mileage/excellent condition. I suspect he will venture to BaT, given He has all the original documentation and is the sole owner.

His starting price is $35,000.

Direct pic from the engine bay:

 

[MacBH928]

Apologies for any grammar mistakes

Plus, what I like about BaT, is that the actually hold the buyers accountable to make the purchase, as there is a deposit required on the vehicle if you win the auction -v.s.- eBay Motors, where there’s no accountability held to the buyer whatsoever.

Whats the point of a bid if you are not accountable over it? Your official bid should be a binding contract that only a higher bid cancels it.

I have plenty of times.

I've driven cars(often without more than a cursory look at the tires before driving to make sure they're halfway serviceable) and said "These tires are absolute crap and need to go."

Even at the high end from the big names(Michelin, Bridgestone, etc) you often have two major lines of tires, the "sport" tires and the "grand touring" tires. Sport tires are usually somewhat lighter(in something like a 235/50/17, which was the size on my previous daily and one where I experimented with tires a fair bit) something like a Michelin Pilot Sport A/S(sport tire) was ~20lbs, while the OEM spec "touring" MXM4 was 25lbs.

Touring tires usually give up a bit of dry traction for better wet traction and low temp traction. The often use somewhat harder rubber(not too much harder) to give a good balance of performance and life, and the tread pattern is often designed for low noise and smooth riding(which you can feel both in the seat of your pants and in the steering wheel).

Sport tires usually have softer rubber, which gives better traction than a touring tire as long as the pavement is warm enough, but comes at the expense of tread life. The tread pattern is somewhat more aggressive, and gives better dry traction(often at the expense of some wet traction, although a street tire can't safely sacrifice too much wet traction) but usually is noisier and not as smooth riding. "Summer" rated tires can be dangerous below about 50ºF, while All Season can handle somewhat lower temperatures although they are not as good as a more general purpose tire at lower temperatures(and really not as good as a true winter tire).

Over the years, I've had touring tires from Michelin(MXM4 and some other related lines), Bridgestone(Turanza Serinity) and Pirelli(Centurato). I'd rate the Michelins best in ride quality/noise and overall wet/dry traction balance. The Pirellis were the noisiest but I thought gave the best dry traction. The Bridgestones are a good middle ground and I felt like had the best wet traction. One point Michelin has been emphasizing the last few years is that they claim better traction toward EOL than many other tires when new. I could reliably get 40K miles out of any of them. I've stuck to Michelin Pilots for sport tires, but get maybe 20-25K miles out of them.

Below those two tire classes, you can run into more economy tires. Many times these use harder rubber that gives great life ratings but can hurt traction. A more aggressive tread pattern often makes up for this somewhat, but makes them noisy.

Basically your standard all season street tire is a balance of a couple of factors-dry traction, wet traction, noise and ride quality, and tread life. You can't really improve one factor without giving on some of the others, and it can be a matter of finding the right balance that fits your application.

As an example, many higher end passenger sedans will ship with a touring tire, which really is a great meeting point of all of those factors. For sportier trims that can benefit from more traction, a sport tire may benefit the driver who understands its strengths and limitations.

And, of course, many folks no matter what the price will go into a tire store and buy the least expensive correct size for their car. This is especially true as wheel sizes have crept up, and you get hit with $300+ per tire for say a 19" Michelin or Continental run-flat, and those Dorals or Generals or whatever start looking appealing. I don't skimp on tire quality, but many people do balk at the cost of good tires.

BTW, my personal leaning is toward Michelin first and Bridgestone second, but Pirelli, Continetal, Yokohama, and several others make great tires. Even among "economy" brands, a lot of MG owners love the General Altimax(the selection of tires in our size is limited, and the OEM Pirelli Centurato carcass that's no longer made by Pirelli and is now a 60 year old tread design is only available in the US through one specialty supplier I know of for about $250 each).

Also, that's ignoring other big factors. In general, tall sidewalls give a better ride but "roll" in turns, while short sidewalls have less flex for sharper turning but also less to soak up road bumps.

So do you have a different tire set for each season?
How can I tell the type of tire I am buying? Do they officially name them "summer","touring"...etc? How do I pick the best for my specific car?

As for tire prices, some products come much more expensive and while better they are only marginally better. So if a $300 tire will give me only 10% better performance over a $100 tire, maybe I should go with the $100 one.

I would like to pay respect to the product that is the tire and the inventor of it. While we buy electronics and fail all the time, these "rubber" things see the worst of things between high speeds, 5000+ RPM, weight of car, bumps, friction with asphalt stone, they see all types of dirt and liquids under many different weather conditions....yet they keep giving and working for a long long long time. You can even drive one with patterns that faded into silk smooth surface and it will still work. Sometimes I really believe they can build a product that last forever....like that Centennial Bulb that has been on for 117 in a firefighting department.

Check this out:

Talked to my buddy down in Chicago last night. If anyone’s interested, he has a 2004 Mercury Marauder factory supercharged 4.6l that he will be placing for sale. It has approximately 60,000 miles, one owner and has about $10,000 in stainless upgrades with the exhaust/engine components. They only made 11,052 supercharged Marauders, and his model is #152 off the line. The supercharged editions are extremely rare, and even more so, difficult to find with low mileage/excellent condition. I suspect he will venture to BaT, given He has all the original documentation and is the sole owner.

His starting price is $35,000.

Direct pic from the engine bay:

View attachment 950886

I thought this model was called Mercury grand marquis. Honestly, I wouldn't heavily mod one of those yet still unique.

While we are on the topic, why do you think people abandoned larger sized vehicles like the Mercury grand marquis, Chevrolet caprice, and Lincoln towncar? Those used to be in every house and were really comfortable to drive and ride. Another thing I noticed is that SUVs weren't popular pre-90s(or even up until mid-90s really) but now they are overtaking the sedan market. Pre-90s they seemed something closer to a "farmer's truck" than a family car or daily driver.

 

[bunnspecial]

So do you have a different tire set for each season?
How can I tell the type of tire I am buying? Do they officially name them "summer","touring"...etc? How do I pick the best for my specific car?

As for tire prices, some products come much more expensive and while better they are only marginally better. So if a $300 tire will give me only 10% better performance over a $100 tire, maybe I should go with the $100 one.

I don't have different tires for seasons because it doesn't get cold enough here nor does it snow enough to benefit from a true winter/snow tire other than a handful of days a year.

In colder climates, winter tires are definitely a thing. A lot of people will have a full set of spare rims with snow tires on them that they stick on in November or so and leave until March or April. At low temperature and frequent, heavy snow you should have them.

I can dig out of a few inches of snow with a good all season as long as I do it right. If I had to deal with snow basically constantly in those months as many do, I'd have a set.

Yes, usually the spec sheet will ID the tire type.

Also, you say if a $300 tire is only 10% better...I say what's that 10% worth?

Your tires are the ONLY part of your car touching the ground. They handle braking and steering, and often both at the same time.

On clear, dry straight roads, a $100 tire will probably perform the same as a $300 tire provided that you drive sanely.

99.99% percent of the time, depending on how you drive, you won't see a difference between them either.

The problem is that .01% of the time can be the difference between stopping in time or hitting another car, or staying on the road rather than ending up in a ditch. What's your car worth? More importantly, what's your life worth?

In other words, buy a tire rated for how you drive, and buy the best you can.

I thought this model was called Mercury grand marquis. Honestly, I wouldn't heavily mod one of those yet still unique.

The early 2000s Marauder was a Panther platform car(Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, Town Car) with the 32V DOHC 4.6L modular that only had a handful of applications-the 97-02 Lincoln Continental, the Lincoln Mark VIII, the Navigator(I think) and probably a few others. It's considered a bit of a high strung engine, but I've been around several and never had issues with them. It's a fair bit more powerful than 16V SOHC engine you'd normally find in the Grand Marquis. It's paired with the stiffer suspension of the Crown Vic based Police Interceptor.

To round out the package, you got a body kit including a rear bumper with "Marauder" molded into it, smoked tail lights, special 5-spoke rims with the Mercury "God Head" logo in the center, the God Head stitched into the seats, and an added instrument cluster with oil pressure and a few other gauges in the center console. There may be a few other things I'm missing.

It was in the same vein as the 94-96 Chevy Impala SS, which was a B body with the 5C1 police package and some cosmetic changes. Most significant of those was a wider rear axle that made the car look less "bloated."
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They only made 11,052 supercharged Marauders, and his model is #152 off the line. The supercharged editions are extremely rare, and even more so, difficult to find with low mileage/excellent condition.

Not to downplay the Marauder, but there were 11,052 total Marauders made.

Only a very small number(I'd guess probably less than 500, but don't have hard numbers) had the SVT package, which included the SC.

 

[Ifti]

New car - had it a few months now. Loving all the tech!......

BMW X5 (G05)

 

[LightBulbFun]

including a switch in powerplants, but fundamentally the sheet metal didn't change until it was discontinued in 2000(?).

AFAIK the Mini (that is the proper Mini, not a BMW Medium) retained the A series engine right until the end, making the A series engine one of the longest engines in production

from 1951 to 2000!

Around that time, BMW bought the rights to the name, and did a clean-sheet design in the same vein as the original. It gained some weight and some "bloat" to be inline with modern safety standards/expectations, but kept a lot of the character, including the sharp, direct handling.

the "BMW" MINI was actually a Rover design, it just never quite made it to market before BMW bought the right to the name etc (BMW got in bed with Rover stripped it of all its valuable assets and then just left it to die)

the early BMW minis are all known by code names R50 R52 R53 and R56 R57 with that R standing for Rover

I remember seeing either a really early one or maybe a prototype, that had Rover names on it, show up on ebay a year or 2 ago, wonder what happened to that

 

[MagicBoy]

There's a UK club for the early "new" Minis - https://miniyregister.co.uk/

Y being the registration prefix from 1st March 2001 - 31st August 2001 - which covers the early cars with low VIN numbers that were used mainly as press and dealer demo cars before public sales commenced.

 

[D.T.]

In terms of being "hard" on an engine-superchargers do pull power right off the crank. Turbos are a(functional) restriction in the exhaust. Both will "rob" power from the engine, albeit in different ways, but the(not insignificant) power used to drive them is used in such a way that there's a huge net benefit to the performance. I've seen folks say that turbos are scavenging "wasted" power and don't rob engine power like superchargers do-that's incorrect. There's no free lunch, and the engine still has to overcome what's needed to spin the turbo.

Modern turbo implementations are extremely efficient, it used to be way more of concern about effecting scavenging, etc., but - for example - the S55 used in the M3/4, M2 Comp, I've read some really deep dives into the design since I was cross shopping an M car (uses two manifolds, electric WGs, flow bypasses, etc.), there's minor negative impact and not even in the ballpark vs. a supercharger (even modern execution of the latter). Things have come a LONG way since the Dodge 2.2L turbo K-cars

The 2021 3.0L TT in the M cars will be 480HP, 510 in Comp Package config

Let's see, turbo cars I've owned: 4th Gen Supra (stock, modified stock twins, then a single turbo conversion), RX7 (2nd and 3rd gen), and yes, hahaha, I had a Daytona Turbo, with the aforementioned, ubiquitous 2.2L I4 turbo

Still have not owned anything supercharged, but I keep telling myself to buy, then NOT to buy a supercharger setup for the GT. The Coyote really responds to FI, and it's almost as expensive to do a max effort NA build (due to the complex valvetrain, 4 cams, etc.)

I don't know if I'll wind up with a supercharged car - or - an EV first

Hmmm...that tire talk is interesting, I never did drive a car and though "those tires are awesome!" or "man this car needs different set of tires" and never heard one that did. A

Depends where you're coming from, I mean, I used to do quite a few track days, so tires were a huge factor (along with brakes, wheels, cooling, alignment, fluids, etc.), there's a little more concern coming out of a 1xxMPH straight into Turn 17 at Sebring, which exits right up near a concrete wall - vs. the all season OEM tires on a car used to drive to the grocery store.

The point being, there's some nuance in tires that are only experienced at extreme limits.

New car - had it a few months now. Loving all the tech!......

BMW X5 (G05)

I continue to love the X5 designs, we had a 4.4i, it was a "2nd Gen" E53 (i.e., post facelift) it was the first car our little G rode in (took her home from the hospital in it).

 

[44267547]

Only a very small number(I'd guess probably less than 500, but don't have hard numbers) had the SVT package, which included the SC.

He said something about ‘521 models‘ were produced For the supercharged variant. He was telling me that his Marauder could keep up with his 2010 magna-charged SS.

He offered it to me for $30,000, which I’m very fond of the crown-Vics given my history with them over the years. I had a 2011 white Crown Vic P71 that was my personal car until I sold that years ago. Those cars were actually deceivingly quick and you can’t replace the sound of the 4.6 Windsor. One of thee, if not most robust squad cars ever created. (The 5.7 AWD Charger {Model year 14-19} being the next runner-up.)

 

[bunnspecial]

He said something about ‘521 models‘ were produced For the supercharged variant. He was telling me that his Marauder could keep up with his 2010 magna-charged SS.

TBH, I'd have been really tempted to grab it for $30K.

It's hard to find a good, clean low mileage standard Marauder these days for half that. Adding an aftermarket supercharger to one probably would drive the total price up to close to that number, and you get the satisfaction of the uncommon SVT variant that was built in the factory.

If it hits BAT, it will be interesting to see what it brings. I imagine it will get a fair bit of attention at least, and attention usually means strong bidding.

 

[LightBulbFun]

you can’t replace the sound of the 4.6 Windsor

I assume you mean Modular V8?

the Windsor was long replaced by the modular V8 by that generation of police car, and the windsor did not come in 4.6L form normally AFAIK?

(while on the subject of Panther bodies I wonder if anyone ever made a RHD one?)

 

[D.T.]

I assume you mean Modular V8?

the Windsor was long replaced by the modular V8 by that generation of police car, and the windsor did not come in 4.6L form normally AFAIK?

(while on the subject of Panther bodies I wonder if anyone ever made a RHD one?)

You are, of course, correct. The Windsor was a series of OHV Ford motors that ended production in 1996, the Marauder used the 4.6L Mod Motor, and in fact, the production version of the car did NOT have an OEM supercharger, another error from the original post:

The 2003–2004 Marauder utilized the Panther platform. Along with sharing heavier-duty brake and suspension components with the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, the Marauder adopted many of the chassis upgrades introduced as part of the 2003 update of the Panther platform; rack-and-pinion steering replaced the long-running recirculating ball design previously used by the Grand Marquis.

In place of the supercharged V8 from the concept vehicle, the 2003 Marauder was fitted with a 302 hp 4.6L DOHC V8[13]; paired with a 4-speed 4R70W automatic (4R75W for 2004), the engine was shared with the Mustang Mach 1 and Lincoln Aviator. The Marauder shared its limited-slip differential (and 3.55:1 rear-axle ratio) with the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor[14], along with its aluminum driveshaft.

Note the underlined: the production 2003-04 vehicle had a NA, DOHC V8. So this:

If anyone’s interested, he has a 2004 Mercury Marauder factory supercharged 4.6l that he will be placing for sale.

Does not seem to be the case ("factory"), so it appears a 2004 with a supercharger is aftermarket.

 

[44267547]

TBH, I'd have been really tempted to grab it for $30K.

It's hard to find a good, clean low mileage standard Marauder these days for half that. Adding an aftermarket supercharger to one probably would drive the total price up to close to that number, and you get the satisfaction of the uncommon SVT variant that was built in the factory.

If it hits BAT, it will be interesting to see what it brings. I imagine it will get a fair bit of attention at least, and attention usually means strong bidding.

So I think it was like two weeks ago, that I was watching a Marauder that I stumbled across on the BaT and it sold for around $30,000, maybe slightly under. (I wasn’t interested in purchasing, but more or less just seeing where the final Number landed.)

So here’s two other examples of Marauders on B that sold for around the $20,000 mark with mid range miles, maybe one/two owners:

41k-Mile 2003 Mercury Marauder

Bid for the chance to own a 41k-Mile 2003 Mercury Marauder at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #25,714.

bringatrailer.com

One-Owner 2003 Mercury Marauder

Bid for the chance to own a One-Owner 2003 Mercury Marauder at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #27,452.

bringatrailer.com

To be honest, I probably wouldn’t pay $30k for that the price I was offered in Chicago. Realistically, I think that’s just a car that really has to have a special following for that particular platform, and I just prefer to have some ‘newer age tech‘ in the current GEN of V8’s.

So get this, he told me that this Marauder is so clean, that he actually put it up on his lift in his garage and waxed/under coated the entire underbody of the car. And I thought I was extreme at detailing!

Some of these auctions are aggressive. You’ll see guys throw around $10,000 increments in bidding, As compared to eBay motors, it’s bids usually in increments of $500 or less. So I think the Marauder is the perfect candidate for BaT to float some serious cash, as there are guys who truly love these cars. I guesstimate it will probably sell under 40K, I doubt it will go north of that, even though he’s claiming he has the cleanest Marauder in the country. (This is the same guy who had custom Billet work done for his Camaro grill.)

I assume you mean Modular V8?

Indeed. Thank you.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Check this out:

Talked to my buddy down in Chicago last night. If anyone’s interested, he has a 2004 Mercury Marauder factory supercharged 4.6l that he will be placing for sale. It has approximately 60,000 miles, one owner and has about $10,000 in stainless upgrades with the exhaust/engine components. They only made 11,052 supercharged Marauders, and his model is #152 off the line. The supercharged editions are extremely rare, and even more so, difficult to find with low mileage/excellent condition. I suspect he will venture to BaT, given He has all the original documentation and is the sole owner.

His starting price is $35,000.

Direct pic from the engine bay:

View attachment 950886

$35K ???

That seems ridiculously over priced to me for what is to me just an old four four sedan. I’d find it hard to imagine it even growing into a future classic.

I’m absolutely gobsmacked at that price point.

 

[44267547]

$35K 🤣🤣🤣

That seems ridiculously over priced to me for what is to me just an old four four sedan. I’d find it hard to imagine it even growing into a future classic.

I’m absolutely gobsmacked at that price point.

It’s not about if it’s a ‘classic’ or not, everybody values vehicles differently based on what they like and appreciate. I just paid $30,000 for a 2001 Ford Mustang Cobra that’s almost 20 years old, Which is exactly what that car was worth 19 years ago factory new. Does make the price point of the car make any less desirable to me? Absolutely not.

If there’s one thing that money has no sense of control over With ‘age’ , it’s vehicles.

For example, I would never pay/invest money into an MG like Bunnspecial, but he sees things differently through what he appreciates, perhaps had an influence on him what he grew up around or what he learned to wrench on, ect . Rather something attributes value or has inflation, it’s all relative to what you feel you should pay for something that you find enjoyment in. And for that, I don’t let age of a vehicle stand in the way of something that I truly want in my garage.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

It’s not about if it’s a ‘classic’ or not, everybody values vehicles differently based on what they like and appreciate. I just paid $30,000 for a 2001 Ford Mustang Cobra that’s almost 20 years old, Which is exactly what that car was worth 19 years ago factory new. Does make the price point of the car make any less desirable to me? Absolutely not.

If there’s one thing that money has no sense of control over With ‘age’ , it’s vehicles.

For example, I would never pay/invest money into an MG like Bunnspecial, but he sees things differently through what he appreciates, perhaps had an influence on him what he grew up around or what he learned to wrench on, ect . Rather something attributes value or has inflation, it’s all relative to what you feel you should pay for something that you find enjoyment in. And for that, I don’t let age of a vehicle stand in the way of something that I truly want in my garage.

Fair point, still seems a heck of a lot of money for such a car. I could buy a Mercedes AMG S63 for 2/3 of that if I wanted a fast luxury sedan.

I guess I’m just not getting what’s great about those cars.

 

[MacBH928]

I don't have different tires for seasons because it doesn't get cold enough here nor does it snow enough to benefit from a true winter/snow tire other than a handful of days a year.

In colder climates, winter tires are definitely a thing. A lot of people will have a full set of spare rims with snow tires on them that they stick on in November or so and leave until March or April. At low temperature and frequent, heavy snow you should have them.

I can dig out of a few inches of snow with a good all season as long as I do it right. If I had to deal with snow basically constantly in those months as many do, I'd have a set.

Yes, usually the spec sheet will ID the tire type.

Also, you say if a $300 tire is only 10% better...I say what's that 10% worth?

Your tires are the ONLY part of your car touching the ground. They handle braking and steering, and often both at the same time.

On clear, dry straight roads, a $100 tire will probably perform the same as a $300 tire provided that you drive sanely.

99.99% percent of the time, depending on how you drive, you won't see a difference between them either.

The problem is that .01% of the time can be the difference between stopping in time or hitting another car, or staying on the road rather than ending up in a ditch. What's your car worth? More importantly, what's your life worth?

In other words, buy a tire rated for how you drive, and buy the best you can.



The early 2000s Marauder was a Panther platform car(Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, Town Car) with the 32V DOHC 4.6L modular that only had a handful of applications-the 97-02 Lincoln Continental, the Lincoln Mark VIII, the Navigator(I think) and probably a few others. It's considered a bit of a high strung engine, but I've been around several and never had issues with them. It's a fair bit more powerful than 16V SOHC engine you'd normally find in the Grand Marquis. It's paired with the stiffer suspension of the Crown Vic based Police Interceptor.

To round out the package, you got a body kit including a rear bumper with "Marauder" molded into it, smoked tail lights, special 5-spoke rims with the Mercury "God Head" logo in the center, the God Head stitched into the seats, and an added instrument cluster with oil pressure and a few other gauges in the center console. There may be a few other things I'm missing.

It was in the same vein as the 94-96 Chevy Impala SS, which was a B body with the 5C1 police package and some cosmetic changes. Most significant of those was a wider rear axle that made the car look less "bloated."
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Not to downplay the Marauder, but there were 11,052 total Marauders made.

Only a very small number(I'd guess probably less than 500, but don't have hard numbers) had the SVT package, which included the SC.

Wow you know all of this about a Mercury...your automobile knowledge must be extensive.

New car - had it a few months now. Loving all the tech!......

BMW X5 (G05)

Wow thats some nice interior, is it modded in any way? I am more of a mercedes guy but the mercedes interior sucks and sorry to say the BMW is much better. When the X5 was released in 2000 it was mind blowing to see a BMW 4x4. The design looks archaic now, but at the time was very revolutionary and unique. The current design which looks basically the same just does not look as impressive as it used to be and I feel the Porsche Cayenne beat BMW with the SUV look which BMW was first at.

I hear BMW are the most fun cars to drive but I keep away from them due to their reliability reputation. I wonder how they compare to Mercedes. I feel like Mercedes by now are just riding the wave of their reputation as a luxury car. Their designs seem so bland to me and uninspired, might as well convert to being a BMW guy. I really hate the modern trend of keep most of the interior the same across all car models. Kills the personality and uniqueness of the car. I am guessing its a money saving scheme.

 

[MacBH928]

Fair point, still seems a heck of a lot of money for such a car. I could buy a Mercedes AMG S63 for 2/3 of that if I wanted a fast luxury sedan.

I guess I’m just not getting what’s great about those cars.

AMG S63 for $20K?
Some cars create a cult following. Some are iconic of certain times or things like the VW van. You are right about comparing them spec for spec, but there is more to it. The Ford Bronco will forever be tied with the OJ Simpson case, it gained some sort of popularity and uniqueness. Sometimes one would be willing to pay much more for a car because its tied to a specific memory, like being his high school car, or nostalgia like his grandfathers SUV. Stuff like that.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

AMG S63 for $20K?
Some cars create a cult following. Some are iconic of certain times or things like the VW van. You are right about comparing them spec for spec, but there is more to it. The Ford Bronco will forever be tied with the OJ Simpson case, it gained some sort of popularity and uniqueness. Sometimes one would be willing to pay much more for a car because its tied to a specific memory, like being his high school car, or nostalgia like his grandfathers SUV. Stuff like that.

True, I get the cult following part. But even so that a fair bit of money for a large sedan with an underpowered V8 in my opinion.

They didn’t do an S63 in 2004, but yes it’s easy to pick up such a car for a 2007 model.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Wow you know all of this about a Mercury...your automobile knowledge must be extensive.



Wow thats some nice interior, is it modded in any way? I am more of a mercedes guy but the mercedes interior sucks and sorry to say the BMW is much better. When the X5 was released in 2000 it was mind blowing to see a BMW 4x4. The design looks archaic now, but at the time was very revolutionary and unique. The current design which looks basically the same just does not look as impressive as it used to be and I feel the Porsche Cayenne beat BMW with the SUV look which BMW was first at.

I hear BMW are the most fun cars to drive but I keep away from them due to their reliability reputation. I wonder how they compare to Mercedes. I feel like Mercedes by now are just riding the wave of their reputation as a luxury car. Their designs seem so bland to me and uninspired, might as well convert to being a BMW guy. I really hate the modern trend of keep most of the interior the same across all car models. Kills the personality and uniqueness of the car. I am guessing its a money saving scheme.

BMW unreliable? Hmm that is the first I hear about them in that context.

Yes Mercedes looks very similar across the range; it has pro and cons. But be not mistaken they do not feel the same at all. Whilst in my opinion the C class models and below feel distinctively according to their price point; it gets very different when you move up the range.

We made that mistake when we downsize from our GLS63 to a GLC43. We didn’t need the size anymore. But it was a shock to the system as to how “low rent” the GLC feels in comparison. And not just the interior material, also how it handles on the road, sound insulation and so on.

In my opinion anything below the E designation range can be had better and cheaper elsewhere.

 

[D.T.]

TBH, I'd have been really tempted to grab it for $30K.

It's hard to find a good, clean low mileage standard Marauder these days for half that. Adding an aftermarket supercharger to one probably would drive the total price up to close to that number, and you get the satisfaction of the uncommon SVT variant that was built in the factory.

Heck, there's quite a few on a few various sale sites, I was curious so I looked around. Here's a 2004 with 64K miles, looks super clean (says as much in the description), for $14,995

Used Mercury Marauder for Sale in Chicago, IL - CarGurus

Browse the best November 2024 deals on Mercury Marauder vehicles for sale in Chicago, IL. Save $4,024 right now on a Mercury Marauder on CarGurus.

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Again, the car was not supercharged, that car being offered isn't stock (that appears to be a Whipple setup). The original prototype was supercharged, but all the production cars were NA:

Instead of the prototype’s supercharged engine, the Marauder got a variation of the naturally aspirated, aluminum DOHC, 32-valve V-8 used in the 2002 Lincoln Aviator and 2003 Mustang Mach 1.

I hear BMW are the most fun cars to drive but I keep away from them due to their reliability reputation. I wonder how they compare to Mercedes. I feel like Mercedes by now are just riding the wave of their reputation as a luxury car. Their designs seem so bland to me and uninspired, might as well convert to being a BMW guy. I really hate the modern trend of keep most of the interior the same across all car models. Kills the personality and uniqueness of the car. I am guessing its a money saving scheme.

Most fun? It depends what kind of experience you want, and there's a ton of fantastic cars available today. I had an S2K, it was a blast to drive, high RPM, really kinetic experience, like driving a go kart Heck, just on exhaust note alone, my GT is more fun than an M Cab

We had 3 BMWs, not really any issues, a few small things that were covered under warranty. I think most of the concerns are repairs out of warranty, my general sentiment is don't own a modern one out of warranty, unless you have a good repair source - we've only leased ours, 3 years, all maintenance covered, return it, start over.

Even non-BMWs I lease the family car, I want it to be hassle free, under warranty, have the newest, most reliable equipment, safety features, etc.

I'm not much of a Mercedes person, but this doesn't seem bland

 

[bunnspecial]

$35K ???

That seems ridiculously over priced to me for what is to me just an old four four sedan. I’d find it hard to imagine it even growing into a future classic.

I’m absolutely gobsmacked at that price point.

For me, I'm an unapologetic fan of the Panther platform, and the Marauder is in a lot of ways sort of a modern-day classic muscle car.

It's a big body on frame car with a decently powerful NA V8(in stock form). No, it doesn't have a big block, huge displacement engine, but it does have a fairly modern V8 with a lot of the tricks Ford knew to get as much power as possible out of it.

Wow you know all of this about a Mercury...your automobile knowledge must be extensive.

They came on my radar back in the late 2000s when I was surrounded by Ford Panther variants in my family and I started reading up on them. At the time, they weren't super old but actually were less expensive than they are now(~$10-15K for clean ones).

There again, they're also the same concept as the 94-96 Impala SS, which I knew of because a friend's dad had one he'd bought new and used as his daily up until ~2003 or so.

They're fun car spotting on the roads too-I doubt I see more than one or two a year, but they stand out in the rear view because of body colored grille, the sides for the big 5 spoke wheels and body kit, and of course the rear for the dual exhaust with big tips and the "Marauder" bumper cover.

 

[bunnspecial]

Again, the car was not supercharged, that car being offered isn't stock (that appears to be a Whipple setup). The original prototype was supercharged, but all the production cars were NA:

Yeah, I commented on that based on a Wiki reference to an SC one being available, but some web crawling doesn't turn it up. I DID find references to a shop that apparently at one time swapped Terminator engines into them routinely(an install that would probably look stock) but the Wiki statement seems in error. My apologies for making it.

 

[D.T.]

Yeah, I commented on that based on a Wiki reference to an SC one being available, but some web crawling doesn't turn it up. I DID find references to a shop that apparently at one time swapped Terminator engines into them routinely(an install that would probably look stock) but the Wiki statement seems in error. My apologies for making it.

Oh yeah, no sweat, that was more in reference to that car and info posted by RP, 152 of #### "supercharged Marauders", it's not a factory setup. It looks like a few supercharger kits for Mustangs of the time were a pretty close direct fit, I mean, probably a bracket change or two, the article I quoted another had a whole Marauder Group, one of the cars shown was supercharged, but clearly documented as aftermarket.

A buddy of mine had an Impala SS (your other post), had a few bolts-ons, a shift kit, later he did a 100-shot dry nitrous setup, that was fun

Anyway, check out that Marauder I linked above, it's pretty nice, and a neat color combo (red/cream).

 

[bunnspecial]

Anyway, check out that Marauder I linked above, it's pretty nice, and a neat color combo (red/cream).

Thanks for the link to that.

Yes, it's sharp looking. I think the red is my favorite of the factory colors they made them in-black is a close second but the silver just looks a little too much like a standard Grand Marquis color for my taste.

I've always liked light interiors also. Around the early 2000s, a lot of FoMoCo products seemed to go to light gray color leather/interior instead of the cream color they used for a few years prior. My dad's first Continental(98) was cream, and the second(01) gray. Same deal on my mom's Town Cars going from 99 to 06. I had kind of a darker tan in my LS(which I liked) but again am not wild about gray in the MKZ. Most of the Marauders I see, again, are gray.

I know a lot of folks like black interiors in dark colored cars, but for whatever reason I've mostly been drawn to the lighter colors.

 

[Ifti]

Wow thats some nice interior, is it modded in any way? I am more of a mercedes guy but the mercedes interior sucks and sorry to say the BMW is much better. When the X5 was released in 2000 it was mind blowing to see a BMW 4x4. The design looks archaic now, but at the time was very revolutionary and unique. The current design which looks basically the same just does not look as impressive as it used to be and I feel the Porsche Cayenne beat BMW with the SUV look which BMW was first at.

I hear BMW are the most fun cars to drive but I keep away from them due to their reliability reputation. I wonder how they compare to Mercedes. I feel like Mercedes by now are just riding the wave of their reputation as a luxury car. Their designs seem so bland to me and uninspired, might as well convert to being a BMW guy. I really hate the modern trend of keep most of the interior the same across all car models. Kills the personality and uniqueness of the car. I am guessing its a money saving scheme.

No mods at all - you can choose the colour of the interior. I just went with the blue for now.
I did look at Mercedes too, but I just liked the interior of the BMW more in the end. This is my first X5 - always wanted one but am now comfortable enough to splash out on one without affecting family like at all - that and the fact that the kids are getting older and wanted more space in the car! lol
I intend to keep it long term - for the moment its all covered by warranty and a service package - lets see what the future brings! lol