So it's been a while since I've posted. But having picked up a new car I thought I'd stop in and show it off a bit.

The Mark VIII, unfortunately, was totaled on October 12. Heading down Hillsborough at about 45 when a dude pulled out of the University Club into my path. No injuries to me or the other driver but the VIII gave its life to protect me. Damaged every body panel in the front end, broken tie rod, cracked wheel, blown out air shocks...wasn't pretty. RIP Mark VIII.

But I think I ended up with a pretty good replacement. It's a 2003 Mercury Marauder, 42k miles. Silver Birch with the Light Flint interior, 1 of 407 Silver Birch MM's made in 2003. 302 HP/318 tq, leather, heated seats, Interceptor suspension, 6-disc CD changer, traction control, factory 18" chrome rims, powertrain warranty until 7/2009. For a big fucker of a car, it'll get up and GO. So far...I like it.

Pics...:
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~cjmuller/Marauder/Marauder1_lg.jpg
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~cjmuller/Marauder/Marauder2_lg.jpg
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~cjmuller/Marauder/Marauder3_lg.jpg
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~cjmuller/Marauder/Marauder4_lg.jpg
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~cjmuller/Marauder/Marauder5_lg.jpg
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~cjmuller/Marauder/Marauder6_lg.jpg
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~cjmuller/Marauder/Marauder7_lg.jpg
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~cjmuller/Marauder/Marauder8_lg.jpg


[Edited on December 1, 2006 at 9:28 PM. Reason : crazycode]

12/1/2006 9:27:21 PM

looks nice. i bet it hauls ass on highway.

12/1/2006 9:31:07 PM

neat

12/1/2006 9:31:26 PM

lol, everyone goes up on that parking deck.

nice ride though man.

12/1/2006 9:44:49 PM

yea man, damn thing is CLEAN

12/1/2006 10:26:09 PM

sweet ride - keeping with the old school cruiser style - nice

12/1/2006 10:30:13 PM

kickass man... mine's black- 29k miles
otherwise same thing

http://www.mercurymarauder.org
http://www.mercurymarauder.net

12/1/2006 11:55:43 PM

UPGRADE

12/1/2006 11:56:15 PM

i like

12/2/2006 12:05:02 AM

Ok some questions about the Marauder in general:

How long did they make them? I remember when they came up. I am under the impression that they lasted for only a year or two due to poor sales.

What motor is in it? Is it like a Mustang GT 4.6? SOHC? Is the suspension any different from a regular grand marquis?

12/2/2006 12:15:03 AM

SLOW DOWN! PULL OVER!

12/2/2006 1:32:09 AM

Quote :

"What motor is in it? Is it like a Mustang GT 4.6? SOHC?"

if thats the case it certainly won't get up & go.

12/2/2006 2:14:29 AM

Quote :

"kickass man... mine's black- 29k miles otherwise same thing http://www.mercurymarauder.org http://www.mercurymarauder.net"

Oh nice, I didn't know there was another Marauder owner on the board? I've already found mercurymarauder.net (I'm 96DiamondVIII over there, same name I post under on FvC), didn't know about the .org site...

Quote :

"Ok some questions about the Marauder in general: How long did they make them? I remember when they came up. I am under the impression that they lasted for only a year or two due to poor sales. What motor is in it? Is it like a Mustang GT 4.6? SOHC? Is the suspension any different from a regular grand marquis?"

-Only made for 2 years, 2003 and 2004. Total production was a bit over 11,000, the color breakdown being (roughly) 8,500 Black, 1,500 Silver Birch, 1,000 Dark Toreador Red, and 400 Blue. They were very well regarded but were a niche vehicle with little to no advertising and a high price (original window sticker on the one I got was over $35k)

-The engine is the DOHC 32V 4.6 V8, basically that year's Mustang Cobra engine without the supercharger. It's actually an evolution of the engine in the Mark VIII I had, which was the car the InTech made its debut in back in '93. Suspension is load-leveling air springs in back with coils up front and large anti-roll bars on both ends; I think it's similar to the Crown Vic Police Interceptor suspension. Corners flatter than you'd expect from such a large car, but maintains a comfortable ride. With the wide tires (235/50 ZR-18 in front, 245/55 ZR-18 in back) it holds the corners well too. It's no sports car, but it gets the job done.

12/2/2006 3:04:29 AM

clean as fuck

12/2/2006 3:11:08 AM

michael jordan nissan is fucking dirty, dont get it serviced there

12/2/2006 9:16:01 AM

Quote :

"yea man, damn thing is CLEAN"

yeah it is. and i ain't saying it ain't but ardex has this engine detailing spray that will make a nasty engine look like that. shit's amazing.

12/2/2006 9:27:49 AM

damn, that looks brand new!

i hate large square american cars in general, but i have always been partial to the marauder and the impala.

the engine of that thing makes a geat sound.

12/2/2006 9:34:38 AM

i wouldnt mind having one of those

12/2/2006 2:31:51 PM

does that thing have an LSD and/or any type of stability control?

12/2/2006 2:46:23 PM

Is the engine aluminum like the Ford Mustang Mach 1 engine?

12/2/2006 4:02:34 PM

it's only 4 years old. I would hope it's clean...

12/2/2006 10:06:16 PM

Actually closer to 3. Late in the 2003 production run, build date 5/29/03, originally sold 7/11/03.

Quote :

"Is the engine aluminum like the Ford Mustang Mach 1 engine"

Yes. In fact, except for the cams, it's the same engine.

Quote :

"does that thing have an LSD and/or any type of stability control"

LSD yes, stability control no.

And it does make a great sound.

[Edited on December 3, 2006 at 1:11 AM. Reason : r]

12/3/2006 1:08:50 AM

There's a lot to be said for big cars. We bought a nice 95 Town Car in August and I have really enjoyed it.

12/3/2006 1:11:24 AM

hot fuzz

12/3/2006 2:57:30 AM

Quote :

"Light Flint interior"

i originally read this as "larry flynt interior"

i was like

"titties?"

12/3/2006 3:07:00 AM

^ nice

12/3/2006 12:53:11 PM

my 99 police interceptor is a blast, Im thinking of getting the marauder maf and tube. mine hustles pretty well to be a 4000 lb car. watch for your drive shaft causing vibration at high speeds, you might need to have it rebalanced at some point, some suck and some are ok, its the same aluminum /composite that the copcars have.

12/3/2006 2:08:53 PM

how can this thing be considered fast? your avg jap v6 accord, maxima, camry is faster.

12/3/2006 11:43:35 PM

perhaps by a tick or two (I'm seeing 0-60 for this car to be in the 6.5 to 6.9 range and the '06 camry/maxima/accord v6 to be in the 6.1 to 6.5 range). Oh well... For the record, I considered Maximas too, liked this a lot better. Camrys and Accords are nice enough vehicles but have no soul, even if the new ones are pretty quick. If fast was priority #1 I would have bought a C5 'Vette. But I didn't and I'm happy with my purchase.

12/4/2006 1:00:19 AM

Quote :

"how can this thing be considered fast? your avg jap v6 accord, maxima, camry is faster"

yeah maybe but they aren't big, rugged (relatively speaking for a 4 door sedan), and RWD like this thing is

12/4/2006 1:18:36 AM

Nice clean ride.... but I prefer my 32v in my Mach

12/4/2006 12:38:28 PM

nice, good to see you staying true to the sleds

now throw a KB on it

12/4/2006 8:20:17 PM

definitely put a blower on that bitch, but not too small a pulley

12/4/2006 8:33:31 PM