The Marauder: A Hidden Gem of Modern Comforts

As I sit here wearing my Mercury Marauder leather jacket, adorned with the iconic image of the Greek god of commerce and deception, I am reminded that this car is more than just a relic of the past. The Marauder, with its unique blend of style and substance, has become a sought-after collector's item in recent years. With an original price tag of over $5,000, it's astonishing to see how much value these cars still hold today.

The interior of the Marauder is perhaps one of its most underrated features. The center console, complete with a small silver dot matrix display, adds a touch of futuristic flair to the otherwise dated dashboard. But what really sets the Marauder apart is its special seating arrangement, featuring seats adorned with the Mercury crest. These seats are not only stylish but also incredibly comfortable, thanks to the cop front suspension and rear air suspension system.

However, it's not all sunshine and rainbows behind the wheel of the Marauder. The car has a tendency to stick when braking, due to a faulty brake booster or master cylinder. This is compounded by the fact that the original mufflers were cut out, giving the car a rather aggressive sound. And let's not forget the imperfections – dings and scratches abound, thanks to Mercury's questionable paint quality at the time of production.

Despite its quirks, the Marauder remains an impressive performer. The Panther platform, which underpins the Marauder, is renowned for its comfort and durability. But it wasn't until recently that the full extent of the car's capabilities became apparent. With a price tag of just $45,000, this 2003 Mercury is a steal.

Of course, no discussion of the Marauder would be complete without mentioning its unique amenities. The car comes equipped with power seats and windows, automatic climate control, and even an oil pressure gauge and voltmeter – features that were once thought to be standard issue in modern cars. And then there's the little matter of the aftermarket radio system, complete with twin 15-inch subwoofers. This setup is sure to shake the very foundations of the car, much to the chagrin of anyone within earshot.

For me, as a collector and enthusiast, the Marauder has become a new addition to my growing collection of cars. With its unique blend of style and substance, it's clear that this car has been overlooked for far too long. As I continue to work on restoring it to its former glory, I'm reminded that even the most unlikely of cars can hold a certain allure.

As I prepare to take my Marauder out for a spin, I'm filled with a mix of excitement and trepidation. The wizard's promise of repairs until 2020 hangs over me like a cloud, threatening to ground my plans at every turn. But I press on, driven by a desire to uncover the secrets hidden beneath this car's surface.

The final verdict on the Marauder will have to wait until its restoration is complete. For now, it remains a work in progress – a puzzle waiting to be solved. As I hit the road, I'm acutely aware that my trusty old ride has become a ticking time bomb of repairs and maintenance. It's a delicate balancing act, but one that I'm willing to take on for the sake of uncovering the truth behind this enigmatic car.

One thing is certain – the Marauder has become an integral part of my world, a symbol of the strange and wonderful things that can be found in the most unexpected places. As I drive off into the sunset, I know that my journey with this car is only just beginning.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhello my name's Tyler and I have a problem I just bought this 2003 Mercury Marauder and I have no idea why other than it was plopped right in my lap and I have zero willpower I was actually trying to sell one of my cars at the time my 2004 Bentley Continental GT and went to Carmack's where they gave an extremely generous offer on my Bentley of $4,000 at the time a man was also pulling up in his 2003 Mercury Marauder and they did a bid and offered him $4,500 it's amazing into itself that this 2003 Mercury Marauder is worth more than a Bentley according to car max but their offer on this Marauder was still really low so that Marauder owner and I had a conversation in the parking lot and yada yada yada I bought a marauder for $5,000 it's probably the cheapest running clean title Marauder in the USA but I always say this and you all find a cheaper one but even though it's a great deal I feel really ashamed of myself sick that I can't even walk into a car max without poaching one of their bids and that I have zero self control really zero and now I have another broken car to deal with for those of you wondering what the hell this weird-looking police car is it's actually something really special the last of the dinosaurs and as you know I love love land yachts way too much and when this car was built in 2003 Chrysler had quit making land yachts more than 20 years ago and Chevy had quit in 1996 making the Ford Panther platform this platform the last of the breed which had endured with very few updates until 2011 and even though this Marauder was only made from 2003 to 2004 years before the end of production most considered this car to be the best of the run now I probably could have just asked the guy to make a review about it and say it's for sale and give his email address but instead I bought it what's one more I guess what's one more why not anyway the main reason why the Marauder is the best is because of its engine while the normal 4.6 v8 that came in the Vic Grand Marquis and Lincoln Towncar was very reliable a workhorse really it only put out 239 horsepower which is kind of seen as a downgrade from the previous five liter v8 of the 80s and early 90s similar power but smaller Ford actually had the technology to give this engine more power and efficiency but decided not to with these cars for some reason but this Marauder is the exception it got an all aluminum 32-valve v8 that put out 302 horsepower and this drivetrain was shared with the Ford Mustang Mach 1 and the Lincoln aviator for some reason but still it only had a 0 to 60 of a little less than 7 seconds I guess he could only do so much with a giant land yacht like this but Florida really did try to make this thing more performance oriented in a lot of ways the styling is all blacked out it has a spoiler marauder specific wheels and looks really really mean and the car did actually get cop brakes cop suspension and cop realize but it's sort of a hodgepodge from all the Panther cars as it got the steering wheel and rear air-ride suspension from a Lincoln Town Car and the nose from a Grand Marquis and there's a lot more going on on the inside yes Roger so there are some specific Marauder interior bits as well you have this weird kind of center console that's got a little silver dot matrix thing going on and some special seats with the little mercury crest mercury he's the Greek god of Commerce and business and also apparently thievery and deception probably not a very good mascot for a company but who am I to say the Marauder from the factory also got Auto Meter gauges which look aftermarket but they're factory so you have an oil pressure gauge and a voltmeter making it sporty sounds good but really doesn't do a whole lot also unique to the Marauder is their own apparel line kind of like European cars which is pretty funny I'm sure no mercury has ever had its own apparel line but the Marauder does and I'm wearing the Marauder edition leather jacket right now there's the little mercury dude all over this thing just like all over the car actually found it on eBay for a hundred bucks which is really cheap for a leather jacket really cheap for genuine leather it's nice and soft smells a little bit like aftershave oh now this Panther platform is famous for being so comfortable and durable and the Marauder is definitely no exception to this with that cop front suspension you still have nice tight handling but it still goes over the bumps like a land yacht that rear air suspension is fantastic the seats are also like a lazy boy recliner it's really really comfortable now five thousand dollars is really cheap for one of these things really cheap people are starting to collect and hoard these things and for Carmack's offer forty five hundred dollars on a 2003 mercury it's pretty impressive that tells you how much of a following these cars have and even in a wholesale level how much value they still have as far as modern comforts the Panther platform was really basic you do have power seats and power windows automatic climate control but it's all pretty dated you could tell people this is a 1995 and they would probably be like okay I mean it's and it's amazing that they really didn't make too many changes up until 2011 the inside pretty much looked the same with the same buttons in the same setup and by then super long in the tooth obviously a 5000 horse of my Marauder is a little hoopty fide you've got those badges that were painted red along with a marauder lettering on the rear bumper yeah not so good I've also have a tachometer that is glued at 8,000 rpm that's very broken my window goes down and then it kind of needs a little help going back up it gets crooked how approach should have done this while I'm driving no that's not going to work come on okay let's pull over and do that this is really dangerous one more time come on there we go it needs a little help that's a pretty common Panther platform problem for sure and also my brakes have a tendency to stick it's almost like the brake booster or the master cylinder gets stuck in a certain spot and holds the brakes it's not doing it right now it's kind of intermittent so it's not just the broken things that make this Marauder kind of poop defied the hell so cut out their mufflers to make this thing sound mean it does sound great I don't mind that ball that much but they also painted the mercury badges red there's also plenty of dings and scratches and things mercury wasn't very good with their paint quality at this time either so there's plenty of imperfections but the final thing that is definitely a first for me in hooby score hush and something really that's not in my wheelhouse is in the trunk I'll show you guys what's going on there when I get home there's an aftermarket radio in here which is fine but it's connected to something that's a little ridiculous yeah twin 15 inch subwoofers this gigantic trunk is consumed with wheel side subs that shake the entire earth when you turn on the radio with these things going the car just shakes itself apart so that's my latest purchase one of about a dozen cars that I bought lately but most have been for my TV show so I can't really tell you about it cuz I don't want to ruin the surprise but also the producers told me to keep my mouth shut and that's been open the whole time hasn't it see as for what I'm going to do with this car I don't know the wizard is booked with repairs until the year 2020 with all the cars that I need fix so really I'm just now a total slave to my own things and my videos are becoming more like cries for help than anything else still really cool car thank you for watchinghello my name's Tyler and I have a problem I just bought this 2003 Mercury Marauder and I have no idea why other than it was plopped right in my lap and I have zero willpower I was actually trying to sell one of my cars at the time my 2004 Bentley Continental GT and went to Carmack's where they gave an extremely generous offer on my Bentley of $4,000 at the time a man was also pulling up in his 2003 Mercury Marauder and they did a bid and offered him $4,500 it's amazing into itself that this 2003 Mercury Marauder is worth more than a Bentley according to car max but their offer on this Marauder was still really low so that Marauder owner and I had a conversation in the parking lot and yada yada yada I bought a marauder for $5,000 it's probably the cheapest running clean title Marauder in the USA but I always say this and you all find a cheaper one but even though it's a great deal I feel really ashamed of myself sick that I can't even walk into a car max without poaching one of their bids and that I have zero self control really zero and now I have another broken car to deal with for those of you wondering what the hell this weird-looking police car is it's actually something really special the last of the dinosaurs and as you know I love love land yachts way too much and when this car was built in 2003 Chrysler had quit making land yachts more than 20 years ago and Chevy had quit in 1996 making the Ford Panther platform this platform the last of the breed which had endured with very few updates until 2011 and even though this Marauder was only made from 2003 to 2004 years before the end of production most considered this car to be the best of the run now I probably could have just asked the guy to make a review about it and say it's for sale and give his email address but instead I bought it what's one more I guess what's one more why not anyway the main reason why the Marauder is the best is because of its engine while the normal 4.6 v8 that came in the Vic Grand Marquis and Lincoln Towncar was very reliable a workhorse really it only put out 239 horsepower which is kind of seen as a downgrade from the previous five liter v8 of the 80s and early 90s similar power but smaller Ford actually had the technology to give this engine more power and efficiency but decided not to with these cars for some reason but this Marauder is the exception it got an all aluminum 32-valve v8 that put out 302 horsepower and this drivetrain was shared with the Ford Mustang Mach 1 and the Lincoln aviator for some reason but still it only had a 0 to 60 of a little less than 7 seconds I guess he could only do so much with a giant land yacht like this but Florida really did try to make this thing more performance oriented in a lot of ways the styling is all blacked out it has a spoiler marauder specific wheels and looks really really mean and the car did actually get cop brakes cop suspension and cop realize but it's sort of a hodgepodge from all the Panther cars as it got the steering wheel and rear air-ride suspension from a Lincoln Town Car and the nose from a Grand Marquis and there's a lot more going on on the inside yes Roger so there are some specific Marauder interior bits as well you have this weird kind of center console that's got a little silver dot matrix thing going on and some special seats with the little mercury crest mercury he's the Greek god of Commerce and business and also apparently thievery and deception probably not a very good mascot for a company but who am I to say the Marauder from the factory also got Auto Meter gauges which look aftermarket but they're factory so you have an oil pressure gauge and a voltmeter making it sporty sounds good but really doesn't do a whole lot also unique to the Marauder is their own apparel line kind of like European cars which is pretty funny I'm sure no mercury has ever had its own apparel line but the Marauder does and I'm wearing the Marauder edition leather jacket right now there's the little mercury dude all over this thing just like all over the car actually found it on eBay for a hundred bucks which is really cheap for a leather jacket really cheap for genuine leather it's nice and soft smells a little bit like aftershave oh now this Panther platform is famous for being so comfortable and durable and the Marauder is definitely no exception to this with that cop front suspension you still have nice tight handling but it still goes over the bumps like a land yacht that rear air suspension is fantastic the seats are also like a lazy boy recliner it's really really comfortable now five thousand dollars is really cheap for one of these things really cheap people are starting to collect and hoard these things and for Carmack's offer forty five hundred dollars on a 2003 mercury it's pretty impressive that tells you how much of a following these cars have and even in a wholesale level how much value they still have as far as modern comforts the Panther platform was really basic you do have power seats and power windows automatic climate control but it's all pretty dated you could tell people this is a 1995 and they would probably be like okay I mean it's and it's amazing that they really didn't make too many changes up until 2011 the inside pretty much looked the same with the same buttons in the same setup and by then super long in the tooth obviously a 5000 horse of my Marauder is a little hoopty fide you've got those badges that were painted red along with a marauder lettering on the rear bumper yeah not so good I've also have a tachometer that is glued at 8,000 rpm that's very broken my window goes down and then it kind of needs a little help going back up it gets crooked how approach should have done this while I'm driving no that's not going to work come on okay let's pull over and do that this is really dangerous one more time come on there we go it needs a little help that's a pretty common Panther platform problem for sure and also my brakes have a tendency to stick it's almost like the brake booster or the master cylinder gets stuck in a certain spot and holds the brakes it's not doing it right now it's kind of intermittent so it's not just the broken things that make this Marauder kind of poop defied the hell so cut out their mufflers to make this thing sound mean it does sound great I don't mind that ball that much but they also painted the mercury badges red there's also plenty of dings and scratches and things mercury wasn't very good with their paint quality at this time either so there's plenty of imperfections but the final thing that is definitely a first for me in hooby score hush and something really that's not in my wheelhouse is in the trunk I'll show you guys what's going on there when I get home there's an aftermarket radio in here which is fine but it's connected to something that's a little ridiculous yeah twin 15 inch subwoofers this gigantic trunk is consumed with wheel side subs that shake the entire earth when you turn on the radio with these things going the car just shakes itself apart so that's my latest purchase one of about a dozen cars that I bought lately but most have been for my TV show so I can't really tell you about it cuz I don't want to ruin the surprise but also the producers told me to keep my mouth shut and that's been open the whole time hasn't it see as for what I'm going to do with this car I don't know the wizard is booked with repairs until the year 2020 with all the cars that I need fix so really I'm just now a total slave to my own things and my videos are becoming more like cries for help than anything else still really cool car thank you for watching\n"