New '03 DBP Marauder owner in Minnesota!

[PonyUP]

Welcome to the BluesBrothers. IIRC there were 210 DPB with light flint interior.

Like Guspech said, get yourself a tune and you'll notice a much different Marauder,

Welcome to the madness


Pony seal of Approval

[Chad1987]

What exactly does the tune do?

Why was Dark Blue Pearl such a rare color? It's a beautiful color on the car, so I guess I don't understand why they'd only offer it for such a short run. Everyone tells me that it looks like a detective's car in that color..

My buddy's mom has an '03 Marauder 300A, and aside from a few minor differences (her clock is in the dashboard, mine is in the radio), etc they're the same car, BUT he says his mom's will chirp the tires at a 1-2 shift at WOT. Mine will not, but it shifts very quickly and firmly into 2nd gear. Was there a certain run of Marauder that were the fastest?

[CBT]

Originally Posted by Chad1987

What exactly does the tune do?

Why was Dark Blue Pearl such a rare color? It's a beautiful color on the car, so I guess I don't understand why they'd only offer it for such a short run. Everyone tells me that it looks like a detective's car in that color..

My buddy's mom has an '03 Marauder 300A, and aside from a few minor differences (her clock is in the dashboard, mine is in the radio), etc they're the same car, BUT he says his mom's will chirp the tires at a 1-2 shift at WOT. Mine will not, but it shifts very quickly and firmly into 2nd gear. Was there a certain run of Marauder that were the fastest?

Because every six months, the color was supposed to change, with the exception of black, they would always be an option. Blue was the second color made, and the first to end. Mine is blue, light flint inerior, no factory 6-CD changer option in the trunk, making it 1 of 71.

[Chad1987]

OK, so I have:
Heated seats (when I found out it was blue with the heated seats in Light Flint, thats why I jumped on it so fast)
6 Disc CD Changer
Trunk Organizer (one of the previous owners lost it)

My MSRP was $35,305.

[CBT]

Originally Posted by Chad1987

OK, so I have:
Heated seats (when I found out it was blue with the heated seats in Light Flint, thats why I jumped on it so fast)
6 Disc CD Changer
Trunk Organizer (one of the previous owners lost it)

My MSRP was $35,305.

Whoa, yours is 1 of 4, dude! Just kidding, I have no idea. Mine does not have heated seats that I know of, never had my face down there to look. Maybe I'll get Amy to look.

[RoyLPita]

Welcome aboard. Enjoy the site and your new ride.

[Ozark Marauder]

"I was searching the local auto trader for Marauders on Easter Sunday, and I found one was recently traded in at a local Honda dealer, so I emailed on it, and I was VERY surprised/happy to hear it was DARK BLUE (not even knowing yet how rare Dark Blue Pearl is) as opposed to the very common Black....AND it had the lighter leather interior AND heated seats! I was sold!"


Careful Chad, ......LOL...No really, congrats on your new to you BLUE, and to the madness..........

OZ

[SC Cheesehead]

Originally Posted by Chad1987

What exactly does the tune do?

Why was Dark Blue Pearl such a rare color? It's a beautiful color on the car, so I guess I don't understand why they'd only offer it for such a short run. Everyone tells me that it looks like a detective's car in that color..

My buddy's mom has an '03 Marauder 300A, and aside from a few minor differences (her clock is in the dashboard, mine is in the radio), etc they're the same car, BUT he says his mom's will chirp the tires at a 1-2 shift at WOT. Mine will not, but it shifts very quickly and firmly into 2nd gear. Was there a certain run of Marauder that were the fastest?

This is one of the things that a tune will do for you. Between that, and advancing the timing a bit, a tune will give you more responsiveness out of the car.

They came from the factory "de-tuned" so to speak, to fall within the CAFE requirements; that's also why they were equipped with 3.55 gears.

Suggest you save some bucks, then contact either Mo's Speed Shop or Lidio at Alternative Automotive to get an xCal tuner with one of their MM tunes installed on it. Plug n' play, and you'll really wake the car up. Get a set of 4.10 gears installed as well, and you'll have a car set up the way they SHOULD have come from the factory.

[Chad1987]

I don't wanna get too crazy with this yet... it is still my primary driver until I pick up a winter / 2nd car. The idea of a tune interests me but I would hold off on 4.10's until I have two cars to drive. How much is a good tune?

[Ozark Marauder]

http://www.alternativeauto.com/Marauder_Tune.html

OZ

[breeze]

Ya lucky bastard.lol nice and ur at the right place to learn more bout the car.

[gdsqdcr]

Originally Posted by Chad1987

I don't wanna get too crazy with this yet... it is still my primary driver until I pick up a winter / 2nd car. The idea of a tune interests me but I would hold off on 4.10's until I have two cars to drive. How much is a good tune?

Get a good tune from Lido or Marty. I don't know the cost, my current Marauder came with 4.10's and a tune. I average 17.5 in my 80 mile round trip commute in solid traffic. It is okay, cause when I do a get chance to get on it and those rear tires (265's) chirp and the car slides to the side a bit ... that grin on my face goes from ear to ear.

As for blues, I am 232 of 328. I have the Dark Charcoal interior (Light flint was to close to white), heated seats, 6 disc changer.

As for getting crazy ... the bug will bite. First it will be a tune, then gears and the CAI. From there, maybe some cosmetics like the S-55 treatment or a badgeless ... or maybe a little extra power from an Eaton or Vortech. It will happen, so you should start putting the money away now.

[SC Cheesehead]

Originally Posted by Chad1987

I don't wanna get too crazy with this yet... it is still my primary driver until I pick up a winter / 2nd car. The idea of a tune interests me but I would hold off on 4.10's until I have two cars to drive. How much is a good tune?

I used my car as a DD for six years, five of those running NA with a tune and 4.10s, saw minimal impact on mileage, but a big improvement in performance. Lost maybe a 1/2 mpg on the mileage. (You'll only pick up a couple hundred rpm at 75 mph).

An xCal tuner with two tunes loaded (generally one for 3.55 gears and another for 4.10s) will set you back around $400, but keep in mind that the tuner can be used for tweaking various parameters, and future upgrades to the tune are often provided for minimal cost from your supplier.

[Chad1987]

The tune/ 4.10's sound great, but not as great as having a 2nd car so I can keep "Molly" clean and salt free come winter.

[SC Cheesehead]

Originally Posted by Chad1987

The tune/ 4.10's sound great, but not as great as having a 2nd car so I can keep "Molly" clean and salt free come winter.

Good point!

I've been out of the Midwest for going on 20 years now, so I've almost forgotten about snow, road salt, etc.

Buy a winter beater, then start saving up for the mods, but be forewarned: once the mod bug bites, you're hooked.

Ask me how I know.... ----->