"Real" sales numbers...

[SergntMac]

"Real" as in about as real as I expect LM to fess up too...

Called my guy at LM, asked him to check this out, get some real data from the field, data not co-mingled with GM numbers. He called back today, these are bare MM numbers, no GMs. I've been told "nationwide" sales numbers too, and no, I don't know if "nationwide" includes sales outside American borders.

2002 sales from 1 Jun '02 to EOY 2900 cars sold
2003 sales from 1 Jan. to 15 Jan '03 96 cars sold

That '03 sales number is promising, today is only the 16th. If LM continues to sell MMs at this pace, we may see 4000 sales by the end of first year sales, and more by the "traditional" end of the model year date.

That would mean that we held up our end as consumers, and LM can expect to meet their 15,000 cars in 5 years, expectation as originally predicted.

If LM can continue to sell MMs like this, with LACKLUSTER advertising, imagine what it may sell with a Spring '03 advertising push. 1st year "debut" cars have rarely made these sales numbers before.

Some of you will like these numbers, some of you will not. However, I am really pleased that we have 500 members logged in here, that's a nice slice of the MM market attention represented here, even if some are not around anymore, and others are not really owners. The "500 members" means that the overall interest in the MM, is alive here.

Okay "Marauder Team," I know you're out here somewhere, and it's time for you to check in with us here, and express some appreciation for this board.

Your expression would be best recieved in factory "performance" options, over "trim and conveinence" options, my butt is quite warm already, thank you.

Get on the performance option stick, and shift...Okay?

IMHO...

[Logan]

I can tell you those numbers match what I have here...

[mensrea]

I thought the original target was 18,000 cars a year....

[Billatpro]

Regardless of the numbers (and I do like these) I believe this car will be around for a while. Did I tell you guys how crazy I am about this car....yata,yata,yata.....ok

[SergntMac]

Oh..."Crazy For You" by Heart...gotta get to that other thread bye....

[GarageMahal]

Interesting sales numbers, any idea about production numbers?

Now if we just know how to tell the production sequence from the VIN....

Anyone?

jta

[03 Merc]

Mensrea,

The original production numbers posted in Hot Rod Magazine was 15,000 the first year... Since they were a early big sponsor they should know... Another site link leads to an article that says 10K first year in Detroit Free Press...

From Hot Rod Magazine: "And those production numbers? Well, the Marauder business case was based on selling 15,000 units (making a first-year Marauder rarer than the ’02 Thunderbird everyone’s crowing about)" End Quote. Hmm, we are a lot rarer than T-birds, I see them all over Atlanta... I haven't seen Suzanne Somers cruising in one though!;)

The original Mercury press releases posted on this site claimed 5,200 pre-sales...those sales should have posted in June / July which obviously hasn't happened... I suspect a portion of that number was dealers ordering over original allocation...

If the business case for continuing the MM is truly based on 15,000 units a year this maybe a short lived model... But the good news is since it shares so much with the other Panther platforms it is probably realitively inexpensive to keep around... Time will tell ...

[mensrea]

The 18,000 figure was from the Edmunds town hall chat with the Mrauder Program Manager, Steve Babock. Here's the link

Steve Babcock quotes production goals (http://www.edmunds.com/townhall/chat/transcripts/mercmarauderchattranscript0606 02.html)

Kinda think he'd be the one I'd be quoting...

[03 Merc]

Mensrea,

Ouch, that is even worse...seven months into a fourteen month model year, due to July early introduction, and only roughly seventeen percent of projected quota sold!!!:(

[mensrea]

Ya kind of wonder if those are the real sales numbers.... if they are wow!!!:po:

[LincMercLover]

Garage,

There is no possible way to tell what number your car is by the VIN. The VIN is nothing but the cars ID, and being that it's shared with the GM, does not go in sequence. Only true way to tell is if someone gets ahold of build sheets and data records from the plant and puts it all together, starting at 1.

[RancorKeeper]

Originally posted by SergntMac
If LM can continue to sell MMs like this, with NO advertising, imagine what it may sell with a Spring '03 advertising push. 1st year "debut" cars have rarely made these sales numbers before.
I don't know how you can say the Marauder has no advertising. I've seen ads in Hot Rod, Motor Trend, Road & Track, Automobile and Car & Driver. There might be other mags, too, but those are all ones I subscribe to. Also, I've received four seperate mailings from Mercury & two dvds and seen the Marauder hawked on local commercials for Jack Byrne Ford in Latham, NY. Now, I'll be the first to say I don't think they're running a very effective marketing campaign, but it's not like Mercury hasn't advertised the Marauder at all. Far from it. As a comparison, Ford didn't run any paid advertising on the Bullitt, but they sold 5,582 in 2001 based solely on word of mouth and magazine/internet reviews.

[RCSignals]

"Now, I'll be the first to say I don't think they're running a very effective marketing campaign, but it's not like Mercury hasn't advertised the Marauder at all. Far from it. As a comparison, Ford didn't run any paid advertising on the Bullitt, but they sold 5,582 in 2001 based solely on word of mouth and magazine/internet reviews."

Very true, the advertising of the Marauder hasn't been good at all.
Magazine/internet reviews of the Marauder generally haven't been too good either. Unfortunately many people depend on those rather than experiencing something for themselves.
Consumer reports gave the Marauder very short shrift, basically only adding it to the Grand Marquis section, and saying it was only a Grand Marquis with a larger engine.

I also think Ford's plan of a new colour every six months was a poor one. While Black is it, many people would have bought earlier had their been a few other colours introduced three or six months after first introduction.

[SergntMac]

Originally posted by RancorKeeper
I don't know how you can say the Marauder has no advertising. I've seen ads in Hot Rod, Motor Trend, Road & Track, Automobile and Car & Driver. There might be other mags, too, but those are all ones I subscribe to. Also, I've received four seperate mailings from Mercury & two dvds and seen the Marauder hawked on local commercials for Jack Byrne Ford in Latham, NY. Now, I'll be the first to say I don't think they're running a very effective marketing campaign, but it's not like Mercury hasn't advertised the Marauder at all. Far from it. As a comparison, Ford didn't run any paid advertising on the Bullitt, but they sold 5,582 in 2001 based solely on word of mouth and magazine/internet reviews.

I clearly remember a lot of advertising on the Bullitt, but can't presume who paid for it. More than I've seen on the MM to date. I didn't even know the MM existed until it was on the floor at my LM dealer. The Bullitt was the topic of several editorials in the Chicago papers and I knew much more about it long before I was able to test drive one. Maybe its geography, or, matter of reading habits, nonetheless, I stand corrected and change my "no advertising" opinion to "lackluster."

With regards to the numbers themselves, they are what I was told upon inquiry, a topic suggested in another thread here. I have no reason to challenge the source, or speculate on his accuracy.

My post is specific to what has been sold, and speculation of what potential lies ahead. 96 MMs in 15 days is promising, and yes, I am supposing the rest because I am hopeful for a good EOY number. We'll see, eh?

[Macon Marauder]

Many (most?) of us are car nuts, so it makes sense to me that we probably see more of this type of advertising than the "average Joe."

I see very little mainstream advertising about the Marauder. And very little from Mercury at all. By mainstream I mean TV. Sadly, that's where most Americans get the bulk of their info.

SpeedChannel had a lot of Marauder stuff going on in the summer. I haven't been watching it as much lately since it's not "racin season" anymore. So they could still be advertising there.

These numbers are kinda depressing to me if true. Yeah, Sarge, the 96 so far this year sounds pretty good. But only 3000 MMs total?

At this rate my wife's never gonna get her Dark Toreador Red MM...

[RancorKeeper]

Originally posted by SergntMac
I clearly remember a lot of advertising on the Bullitt, but can't presume who paid for it. More than I've seen on the MM to date. I didn't even know the MM existed until it was on the floor at my LM dealer. The Bullitt was the topic of several editorials in the Chicago papers and I knew much more about it long before I was able to test drive one. Maybe its geography, or, matter of reading habits, nonetheless, I stand corrected and change my "no advertising" opinion to "lackluster."
You raise an interesting point that I'd like to explore further - paid advertising vs. reviews/articles. To stick with the Bullitt & Marauder as examples, the facts are that Ford never advertised the Bullitt in magazines, on TV or with direct mailings. Mercury has had both magazine advertisements and mailings, but no TV commercials. In both cases, the cars received a fairly significant number of magazine, internet & newspaper reviews and articles (I've got nearly 20 magazines with articles/features on the Bullitt & 3 newspaper arcticles, as well as a bunch of other Bullitt stuff - posters, media kits, calendars, etc.). So, word of mouth for both cars was pretty good, because of the sheer volume of indepoendent reviews, good or bad. But reviews and editorials are not paid advertising and will never reach the majority of the car buying public because they aren't on TV or radio.

But neither vehicle got specific TV coverage for one reason - the majority of car buyers are not interested in fast, sporty, enthusiast-oriented cars. The top selling cars are the Accord, Camry & Taurus, so why should Ford/Mercury bother to pay for commercials hyping a low-volume niche vehicle when most of their customers are buying F-150's, Explorers/Mountaineers, Tauruses/Sables, Windstars, and the Focus? I don't necessarily agree with this mindset, because I think the Mustang & Marauder can bring people into a showroom solely on the "excitement" factor - making them worthy of paid advertising - and maybe the customer then ends up buying something else. Also, I think pricing had an effect on initial Marauder sales. I still feel that at $35K, the Marauder is a cool car, but not a great deal. However, at $31K you really get an excellent Bang-for-Buck quotient and with a well-planned marketing blitz focused on certain major markets (big cities, California, Florida & the greater Detroit area) Mercury could really take advantage of the lower price. Will they do it? I doubt it. Personally, the only way I see myself buying a Marauder is if they make the convertible (in a dark color other than black) because I've got a big, fast four door that I like and lots of other cars for when I really want to "get on it" or hit the twisties. But I'm the type of gearhed who buys a different car for different driving experience.:D Obviously, not everyone's like that.

[SergntMac]

Rank, I'm going to pass on further reply here, you have painted the picture you want to see. Thanks for your input to my thread, every one's opinion is valuable.

[musclecar]

Does this mean they may give the convertible a shot? I honestly think that a convertible version would really boost sales. I'm keeping my hopes up here

[RCSignals]

The convertible concept was nice, and I understand was well received. So much so that Mercury said they would build it if the Marauder sedan was accepted well in the market.
Unless sales really pick up I doubt we'll see the convertible.

[B-26]

As late as yesterday someone asked what kind of car I was driving?? They liked it a lot but even after seeing it they still didn't have a clue the it was a Mercury much less a marauder.
LM started off with a bang but they have let the steam die down at this point. Marauder needs a new commercial now. Something like the Dodge hemi commercial would help.
Someone at LM gets paid a lot of money to come up with these ideas. The car will pick up if they get behind it. We can all buy a second one but that is a little too much to ask. If LM is reading this forum ,WAKE UP!

[prchrman]

Look a here guys if LM does not want to up their MM sales so be it...there was only one sale that concerned me and that was mine...if not for low sales I probably would not have purchased one (rebate and $ off sticker)...I can not do anything about their lack of concern but I sure do enjoy my ride and having the only one in 3 counties as far as I know...so enjoy and let's get on with some spring and summer time Grand Touring...

[cruzer]

Here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area we have had no local advertising till last week in the Dallas paper--I am ready to buy a 300B today and I can't find a dealer that lists one within 200 miles, but the dealers don't even know what a 300B is. I will travel to get a "B" can anyone help?

[WolfeBros]

Cruzer,
Unless you just want something other than black, I am curious as to why it has to be a 300B? You can save some major cash on a 300A. You will never know the traction control isn't there. Most of the 300B's actually have a few less features than the 300A. I know Logan can hook you up at John Eagle LM. Anyway good luck in your quest.
Nice to see another DFW'er after a MM. I have yet to see another one on the road down here. :)

[Paul T. Casey]

Low sales numbers indicate to me what I've already known, there's just not a lot of people with enough class to drive a Marauder

[jgc61sr2002]

Originally posted by WolfeBros
Cruzer,
Unless you just want something other than black, I am curious as to why it has to be a 300B? You can save some major cash on a 300A. You will never know the traction control isn't there. Most of the 300B's actually have a few less features than the 300A. I know Logan can hook you up at John Eagle LM. Anyway good luck in your quest.
Nice to see another DFW'er after a MM. I have yet to see another one on the road down here. :) Wolfe - Traction Control is an excellent feature not just on snow or ice but it performs excellent on wet, oily or sandy roads. John

[WolfeBros]

My last three cars had traction control. Agreed it can be a good feature.
In Dallas we don't have the up and down hill twisty curvey roads like back east. IMHO the lack of it wouldn't and didn't keep me from buying the 300A. We recently had a snow and ice storm here and I had to manually turn the traction control OFF in my wifes Jaguar to get to where I wanted to go. Not a flame John just my .02 C :D

[Hemlock]

BOUGHT MINE FROM EAGLE IN JULY , 18,000 MILES LATER I STILL LIKE THIS CAR .

[WolfeBros]

Hemlock.....where have you been hiding ? Come join us more often.
I am interested in all the DFW owners getting together on a regular basis and Logan already has the club and the place !! I know there are more out there lurking. At 18,000 miles you are definitely getting to know your beast. :up:

[cruzer]

Thanks for the comments--I have put about 350,000 miles on GM's with H&P package w/traction control since '92--I often make trips to PA and have had many occasions to use the features, so, I feel pretty strongly about having it with the power of the Marauder---now , second question--is the 300B the only ones w/TC--do some "A"s have it? Color isn't a problem--I WANT A MARAUDER--NOW!!! You folks are having too much fun and I'm missing it all ..

[WolfeBros]

Cruzer if you want traction control then you need the 300B.

[jgc61sr2002]

Cruzer - Wolfe is correct. FMC has deleted and changed some features on the 300B 1.Has Mini spare, 2. Clock now in radio, 3. remote fuel door deleted. I prefer Traction Control and an additional option of heated seats is available on the 300B. Good Luck. John