Your opinion, What One thing could Ford have done to sell the Marauder?

['03BlkMM]

I have been reading the the "Why did Ford kill the Marauder thread?" and I was wondering what in your opinion is ONE thing Ford could have done to sell the car and keep it alive. I know everybody has a dozen different things they would change about the car and the way they sold it. But what would be the biggest thing.
My personal opinion and I'm sure several thousand other people is that the horsepower just wasn't what it should have been for what they tried to sell the car as (a sport sedan). If they had put the Supercharged 390HP Cobra motor in the car, even at the higher sticker it would have had to sell at, I think it would have sold better. I think that even if the sticker had gone up to $40k on the SC'd 390HP Marauder that it would have generated way more interest by the car magazines and much more interest by the enthusiasts. This increased attention would have indirectly given it the advertising it needed. I don't really think there would have been that much of an increase in price(Ford's cost anyway) to put the SC'd motor in the car, it probably could have stickered for $38k or $39k. Chrysler is selling enough 300C hemi's to justify building the SRT-8 at a selling price of somewhere in the $40k range, something is working over there.

[STLR FN]

Advertising would've been nice.:rolleyes:

In all honesty though, I think two things actually needed to be done: More Hp and a slightly lower sticker. It's hard to put your finger on just one thing. JMO

[Rider90]

I think the sticker price scared away owners, and rumors that it couldn't spin the tires from a dead stop got people thinking "This is America's new 4-door muscle and it can't even roast em?" Brand new the 96 Impala had a sticker of $25,692 (Source (http://depanorama.net/impala/096.htm)) and that thing will roast tires ALL day long......until my older brother's engine spun an engine bearing on his BBB Impy and my next door neighbor blew his trans on his DCM Impy :rofl:

NOW the Marauder is a steal...automatic temp control, steering wheel controls, 8 way power on both sides, leather, homelink...all for just as much or a little more than the 96 Impala from the dealership back in the day.

My two cents..

[duhtroll]

Dunno - maybe getting rid of Elena Ford?

-A

[Bradley G]

Ford missed the boat by not getting the word out.I worked selling Fords down the street from a L/M store, and I did not Know the car existed.( This year is the first time I did not go to the Chicago auto show in 13 years).

It wasn't until our dealer principle bought one from the dealer down the street that I saw :awe:one. :cloud9: (he bought it for an area school principle, Got'ta like That!:2thumbs: )

Mercury has not been known for high performance car for how many years?.They(L/M) claim to want to get thier "Brand image"to appeal to a younger more progressive crowd.:rolleyes:
Ford plain and simple failed to "splash the public with a new car launch", as they haven't been able to since the Cobra Mustang.I give them credit for thier ( Ford's) product line but it has a lot to be desired as far as a high performance offerings.I hear that is going to change in the next year or two.
Bradley G

[bigjon]

i think the biggest issue fomoco had is giving a brand new car to all of the 'test' magazines. these magazines and tv reviewers saying the car only does a 1/4 mile in 15.5(etc) really killed it. poor reviews plagued this car.

we all know how the performance picks up after putting some mileage on the motors.

this is my thought.

[Shaft333]

1. It should've been badged as a Ford. Call it a Galaxie 500 or something - as long as the blue oval sits on the grill. There aren't a lot of folks that are "fans" of Mercury. They are "fans" of Ford, if anything. Brand recognition goes a long long way. If the Impala SS was a Buick Roadmaster "SS" it wouldn't be remembered.

2. Too much money. It's why I didn't buy one when they were new. I was excited, but the cost even kept me from looking at one in the dealership.

3. It didn't stand out in any way. The styling is subtle and the power, albeit relatively high, isn't awe inspring.

The Impala had a name. The Chrysler has a name, "Hemi," and a style that's unique to the market.

[Dark_Knight7096]

1. It should've been badged as a Ford. Call it a Galaxie 500 or something - as long as the blue oval sits on the grill. There aren't a lot of folks that are "fans" of Mercury. They are "fans" of Ford, if anything. Brand recognition goes a long long way. If the Impala SS was a Buick Roadmaster "SS" it wouldn't be remembered.

2. Too much money. It's why I didn't buy one when they were new. I was excited, but the cost even kept me from looking at one in the dealership.

3. It didn't stand out in any way. The styling is subtle and the power, albeit relatively high, isn't awe inspring.

The Impala had a name. The Chrysler has a name, "Hemi," and a style that's unique to the market.
I agree 100%, they should have put the ford nameplate on it. They should have also used a gimmick for the engine. There is really no exclusive "Hemi", i mean c'mon our Marauders technically have "Hemi"s in them, a Honda Civic Si has a "Hemi", but they were still able to use the name although that engine is no longer what it was during the muscle car hayday. Plus if a crown victoria was badged as SVT Crown Victoria it would generate more interest then a (what the youth would see as) "namless" car. "Marauder, WTF is that?" "I don't know my dad said they used to be out when he was a kid." On this same thought, do you think ford would have sold any SVT contours if they were badged mercury vehicles? All ford would have had to say was "SVT" and instantly it would conjure up thoughts of the Cobra's and Lightnings, SVT Focus, etc. Ford could have even used a past engine name too. They could have said the "SVT Crown Victoria with Cobra Jet engine". While it is true that engine would have nothing in common with an original Cobra Jet, the name still would have made you associate the car with the Mustang Cobra and the big blocks of the muscle car era. But then again they shouldn't have to justify naming it "Cobra Jet" because the only thing the "Hemi"s share in common with the original are Hemispherical cumbustion chambers (which are also had by 90% of cars being sold today).

[Bluerauder]

I have been reading the the "Why did Ford kill the Marauder thread?" and I was wondering what in your opinion is ONE thing Ford could have done to sell the car and keep it alive.
Thing #1 is advertising ... very little was done to reach beyond the loyal Mercury fan base. :( If you want to sell something -- people need to know about it enough to want to come in and look at it. :D

Thing #2 was to have a better understanding of the demographics of the buyer. While I fit snuggly into the group defined as potential Marauder buyers, the appeal of the MM is much broader than anyone at L/M ever estimated. Just look at the range and breadth of out membership here on the MM.Net.

[LNYTUNS]

1. It should've been badged as a Ford. Call it a Galaxie 500 or something - as long as the blue oval sits on the grill. There aren't a lot of folks that are "fans" of Mercury. They are "fans" of Ford, if anything. Brand recognition goes a long long way. If the Impala SS was a Buick Roadmaster "SS" it wouldn't be remembered.Now I am a Mercury fan, if it was a Ford I probably would not have looked at it and waited for it like I did. I am sure I am one of the only people that would take the Gods heads off and replace with Mercury Emblems.

2. Too much money. It's why I didn't buy one when they were new. I was excited, but the cost even kept me from looking at one in the dealership.I agree with that, I waited to get a left-over 03 at a good price.

3. It didn't stand out in any way. The styling is subtle and the power, albeit relatively high, isn't awe inspring.

The Impala had a name. The Chrysler has a name, "Hemi," and a style that's unique to the market. The Marauder has a name "Marauder" !! A great car from the 60's and 70's. It was just like it was back then, a family car (Parklane or Monterey) with big motor.


And a commercial or 2 would have helped.

[Patrick]

This would have been nice!!!!

[Mike Poore]

[QUOTE='03BlkMM].... But what would be the biggest thing.QUOTE]

Three things: Marketing, Marketing , Marketing

Look at the history of Ford's marketing triumphs; the Probe, for instance. They hyped the hell out of the thing and had the car buying public in a lather over the it, only the dealers didn't have any to sell. Same thing with the Thunderbird, and now the Mustang GT. Don't even talk about the idiotic decision to set up the SVT sales program, undercutting their dealerships, and pi$$ing off the customer base as well as their retailers.

:rolleyes:The Marauder? Best kept darn secret in automotive history.

Go figure!:dunno:

[JohnnyB]

I think Ford missed the mark with this car. They didn't really understand what they were doing and that's why they killed it. They should have at least provided an option for a factory supercharged 4.6 engine and adjust the sales price accordingly. Second, the convertible should definitely have been produced. Third, the LM dealers should have been more informed about the MM....

I'm not sure why they kept the Crown Vic Sport for 2005.....

[Dark_Knight7096]

They kept the 05 CV Sport because a lot of people buy those. I know at least 5 people off the top of my head that i associate with that have the LX Sport models, not the LX with the upgraded performance package, the actual Sport. They talk about those cars like they are the high point of (modern)ford full-size performance. I'm not taking away from the LX Sport, they are wonderful cars and i was considering purchasing one before i came across my Marauder, but when it comes to (modern) ford full-size performance they are out-shined in every way by the Marauder (except maybe price tag). I blame this ignorance on poor marketing. One of my friends actually looked at me the day i bought my Marauder and asked (he saw it from the side) why i changed the rims from stock to "those chrome one's with the" (i'm not kidding here) "little firemen on them? I think the stock rims looked great, why are there firemen on your wheels" I slapped him once and then had to educate him. Personally i think he still would have made the same mistake if he saw the Mercury badges on my car. Any time this happens you know somebody in the marketing dept. failed miserably.

[merc406]

I have been reading the the "Why did Ford kill the Marauder thread?" and I was wondering what in your opinion is ONE thing Ford could have done to sell the car and keep it alive. I know everybody has a dozen different things they would change about the car and the way they sold it. But what would be the biggest thing.
My personal opinion and I'm sure several thousand other people is that the horsepower just wasn't what it should have been for what they tried to sell the car as (a sport sedan). If they had put the Supercharged 390HP Cobra motor in the car, even at the higher sticker it would have had to sell at, I think it would have sold better. I think that even if the sticker had gone up to $40k on the SC'd 390HP Marauder that it would have generated way more interest by the car magazines and much more interest by the enthusiasts. This increased attention would have indirectly given it the advertising it needed. I don't really think there would have been that much of an increase in price(Ford's cost anyway) to put the SC'd motor in the car, it probably could have stickered for $38k or $39k. Chrysler is selling enough 300C hemi's to justify building the SRT-8 at a selling price of somewhere in the $40k range, something is working over there.






History repeated itself for the Marauder nameplate........Most that knew about it were just glad to see it out their again.

It doesn't matter now, it's gone, enjoy it........

['03BlkMM]

I don't know I guess I look at it differently. Even if it had been heavily advertised most of the reviews I saw on the car said performance wasn't very good. Most of the buyers of this car are going to be in the older age bracket. They will make more money than average and the vast majority of them will have internet access and rely on reviews and such to help make their purchasing decisions. If almost everything they read says the cars performance isn't up to par for the price the majority will generally go elsewhere. I personally wouldn't have paid that kind of sticker price for a "sport" sedan that couldn't break out of the 15's off the lot. There are some 1/2 ton trucks that can match that performance and that would absolutely kill me to know that the normally aspirated 1/2 ton Chevy sitting next to me at the stoplight could beat my stock Marauder 0-60 if he so chose. So I think the SC should have been at least a factory option... Now 2 yrs later, I figured for the ~$20k I paid for the car with 18K mi on it I can do $1k in mods and bring it up to where it should be to make ME happy as a daily driver and family car and occasional 1/2 ton truck beater :D .

[CrazyCor15]

They should have advertised it with Cobra features in the car... Similar to what HEMI is to Dodge and Chrysler.

[David Morton]

There is really no exclusive "Hemi...Oh, yes there is. The name "Hemi" is a registered copyright of Chrysler as well as "Semi-Hemi"

I don't get all the discussion of 'why not more' except to say there seems to be some folks that think the measure of success seems to be connected with more and quantity. I'm glad I got mine and I'm also glad it was a limited production car.

Anybody ever consider that they never intended the Marauder to be anything more than an honest limited production vehicle? Produced to fit inside a very small market niche of guys and gals that appreciate the idea of a muscular big sedan with all the amenities?

I didn't think I was getting a Mustang competitor.

I didn't think I was getting a Town Car with a better engine.

I wouldn't have bought it if it had a Ford oval on the grille.

I love this car just like it is and I suspect they knew what they were selling and produced just the right amount of them.

My gratitude goes to Mercury for knowing me and guys like me and what we wanted in this car.

[Dark_Knight7096]

Oh, yes there is. The name "Hemi" is a registered copyright of Chrysler as well as "Semi-Hemi"

I don't get all the discussion of 'why not more' except to say there seems to be some folks that think the measure of success seems to be connected with more and quantity. I'm glad I got mine and I'm also glad it was a limited production car.

Anybody ever consider that they never intended the Marauder to be anything more than an honest limited production vehicle? Produced to fit inside a very small market niche of guys and gals that appreciate the idea of a muscular big sedan with all the amenities?

I didn't think I was getting a Mustang competitor.

I didn't think I was getting a Town Car with a better engine.

I wouldn't have bought it if it had a Ford oval on the grille.

I love this car just like it is and I suspect they knew what they were selling and produced just the right amount of them.

My gratitude goes to Mercury for knowing me and guys like me and what we wanted in this car.
I totally agree with you, I'm not complaining either, i would much rather have a limited production car than a mass produced, "everyone and their brother" has one type of vehicle.
And as a side note, i know "Hemi" is a registered trademark but a majority of engines have the "Hemi"spherical design for which the "Hemi" was named. Back when the Hemi first came out nobody else had it (save for ford and the Boss 429 with it's "semi-hemi" heads). Actually the first time i remember hearing the term "Semi-Hemi" was to describe the heads on the Boss 429. I was not referring to the copyrighted name, I was merely referring to the fact that the only reason a "Hemi" is named such is because of it's combustion chambers, which are shared by many cars.

[ahess77]

FMC could have sold a lot more of these if they had a vinyl roof and some gold trim. Heck, half the people that bought them thought they were buying the top of the line Grand Marque. Make them look like the top of the line Grand Marque and they would have sold 40,000/annually without trying. Of course then we wouldn't have wanted them.

[N40GL]

... what in your opinion is ONE thing Ford could have done to sell the car and keep it alive...

WANT to.

[David Morton]

WANT to.Right on bro! I don't think they wanted to either.

[LVMarauder]

ANYTHING , ford didnt do **** in advertising the MM.

[the_pack_rat]

FMC could have sold a lot more of these if they had a vinyl roof and some gold trim. Heck, half the people that bought them thought they were buying the top of the line Grand Marque. Make them look like the top of the line Grand Marque and they would have sold 40,000/annually without trying. Of course then we wouldn't have wanted them.

The really SAD part about this ...

If they offered an ivory pearl exterior with an ivory interior .....

39,000 of them would have been sold right here in FLORIDA w/o so much as anyone having to break a sweat ... complete with the gaudy luggage rack & thick chrome wheel lip moldings.

Don't forget about "MARAUDER" being embroidered in ivory thread ... on the sides of the oh-so stylish feces brown roadster top.

[Patrick]

The really SAD part about this ...

If they offered an ivory pearl exterior with an ivory interior .....

39,000 of them would have been sold right here in FLORIDA w/o so much as anyone having to break a sweat ... complete with the gaudy luggage rack & thick chrome wheel lip moldings.

Don't forget about "MARAUDER" being embroidered in ivory thread ... on the sides of the oh-so stylish feces brown roadster top.

Then I would have passed!!!!!!!!
:(

[Krytin]

i think the biggest issue fomoco had is giving a brand new car to all of the 'test' magazines. these magazines and tv reviewers saying the car only does a 1/4 mile in 15.5(etc) really killed it. poor reviews plagued this car.

we all know how the performance picks up after putting some mileage on the motors.

this is my thought. Bad press had a big bad effect! Ford killed the program before they sold the first unit. They were completely lacking any commitment to the concept of a performance RWD American sedan. Now AWD Eurotrash....

[the_pack_rat]

Then I would have passed!!!!!!!!
:(

You DO realize while I may have moved here ... that I would have NEVERRRRRR EVERRRRRRRRRRRR bought such a Florhideous(Florida + Hideous) looking POS right(roadster top - luggage rack - gaudy pimp chrome etc etc) ?.

:lol:

It took me OVER a year just to find a 95-97 Town Car that wasn't all ****ed up in such a manner when I set out on such a journey.

People think you should be stumbling over nice Town Cars here in Florida ...

Well BS ... unless you actually WANT one that is all FLORHIDEONED up.

:puke:

[wsmylie]

I must admit that I agree to some extent with all the views expressed so far concerning the slow sales of the MM. I love the car and am selfishly glad that there were so few produced. I do think that it would have been more effectively marketed at the retail level if it had been badged as a Ford and sold through their dealership body instead of L/M's. Before buying my new 04 last April I must have been in contact with every L/M store in Florida over a period of several months trying to locate a silver one for a decent price. Every sales guy I dealt with was older than me (I'm 55). Almost every fellow prospective customer I saw during my MM search was significantly older then me and I never, ever was in a L/M dealership while someone else besides me was looking to buy an MM. During my months long search no Florida L/M sales person ever pitched the performance attributes (engine, suspension etc) of the MM to me...all they talked about was the cars "sporty" looks and the "prestige" of owning one. I've sometimes wondered if this is typical of all L/M stores or just the ones here in the Florida, retirement region. Anyway, finally located the one I purchased (the only one in stock) at an L/M store about sixty miles from home. When I arrived I realized that with the exception of a few guys in the service department, I was the youngest guy in the place (customer or employee). I sat down with the Gen Mgr of the dealership and he mentioned that he had originally been "stuck" with three MM's but had somehow managed to sell the other two. My car was being "stored" in the rear of the showroom, locked up behind all the desks because they didn't want to leave it outside after closing for fear of having the wheels stolen off it. He told me these cars didn't generate any floor traffic with his older clientele who were generally only interested in looking at Lincolns and Marquis'. The dealership seemed eager to be rid of the car and (lucky for me) offered it for 26k if I would do the deal that day. That was a great price for the time and the rest is history. While an older, over dressed sales guy wrote up the deal paperwork on what he kept saying was a "marvelous" and "splendid" car, the Gen.Mgr. confided to me that these things really should have been sold at the Ford stores with their younger, more performance oriented customer base. He mentioned that his sales staff wasn't used to dealing with performance customers like me (is that an insult?) and were more attuned to selling the luxury and safety attributes of the Linclons and GM's. No disrespect meant to the older folks here (I'm getting up there myself), but the proper sales venue for our cars would seem to have been Ford. Just IMHO. BILL

[ELKO1]

They should have dropped a 5.4L DOHC S/C with option 4.11 gears and 275 rear tires

[de minimus]

I dodn't think there was any one thing. I know I lusted after these as soon as they came out. Unfortunately, the Ford dealers here priced them real high - mid to high 40's and there was no advertising. The price subsequently dropped but I think the damage was done.

The new Mustang they're doing right. Not overpriced, good press and they're selling buckets of them.

[MENINBLK]

FMC could have sold a lot more of these if they had a vinyl roof and some gold trim.

Oh GOD, my EYES are bleeding !!! Stop it !! :shake:

[jgc61sr2002]

It makes yoiu wonder why FMC built the Marauder and then didn't really advertise it. :( No advertisement = few sales IMO.

[Johnman]

I think the reason this car didn'tsell well is its styling. It's a handsome car, but when the Marauder debuted, the body style had been out there for years, and was known as the car for cops or grannies. The 300C is cutting-edge cool, and is selling like hotcakes. Ford needs a new styling department, in my opinion.

[1stMerc]

I think the main problems with The Marauder not taking hold are.

1. Severe lack of advertising. From what i've heard mostly only people that had attended the auto shows are read auto mags that presented the MM knew about it. I know i didn't attend any around that time. If there had been as many car related shows such Car&Driver, Speed Chanel, AutoWeek around at that time who knows what may have happened.

2. The price is extremely prohibitive for anyone other than the age range that most of us appear to fall in. The younger generation is more geared to "tuner cars" that start out way cheaper and smaller than our MMs and that they can fairly cheaply go out and modify cosmetic wise and performance wise and some of them put in "serious dollars" before reaching the price tag of a Marauder.

3. The car is heavy from a performance stand point. Merc/Ford put this great engine in the car but then they suppressed it by adding a mediocre transmission and gear ratio designed for highway crusing and gas mileage, then added big sticky wheel/tire combination [( the look we were after back in the day ). Some of you definetly know what i'm talking about]. Someone mentioned a 94-96 Impala "roasting tires all day long. Our MMs would too if we had the same wheel/tire combo as the Imp. but you see what they turned it into.:confused:

4. Mercury, in this day and time is not known for performance cars such as our MMs, look at the Grand Marquis, Lincoln Continetal, and current corp of new vehicles.

Whew, finally, the people that these cars were meant for, have them. And you were pre ordained to have them just by the fact that you found out about it, whatever the means you came to hear about or see it.

I love this car even with it's quirks and would have loved if it had supercharger from the factory. But i thank Mercury for coming out with a base package for us gearheads to tinker with and as Burger King says "MAKE IT OUR WAY"

Anyway that's my .02 worth and im sticking by it.

Peace out.

04 DTR

[hitchhiker]

Ford missed the boat by not getting the word out.I worked selling Fords down the street from a L/M store, and I did not Know the car existed.( This year is the first time I did not go to the Chicago auto show in 13 years).

It wasn't until our dealer principle bought one from the dealer down the street that I saw :awe:one. :cloud9: (he bought it for an area school principle, Got'ta like That!:2thumbs: )

Mercury has not been known for high performance car for how many years?.They(L/M) claim to want to get thier "Brand image"to appeal to a younger more progressive crowd.:rolleyes:
Ford plain and simple failed to "splash the public with a new car launch", as they haven't been able to since the Cobra Mustang.I give them credit for thier ( Ford's) product line but it has a lot to be desired as far as a high performance offerings.I hear that is going to change in the next year or two.
Bradley G
I saw several Marauder commercials in late 2002 and decided then that I wanted one.

They really should have done the S/C'd 5.4 engine though.

:D

[1stMerc]

Oh, yes there is. The name "Hemi" is a registered copyright of Chrysler as well as "Semi-Hemi"

I don't get all the discussion of 'why not more' except to say there seems to be some folks that think the measure of success seems to be connected with more and quantity. I'm glad I got mine and I'm also glad it was a limited production car.

Anybody ever consider that they never intended the Marauder to be anything more than an honest limited production vehicle? Produced to fit inside a very small market niche of guys and gals that appreciate the idea of a muscular big sedan with all the amenities?

I didn't think I was getting a Mustang competitor.

I didn't think I was getting a Town Car with a better engine.

I wouldn't have bought it if it had a Ford oval on the grille.

I love this car just like it is and I suspect they knew what they were selling and produced just the right amount of them.

My gratitude goes to Mercury for knowing me and guys like me and what we wanted in this car.

Here, Here. succintly said.

[1stMerc]

FMC could have sold a lot more of these if they had a vinyl roof and some gold trim. Heck, half the people that bought them thought they were buying the top of the line Grand Marque. Make them look like the top of the line Grand Marque and they would have sold 40,000/annually without trying. Of course then we wouldn't have wanted them.
Word!!!! i know i would not have purchased if it looked like the Grand Marque.

[HotrodMerc]

History repeated itself for the Marauder nameplate........Most that knew about it were just glad to see it out their again.

It doesn't matter now, it's gone, enjoy it........

Bump. If the idea for the car, and the marketing that was done, was indeed aimed at gearheads that were of any age to remember the '60's Marauders, and the cool Mercs' of the early '50's, then maybe it somewhat succeeded.
But there is evidently, as seen on this commendable site, a common attraction regardless of age, among those who would appreciate performance as well as be interested in a large American rear-drive sedan with at least the potential for great performance. IMO, this is what was left out of the equation that may have made for a more enduring model run, if that was what LM wanted:

1. They did do commercials (I saw them, and even un-muted them after wife muted them) that implied "muscle car", but didn't really SAY muscle car.

2. The magazine ads, the brochures, literature that came with the new owner material, and the black leather jacket, loudly speak "macho muscle car", and even specifically talk about the big-blocked (real) muscle cars (take off in 3rd gear from a stop sign while yakking and not even realize you're not in 1st). Yet, there is at least one thing about the model that says "Uncle Harry's Grand Marquis" or "the soccer mom's Villager" to those that are not tuned in to the performance clues. I refer to the disappointing absence of the older Merc. godhead logo on the front & rear badging and the steering wheel. Why the godhead on the wheels and seats and the 3-bar whatever in the most conspicuous locations? Blah! Who knows the answers to these Q's other than those who did the jobs. It would be interesting to read some interviewers with the product managers, designers and marketers involved. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some heated discussions about the whole project among all of these Ford Mo. Co./LM Div. personnel who worked on the Marauder project. There are things that are much more important to me that I would do differently on the car, such as having a four-spoke steering wheel that you can actually grip comfortably while having your arms on the arm rest, :( (even Tauri and Explorers have decent 4-spoke steering wheels) and having the pedals go FARTHER away, rather than much closer, and seats that adjust lower, but IMO the 3-bar badge doesn't follow what the marketing was about, and just gives mixed signals to the unkowing public.
Personally, the 3-bar badge is a turn-off, and really does make me think Villager and Grand Marquis. :flamer:

3. More of the stuff that was implied by the marketing that was done: RWHP and TORQUE. A 4V 5.4, or how about a bored 5.4 to 5.6, with or without S/C'ing, but preferably with. :burnout:

4. Compete more with the Euro- touring sedans in marketing the great handling of the MM more. To me, the suspension rates higher relative to its' job the than does the HP/torque of the MM. This was not emphasized in the marketing pecking order. The MM corners about as well, as far as i can tell :D with the small amount of experience on the road i have in it, as my '90 Mustang which has considerable suspension mods, short of tubular K-member and front A-arms conversion. I don't think Ford marketed the superb handling of the MM at all?

I agree that the looks are not avant garde, but the stealth factor is worth something, and the looks are not terrible. To me the looks are very good for what it is, a large, performance oriented American sedan, that is not attempting to be "retro" in design, but only in spirit (and half way in badging and power). I will admit that a few days ago when I saw a neighbor coming down the lane in a new pale yellow 300C, replacing his silver front drive model, I had a jolt of envy. The envy was fueled by my lust for the larger engine in the Chrysler, and the power numbers and handling hardware of their hot rod model, which from what I read should be on the road this year. Had I dallied a few more months before buying my MM I may have ended up with a Chrysler, though I have yet to drive one. The bigger engine is a strong attraction, I don't mind its' looks, and if it has a real 4-spoke wheel, comfortable for cruising, it would be hard for me to not resist the temptation to trade. :o

[Shaft333]

I didn't add marketing to my list of reasons because I did see commercials. One time in a movie theatre before the film began.
Few noticed. The car isn't styled in a stand out way. My g/f saw it and said, "it just looks like a big ordinary car." It's just not buzzworthy.

The Marauder is a car guy's car.

[GA-Marauder]

IMO Ford Division (SVT) should have taken the ball on this one. This move and maybe some ADVERTISING would probably have made a big difference in the sales figures.

['03BlkMM]

I think that most of the performance oriented people knew about the Marauder. I know I work with a number of people that would have been in this cars probable target buying group (30yrs-up males). Most of these guys drive some sort of sports car or sports sedan, only one of them actually takes one of his cars to the track. While I was looking for my car I talked with these guys off and on about the car. Almost all of them knew about the car when I first told them about it. About 1/2 of them that I talked to turned up their nose and said that from what they had seen the car was a poor performer. Most of the other ones within a few weeks or so came back to me and told me they had gone out and looked at the Marauder on the net and joked with me about the performance numbers of the stock car. They know me and know that I mod everything that I buy so they didn't poke too much fun at me. I will say that almost every one of them said they liked the way the car looked.:D

I really think that no matter how much you advertise it most people looking for a vehicle that costs as much as this one did will be very informed consumers and will do the research before buying. Once they do the research on a sport sedan most won't be happy with what they see. JMHO

[BillyGman]

I have been reading the the "Why did Ford kill the Marauder thread?" and I was wondering what in your opinion is ONE thing Ford could have done to sell the car and keep it alive. I fully agree with you, and share your theory that if Ford offered the Marauder with the Cobra engine which includes an Eaton Roots S/Cer, and kept the sticker under $40K, then it would've boosted sales. The car would've generated much more attention. Those of us such as myself who've chosen to purchase and install our own roots S/Cer on our Marauders, have to take the risk not having a warantee, like a Trapeze artist does, by flying without a net.


Ofcourse the lack of advertising had something to do with the lack of sales also. I didn't even know what a Marauder was until four days before I bought one. I had made a down payment on a new 2003 Black Crown Vic with the performance package tht I had test driven, and I was about to go into the dealer to sign the papers to buy it. I had even tried to talk the dealer into installing a S/Ced Cobra engine in it, and I was disapointed when three different dealers told me that they couldn't do that and still offer me a warantee. And the day before I was supposed to make the purchase of that car official, another salesman called me and said "Hey Bill, why don't you just buy a Marauder?".......and I said...."What's a Marauder?"...the rst is history....as soon as I seen one, I had to have it. So much for advertising, uh?

And I was also very surprised to see how several people from two different online boards sent me PM's telling me that the thing that got them to go and take a look at a Marauder, and buy one, is one of my burnout vids! I kid you not. And that speaks of how much of a lack of advertisement there was for this car. And maybe it also might even be an indication that the lack of a S/Cer hurt sales too. I dunno. Although a S/Cer isn't needed for burnouts (but it does tend to make some of them more intense:D ).

[Captain Steve]

They should have had a blues brothers commercial.. with a clip where John Belushi is talking Dan Akroyd into the old cop car.. it's got a cop engine.. cop suspension, etc, etc..

Then cut to a picture of a Marauder with the STOCK 4.10s shredding the tires with its 390hp Cobra engine.

If they had just made the superchared engine, leather seats, etc, etc. OPTIONAL then they could have advertised a 300hp $24k base model. Fully loaded would come in at ~$40k.

Hell, they could STILL do this. Just take the Crown Vic and SVT it. Call it the SVT Panther and give it a panther theme like the Cobras have their snakes. Then sell it as the ultimate Crown Vic. And leave plenty of room for folks to mod the hell out of them.

['03BlkMM]

They should have had a blues brothers commercial.. with a clip where John Belushi is talking Dan Akroyd into the old cop car.. it's got a cop engine.. cop suspension, etc, etc..

Then cut to a picture of a Marauder with the STOCK 4.10s shredding the tires with its 390hp Cobra engine.

If they had just made the superchared engine, leather seats, etc, etc. OPTIONAL then they could have advertised a 300hp $24k base model. Fully loaded would come in at ~$40k.

Hell, they could STILL do this. Just take the Crown Vic and SVT it. Call it the SVT Panther and give it a panther theme like the Cobras have their snakes. Then sell it as the ultimate Crown Vic. And leave plenty of room for folks to mod the hell out of them.
Damn, If they did that I'd have to sell the '03 MM and I haven't even had it a month now! :)

[gpfarrell]

They should have had a blues brothers commercial.. with a clip where John Belushi is talking Dan Akroyd into the old cop car.. it's got a cop engine.. cop suspension, etc, etc..

Then cut to a picture of a Marauder with the STOCK 4.10s shredding the tires with its 390hp Cobra engine.

If they had just made the superchared engine, leather seats, etc, etc. OPTIONAL then they could have advertised a 300hp $24k base model. Fully loaded would come in at ~$40k.

Hell, they could STILL do this. Just take the Crown Vic and SVT it. Call it the SVT Panther and give it a panther theme like the Cobras have their snakes. Then sell it as the ultimate Crown Vic. And leave plenty of room for folks to mod the hell out of them.

That's a very interesting idea! Oh, and "fix the lighter"

[johnfain]

Advertising. How many people actually saw any marketing.

[Shaft333]

Advertising. How many people actually saw any marketing.
I saw commercials on TV and at the movie theatre plue print ads.

The car didn't get buzz. It didn't make the girls go, "ooh honey, I want you to get one of those." It's too stealth. Too Mercury. Not enough flash for the cash.

I think it's perfect though. :D

[NAVCHAP]

In my comments in Super Rod, which were edited, my goal was to talk about how the MM was set up for failure from the start.

The car did not blend purpose and identity like the great automobile icons do. Like it or not, when you say M3, 911, Corvette, Testarossa, there are instant and strong images of purpose and identity.

Steve Babcock managed this project with both hands tied behind his back. The honchos never allowed him to be creative.

Cleaning out the parts bin didn't help either, especially when they didn't even use the best parts available.

My MM is a great car in spite of Elana and Bill Ford, not because of them. Kenny Brown, Jerry Barnes, Lidio, Procharger, Sean Hyland, VT, Dennis Reinhart, PHP, all came up with a better way to do the job. And with great esteem and respect to them all, it wasn't rocket science or brain surgery.

My biggest gripe, for all the great things this car has been and has done, is the lack of a standard transmission. Still find myself looking for a clutch pedal, knowing there'll never be one.

By no means exhaustive, just some thoughts, thanks for reading. -kjs-

[Bigdogjim]

Hell, they could STILL do this. Just take the Crown Vic and SVT it. Call it the SVT Panther and give it a panther theme like the Cobras have their snakes. Then sell it as the ultimate Crown Vic. And leave plenty of room for folks to mod the hell out of them.

You don't know how close this was to being a Ford car!
Nitehawk, Blackhawk....Crown Vic all the way.
It was Bill Ford who stepped in said give it to Mercury!
Ford guys wanted a hot rod Vic, Hell they still do!

[Bigdogjim]

Cleaning out the parts bin didn't help either, especially when they didn't even use the best parts available. -kjs-

Well it made a heck of a garage sale item..

You would think they would have a better way to clean out a parts bin?

[Bigdogjim]

I didn't think I was getting a Mustang competitor.

I didn't think I was getting a Town Car with a better engine.

I wouldn't have bought it if it had a Ford oval on the grille.

I love this car just like it is and I suspect they knew what they were selling and produced just the right amount of them.

My gratitude goes to Mercury for knowing me and guys like me and what we wanted in this car.

Pretty much suns it up for a lot of us:)

Back in the day the '60's and '70's Marauders were not the fastest cars out there.

I know as I had a '70 X-100 it was nice stock but no 1/4 mile standout.

[ELKO1]

I think the MM is really a combination of both CV and GM. Look at the back end of the marauder.......Crown Vic, then look at the Front end is.... Grand Marquee with a police grill. So when you think about it, this car really should belong to both the Ford and Mercury faithfull. Just my two cents.

[JohnnyB]

Other than the Mustang, there are no exciting products currently available from Ford L/M. They seem to be focused on bland mainstream vehicles (500/Montego) with ridiculously anemic v-6 engines. If Ford is concerened about fuel economy why did they produce the Lincoln Mark LT (wasn't the Blackwood a flop). I don't get it. If the MM were done right, Ford would have a legitimate competitor to the 300C and more showroom volume.

[chapel1]

They should have dropped a 5.4L DOHC S/C with option 4.11 gears and 275 rear tires
Bingo!!!!!!!
I got my car in June of "02" at $200.00 under list because " I had to have it."
P.S.
How do you put a 302 HP engine in a Marauder and not at least use the police intercepter drive shaft.

[whd507]

I know for me, much of the rumors were of a "x-100" model with a supercharger, so I waited, if I were going to plunk down the cash, I didn't want to be stuck with the base model. I was willing to drop $40k for a S/C car. and I loved the show car, and the cars in the showroom. my local mercury dealer didn't know or like the car, they tolerated it. I didn't see a Marauder commercial until last week, although I did get the DVD and literature in the mail.

more advertising,
cough up the high performance version before everybody looses interest, and get the ford siblings out of decision making positions.

[Cordoba1]

I really, really, really think it should have been a Ford - considering where the brands are aligned. Nobody in this day and age equates Mercury with Performance. Ford has the Mustang, the old SHO program, the SVT program, lightning, etc.

And the promised 5.4.

And the Marauder Convertible show car was awesome!

I mean, when I describe to people who ask, "What's a Marauder?" I start with something like, "well, it's like a Grand Marquis, but take off the chrome, get rid of the bench seat, drop in the...." you get the picture.

[sailsmen]

Mercury has a history of performance vehicles Capri and XR4Ti.

I beleive Mercury's goal was to bring younger foot traffic ino the showroom.

[Cordoba1]

Mercury has a history of performance vehicles Capri and XR4Ti.

I beleive Mercury's goal was to bring younger foot traffic ino the showroom.

Yeah -- No doubt -- But by 2003, those memories had faded due to the direction of the brand at the time.

[Aren Jay]

Improve Quality Control would have helped.

Advertising is important.

For the price, up here, it should have been supercharged.

The Two door varient should have been made available as a convertible and a coupe.

Thread Resurrection? Maybe they will have a Marauder Resurrection.

[Billzstangin66]

I haven't read every post, but I'll give my $.02...

I'm glad this is a limited production car. Not many people know about it- which makes me a little more knowledgable. Even with a limited production, parts are still redily available as most are interchangeable with the crown vic, GM, Cobra motor, etc...

I'm a car guy, more importantly- a Ford guy. I fell in love with this car after valeting one, I'm dead-set on getting one and want to drive it as much as possible.

[BUCKWHEAT]

Timing-wise, my (infirm) memory is that the '03 S/C Cobra came out a year after the MM was introduced. FMC would never preempt itself with a real performance innovation via L/M Division, particularly where the concept was already under development in SVT and the decision had already been made to do the MM outside of SVT.

[buttsandwhich]

Alright I was only 10 when the car first came out, but I think some things they could have done was....

1. They should of put way more power into it if they were really trying to appear to younger kids although my brother bought it at the age of 21. The car should of atleast came with the 390 hp s/c 4.6 or maybe as a second choice the s/c 5.4 500hp out of the Gt but that would of been like 60k.

2.They should of put the 6spd tranny out of the cobra in it.

3. The name SVT marauder could of helped or something like that...Although svt is exclusively ford.

4. Deffiantly marketing they only had 1 commercial.

5.The price was a little steep.

I personally think the car looks really nice nothing I'd change bout the appearance. But lets face it with only 11,052 being made its good thing for all of us. One day we could be getting $110,052 for the car!

[DOOM]

Im glad only 11,052 were made. This is a rare and special car. To me its already a CLASSIC. I still have people ask me what kind of car that is and have others say that they have NEVER seen one before. I am VERY PROUD to own one.:D:rock:

[Aren Jay]

Advertise.

Without advertising it doesn't matter how much power it has or how fast it goes. You need to advertise.

[Vortech347]

A better blend/mix of colors would of been nice. Man I'd love to score a white MM or DSG

[ledzilla]

I read a few posts about performance options, and I think that could have helped. Choose between a 4.6L or a 5.4L and S/Ced or not S/Ced. More options packages, and definitely a better marketing campaign. I never saw any kind of ad for a MM until I found a link to a commercial on YouTube some time last year.

Personally, I love my MM. The 'stealth' factor is great. It sounds great. The cornering is fantastic. Of course, maybe Ford did with the car exactly as they intended. I believe that was mentioned a few times as well.

[OO91]

They should have had more TV and movie placements. Could you imagine Frank Bullitt driving a marauder?

[ledzilla]

You know, I just remembered that I saw a MM used on a TV show. Jennifer Garner's character on Alias was running from other fed types with someone and she was driving an MM. I'll be buggered if I can remember when I saw it, or even what episode it was, but I tuned in just in time to watch that particular chase scene. If it was easier to notice what it was, it could have been better marketing for the car.

[cyclopsram]

Price it as a base model CVPI without all the gingerbread for $22000

[mcb26]

Race it. In NHRA Pro Stock and the Rolex series. Doesn't have to win just make the races. Just yesterday I had someone ask me if it was some kind of Monte Carlo. Nobody ever heard of it.

[Aren Jay]

Everyone I know who hasn't riden in it says they have heard of them but have never seen one. I suspect if they had seen one they wouldn't have known they had.

[Marylandrauder]

I remember going with my Dad to test drive one in the fall of 04, I had never heard of the name Marauder or seen a commercial, but I had heard of the Galaxie 500, well that day my Dad said he wanted one but would wait for the 05 Model to come out, I knew when the new Mustang was coming out in 05 because of the advertising, in late 06 I was about to get a Mustang as the 07's were coming out, this was an 06 Model, Ford Dealer wanted 24K, I wanted to spend 23K, found a Marauder with 6000 miles loaded and got it for 22K, but I think I like the Marauder better than the Mustang because the Mustang was very small inside, my Dad also said that if I wanted to sell the car one day it would be a lot easier to sell the Marauder than the Mustang, and I think he is right because when the Camaro and Challenger come out the Mustang prices for used cars might drop,what is amazing is every time I drive the Marauder people come up to me in parking lots and comment on the car or just stop and stare at me, the looks I get have me thinking they could have sold 100,000 of these Marauders, just to let everyone know I was watching a car auction on tv and a 1964 Marauder went for over 100K, not exactly sure of the amount but I think I am close.

[1of327]

Dunno - maybe getting rid of Elena Ford?

-A


There it is....Thats the One thing!!

[1of327]

Im glad only 11,052 were made. This is a rare and special car. To me its already a CLASSIC. I still have people ask me what kind of car that is and have others say that they have NEVER seen one before. I am VERY PROUD to own one.:D:rock:


I too am kinda glad that only 11,052 were made... I am proud as hell to talk about my car to people that don't know. When I went to the car show, a married fellow came over with his wife and knew what it was and the signifigance of the blue right off the bat...he was speaking as if he were an excited kid asking all kind of questions. Not to mention how msafe these Big Girls are. I LOVE THIS CAR can not be said loud or often enough.

[quota]

I believe that the MM's failure is the result of a deeply erratic marketing strategy.

First, for a long while, the Mercury logo is covered by dust. Only a couple of afficionados know that the brand enjoyed some glory in racing, but that was a long time ago. The flagship of the brand was - and is still, V8 wise - the Grand Marquis (MGM).
Second, the MM is "using" the design and the platform of that very Grand Marquis. The MGM is definitely NOT a bad car. At the contrary, it is a reliable, predictable, comfortable workhorse. It can even be funny to drive. But FORD decided that the MGM must sell to elder clients - that comes from the recommendations given to dealers. That target was at least achieved and the MGM finally acquired an image that does not suggest actual or even potential performance. As it sold quite well to that generally conservative market, FORD did not bring too many changes to the venerable MGM, until 2003.
Third, the "Marauder" badge was never popular. It came on a limited number of cars, a while ago. But it was never maintained "up to date". Performance flavored badges such SVT, SS, RT/E, GTI, AMG, etc are much better known than Marauder, by people looking at acceleration records.

In 2003, the image of Mercury and of the MGM was already too tarnished for being revived by a sole car named "Marauder".

To make the MM successful, FORD should have been keeping to Mercury a part of its aura. By badging a part ot its NASCAR fleet, by keeping a Cougar in its range, by selling more specific "niche" fancy models (eventually imported from FORD Europe), by doing a little bit more than redesigning, years after years, the front grille on its flagship MGM and by advertising accordingly.

Nevertheless, would it have been a sales hit, the MM would probably not occupy the same big space in a couple of die hard's heart that beats for that exclusive badass sleeper...

JP

[Aren Jay]

Build it and they will buy it. They didn't buy? I guess we should have told someone we built it.

[duhtroll]

FLM was not aiming for younger buyers with the MM. They were aiming for buyers between 30s and 50s. Not that they marketed the car in any substantial way, but "younger drivers" was never a goal for this car. The price, although high, was part of that.

It is only recently that most of the younger owners have acquired MMs, and not as first owners. Also, some of the younger first owners weren't the actual buyers.

In kidspeak, it really was an "old man's car." (meaning "older than 25") Which, of course, is fine with me.


Alright I was only 10 when the car first came out, but I think some things they could have done was....

1. They should of put way more power into it if they were really trying to appear to younger kids although my brother bought it at the age of 21. The car should of atleast came with the 390 hp s/c 4.6 or maybe as a second choice the s/c 5.4 500hp out of the Gt but that would of been like 60k.

2.They should of put the 6spd tranny out of the cobra in it.

3. The name SVT marauder could of helped or something like that...Although svt is exclusively ford.

4. Deffiantly marketing they only had 1 commercial.

5.The price was a little steep.

I personally think the car looks really nice nothing I'd change bout the appearance. But lets face it with only 11,052 being made its good thing for all of us. One day we could be getting $110,052 for the car!

[ledzilla]

Of course, 'kids' think buying a POS Civic and putting a fart cannon on it is cool. It's better that Ford didn't market such a sweet ride to idiots.

[RedMerc04]

Of course, 'kids' think buying a POS Civic and putting a fart cannon on it is cool. It's better that Ford didn't market such a sweet ride to idiots.
Not all 'kids' ;)

[ledzilla]

I'm glad my brother-in-law was never one of those people. But he's a Chevy guy, and tries to make fun of my MM, but I can deal with that. If he was into rice, I'd have told my little sister to keep looking. But she loves Buicks, so she probably wouldn't dig a guy into rice. Especially since her dream car is a Hemi 'Cuda with a white top and painted Plum Crazy Purple.

[Johnman]

Ford needs a new 4 door rear-drive platform to compete with the Chrysler products and the new Pontiac G8. It's the 21st century Ford; sorry I had to move on.

[Aren Jay]

Didn't you know the 21st century ended in 2004. For Ford.