Car and Driver

[Directedby]

This month's 'Car and Driver' magazine said that Mercury has sold 2,910 Marauders.

[WolfeBros]

I saw that total elsewhere as the number that was sold thru the end of December 2002. I do not think that includes YTD 2003.
If it does......this car just keeps getting rarer and rarer. Which is ok with me.......I don't know when I have had as much fun with a car !!

[SergntMac]

"twenty nine ten" he whispered in my ear, the secret number given to me as the "end of year sales, 2002" figure. That was more than 90 days ago, and a lot of s**t has changed since then.

I been gone that long? So, what's this mean now?



Paul, how ya doing, eh? Ready to buy yet?

[RCSignals]

It's likely just the 2002 figures. The magazines are usually behind since they are prepared so far ahead.

C+D has done their part to discourage sales, they should be proud

[CRUZTAKER]

Originally posted by SergntMac
"twenty nine ten" he whispered in my ear, the secret number given to me ....
I been gone that long? So, what's this mean now?


MAC!!! What have they done to Sir????!!! Were you tortured? Did they hurt you, did they soil your car....?
:lol:

Shake it off.
You're home now...it will all return to...(whatever it was) before you left.

[LincMercLover]

Originally posted by RCSignals
C+D has done their part to discourage sales, they should be proud

No :censor: ...

[Directedby]

Sarge -

I'm good. Still waiting for my lease to run out on the Chevy in September.

Still want that ride if I ever make it to Chicago.

[derek77]

Don't believe everything you read in C/D. They don't always have their ducks in a row their. I don't get any of my info from them.

[LincMercLover]

C/D and Consumer Reports, both foriegn slanted.

[dok]

Originally posted by LincMercLover
C/D and Consumer Reports, both foriegn slanted.

Car and Driver is French owned.

[LincMercLover]

Originally posted by dok
Car and Driver is French owned.

Well, one more reason to add to the list...

[RCSignals]

from another board, supposedly C+D has released their "winners and losers"


H2 Hummer a winner, Marauder the loser.

What a joke C+D is!

[BlackHole]

They also said the GMC Syclone was a loser to but try telling an owner that or even a seller of a good non abused one. Average price for a 91 Sy is around 17,000.

[ilpimp]

that's exactly why i don't buy C & D magazine, they have the worst articles, and most of their stuff seems made up.

[89VERT]

Car and Driver ALWAYS seems to favor foreign cars ( especially BMW's and Porches) and that's probably because many of their alleged writers are frustrated engineers who wish they could design the over-priced snob appeal cars they test . I wish for once that they would get off their high horse and realize that LOTS of North American people LIKE V-8's, rear wheel drive and AFFORDABLE performance. It's not to say that a bimmer ( say an M5 for instance)isn't a nice car but for the cost of an MM or Mustang , we can have a car made in our country that with just a little effort will run all day with German iron .
But hey that's just my $ .02 worth.

[mad man]

What american made car's maruaders are made were:cry:

[CRUZTAKER]

...or two marks worth:P

[LincMercLover]

I think everyone should be prepared to see the Marauder forever labled as "the car no one wanted." Look at the sales figures, and what will C/D blame it on? Mercury not going all the way with this car, just an attempt to resurrect the Impala SS. It won't be put on the economy, advertising, etc... that is, not until it becomes "Classic Car and Driver" 20-30 years from now... :rolleyes:

BTW: Welcome to the 2% crowd! :up:

[RCSignals]

The first year ('94 version) of the Impala SS also didn't have staggering sales. I don't recall C+D labelling it a loser

[mad man]

These car's are not selling?. Come to chicago I have seen 5 in 3 days. And no thay were not the same car and that;s not counting mine :)

[BlackHole]

Well in 5 to 15 years people going to say man I could of had one. So pretty bad that I see more Lightnings made than Marauders
total about 25,000 L's vs only about 3500 MM's. But I agree Mercury has no one else to blam but themselfs.

[mad man]

And thirty years ago i should have bought a hemi car . $$$$$ :po:

[jgc61sr2002]

The MM's are still not selling like they should. FMC is the only one to blame, lack of advertising and the lazifair attitude of the dealers who could care less about a sale. John

[mdmarauder]

It's weird, I got complimented about my MM four times this weekend. But nobody actually buys them. I love mine, but no advertising and the press killed it. I don't miss the supercharger that badly.

[prchrman]

quote: Car and Driver is French owned.


I hate to bring this up...BUT..."Marauder" is French...ouch...yuck...ickie poo...

[RCSignals]

If Marauder is French it must be old French

[prchrman]

If Marauder is French it must be old French

No it be just French according to Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary...
Maraud: to roam about and raid in search of plunder:RAID, PILLAGE --- marauder, noun..

[TAF]

Originally posted by prchrman
If Marauder is French it must be old French

No it be just French according to Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary...
Maraud: to roam about and raid in search of plunder:RAID, PILLAGE --- marauder, noun..

One thing is for sure..."she's" Catherine Deneuve, French...

And NOT Jacques Chirac, French

[prchrman]

:up::burnout:

[RCSignals]

I finally picked up that issue of C+D. They give the thumbs up to the Hummer H2, and cite it's sales figures, emphasising that it is only part year figures, and will be higher.
For the Marauder they give the 2910 figure as though it is for the end of the model year, total sales. Typical C+D. Then of course their stupid "V-6 Accord is quicker" comment.

You think they are upset that Ford didn't credit them with "inventing" the Marauder, as in "their" Lounge Lizard project car came first? One things for sure, they are wrong about the Accord.

[Bigdogjim]

You think they are upset that Ford didn't credit them with "inventing" the Marauder, as in "their" Lounge Lizard project car came first? One things for sure, they are wrong about the Accord. [/B][/QUOTE]
I agree! I think they fogot that Ford/Mercury had RWD V-8 Power before.. like in the '60's:D
As for the Accord I had a kid want to race race me to 60MPH the other day:rolleyes: I said "kid I know where you come from but, the race ain't to just 60":flamer:
Rice it what's for dinner :D
Big Dog

[ghost]

I saw the Impala SS mentioned when discussing production figures so I thought you guys might find this interesting:

http://www.doersch.info/ghost/ss_production_figures.gif


It really is a shame that the MM isn't getting it's due credit for what it is - an attempt to capture the market that Chevrolet dropped when they cancelled the Impala SS (B-body) program.

The MM is a cool car and the car mags should be encouraging automakers to stick out their necks and manufacture cars that are different and exciting, rather than these I wanna be like everyone else and have no personality cars like the Accord and practically everything else coming from Japan. Chrysler is doing a good job of being more daring and different with their styling, like the PT Cruiser, Viper, Dodge trucks (with the big front end, remember when they came out?) and Prowler. It doesn't matter if you like the styling or not, the important thing is that Chrylser is taking chances, just like Mercury is with the Marauder, and I applaud their efforts.

European cars have a lock on styling, for the most part, and many of them are excellent performers that deserve the praise they receive from the auto magazines. But they should also praise risk-taking ventures like the Marauder and encourage sales if they wish to see any more of this coming from the USA.

Pisses me off.

Eric

[DLoreanMARAUDER]

I'm with you Ghost.
Almost every C+D article bashes the Marauder, but no 2 articles are alike. one day they say the seats are too firm, the next the seats are too soft. they just don't like the car, and they want to see if fail. i've seen SOME other mags give the car good ratings, but they were no name mags, or mags only guys like us (car guys) would buy anyway. theres alot to blame.
almost NO advertising, dealers KNOW NOTHING, WHEATHER sucked all winter, car has only been out less than a year! come on give it a chance to grow on people! Its still eairly in the game and the nice weather is coming, plus the dealers are getting anxious to get rid of them so i think sales will climb a bit. I never heard anything from FMC itself about the discontine of the car, so there still might be a chance, but only time will tell.

[jerrym3]

Maybe I'm missing something, but the automagazines that I subscribe to had a lot of positive things to say about the MM starting from its early announcement.

Then, when finally available, every magazine had at least one road test, and the automobile TV shows followed suit; however, not all the reviews were great. Plus, since there's really nothing new in the car for 2004, there was no reason for additional reviews.

Were the magazine reviewers biased against the Marauder? I don't think so. They reported what they felt and observed.

(Besides, positive reviews and "Car of the Year" status certainly didn't help the new TBird.)

Mercury mailed out Marauder DVDs, even going so far as to leave some of the less than glowing remarks (about standing starts) in the DVD.

How much of their advertising budget should Ford have given the car when a first year model run of only 18,000 units was projected? They even discontinued the Marquis LSE model so that, in order to get a full sized Merc with bucket seats, you had to consider the Marauder or a less powerful CV LX Sport.

The economy, some so-so reviews, initial dealer greed, and our love of SUVs all combined to hurt sales. (I wonder how the car would have performed or looked if some of the money spent on the Lincoln "pickup truck" disaster, the Aviator, and/or the new Explorer/Mountaineer platform had been spent on the Marauder?)

But, "it ain't over till the fat lady sings", so maybe there's still hope.

[ChuckB]

although there are really good things about having low production number cars. the ego stroke (you all know exactly of what i speak) when a BMW (substitue any foreign carbon copy look alike) pulls along side, drool comming from the drivers side and the question pops out "what's that"?

i had a local sheriff follow me to the gas station just to talk about the car 2 days ago and the week before a motorcyclist just about fell of his bike giving the thums ups.

So i'm sorry C&D and some of the other air headed low ciculation trade rags didn't like it and that FMC couldn't market flood insurance to the alka seltzer factory, i do.

and man that pains me to say as (confession time) i've been a GM and Mopar fan (read into that ford basher) for all 43 years of my life.

[russ in VA]

I would not say they have mistreated the car or caused it's sale problems. They are always critical even of the cars that are their favorites (such as the BMW 3 series and the accord) and don't hesitate to point out their shortcomings too. I think they have made a few catty comments (such as the beaten to death v6 accord is faster comments) that I don't appreciate but overall I think they have been fair and treated our favorite car just like they do all the rest. If you think all they have done is beat up our car, you need to start reading Beadard's column too. He loves the marauder and he owns a Honda Insight! Then there were Egan's coments in R&T a few months back when he went "driving Mercurys". The mainstream press is not all bad, I read their comments to hear all sides and I think they have been fair. The car SHOULD have more grunt off the line (4.10's), and as far as I am concerned the seats do leave something to be desired (try flinging it around an on-ramp then go do the same in a honda and see which one holds you in place better). My two cents.

[RCSignals]

Originally posted by russ in VA
I would not say they have mistreated the car or caused it's sale problems.

I would. I've talked to people who have said they were interested in the Marauder until they read magazine reviews.
We've have people post here saying the same thing, and they bought a Nissan Maxima or something instead, while later admitting they never even looked at a real Marauder.

I do believe the magazine reviews can effect sales.

[jgc61sr2002]

RC I agree that any commercial (news paper,mag,etc) will influence the public to buy or not. That is what advertising or the lack of is all about. John

[junehhan]

Now I know why I stopped reading them, and never renewed my subscription after expiring a while ago. It's the bias that is clearly evident that makes me upset. It's upsetting when some products don't get a fair evaluation because the journalists evaluating it have already judged the book by it's cover.

[RCSignals]

As you can see by the first post in this thread, C+D has had a long hatred for the Marauder

[RCSignals]

And here they gave us Lady Liberty and Lafayette