Probably most FAQ from non-marauder owners

[Luckyle]

Hey guys,
I'm currently in the process of selling my Audi S4 and am looking into buying a Marauder. I'm REALLY interested in supercharging the car, but it seems like every kit made for this car is at least $5k. Is this average? I'm just used to my previous cars (Mustang GT ~$3k Vortech S/C). Just seems a little steep and was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction. If this is the average price on superchargers is this car as benefitted by bolt-ons as other cars or is it simply not worth it to upgrade unless it's s/c? Thanks!
Kyle

[ctrlraven]

Welcome to the site! I'm sure some of the other members will chime in but just kicking over my 1st year of ownership of my Marauder I have learned a lot. From what I have seen the s/c kits are close in price to eachother and it's a matter of what your really looking for is what will help you decide which s/c kit you want. I've been bouncing between the Trilogy and ProCharger and think the Trilogy kit will better suit my needs. The search button will become your best friend and is the best way to learn about things. As far as I can tell it is as benefitted by bolt-ons as mustangs. I've only put several mods on mine since I purchased it and with those few things it drives and acts like a whole different monster. As new mods get put on it the ride will get better and the grin :D on your face will get bigger and bigger.

[the_pack_rat]

While a S/C is the ultimate mod ... a tune & gears are a great start w/o spending too much.

Yes, the cost of S/C a MM doesn't come cheap ... but that is to be expected when dealing with a kit for a car of limited production that has some unique components in the kits, compared to say a S/C kit for a 4V Mustang motor. The more popular something is, & the more of them there are out there ... the cheaper it generally is when you go to build it up.

I think of it as building up an Oldsmobile V8 ..... vs say a small block Ford or Chevy.

Sure there are parts out there to make an Olds go faster ... but they are few & farther between than that of a small block Ford or Chevy. Those that do make & sell such parts will never ever see the same sales return in volume on Olds stuff as they will on the SB Ford or Chevy stuff ... so you will generally pay more for these parts.

[RR|Suki]

Things for the car are going to come at a premium, you have to really love the car in the first place to put up with al the little things that go into it. If you want something you can make fast cheap and easy pick a different car. Maybe an Impala or something, however if you really love marauders, then perhaps a procharger is for you if you are tight on funds and want to go fast. Anything but a blower and the car will be fast-ish, maybe if you go on a good size shot of juice.

[juno]

All the MM kits are intercooled so you won't find a $3000 dollar kit like you can on a mustang. Plus there is an FIT kit on special for 3995. How can you beat that?

[KillJoy]

Mustang = Millions of 'em = Lots to cars to mod

Marauders = Several Thousand = not a lot to mod :(

Volume does wonders to aftermarket pricing :rolleyes:

KillJoy

[jim geary]

While a S/C is the ultimate mod ... a tune & gears are a great start w/o spending too much.

Yes, the cost of S/C a MM doesn't come cheap ... but that is to be expected when dealing with a kit for a car of limited production that has some unique components in the kits, compared to say a S/C kit for a 4V Mustang motor. The more popular something is, & the more of them there are out there ... the cheaper it generally is when you go to build it up.

I think of it as building up an Oldsmobile V8 ..... vs say a small block Ford or Chevy.

Sure there are parts out there to make an Olds go faster ... but they are few & farther between than that of a small block Ford or Chevy. Those that do make & sell such parts will never ever see the same sales return in volume on Olds stuff as they will on the SB Ford or Chevy stuff ... so you will generally pay more for these parts.
That was very well put Eric. Very well put.

[Luckyle]

Wow, thanks for the quick responses guys. Rarely does that happen even on the "million person mustang forums" :mad2:. Makes sense though as far as a volume approach goes to pricing, I just thought I should make sure to ask the pros before diving in head first. I'm pretty sure I'm still going to be sticking with the Marauder. I'm 6'5" so the bigger the better for me, my last few cars have been a little tight after the "OMG A NEW CAR" phase has worn off and i'm actually looking for comfort. Hopefully finishing up the sale of my car this weekend and I can throw a picture on the forums of a new member car!
Thanks again and take care!

[ckadiddle]

Mustang = Millions of 'em = Lots to cars to mod

Marauders = Several Thousand = not a lot to mod :(

Volume does wonders to aftermarket pricing :rolleyes:

KillJoy
That's it in a nutshell.

When you get to shopping MMs, if you send a PM with the VIN of the MM you are looking at to member name RoyLPita (Brian) he will run the VIN through OASIS and let you know the repair history and other interesting info. OASIS is Ford's internal dealership computer system. It's nice to know people, isn't it? Brian is a great guy and does this as a service for us mm.net members.

[BigGuyBigCar]

Coincidentially, a few cars back I was in an Audi 4000. At 6'4" the Marauder is much easier to get in and out of!

[jgc61sr2002]

Luckyle - Welcome aboard.:D :welcome:

[jimlam56]

While a S/C is the ultimate mod ... a tune & gears are a great start w/o spending too much.

Yes, the cost of S/C a MM doesn't come cheap ... but that is to be expected when dealing with a kit for a car of limited production that has some unique components in the kits, compared to say a S/C kit for a 4V Mustang motor. The more popular something is, & the more of them there are out there ... the cheaper it generally is when you go to build it up.

I think of it as building up an Oldsmobile V8 ..... vs say a small block Ford or Chevy.

Sure there are parts out there to make an Olds go faster ... but they are few & farther between than that of a small block Ford or Chevy. Those that do make & sell such parts will never ever see the same sales return in volume on Olds stuff as they will on the SB Ford or Chevy stuff ... so you will generally pay more for these parts.

Good comparison! I agree also about the tune first, relatively inexpensive and will wake up the MM.

[Vortech347]

These cars really arn't that expensive to mod. If dumped the same green into the Merc as I do my stang it would easliy be an 11 second car. Try modding an SHO or BMW. Ouch...

[Bigdogjim]

Coincidentially, a few cars back I was in an Audi 4000. At 6'4" the Marauder is much easier to get in and out of!

And at 6'6" it is still easy:)

I did need to remove the driver side sun visor:)

[88LTDCV351]

God, I can't wait to get me a Trilogy SuperCharger. But $$$ right now is a problem. Ouch. Wish maurader.net could buy a bulk amount to bring the price down and only sell it to members. ha ha Someone wake me up from my dream.

[gpfarrell]

S4? Sweet ride!

I was admiring a brandy-new 4.2 A6 in our parking lot just this morning... beautiful car! However, a supercharged MM is a screaming bargain compared to anything else remotely comparable.

The superchargers aren't cheap. I can't speak for the others as I haven't seen them up close, but the Trilogy kit comes with some really trick custom fabricated parts as well as components with millions of dollars of R&D behind them and manufactured by Bosch (you might recognize that name!) and FoMoCo. It's clear the kit was not designed to be cheap... neither was your S4!

I really think the reason you don't see cheap MM superchargers is because as a collective we don't think like the typical Mustang driver (note: I've owned at least one 5.0 at all times nearly 15 years!). We want fast, but "cheap" isn't as paramount as "good".

My Five-Oh doesn't have very good manners, but I don't care. My MM... which will now smoke my Five-Oh... behaves perfectly. No funny idle, no cold start hiccups (21 degrees this morning), just lots more oomph than Mercury thought to include.

I use our MM daily and couldn't afford compromises. It carries our kids to daycare and takes us to meet clients - it's got to start and run or it gets replaced.

As an aside, our other daily ride is a BMW 5-series. The Germans do lots of things very well, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the Mercury. I sure have been over the last 30,000 miles.

[lastdaze04]

I will say that I bought mine the way it is with the Trilogy unit and all. I was a former 89 5.0 mustang owner. I will NEVER go back. I love my S/C Marauder. Its like having your cake and eating it too
BTW There is at least 1 S/C Marauder for sale in the forums and in the classifieds. Do some clicking and look around. This is an awesome site with good people.

[RoyLPita]

Welcome aboard. Enjoy the site.