Trouble-free Stock Mm's?

[Rep12]

Hi,

Just curious (cause I'm still on the fence about buying an MM) - how many trouble-free stock MM's are out there? ( You might remember me, I was lurking the site 2 months ago and was disappointed in the amount of MM quality issues I was reading about and decided to buy a new 645 BMW. I saw the new 645 "in the skin" and to me, it was just too butt-ugly.)

I currently own a 2002 Lincoln LS and quite frankly it has been a joy for the last 36,000 miles. Change the oil, put gas in it and drive. No leaks, no rattles no tick,tick,tick engine problems, no paint issues, no OD issues, no tranny isssues...it just goes.

I need faith. Can anyone just tell me that they bought an 03 or 04, kept it stock and it just runs like a champ...

Thanks,

Dave

[MYSTA KANG]

All cars will have some kind of problem in the future. Some more than others and some none at all. Anything that man makes will wear out at some point in time. man go buy the car and enjoy it. Keeping the car stock is up to you but if you want the jet like feeling I had when I rode in MIB car then I would get the STAGE 1 MOD form dennis. We have guys on this site that know more about the MM than the guys at the dealerships. So if any problem you have with the car I can promise someone in here will know how to fix it.

Bottol line:

Buy the CAR! :up:

[DavidB]

I need faith. Can anyone just tell me that they bought an 03 or 04, kept it stock and it just runs like a champ...


I have a 2003 300a, which is stock except for the replacement autometer gauges.

The only show-stopping problem I've experienced was the rear pinion seal failure at around 10,000 miles, with 18,000 currently showing. There aren't many miles left in my rear tires, but that's about normal.

TTYL
David

[Logan]

You know what they say, you never hear from a happy customers, just the one's with a problem.

I've never had a problem with either of my two Marauder's that would be quality related. Well, my second one had crappy paint, but it was my own damn fault for taking delivery of it, plus Ford repainted the car under warranty without too much of a fight.

[sailsmen]

Althoug min is modified the trans and exhaust were not mod until 19k. I now have 22K.

Only problems have been;
squeaky drivers seat
ABS lite due to bad wire connector
squeaky hood stop - fixed in 30 seconds.

Check out the BMW web boards, ( I have ) and you will see similar problems that are reported here.

[Jeff]

Happy customer here! 21,000 miles and no problems! Even tire wear,
Bone stock, thin paint and a cracked windshield but no mechanical
problems just one Bad Momma Jamma Ride! :banana2: :bounce: :rock:

[Bluerauder]

Hi,

Just curious (cause I'm still on the fence about buying an MM) - how many trouble-free stock MM's are out there? ( You might remember me, I was lurking the site 2 months ago and was disappointed in the amount of MM quality issues I was reading about and decided to buy a new 645 BMW. I saw the new 645 "in the skin" and to me, it was just too butt-ugly.)

I currently own a 2002 Lincoln LS and quite frankly it has been a joy for the last 36,000 miles. Change the oil, put gas in it and drive. No leaks, no rattles no tick,tick,tick engine problems, no paint issues, no OD issues, no tranny isssues...it just goes.

I need faith. Can anyone just tell me that they bought an 03 or 04, kept it stock and it just runs like a champ...

Thanks,

Dave

I am running a bone stock Blue '03. Took delivery on 4 Oct 2003 and now has 8,500 miles. No problems noted other than a sluggish passenger window that the dealer lubed on Saturday. I run straight 93 Exxon-Mobil. In a word, it is just plain "Fun" to drive.

[bigslim]

Only problem I had was an airbag light that came on. A switch was replaced and no problem since. I have close to 16,000 on mine and drive it like I stole it.

[Rep12]

Althoug min is modified the trans and exhaust were not mod until 19k. I now have 22K.

Only problems have been;
squeaky drivers seat
ABS lite due to bad wire connector
squeaky hood stop - fixed in 30 seconds.

Check out the BMW web boards, ( I have ) and you will see similar problems that are reported here.

I've had BMWs. They were virtually trouble-free all the way up to 200K miles. Really. Both lived up to the ad line of The Ultimate Driving Machine and you know what - I don't think that's too much to expect when shelling out big bucks.

Thanks for the reply.

Dave

[RoyLPita]

Read my post in the "shortcomings" thread.

[jstevens]

Okay, here goes, purchased 04MM. Picked up 1/31. Drove it like I stole it. Was feeling a little guilty about that after reading that you should be nice to it in the beginning. Have 5700 miles with no problems. Just had the 5000 mile oil change at the dealer. Had the brake pedal travel adjusted, probably a symptom of a little brake torquing. Just can't seem to keep my foot off the gas. Go ahead and buy cause the respect is awesome. Also, no other car compares to good old american muscle. I looked at a BMW and some others, but thought, why not keep the money in my own country.

Better buy one quick cause I think their going to discontinue and then you won't be able to join our club. LOL.

[stevengerard]

I've had BMWs. They were virtually trouble-free all the way up to 200K miles. Really. Both lived up to the ad line of The Ultimate Driving Machine and you know what - I don't think that's too much to expect when shelling out big bucks.

Thanks for the reply.

Dave

Correct, I can't say much as I only have 700 miles on my 04 except that I test drove 5 series and a CTS-V, all were great cars just different. To me there was nothing like the feeling of a large comfortable fast American car - at 60% or less of the price. The CTS-V was too small, the BMWs felt tighter but were smaller, felt much slower, (probably not but...) looked like every other BMW and finally weren't American. I thoroughly enjoy the car. No problems yet, and honestly the 04 seems better then the stock 03's Ive driven.

[tta197]

Dave, here's my take on the subject. This past Oct. 2003 I bought my '03 300A at great price w/ only 7 miles on the odometer. This car sat on the dealer lot exactly a full year without any interests. I intended to buy an '04 and stay away from the '03s because of potential quality problems, but in the end I got hooked on the '03 because of the price.

If I had to do it all over again I would buy an '04 in a heart beat. I've dealt with several quality problems with my 03: Hood latch not adjusted properly (hood would shake on bumpy roads), missing bolts from coolant line on pass. side valve cover, chaffing wire harness, rattling speaker tray, pass. seat belt hard to unbuckle, engine had chattering valve train, transmission shifting wierd (reflash helped but I need to buy chip from trilogy to get cure it completely). The list goes on and on, most problems are minor but with a car that had a window sticker for $35K, it shouldn't have any in my book.

It seems to me that most of the problems I read about here are '03s. Mostly 03 300As, but that just my opinion (remember I own a '03 300A). You don't see too many '04s with the problems of the '03s.

Dave go buy yourself an '04 Marauder and enjoy.

[mcb26]

Bought my 03 used about 1k ago, car has 12k, No problems either by the previous owner or me. 20mpg city consitant. Engineer at work has a BMW used to brag about the quality of Euro cars. He quit that when I've had to take him to pick it up for repair the 3rd time in 4 months. I took him in my F150 150k no problems. He started braging about the ride and performance the 4th time, so the 5th time I picked him up in the Marauder. Hasn't said much since. Since I don't race does this count as a kill?

[darebren]

all my stock parts are trouble free. only 13,000 miles so far... most of those 1/4 mile at a time too!

[Macon Marauder]

Here's a summary:
03 300A - Delivered with wrong spare tire, missing int. trim piece. Starter replaced at 900 miles. O2 sensors replaced (check engine light). Other misc. int. trim issues. Crappy black paint. 13200 miles when traded.

04 300A - Dead. Solid. Perfect. But this is after only 2800 miles...

No regrets on either.

[gpfarrell]

I've had BMWs. They were virtually trouble-free all the way up to 200K miles. Really. Both lived up to the ad line of The Ultimate Driving Machine and you know what - I don't think that's too much to expect when shelling out big bucks.

Thanks for the reply.

Dave


Dave,

We've had our 5-series since last summer and bought an '03 MM about 5 weeks ago.

I really like our 5-series... but it doesn't seem to get driven as much now that the MM is around. I'm not positive which one I like more... it depends on my mood. Based on MSRP's, the MM would be the underdog by about $13k, but it has nothing to be ashamed of!

The 5 has some neat stuff... memory power seat that my wife & I enjoy... only matters if you share the car... also the his & hers climate control is a nice gimmick. Overall, the climate control in the MM works just as well.

The seat heaters in the BMW also warm you back... I only feel the MM's in my butt.

If its raining and you stop at a redlight, the BMW automatically slows the wipers to intermittent until you pull away again.

The Marauder's headlights come on automatically in the dark, and also with the wipers... are we splitting hairs yet?

Granted, our old 5 isn't a new 6... but our MM is very comparable to our BMW. As well as a Lincoln LS we also considered a pre-Bangle 7-series Sport Package car... but it would have to be 4 years older and 60,000 miles more experienced to match the MM's price... and it still wouldn't have a warranty.

The MM is a helluva car... I couldn't find this sort of enthusiast web-site for the LS anywhere... and I'm pretty sure its a great car too.

I can't say you'll like yours... but we love ours!

[tmac1337]

For me it's a simple decision, I only buy from American companies whenever possible. Now if only CEO's would only stick with American workers!

[valleyman]

03 300A that has been absolutely trouble-free. I have 13000 on it and have changed some rear suspension parts, the chip, and the rear-end to a 4.10, all of which have resulted in me pounding the car more than would the normal human being that I am sure the Mercury engineers had in mind when they designed the car. I'd buy another in a heartbeat

[Black 04]

Mine is a 04 300A...love the car...like everyone said, I cannot keep my foot off the gas. I do not have any isues with the MM, solid, quit no rattles, and the car is a looker. I am always getting coments on it.

I love it!!!

[RCSignals]

Yes Dave, you've been here before, asked the same question, got most of the same answers are in this thread now. You said you'd buy a BMW. Now you're back.

I think you'll find the majority of Marauder owners have had no problems.
The Panther platform has a fine record. There are Town Cars in livery service that report over 300,000 miles without problem, and are on the original engine and transmission.

Why are you still on the fence?
If you want perfection, well, use public transit.

[Fourth Horseman]

Why are you still on the fence?
If you want perfection, well, use public transit.

:stupid: Yup, what he said.

[Rep12]

Yes Dave, you've been here before, asked the same question, got most of the same answers are in this thread now. You said you'd buy a BMW. Now you're back.

I think you'll find the majority of Marauder owners have had no problems.
The Panther platform has a fine record. There are Town Cars in livery service that report over 300,000 miles without problem, and are on the original engine and transmission.

Why are you still on the fence?
If you want perfection, well, use public transit.

" What's the gun for, Tony? This? Oh... I'm just paranoid..." (Tony Montana, Scarface)

I guess I'm just like Tony, paranoid. I have a Lincoln LS that's practically bullet-proof, I've had BMWs go the distance without problems and I don't want to buy a car (because of emotional appeal) that's going to disappoint.

So what if I ask the same questions?

Dave

[pacammer]

I have a perfect 04. No problems, great automobile.

Gary

[Smokie]

I need faith. Can anyone just tell me that they bought an 03 or 04, kept it stock and it just runs like a champ...

Thanks,

Dave
Dave, Dave, Dave. I remember you.

Bought mine in July of '02. No it's not perfect, yes it runs like a champ. I have never owned a car that I enjoyed as much.

[jobrien8]

As said by Logan, you only hear from those who like to complain and not by those who accept and just have the problems. Got my '04 in Dec. '03, before I picked it up they found a minor flaw in the windshield and replaced it. Only other problem was a passenger side wind noise and glued on valve stem caps (kids like the caps). Go buy and enjoy. I have. :beer:

[Marauderman]

Well, I have an '03 300 A, and IF it had any problems, it wasn't noticed in the first 100 days...and if it did, that wreck musta kicked the troubles in line cause mine has been w/o any of those listed .....go figure.......Tom

[BUCKWHEAT]

[QUOTE=Rep12]Hi,

Just curious (cause I'm still on the fence about buying an MM) - how many trouble-free stock MM's are out there? ( You might remember me, I was lurking the site 2 months ago and was disappointed in the amount of MM quality issues I was reading about and decided to buy a new 645 BMW. I saw the new 645 "in the skin" and to me, it was just too butt-ugly.)

I currently own a 2002 Lincoln LS and quite frankly it has been a joy for the last 36,000 miles. Change the oil, put gas in it and drive. No leaks, no rattles no tick,tick,tick engine problems, no paint issues, no OD issues, no tranny isssues...it just goes.

I need faith. Can anyone just tell me that they bought an 03 or 04, kept it stock and it just runs like a champ...
Dave, my '03 at 22k has only been back to the dealer for the first (free) oil change. Yea, I have mods. No, I haven't had problems! I can't say that for the S-Type that I traded in to get the Marauder. John

[RCSignals]

" What's the gun for, Tony? This? Oh... I'm just paranoid..." (Tony Montana, Scarface)

I guess I'm just like Tony, paranoid. I have a Lincoln LS that's practically bullet-proof, I've had BMWs go the distance without problems and I don't want to buy a car (because of emotional appeal) that's going to disappoint.

So what if I ask the same questions?

Dave
Fill your boots with the same questions.

You're getting the same answers. What other answers are you looking for?

[Murader03]

I've got an '03 300A. It's a daily driver with 53k+ on the clock. The car up until Feb. '04 gave no probelms, when the thermostat stuck closed. Although the engine never totally overheated, same damage must have been done. Several weeks ago it started missing, and I finally got it to the dealer last Tuesday morning on my way home from work. They found bad compression in one cylinder, and after borescopeing the rest, found both heads had vavle issues. The engine is being replaced under warranty. Otherwise, I'm a happy camper, so to speak. I have the Stage -1 kit from Dennis plus the sway bar. Willl be getting the exhaust mod, tranny upgrade, and PI torque converter in June when I visit Dennis.

[dwasson]

At 27k miles I have not had any problems with my Marauder, other than the sloppy alarm installation.

[miamisilvermm]

I've been problem free with my 2004 since October 03. 8500 miles so far. I get occassional condensation along the turn signal lens gasket when I wash on hot days, which has been mentioned on this forum. Stock has a great ride, good sound system, and plenty of power. I'm holding off on performance upgrades till the warranty expires.

[valkyrie]

I've have a 2004 for about 5 months. Drove it from NY To Florida. No problems to date.

I'm not to gentle with it either.

[Thomas C Potter]

11K on Blue 03B, no problems, corrected the wire harness rub (much thanx to this site!!) , stock trans is annoying! Love it!

[67435animal]

So what if I ask the same questions?

Dave

True, but, if you don't act soon, you may regret it now that the MM is no longer in production.

Mine is an 2003 300A black MM. Bought a Ford demo with 7800 miles on it. It now has almost 21,000 on it. It has been the best car I have ever bought.. good initial value, good gas mileage, powerful and comfortable (it's the only car my wife has ever enjoyed on a long trip - usually, she flies). The problems have really been nit picky on my part and, I am fortunate to have a dealer who takes my side and pushes the warranty practice of Ford in my favour.

I have not had one show stopping problem since the day I bought the car..unless you count the dipstick who tried to drive into my trunk.

Bob

[REpson]

Rep12,

I can honestly tell you that I have had a number of issues w/ my car. Listed below is a brief analysis of what I experienced sinced I purchase my car on X-Mas Eve:

* Car cut off and would not start back up. Electrical Short (Grounding Out).
* Exact same problem above. In addition, Coil on plug 4 & 8 blew.
* Defective throttle body caused battery to come on (Known Defect).

After my modifications by Alternative Auto Performance:

* 4:10 Gear
* Advanced Tune
* HP Chip.

No issues at all and I drive the car like I drive my 93 Mustang GT 5.0. With any car or mechnical device, you will have some problems but if you're a die-hard fan; you will work through them.

That's my 2 cents.

:cool:


Hi,

Just curious (cause I'm still on the fence about buying an MM) - how many trouble-free stock MM's are out there? ( You might remember me, I was lurking the site 2 months ago and was disappointed in the amount of MM quality issues I was reading about and decided to buy a new 645 BMW. I saw the new 645 "in the skin" and to me, it was just too butt-ugly.)

I currently own a 2002 Lincoln LS and quite frankly it has been a joy for the last 36,000 miles. Change the oil, put gas in it and drive. No leaks, no rattles no tick,tick,tick engine problems, no paint issues, no OD issues, no tranny isssues...it just goes.

I need faith. Can anyone just tell me that they bought an 03 or 04, kept it stock and it just runs like a champ...

Thanks,

Dave

[crowdog]

Hi,

Just curious (cause I'm still on the fence about buying an MM) - how many trouble-free stock MM's are out there? ( You might remember me, I was lurking the site 2 months ago and was disappointed in the amount of MM quality issues I was reading about and decided to buy a new 645 BMW. I saw the new 645 "in the skin" and to me, it was just too butt-ugly.)

I currently own a 2002 Lincoln LS and quite frankly it has been a joy for the last 36,000 miles. Change the oil, put gas in it and drive. No leaks, no rattles no tick,tick,tick engine problems, no paint issues, no OD issues, no tranny isssues...it just goes.

I need faith. Can anyone just tell me that they bought an 03 or 04, kept it stock and it just runs like a champ...

Thanks,

Dave
I have an 03 MM that I purchased 12/31/2003 and have put 7000 trouble free miles on it so far.I live in a rural area so most of my driving in on the hwy. and I have about 20 1/8th mile passes at Ardmore Raceway.My MM is completley stock and more than likley will stay that way, but I to have started listening for strange nosies after reading many of the post here.

[merc]

I have owned my Marauder since September of 2002. I the past couple of years I have had my car at the dealership for service so many times that I fear to count them. At the end of the day while looking back over my purchase I would more then likely do it again. You can blame Forthhorseman for that addiction. No matter what the future may reveal, I am fully committed to living to ride and riding to live. Besides Mercury is rebuilding my car for me over the next 3-years or 36 thousand miles, what a deal.

So quit hanging on the fence and get the Top Rated car on Mercury Marauder.Net for two years running.

[jgc61sr2002]

I've have a 2004 for about 5 months. Drove it from NY To Florida. No problems to date.

I'm not to gentle with it either.

Welcome to the MM site. It's nice to have another Long Islander aboard. :D

[Rep12]

Thanks for all the replies to my question. It's been a big help. It's the longest list of satisfied customers I've seen on this board since I started visiting the site. I trust it brought some hope to disgruntled MM owners, and helped people who were "on the fence" make a judgement about a purchase. That was the reason for the tread, and, NO, I didn't get this type of response the last time I was here. $28K is a lot of money to spend on a lemon. I don't like to waste money.

Thanks a lot.

Dave

[SergntMac]

I am an "older owner," meaning I bought my first "300" MM from the first STAP run, when they were just 300s, but later called 300As. I am not hip to certain things going on here, but I am catching on...Slowly.

I modded this MM, built it with "Stage I" and "Stage II" mods to run fast and hard on city streets. Back then, I could not be beat at the stoplight, by anybody.

I must pause to chuckle here, because I named these mod packages as "Stage I" and "Stage II" and now I am " " their names. I am that old here...LOL!

Anyway...Back then, I could not be beat at the stoplight. My first MM met every one of my expectations, which are expectations we still share among ourselves today. I earned the first 14.2x at the drag strip, and I was the first to cross the 275 RWHP/290 RWTQ lines on a chassis dynometer. All those numbers are slow today, yes. But, this is cool, I am very pleased to see where we run today.

Not too soon after these early days, I was offered ownership of the first supercharged MM...Ever. Yes, the Kenny Brown Marauder S #1x, an experimental MM and the ground breaker on all fronts. I took that offer.

Owning another "first" car, did not come cheap, and this specific MM was beat to death by it's designers, their labs and their "build, test, rebuild, test" routine and so on, before I took ownership.

Testing took it's toll on this car, nonetheless, this MM came back for more.

This MM broke the race ground we race on today, and in two styles of racing too. It's power, and control, broke all power and control records y'all never head of before! And all from a car this outsized, and with it's paltry 281 CID engine to boot!

Even today, it's heart is still the factory bone stock 4.6L DOHC Intech 4V engine, never touched internally, by anyone. Today, it's rear wheel horsepower is over 455, and rear wheel torque is 399 foot pounds, and all on an honest bone stock engine now approaching 40K miles on the clock. Even now, this MM will run rings around anybody on the pavement today...Anybody. Gawd...What a car.

I didn't build it, Kenny Brown ETAL did all that. I didn't commission it's build, design, or, authorize any of it's modifications. Bill Karrow did all that. I'm only the owner of record today, washing and waxing a used MM, the #1x way.

I can homoginize my feelings of owning two great MMs. It's been an awesome experience, and I conclude it all for y'all here in one phrase...

There is only one train of thought, only one belief, only one way to own this automobile.

Come to stay...Or, stay away.

[Dan]

Mine had 6178 when I took delivery of it last Wednesday night. Today I just went to 7800 miles. The drive home was pure and smooth.

Prior to buying the car it had one warranty item replaced and that was a window servo for the pass side front.

I am expecting the rest of my ownership with this car to be smooth sailing. Why shouldn't it be? It is based on the Panther platform, it is body on frame, rear wheel drive, etc, etc. Basically, nothing on the car is all that techy or ultra-modern-cutting-edge from what I can see.

I hope that this helps.

Best,

Dan

[seabreeze]

Run, Don't Walk to your Mercury Dealer, and put the money down. If the car by itself don't get you, the Marauder owners on this site will, if you truly hear the siren call. I couldn't ignore it. This is Marauder Number Two for me, as the first one I leased and returned ended up being purchased locally, and I see it daily, and found I couldn't live without it. My first one had one minor issue with a loose starter wire, which meant some funny starts last year. Easy to diagnose, easy to fix, so I got a new terminal post and nut and voila, no more problem. So I bought her red sister off the dealer lot after a walkaround. Zero issues on Number Two to date.

I work for Ford, they payed for my bread for 18 years, and I know a little about what goes into making the Panther vehicles. The total Marauder package is a proven platform, and the good in it far outweighs any potential concerns you may have. Safety, durability, style, speed, package and handling, not to mention upgrade-ability. There is no better nor higher value combination for sale today by any automaker, for my money.

You also have this wonderful owners resource called MercuryMarauder.net, which stands proud before Mercury to help you handle any issues that may arise. My advice is: if you hear the siren song, you must do what your heart tells you to do - put wings on your feet and get into a Marauder.

[jgc61sr2002]

Dan - Congrats. :D Enjoy your new ride. :up:

[UAW 588]

I took delivery of my 2004 in November of 03. It's got 3300 miles on her and just went for her first oil change. My MM is bone stock and let me tell you this is the best car I have ever owned, least the fastest too. I realize I'm at low miles, but couldn't be any happier with her. My last car was a 95 Thunderbird SC, and had problems from the day I drove it off the lot. Compared to that one, this car rocks like this web site does. Quit wasting precious time and get off your behind and buy one before the new 04's are all gone from the dealers. Just do it you won't be sorry in the least bit. With nearly going on 2000 members on this site it would be crazy not to. Good Luck. :up: