Photo: Autotrader
Mercury’s Marauder jumped across time on three separate occasions, for the 1963 grade choice on standard Mercury coupe models, for the 1969 fastback derivative of the Marquis and the 2003 reincarnation as the highest performance version of the full-size Grand Marquis.
All of them quickly met their demise so they are now turning into high-value collectibles. The latter even commends close to $70k prices in trading, quite the surprise given its unassuming appearance.
Still, the seller that listed a used 2004 Mercury Marauder on Autotrader for $69,500 might be on to something. For starters, the Marauder befits the very definition of a sleeper car. A black sedan with Mercury badges and almost no exterior indicatives of its performance. One could easily pass it as a granny mobile, or even as an undercover cop car.
But if you check the Wikipedia page for the explanation behind sleeper cars the very first car picture is depicting a black third-generation Mercury Marauder, the performance version of the otherwise dull Grand Marquis. And this is exactly what you are getting from the listing – a black, pristine, low-mileage 2004 Marauder.
Secondly, the model might infamously go down in history as the last RWD sedan premiered by Ford in North America. The Marauder was the final “new” nameplate created by the Blue Oval for a model based off the Panther architecture. And, ironically, it was retired because of low sales – just like the other passenger cars that bit the dust recently...
Thirdly, the seller must have known the Marauder had the potential to become a collector’s car one day. This is because we are dealing with the original owner of the 2004 example who reportedly ordered it on the last possible day. As such, it is one of the last Mercury Marauders that were manufactured out of a total production run of just 3,214 units for the 2004 model year.
It is also a garage-kept pristine example that was fitted with every factory option possible, save for the moonroof. The car has accrued just 4,617 miles on the odometer and elegantly sports its black monochromatic exterior riding on 18-inch five-spoke wheels sporting vintage Mercury hub caps in the center.
Ford’s 4.6-liter V8 produced back in the day 302 hp and was mated to a four-speed automatic transmission as well as a limited slip differential. And you can imagine why owners overwhelmingly went for the black monochrome appearance considering the model sported the same suspension and brake enhancements as Ford’s own Crown Victoria Police Interceptor version!
But if you check the Wikipedia page for the explanation behind sleeper cars the very first car picture is depicting a black third-generation Mercury Marauder, the performance version of the otherwise dull Grand Marquis. And this is exactly what you are getting from the listing – a black, pristine, low-mileage 2004 Marauder.
Secondly, the model might infamously go down in history as the last RWD sedan premiered by Ford in North America. The Marauder was the final “new” nameplate created by the Blue Oval for a model based off the Panther architecture. And, ironically, it was retired because of low sales – just like the other passenger cars that bit the dust recently...
Thirdly, the seller must have known the Marauder had the potential to become a collector’s car one day. This is because we are dealing with the original owner of the 2004 example who reportedly ordered it on the last possible day. As such, it is one of the last Mercury Marauders that were manufactured out of a total production run of just 3,214 units for the 2004 model year.
It is also a garage-kept pristine example that was fitted with every factory option possible, save for the moonroof. The car has accrued just 4,617 miles on the odometer and elegantly sports its black monochromatic exterior riding on 18-inch five-spoke wheels sporting vintage Mercury hub caps in the center.
Ford’s 4.6-liter V8 produced back in the day 302 hp and was mated to a four-speed automatic transmission as well as a limited slip differential. And you can imagine why owners overwhelmingly went for the black monochrome appearance considering the model sported the same suspension and brake enhancements as Ford’s own Crown Victoria Police Interceptor version!
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