Pick of the Day: 2003 Mercury Marauder

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of a marauder is “one who roams from place to place making attacks and raids in search of plunder,” which means other people are victims. When it comes to the 2003-2004 Mercury Marauder, in a way, it’s a victim – of its own success. It’s a big American rear-wheel-drive sedan that combines cool looks with V8 power, so most of them on the market are road warriors that have been driven well over 100,000 miles. Not our Pick of the Day, though. You can find this 3,855-mile 2003 Mercury Marauder listed on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada.

The 2003 and 2004 model years were a lively time for the Ford Motor Company. Unfortunately, they were the only two years for the “New Edge” revival of the Mustang Mach 1 as well as the first supercharged SVT Cobra.

Those models years were also the entire lifespan of Mercury’s resurrection of the Marauder nameplate for a sinister, high-performance version of the Grand Marquis. In addition to giving the Marauder a monochromatic appearance, 18-inch chrome rollers, and dual exhaust outlets, Mercury dropped a 32-valve version of the 4.6-liter V8 in between the front shock towers. Thanks to that better breathing and Roush Performance engineering, the engine pumped out 302 horsepower and 318 lb-ft of torque, which was processed by a four-speed automatic and a 3.55 limited-slip rear end. To make sure the suspension could handle the significant increase in output, Mercury upgraded the suspension for “performance handling” with Tokico front shocks, 28-millimeter front and 21-millimeter rear stabilizer bars, and load-leveling rear air springs.

Back in 2022, when I was looking for my first American performance car, I considered getting a Marauder. That’s when I learned that most of them seem to have at least 100,000 miles on them. Not much has changed since then. It stinks, but I get it. Who wouldn’t want to crush long distances in a sleek sedan that has a Mach 1 V8 and room for his or her friends? Luckily, this ’03 Marauder has only covered 3,855 miles in the last two-plus decades.

As I learned after buying my 25K-mile 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt, low mileage isn’t everything because time catches up with seals and gaskets and fluids, but a super-low number on the odometer typically benefits a vehicle in two major ways: the paint and the interior. The less a vehicle is driven, the less it’s sat in and dirtied, and the less the elements contact its paint. You can see that logic applies to this specimen: The Black Clearcoat finish is deep and glossy, and the Dark Charcoal leather interior looks as if the driver(s) never traveled with passengers.

I’ve seen a lot of Marauders for sale online, but none as well preserved as this one. You can see this 3,855-mile 2003 Mercury Marauder in your garage every day if you buy it. To do that, start by contacting the Canadian dealer for the price.

Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com