Fresh Barn Find: 1969 Mercury Marauder X-100
Merriam-Webster defines the word marauder as, “One who roams from place to place making attacks and raids in search of plunder.” I’m not sure if that’s a pleasing description or one to make your mother proud, but this 1969 Mercury Marauder X-100 would sure make me proud. The seller has this Marauder posted here on craigslist just southwest of Cleveland, Ohio and the seller wants $8,500 firm. Here is the original listing and thanks to Rocco B. for sending in this tip!
Covered in a shade of era-perfect Burnt Orange Poly paint with a matte black “tunnel and decklid”, this Marauder X-100 is fresh from a barn in northern Washington state, according to the seller. Being a Pacific Northwest car, it sounds like it’s in very solid condition but has some sun-bleached and/or faded paint. It also has a few dings and dents on the sides, from what was reportedly an elderly former owner, before it was parked an undetermined number of years ago. The original center caps are needed, according to the seller.
There’s that unique matte black rear piece, one of the coolest visual features of any car that I can think of off-hand. Mercury made the Marauder for seven model years total in three separate runs between 1963 and 2004. The X-100 was made for the 1969 and 1970 model years and at almost nineteen feet in length, it was long, low, and very impressive, not to mention imposing with covered headlights and that flat black rear paint scheme.
It’s always a little jarring to not see power windows on a luxury car, even a 1969 model. Although, this was the era when a lot of people didn’t trust those dang’d new-fangled options. This one does have power seats so there is a bit of modern luxury inside, and what appears to be an almost-perfect interior. Although, the photo above is the only interior photo so it’s hard to tell. This car appears to have the twin-comfort lounge seats, but a bench seat and separate bucket seats with a floor console were also available. The seller says that this interior is original and there is some wear to the driver’s side bolster.
The engine is Ford’s 429 cubic-inch V8 which was factory-rated at 360 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of stump-pulling torque. The AC has been removed, according to the seller, and the original carburetor has been replaced by an Edlebrock but they still have the original carb, which goes with the sale. This car starts, runs, drives, and stops fine but could be taken to the next level or just maintained and driven as it looks now. What would you do?
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Comments
Oh, boy! Fresh paint, some TLC, source the wheel caps, and I would definitely “plunder” the roads in this cruiser! GLWTS!! :-)
Another example of a car which didn’t capture my attention back in the day, but now I think they are really cool. Such presence. Like Moparman says, some time (and money) spent on this one will result in a great cruiser.
No doubt what it is— read the license plate.
Thanks Scotty.
Kind of funny, Bob! I graduated high school in 1970 and of course, was (and still am) into the car scene, typically GTO’s 442’s, etc. For some reason, I liked these from their introduction in 1969, They were huge, but the rear paint treatment, the wheels, they were super cool!
Bob, My thoughts exactly. I thought these looked bloated and marine-like when new, but they have aged very well.
It appears the engine was removed and painted. Very few owners remove an engine just to repaint it! That suggests it may have had substantial repairs, but none are mentioned. As the main A/C parts are still on the car, and it appears only the compressor is not on the engine, it may be a simple case of re-installing the compressor, converting the flex hoses and seals to R-134a, and the A/C might work again.
Hey Scotty – this car was posted in April:
https://barnfinds.com/rust-free-1969-mercury-marauder-x-100/
D’oh! Sorry for the repeat, and thanks for sending that first one in, Matt! It’s definitely the same one and it’s interesting that the asking price went from $9,800 to $8,900 since April, even with shipping costs to get it from Tacoma to Cleveland.
SO COOL…Wish Ford had the balls to put buckets, center console, floor shifter, and OFFER THE MANUAL….In many of their cars!
Buckets, console and floor shift were available in the 69-70 marauder. No
4 speed in the big mercury after 68, though. But you could also get all of the above including the 4 speed in the big Ford lineup. But even 69 was the last year for a 4 speed in the full sized Ford.
69 last year for the galaxie and XL with a factory 4 spd. I had one. Like hens teeth then almost impossible to find one now.
Always liked these. This is the exact color combo I would have ordered back in the day but bucket seats and a console are a must for me.
They needed one of these….a black one in Goodfellows. Perfect !
Always thought it would be cool to have a ’70 Marauder with the black rear deck and a ’70 Ford XL with the blacked out hood in the same garage. Have only ever seen one XL that way, there were special moldings along the side, like in this brochure:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/294199598861?hash=item447fa99f0d:g:CAwAAOSwbFhgpw4y
You buy the car, I’ve got the center caps (you’d have buy the wheels, too) and a good bit of the power window setup. A deferred dream that’s not going to happen.
I had a 1969 X100 Marauder in high school. Maroon with white leather interior. I absolutely LOVED that car. My Dad bought it new from Preston Lincoln Mercury in Nashville Tennessee. I was blessed to have it and as with many other cars I’ve owned, I WISH I HAD MY X100 BACK.
1 for sale cheap..jerome idaho
Buckets and console
Rough but complete
gone.
Gone? Gee I thought it would be available until I finally decided to make a call on it! Gee the nerve of them not just waiting and waiting for me to decide that it was a deal and some clown snuck in and bought it from under me! It was only for sale for what? A few weeks?
There was a jerk I knew who saw the same Boss429 in Hemmings in 1981 as I did he chose to not call on it and I chose to call and buy it. Since then he would not talk to me and told everyone that I snuck down and bought it from under him! Till the day he died he badmouthed me. If your interested in a car and just look at it, someone will buy it.
What happened to BF edit when you phone makes bad corrections?????
Fran, if you’ve got a little red box next to your screen name with the word MEMBER in it, you can make corrections. I don’t see the red box, so I suspect that’s why you cannot make any corrections.
And I just made a correction, so it’s working, at least for me.