One-Owner Survivor: 1969 Mercury Marauder
After a three-year break, Mercury reintroduced the Marauder as a Second Generation personal luxury car in 1969. It shared many design attributes with its cousins from Ford, but it disappeared from showrooms again after a mere two years. Our feature car is from that first production year and is a stunning one-owner survivor. It has no apparent needs and is ready to provide a new owner with immediate classic motoring pleasure. The seller listed it here on Facebook in Miami, Oklahoma. You could drive away in this motoring giant by handing them $10,500. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder T.J. for spotting this fantastic survivor.
As was often the case with Mercury models, the company drew its platform and styling features from several vehicles across its and Ford’s range. It was a full-size personal luxury car, but its release timing probably wasn’t ideal. The buying public began looking towards smaller and more efficient models by 1969, meaning the Marauder never sold in the expected volume. This garage-kept Marauder is a one-owner survivor wearing its original Code T Red paint. A White vinyl top adds a striking contrast, as does White pinstriping. The paint holds an impressive shine, cloaking panels that appear exceptionally straight and rust-free. If the vehicle carries any flaws or defects, they are too minor to show in the supplied photos. The exterior trim is as spotless as the paint, including the factory steel wheels and hubcaps wrapped in whitewall tires. Rounding out the exterior is tinted glass that looks flawless.
Buyers in 1969 faced a choice of two versions of the 390ci V8 and a pair of 429s to power their new Marauder. This car’s owner selected the entry-level 390, and with 266hp at their disposal, it offered respectable performance for a vehicle weighing 4,200lbs. As is the case here, coupled with the three-speed automatic transmission, it could dispatch the ¼ mile in 16.8 seconds. Most buyers would have been less concerned about outright performance but thrived on the 390’s ability to produce impressive low-end power and torque. If I’m disappointed by any aspect of this Mercury, it’s the engine bay presentation. However, the buyer could enjoy cleaning everything to the point where lifting the hood makes a positive impression. On the plus side, years of accumulated dust and dirt tell potential buyers much about the car’s history and whether there are any glaring fluid leaks or other problems. The seller indicates it has a genuine 73,500 miles on the clock, and they may hold verifying evidence amongst the original documentation included with this classic.
This Mercury’s interior presents almost as impressively as its exterior, with the owner making the sensible decision to preserve its carpet under mats. It is a sea of Red, from the seats to the dash. There are no significant rips or tears, although some piping has disappeared from the outer edge of the driver’s seat. There is a visible repair in that spot, but a competent upholsterer may achieve a better finish without costing the buyer a fortune. The dash and pad are excellent, with no cracks or other issues. It remains unmolested, with the original owner selecting air conditioning and a pushbutton AM radio for a comfortable motoring experience.
Although Mercury targeted a niche market with the 1969 Marauder, it was undoubtedly disappointed with the sales total of 14,666 cars. Of those, 9,031 were the entry-level Hardtop Coupe like our feature car. The balance was the more upmarket X-100 derivative. Things deteriorated significantly in 1970, with sales plummeting by nearly 60% to 6,043. The company pulled the pin on the Marauder, and the rarity of these classics means they rarely appear on the market. An original survivor like this could command a value of around $12,000, making the seller’s price look competitive. It has been on the market for a couple of days, and I won’t be surprised if it finds a new home relatively quickly.
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Comments
A very nice survivor with the added appeal of rarity. The price seems very fair considering the condition, it’s priced within reach of most folks who are looking to get into the hobby. The mileage is reasonable, and you probably won’t see another at most car shows. Another great find.
This base model Marauder doesn’t carry the visual pizzaz of the X-100, but it still has plenty of presence and would be a great cruiser. Like FordGuy1972 says, it is in good shape, isn’t expensive, and will draw attention around town or at a show.
The addition of a set of X-100 Magstar wheels, and a little TLC is all this one needs to really set it off. Personally, I’m not a fan of the vinyl toupee, but I’ve always liked these!! GLWTS!! :-)
Nice looking. You won’t see another one at the local show. Agree with Bob_in_TN that the X-100 has more eye candy. Like mine
Very nice William Hartig. Thanks for posting your eye candy.
I prefer an X100 in black with no vinyl top please. (Also a 429 thank you)
Looks like a bonafide bargain to me. The price is right, it’s in overall beautiful condition, so it appears you could buy it and enjoy it as is right away, and not have to pour money into it immediately. At least that’s what I’d do. I’ll bet it’ll sell quickly, hopefully to someone who will appreciate its originality…
If it spent it’s life in Miami, Ok probably never saw salted streets.
I remember these new. The front end design was fantastic for 1969 and this particular example looks nice. However, I believe, at least on the ones I saw, that the trunk lid area was painted black. Wasn’t that the case?
In that era, not many cars came with power windows even though they were offered. The story behind that was that if you fell into a river, the power windows would fail. I try to avoid rivers and other bodies of water when driving.
Anyway, Mauraders we’re ever so cool. No hidden wipers though.
I believe it was black on the X-100 (or perhaps on cars w/out a vinyl top?)/
It was a matte black finish which looked awesome on a red car.
Nothing wrong with a 390, probably the best of the FE engines, though the Marauder was always supposed to be the sports/performance Merc.
While a sterile engine bay may make some eyes twinkle, I far prefer seeing the honest looking, “un-fluffed” engine bay that shows what use it has had vs someone using the wrong sheen of black paint spraying everything and anything under the hood with over spray everywhere or dousing it with shine products. With this engine bay, any leaks are easily spotted and can be attended to before giving it a scrub and cleaning.
This is a sharp Mercury for the money.
A bit confused here Saskatchewan Canada about the engine I had in my Murcury Marauder. I owned a 1969 all options with the console way back in the day. The engine bay plus air breather clearly labeled as a 410 engine. Anyone have any information about the 410 engine in a 1969 Marauder.
Dave – The vinyl top was an option instead of having the trunk/rear window painter black.
Wayne – My X-100 is a 429 4BBL with the performance rear. It breaks the tires loose from a stoplight. Of course, MPG is more nearly “miles per grin”
$10K…wow…..i might be interested….but Oklahoma is a stretch and I don’t buy sight unseen. Except for crap under $500 on Amazon.
William Hartig, That’s what missing, the flat black rear deck paint!
I often wonder what an aftermarket throttle body injection would do on one of these cars. Mainly for fuel economy. (O2 sensor would keep the “unused” fuel in check, BUT, not sure if the power would get any better) It would be interesting to find out.
I owned a 1967 Ford T-bird with the same motor, 390-4bbl. I put an RV cam or high lift cam in it and that T-bird got 21 mpg highway going from LA to Las Vegas both ways! Checked it twice. This was in 1984-85, a while ago, lots a while ago. But- I wonder if you could do it again? Matter of fact, I didn’t even have electronic ignition and I still did 21mpg. I’ll bet that this Marauder could do the same. This car is definitely a great opportunity for someone. Good luck!