Advice on Buying a 2003 Marauder

J

jakesteel1

New member
:help:

Hi,

I am considering the purchase of a 2003 Marauder with 27,000 miles.

I am hoping that you guys can give me some pointers and things to look for when I go to inspect the car. I am aware of the LCM headlight issue. I will check the headlights but that problem may be intermittent.

Anything else?

Thanks for any input.

J
 
Welcome to MM.net!

That is very low miles for a MM. Especially an '03.

Post more info or a link for us to look at.

You could try and find a member close to where the MM is to go and take a look.

Mike.
 
I was gonna suggest staying far away from RED Marauders, but since it is an 03 you have no worries :D
 
That is the best advise.... find a MM member close by so they can look at it with you.

Also, PM Brian, aka Roylpita with the VIN and he can tell you what warranty work has been done.
 
I sent a PM to Brian for the VIS report, thanks for the suggestion.

I take it that they didnt come out with the Red until 2004? This particular one is black.

Any other suggestions?
 
jakesteel1 said:
I sent a PM to Brian for the VIS report, thanks for the suggestion.

I take it that they didnt come out with the Red until 2004? This particular one is black.

Any other suggestions?
Click to expand...


Buy a DTR, they made less of them than the standard "black". :D

03's, you need to check for rear axle problems and paint issues.
 
Spectragod said:
03's, you need to check for rear axle problems and paint issues.
Click to expand...

Ah oh, rear axle problems? What tends to go wrong? Something I should listen for or feel for while I am driving?

Also the car actually has closer to 30k miles and he is firm at $16k.

Seem like a fair price?
 
Best bet...buy an 04. Better paint, better axels, stronger tranny...also consider one from the deep south.....no salt, no rust...if that is practical. And if it is going to be for fun as well as transportation find one with a Trilogy kit and other mods already done and save at least
50% of the fun mods original cost and the tuning will already be done. Check the for sale ads here and at motorcitymarauders.com.
There have been some buys on great Marauders recently.:beer:
 
Hotrauder said:
Best bet...buy an 04. Better paint, better axels, stronger tranny...also consider one from the deep south.....no salt, no rust...if that is practical. And if it is going to be for fun as well as transportation find one with a Trilogy kit and other mods already done and save at least
50% of the fun mods original cost and the tuning will already be done. Check the for sale ads here and at motorcitymarauders.com.
There have been some buys on great Marauders recently.:beer:
Click to expand...
Sounds like good advice. Just doesnt seem to be a lot of selection. My main reason for going for this '03 is the low mileage and the price seems reasonable.
 
Some items to check. Make sure that the radio receives both am and fm clearly. Make sure that the gauges by the shifter both light up. Put the a/c on to confirm that the air comes out through both the vents and the defroster. Put all the windows fully up and down to make sure that the motors and regulators work.

Good luck
 
See if the guy is willing to let you take it to a shop

Set up an apointment with a shop you trust and ask the guy if you can take it there to have it checked out on a lift.

See if the factory VIN stickers are on the fenders and doors still and so forth to check for accident repair work.

Have them pull the fill plug out of the rear end and see what is being collected on the magnet.

You get the idea.
 
BlueMarauder

Funny you mention the windows, one of the motors was replaced on the Oasis report. I’ll be sure to check the actuators.

Ive seen those gauges by the shifter in pictures. What do they do?

LeoVampire

Its going to be a bit difficult to get the car to a shop. Is there anyway for me to check the VIN stickers in the various areas or does the car need to be on a lift?

When you say to pull the plug on the rear, does that refer to the differential or the transmission?
 
jakesteel1 said:
BlueMarauder

Funny you mention the windows, one of the motors was replaced on the Oasis report. I’ll be sure to check the actuators.

Ive seen those gauges by the shifter in pictures. What do they do?

LeoVampire

Its going to be a bit difficult to get the car to a shop. Is there anyway for me to check the VIN stickers in the various areas or does the car need to be on a lift?

When you say to pull the plug on the rear, does that refer to the differential or the transmission?
Click to expand...


The diff plug is magnetic and collects metal and can indicated a problem if there are any chunks on it.

All the VIN specific parts stickers are usualy easy to spot and have a yellow outline to them and wipe out the numbers when removed.

I said put it on a lift to check for leaks and to see if the frame had been repaired and so forth.
 
jakesteel1 said:
Sounds like good advice. Just doesnt seem to be a lot of selection. My main reason for going for this '03 is the low mileage and the price seems reasonable.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that there were only 11,052 Marauders built, and based on projected attrition curves, that number is probably down to 7,000 or so by now; and a bunch of those still in service are getting up there in miles.

If you've found one with low miles, and the OASIS report looks good, you probably don't have too much to worry about.

Soft axles were a problem on the early '03's, as were valve seals which resulted is a little blue smoke on start up. Some aggravating minor electrical problems: relay in the LCM, window switches, wacky wipers) are common, but all of these are repairable, and overall the Marauder is a pretty reliable car.

If you're not certain about the car, post up a link, I've got a guy that will snap it right up if you don't take it.
 
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