The Mercury Marauder might have been a copycat idea (see also: 1994-96 Chevrolet Impala SS) but it was a decent enough execution of the concept: big motor, body-on-frame sedan, monochromatic look, and enough go-fast bits and custom items to set it aside from a standard Grand Marquis. Just like the Impala SS, it hung around for a couple of years before being unceremoniously killed off. And just like the Impala SS, yours truly was floating around dealerships.

Unlike the Impala, however, I was old enough to drive when the Marauder was out, so one day I had hatched a plan with a couple of friends: We would take Joe’s Cadillac Eldorado down to Austin, go find a dealership, and perform a test-drive. We almost got away with it, too…except at the last second, the sales manager saw four Army punks and realized what we were up to and demanded proof of down payment before we were able to get the keys. That wasn’t in the cards, so we came clean and thanked him for his time.

The big Mercury was old-hat even by old-hat standards when it came out and Ford didn’t seem that interested in hawking it, but it’s a neat sedan that for the most part has been kept put up by collectors. Whatever…it’s a big fun barge and it’s meant to be driven. Regular Car Reviews got their hands on one and took it for a spin. Check it out: