Both are cool in my book, but which one would win a drag race stock vs. stock? Best daily driver? Easiest to mod?

impala

impala


I dont know about that...

Marauder 302 BHP/318 Lb/Ft With a 4.6 - 6.9 sec 0-60 and 15.4 1/4 mile
Impala 260 BHP:(/330 Lb/Ft With a 5.7 -7.3 0-60 and 15.4 1/4 mile

This from http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=231495

and carfolio.com

Looks like it would come down to the driver and individual car. I have a 96 and I see a Marauder in town hmmmmmmmmmm? ;)

The Impala would be cheaper and easier to mod, being a pushrod smallblock...

Stock vs. stock, they're pretty equal, but the Impala has more torque. A gear change alone does a lot to wake them cars up. They have 3.08s stock, 3.73s work very well with the 4L60e trans.

If we talking fully modded, I say the Imp, because I think the LT1 would edge out the 4.6. If we're talking stock though, I'd have to go with the Marauder. Besides an '03 engine will be fresher (i.e. less worn out) than a '96 engine! :D

i remember when the Marauder came out. i stopped by a dealer and picked up a brochure about it.. i thought it was funny that a car that came out in '03 was comparing itself to a car that came out 7 years earlier- they had a chart comparing it to the '96 Impala SS righti n the sales brochure.
but for some reason, they only highlighted what was better about the Merc- which means there was no column for 0-60 times, 1/4 mile times, fuel economy, or torque rating. it also said nothing about crash worthiness or potential resale value..
all of those things were mentioned in other parts of the brochure, but not in the head to head comparison chart.
about a year after that, the dealer still had the same floor model sitting in the showroom. i asked how many times it had been test driven- the answer was "0". i asked how many people had requested a test drive- same answer. and this wasn't some backwoods dealer that only sodl a few work trucks every year- they sold their share of Mustang GTs and even sold a few GT's when they came out.
i then asked how much it would cost me to drive it home- $17k was the answer. i wasn't actually looking to buy a car, but i bet i could have had a brand new 1 year old Marauder with 20 miles on it for $15k.
what are they going for these days? $5k for a nice one, i think. what's a 94-96 Impala go for? easily twice that.

I just helped a friend buy a '03 Marauder, and I just raced him today at the dragstrip. It is a nice car and he got it for 14k, black, 45k on the odo. He turned a 14.6 @ 95.51, I beat him w/ a 14.23@95.76! He has a aftermarket air filter /intake, intake manifold spacer, and 3.73 gear.

I always liked the Marauder, but I was always under the impression that the pushrod 5.7 on the Impala SS would beat the higher horsepower but lower torque OHC 4.6 Merc.

Stock 96 Impalas are about a half second slower than the 1994-95 Impalas. The OBD II took a little bite out of a decent package. But even a 96 stocker will pull away and hold a car and half over a stock Marauder. My 95 SS with just gears and a few bolt-ons will put a serious hurtin on a stock Marauder, even sporting heavy chrome wheels its a low 14 sec ride.

Stock 96 Impalas are about a half second slower than the 1994-95 Impalas. The OBD II took a little bite out of a decent package. But even a 96 stocker will pull away and hold a car and half over a stock Marauder. My 95 SS with just gears and a few bolt-ons will put a serious hurtin on a stock Marauder, even sporting heavy chrome wheels its a low 14 sec ride.

What about doing the same mods to the Marauder? If we change one and leave the otehr stock, that isn't really comparable... the old apples and oranges saying. I mean, I can throw some nitrous at a late model $12K Honda Civic and beat a $50K Corvette...

oops...

Looks like they are within 200lbs of each other.

They are fairly close. With the same expertise of drivers, I'd have to give the edge to the Marauder. It would be a close race in either case. Both are ghetto sleds.

Big D

It kinds sux that '96 was the only year for the console shifter - I have heard also that the '94s-'95s are easier to mod with the OBD I system. I would be all over a black '96 in a second.

ChaosEnvy:With the same expertise of drivers, I'd have to give the edge to the Marauder. It would be a close race in either case. Well speaking from experience of having a few friends with both cars, you'd be wrong. Stock vs Stock, low end torque and that deep 3:059 first gear put the Impala out a car and a half most everytime where it holds off the Mercury the whole 1320. But hey thats just me, your experiences may differ.

ChaosEnvy:Both are ghetto sleds.

Ouch! Do I sense a little (chaos) envy or what? Lol.