I found a line on a 01 CV PI patrol car (unmarked) for $2500.
Worth taking a shot at it? Then my DD could tow...
They are fun to flog thats not a bad price and you know it was well mainatined. Finding parts can be a pain sometimes.
You're better off finding a nice old granny's Crown Vic. There was nothing special about PI's, other than an oil cooler, and they have the hardest miles you can imagine on them. I can't see how buying an ex cop car is ever a good idea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_Interceptor#Comparison_with_civilian_counterpart
Also comes with a 120mph speedo, and recalibrated shift points, and an aluminum driveshaft.
Really nothing fancy, or anything that can't be added to any other CV-GM-TC.
With that being said, I'd like one. Tinted windows, add a couple of antennas to the trunk, and some personalized plates, and you'd have "respect" on the roads lol.
Except for the rear gearing, they're not very much faster than a civvie CV.
I'd rather find a Crown Vic LX or Sport. Nicer interior and wouldn't have been beat on like cop cars. As you know, I'm a cop car mechanic, and I can tell you in no uncertain terms that when those cars are decommissioned they're well and truly used up.
Ours have a 140 speedo... Also the 06+ models have the electronic throttle.
Other areas of concern are th u-joints. They go. Often. Also the window and power seat switches.
Well it's $2500 vs. $5000+ for a civvie CV with similar miles.
I'm quickly running out of car options...
Did I mention that I have permanent Military plates? Might add to the "mystique" of it...
:hick:
Myself, I'd go for it..not the least of which you'll be saving 2500 over the other one.
A rebuild of the engine and trans and slap a super on it...then you could have a one-of-none military pursuit special. lol :hick:
(you know ya wanna!)
2001 was the first year for the PI heads on Crown vics so that would be a good thing.
Not always true...I worked at a reputable shop that maintained two different township's police vehicles...the one only had the oil on their cars changed every 15,000 miles...the were wondering why they were losing motors in cars that were only 2yrs old. The other was pretty decent on oil changes but didn't give a about any other problems with the cars.
Found a Sgt or Detective one for $2500. 2001, power seats, cruise, dark blue, p71, 119K miles.
Going to go look at it Thursday...
A detective car might not be so bad. Contrary to popular belief, the highway cars are the worst. People think that highway cars are better because in any other used car that would be true (they're always advertised as "highway miles"), but with a highway police car it spends its life either idling or at full throttle. A detective car is less likely to be full of holes from equipment mounting, too.
so... there's no factory cop cars with nitrous and a supercharger like on black sheep??? :punchballs:
Holes=weight reduction right? Might look good with a chrome set of Cobra Rs and get a 2001 and up if its got the PI heads.
Yeah Carm, definitely a "light usage" car. No spotlight (or hole), has the full-width seats (so no center radio stack), no light bar, no nothing really. And it has some of the hard-to-find on a P71 options, like the power seats and cruise on the steering wheel. Came out of a small township in Oregon, but in OSP colors (Dark Blue on Blue).
I'm looking at it tomorrow or Thursday dependent on my finals...
I would never buy a decommissioned police car.
Aside from the mechanical wear, could you imagine everybody slowing down to the speed limit when you got behind them?
That would drive me up the wall.
I agree with Carm - find one of the Sport model Crown Vics with the cool wheels, monochromatic paint scheme, etc.
Turn 'er into a sleeper.
There is a guy in town here that has one put a set of lers, chrome wheels, and tinted the windows, on it and i love it. Do it especially since you dont have to plug that hole in the A pillar.
One of the funnest cars I ever owned was a ex-police car. A 1969 Dodge (or maybe a Fury?) 440, with 3.55 gears and four doors. That thing would burn rubber for a block. It would not be in a straight line either, go back and forth over both lanes with two tires burning. Smoke everywhere.
The best part was that I got it for $95 because it was running bad, pinged like crazy. But after pouring a gallon of water down the intake and doing a bunch of burn-offs it came right back to life and ran great. After I ran the hell out of it I sold it for $600. Kind of wished I had it today.
I would doubt that the 2001 Vic would be quite the same.
My co-worker purchased a Vic but he could not get over how big it was. Ended up selling it and buying a Volvo. :mad:
TED
Cruise and power seats are found in all RCMP Crown Vics. I had always thought they were standard in the P71's. Very few RCMP cars have the spotlight, too - RCMP is all about safety, and if at some point some officer was injured by something it isn't used again, even if it wasn't the true cause of the injury. We actually had to start removing the armrests from the equipment consoles because an officer had his hip injured in a major crash. That was not a popular policy among the mounties...
Not to mention the ant my car theory how many times these cars aren’t warmed up maybe even on a cold day and a priority comes up they don’t exactly let the car warm up. Get in it start it and floor it I just cringe what that does to a motor actually they entire drive line.
Now to bring up the obvious, good advice don’t buy one from a city have you scene the NYPD cars.
I believe theses munilities poorly maintain them because if it breaks its under warranty and after 2-4 years they get replaced anyway.
You should see the Chicago Police Vics :hick:
Probably the same I remember a few years ago some had bullet holes in them. You don’t see that any more. Not that they don’t get shot at but they actually fix that now.
What else oh heres some;
Wire ties holding bumpers on
Fenders completely bashed in
Bumpers partially cut to make the car operational
Hubcaps what’s that
Before the cages on the caprices the seats would break and a milk create would hold it up
The caprices would rot out holes in the floor don’t know how that happen w/a car only a few years old
Forgot this one graffiti
I could go on and on but I’m sure any major big city drives the same junk.
You think that's bad, you should see how the cars look
before going to auction :hick: While stripping cars down I've found crack, crack pipes, hash, weed, a full marijuana plant in the trunk of one, bottles of pills, knives, bullets, a gun (mounties were quite happy to get that one back!) and just about everything else you could imagine being hastily stuffed under the back seat by a nervous criminal...
Oh, and Carpimp - when I said they're full of holes I didn't mean
speed holes. I meant screw holes from mounting radios, light bars, antennas, radar units, etc...
They aren't that bad. Atleast fleet management gets rid of the dents, bullet holes, and replaces bumpers before they let the cars out again:hick: Oh and Chicago buys all it's Vics with the little chrome center caps, no full wheel covers.
I'm tempted to do a 5-lug conversion so I can run those giant heavy 16" steel wheels with those dog-dish center caps! lol....hell, my Sport looks black in most lighting anyway...badass!
I was actually thinking about doing that with my car.