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Crown Vic Police Interceptor- What do you think about them?

#21
I love those big sedans, almost picked up an Impala and test drove a CVPI or two.

Instead, I went with the economical choice and bought an HHR. Front wheel drive, 2.2L motor, and 30 mpg highway. With my 40 mile commute each way, I'm glad I did.

I still pass a CVPI or two driven by a civilian and get a little jealous. They're not fast, but they're quicker than they look. They're fairly comfortable, and everyone knows what it is. And people get out of your way, so that can be a cool thing if you want to trick everyone into getting out of your way on the highway.

See if you can find one that wasn't a patrol car, but rather a detective's car. Usually had fewer drivers and were kept in better shape, and they're generally not that awful white.
 
#23
Jim Campbell said:
i've never used snow tires......when you factor in all the things you can do with a truck that you would normally have to pay someone to do they are a bargain
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I would love to own a truck, but with a budget of 5 grand, its gonna be hard to find one. I don't want to get a dinky little dodge dakota or something if I'm getting a truck. My dad had one, and you had to really floor it, acceleration was terrible. He didn't like taking it on the highway, because merging was scary, you have to pray you'll get up to speed fast enough before you run out of space on the on ramp.

I'd like to get something like an f150 with a crew cab (4 doors) and a short bed. That makes my search even harder, most f150s around have an 8ft bed with a standard cab. I don't plan on using this for work, and don't have very much of a use for the bed, especially a full size bed. I've also looked at the chevy avalanche. Thats basically what I'm looking for, but they are pretty pricey.

I can definitely see some use for a truck though. Unfortunately, other people will benefit from my truck more often then I will, it seems. My sister will love it, because I can help her move. My friends will love it, because they are helpless when they get stuck in the snow. I'm sure if I have a truck, I'll be helping everyone move. I'm already the go to guy when someone needs help. Atleast when the time comes, I can move myself out of my parents house.
 
#24
TOOL460002 said:
oh, i completely forgot to touch on how "fast" the crown vics are. whilst at sears point, watching friends and strangers run the quarter mile, three or four cop cars showed up to drag, and they are not at all fast. the best one did it in the high 15s if i recall correctly, and the rest were in the 16s and 17s, which is pretty pathetic in my opinion. granted most high speed chases arent in a straight line, but dont go thinking theyre sporty. i also bet they handle like a sedan (ignore high end euro sedans and a couple american ones [charger and taurus sho come to mind] and MAYBE a japanese one or two).
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Yeah, it's surprising how many people think there is such a thing as a 'special' 'cop engine' in the CVPI that magically adds 100hp or something. Though I think the oil cooler and heavy duty alternator are pretty sweet...
 
#25
I wasn't even aware that the public can buy the Crown Vics with the police package. I thought only law enforcement could. Although, I guess you could buy them used when they auction them off. Like somebody said, police departments swap them out fairly frequently.

I'm retired federal law enforcement, and drove unmarked, but police-package equipped Crown Vics for many years. Because my work was more similar to detective work (rather than uniformed cops), I always took good care of mine, and didn't beat them.

They were smooth-handling and comfortable, which was nice because I traveled a lot in the 3 states that I covered. No, it wasn't like a dragster; but it could haul when needed. Bottom line is that I would have bought a used one IF I could have bought one that had been assigned to me. But I probably wouldn't get one that had beaten around by the uniformed cops.

But yeah, they do suck up some gas...
 
#26
People get too hung up on gas mileage. If you buy the car for the right price, you can afford to spend money on gas.

Police cars aren't meant to drag - and as a beginning car owner, neither should you. Police cars need to handle and the drivers need to know how to use them. A trained driver can change lanes to either side at 50 MPH in 1.5 car lengths, and do it while keeping in a space 12 inches wider than the car on each side. It takes training in weight transfer, throttle technique and familiarity with the car. That's just an example of the training they get.

If you're in a heavy weather area, I'd rather have a small to mid-size 4WD SUV than any sedan, and if you're a bass player it will give you more room for your gear as well. There are plenty of SUVs for sale that will get 20 MPG on the highway and 15+ in town...and if you can buy them cheap, the gas mileage won't break you. My '99 Blazer meets all those criteria and is still dependable at 145K miles.
 
#27
I'm not looking for a dragster, but I don't want a grandma car. Of course, a car that can haul ass would be fun, but I think I would kill myself if I had an SRT8 or something ridiculous like that. I don't trust myself with that much horsepower. A car with excellent acceleration is definitely useful when you are merging on the highway, making a lane change, or making a quick left turn. So I'm looking for something in between. I figure the 4.6L v8 should be plenty of power for a first car. And yes, people get too hung up on gas mileage. My other options are a truck, or my mom's buick, which gets 12mpg.

I'd like an SUV too, but unfortunately, they tend to be more expensive than a truck. I think I'm gonna atleast test drive a crown vic, I have to get it out of my system. And like I said, I've heard Canadians love them because of how they do in the winter. You can buy a used police interceptor at a pretty good price, I'm looking into this because it could be a better deal than most cars at this price range.

Can anyone tell me how their Crown Vics do in the winter?
 
#29
I have always lived by the rule that you never buy a vehicle that has ever been in a fleet (cop car, taxi, rental car, company vehicle, etc.). Sure they may be regularly maintained but they get the tar run out of them on a regular basis by drivers who don't give a d**n cause they're not paying the car loan or the repair bills.

Also I try to stay away from vehicles that have seen extensive stop-and-start driving. "City miles" are much much harder on a vehicle than "highway miles".

Also agreed that driving a big-motor, rear wheel drive car in snowy/icy weather can be a major PITA. I've lived in snow climates all my life, I have plenty of experience backing me up on this. I haven't owned a rear wheel drive car since the early 90s, primarily for that reason.
 
#33
jaywa said:
I have always lived by the rule that you never buy a vehicle that has ever been in a fleet (cop car, taxi, rental car, company vehicle, etc.). Sure they may be regularly maintained but they get the tar run out of them on a regular basis by drivers who don't give a d**n cause they're not paying the car loan or the repair bills.

Also I try to stay away from vehicles that have seen extensive stop-and-start driving. "City miles" are much much harder on a vehicle than "highway miles".
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Also keep in mind that if it was a patrol car, there will be a lot more engine wear than the odometer mileage would indicate, because police officers never turn off the engine. They keep them idling, so they can respond to calls quickly. Or to keep the air conditioning running.
 
#34
Eh, P71s aren't really that different from Vics/Marquis/Marauder. They only have upgraded suspension, drivetrain and brakes. The motor is the same 4.3/4.6 v8 in vics but with a different air intake. When my mom was looking at getting one, out of the 7 we looked at 5 were beat to ****, and the other two rode like a bull. On all of them the trannies sucked, slipped from 1-2/2-3, r-1 you'd have to hold the break to lockup the converter. Too many neutral drops from speedtraps methinks. Though they are pretty fun too cruise around in and scare lawbreakers.

Marauaders are pretty much a people version of the p71, but they kinda suck. They handle like a lead elephant and dont have much get up and go.
 
#36
I don't own one, but I have driven one almost every night (except for a few years when we had Chevy Caprices) for almost 24 years. They are good cars. The definitely haul a$$ and are built well. Keep in mind though, if you are buying one from a dealer that was traded in by a Police Department, it more than like has been BEAT TO CRAP.
 
#38
I can't stress enough how beat to crap used police cars are. They get a lot of miles on them quickly. They are used 24 hours a day.

Plus, certain guys tend to treat cars they don't actually own a little rougher than cars they themselves have to pay for. Right Rumzini? :)
 
#39
Uhhhhhh....ok ok. Some more than other s I will say in my defense. I was by no means an angel....but jeeeezzz...every now and then I would stay after and ride shotgun with the next guy. That is until I saw how he would drive that poor car to death. No wonder the things never ran quite to par!
 
#40
Horny Toad said:
2004 Crown Vic LX Sport.
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"Crown Vic" and "Sport" used simultaneously to describe a car? ;)

I used to know a guy who lived in Massachusetts and bought a Crown Vic Police Interceptor at a state auction. Blackwall tires, lightbar mounts, spotlight, all that. As he drove around, especially on the Mass Pike, he found that the state troopers always waved at him.

Police cars may get beat on a lot, but for years many municipalities in the US have sold off their police cars after a few years of service to companies that refurbish them into taxis (until not too long ago, a large majority of the taxis in New York City were refurbished police cars). Impalas and Caprices seemed to be most popular for that, but the Connecticut town I used to live in used Plymouths for a while (I don't remember what model) and those that survived their service went on to become taxis somewhere.
 

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