Would you buy a used cop car?

[TomN]

I'm looking at buying a second car, and these used police interceptors keep poping up on Craigslist and for decent prices, with decent miles. You know maintenance has been kept up on the cars, but the part that concerns me is the interior. You just don't know what has been in the back seat. I'm thinking about it, I like the style of the most recent crown vics, and cruising down the highway in a white police interceptor with a grille guard would be alot of fun. Any thoughts?

[djfllmn]

they are maintained well but they have had the snot beat out of them...it would be so fun though lol

[Skylark65]

if the price was right i would, but DJ is right they do get the living crap beat out of them... but being a crown vic, they can handle it, lol.

when i was looking for my first car, i wanted to buy an old '93 caprice unmarked police interceptor, the little old guy that had it said it was awsome being able to fly down the fast lane and have every car merge out of the way and slow down

[2003rangerfx4]

dont they have upraded suspension and brakes?

[DickW]

If you want one....go for it. I have to agree with the maintenance being done and also the wear and tear they get. If the price is right......jump.

[TomN]

Originally Posted by 2003rangerfx4

dont they have upraded suspension and brakes?

yes to suspension but idk about breaks. i knos you get a heavy duty trans cooler thing and some other goodies. it also idles higher then a stander crown vic for the times they idle with the lights on and such.



The one im looking at is a 2001 with 89,500 miles on it for $3295.

[03 SB FX4]

A friend of mine bought one as a beater so he would have to put miles a bunch of 4 mile trips to work on his brand new truck. He did a full tune up and maint on it and its still running strong.

[Rango88]

I dont know if its like that in the states but they should have upgraded brakes, suspension, trans cooler, alternator and better tires. Too bad the 4.6L in those cars werent as powerful as they should have been IIRC they have around 250 HP and go from 0-60 in about 8 seconds.

The abuse they see is extreme, they jump curbs and get slammed around a lot. I would buy one in the mind that it would need some $ to be brought up to shape just to have piece of mind.

[renodogs]

Buying a used cop car is not a good idea. They are beat, VERY BEAT. Cops abuse the heck out them and the city/county mechs are always repairing them. But when it becomes more expensive to keep fixing them than to keep them, guess what? They get put out to pasture (auction) to get rid of the problem. Moreover, if you've ever been in a cop car for a "ride along" during a patrol shift, you'd know what I mean.

Essentially, it's equivalent to buying something on Craig's List.

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[99Rangerxlt]

They can be great deals, just make sure you go over EVERYTHING and I remember when my bud bought his, he had it put up on a lift first to check the frame and driveshaft and what not. You know how cops are with curbs haha

Sent from my iPhone

[tacho19871987]

I have to agree they do get pretty beat up! I work for AutoZone in the commercial side for the store, and the city itself has a mechanic that does work for all their patrol cars, heavy equipment, firetrucks and city official vehicles. And he works mostly on patrol cars and he puts on em on the lifts and checks EVERYTHING!!! so every purchase is about $500+.

GO GO POWER RANGER!!!

[Dub_city714]

My old boss bought 3 interceptors from CHP, one we used to patrol which I used and it was in OK condition it still had power and drove smooth but the interior had alot of issues. The other two were in great condition and the interior was in good condition and drove way better then the car we used to patrol.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by TomN

....and cruising down the highway in a white police interceptor with a grille guard would be alot of fun....

Good luck getting anywhere fast. Expect people to slow down in front of you if they think you're a cop.

[mudsling556]

They can be ragged out. Some agencies will get rid of decent ones though if they have a new buy on a load of new vehicles. As for the crown Victoria, it is the only ppv that can take a rear end hit up to 70mph and have the driver survive. The suspension isn't beefed up any more than a normal crown Vic. The only thing that is considered beefier is the electrical system because of the need to run light bars and sirens etc. I would totally buy one though if it ran right lol

[BoyRanger]

I hate people that drive those cars, they scare the crap outa me when they come outa no where and you just see it out of the corner of your eye and think is a cop.