Sunday, February 6, 2011

Buying a Ford Crown Victoria Ex-Police Interceptor

If you browse your local Craigslist as much as I browse mine, you undoubtedly come across many Crown Victoria ex-police interceptors at seemingly fantastic prices. Some people, however, are skeptical of the deals and just assume there's something wrong with the vehicle. I wanted to throw a small guide together for anyone considering purchasing one of these cars, to ensure that a good deal is what you get (instead of a lemon).
First of all, you'd be surprised at how much documentation is available for these cars. Ex-police interceptors were maintained meticulously because they had to operate at peak efficiency, so you'll find detailed service records. The main thing you'll want to check for is where the vehicle was used. The reason for this? If it was driven primarily in the city, it will have a high number of idle hours, and driven harder than a car that was used in the country. The best-case scenario is to find an ex-detective car.

Police cars also are notorious for being in small accidents such as fender benders, so you will want to contact the seller and find out if any serious damage was done in the course of duty. Also be sure to find out who removed the electronics, because this will give you a general idea of the wiring condition and if you'll have to do any work.

The reason the police interceptor models are sought after by the public is because they have upgrades, such as better brakes, heavy-duty transmission, and drive-train. The interior is also quite nice, from what I could see while in the back seat.

Not all police cars are good buys, so you definitely have to do some work to make sure you're getting a good deal.

31 comments:

  1. They could get a lot more for it if they kept the original paint job and kept the sirens on.

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  2. I'd totally drive on of those!

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  3. I really want to get a crown vic.

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  4. Man just like the Blues Brothers..I so wish we could get them over here in the UK

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  5. great car and they only go for 7 benjamins here in cali

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  6. Nah thanks I will stick to an aston martin

    Trollface.jpeg

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  7. It would be better if it was in it's original condition :D

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  8. I've always wanted to snag one of those up (for as little as $2000-4000, for those asking), put a great set of mufflers on there, and have a mean-sounding V8 cruiser. That 4.6 liter modular V8 sounds beastly!

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    1. Take off the mufflers and then u get a hood sounding car

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    2. Take off the mufflers and then u get a hood sounding car

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    3. Take off the mufflers and then u get a hood sounding car

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    4. Take off the mufflers and then u get a hood sounding car

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  9. You might want to change your backseat if you buy one of those... who knows what those criminals do when they're shoved in there.

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  10. enjoy the awkward looks from people in traffic!

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  11. Hah, I heard about something similar to this on Top Gear once. Neat.

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  12. If i ever buy another car again it will be one of these. I love how everyone drives better when they see a Crown Vic, regardless if its a cop or not.

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  13. Buying ex police cars sounds like a good deal

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  14. we see them all over the place around here. lot of lower income neighborhoods in my area. ive had several friends in police forces and they say (around here at least) not to buy them as there are all ragged out. Now I cant vouch for the "country" models but like you say I suspect they wouldn't be quite as run down as our local ones :>

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  15. i was thinking to buy like this car,thanks for suggestion

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  16. "The interior is also quite nice, from what I could see while in the back seat."

    Lol.

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  17. Thanks for the advice I'll keep this in mind if I ever decide to purchase a police car haha!

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  18. sweet. good to know when i'm in the market for a used car. though I'll probably just get another honda accord. you can drive them into the damn ground. 210k miles and still going strong.

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