Faults:

Need new transmission cooler lines.

Need replacement exhaust flanges for 10 bucks each.

Needs new Oxygen Sensors.

Needs new brakes.

Needs new shocks.

General Comments:

Basically all this car needed was general work any car with almost 100K miles would have need especially since I am the third owner of this fine automobile. Other than the simple problems, this car runs fantastic and is so nice to drive in just to relax because it is so big and comfortable. I wish I would have purchased the LT1 5.7 litre Caprice, but the deal I got for this was something I couldn't pass up and for how small the engine is, this 4.3 litre moves this 4200lb. car fairly nice. Usually big cars with V8 engines were associated with bad fuel mileage, but that is not the case with this car since it gets about 17-18mpg city and 25-28mpg highway.

Faults:

Water pump failed at 88,000 miles (not unexpected).

I replaced the optispark when I replaced the water pump (sensible preventative maintenance since the water pump has to be removed to replace the optispark anyway.)

Front suspension: idler arm, tie rod end.

Brake rotors (front and rear) along with pads.

Pass side rear axle shaft pitted on outer bearing surface. Replaced that and used Felpro RDS 55028-1 diff gasket and I enlarged the two lube holes to ensure that diff lube would get to the outer axle shaft bearings. The outer bearings and seals were also replaced as a precaution.

Shocks worn out. (I replaced the factory Delco units with SEO 8X3 Bilsteins, pn B46-1104 and -0929)

Tires worn out.

General Comments:

This was an ex-police car that had been used in a metro area of Milwaukee WI. So it's not unexpected that it needed a handful of the usual wear-out parts replaced. I was mindful of that when I bought the car, and the car has performed extremely well.

The car is a full size car, but it has a heavy duty suspension and brakes, and the motor (LT1) was tuned specifically so that it has excellent torque to get the big car moving. I have run it on the track with a corrected quarter mile ET and trap of 14.96 sec @ 92.5 MPH. That's outstanding given the size (big) and relatively low cost (it's not an expensive import).

My wife was suspect of the purchase -- until after she drove it a few times. Now she loves it.

Anyone that's somewhat handy with cars, and have Internet access, will love any of the Caprice 9C1 models (either 94-96 with the L99 and LT1 engines) or the pre-1994 models with the LO3 (305) and LO5 (350) because they are all basically the same body-on-frame cars from 1977-1996. The Internet provides a wealth of info on common problems and fixes with these cars.

I would not suggest ANY used police model car to anyone that expects a perfect used car, or to anyone that doesn't work on their own car. You might not be happy with it.