Faults:

The only thing that has gone wrong so far is that the ignition doesn't lock from time to time.

General Comments:

I am really pleased with this car. I drive 30+ miles in it every day with out and problems. Every now and then the transmission will flare up between shifts, but its nothing major.

This is a very quick car for its size. I have the Performance and Handling package (16" Wheels, Dual Exhaust, Air Suspension, Posi-Trac) and it can keep up with most every car I've ran it up against. Passing is a breeze, and sometimes you are up to 85+ mph before you realize you have already passed the car.

My Crown Victoria is very fun to drive. You feel as if you are master of all you survey in this gigantic car.

My only disappointments with it is that it has some issues in tight turning situations, and it has trouble getting good traction in the snow.

Faults:

The car leaked oil badly and I assumed it was a bad valve cover gasket. To my surprise the oil line for the oil cooler was loose. No more leak.

General Comments:

I am so pleased I found this car! I was somewhat reluctant purchasing a car with 188000 miles, but for 1100 bucks who cares. The car is an old police cruiser with no center arm rest. The powered bucket seats are very supportive and comfortable. What really blew me away is how fast this car really is. It totally pushes you in the seat when floored. I did three 0 to 60 acceleration tests and figured a average of 8.5 seconds! I have had the car up to 130 mph not at all feeling out of control. 40 to 90 mph is 12.6 seconds and 30 to 60 mph is 6.3 seconds. If this motor is the original from factory Ford has done really well with the 4.6 modular engine. The car I own has 3.27 gears (2.73's for civilian non handling package) which gives it that edge. The transmission shifts soft, but exactly the same each shift. Passing on the highway is very easy with power to spare.

The cabin is also one of the quietest I have owned. I drive on gravel roads frequently and this car handles them at 60 mph like nothing. The police suspension can take large bumps and not even bottom out. From the dual heated mirrors to the power seats everything works. As I mentioned above I fixed the oil leak and the motor it self burns one forth of a quart every 3000 miles. Not bad for almost 200,000 miles!

This car really grows on you. After owning one I wished I had one along time ago. Oh yeah I almost forgot about the mpg. Every weekend I drive two hours one way and consistenlty get 30 mpg. Town driving is a different story with my best at 20 and worst at 16 mpg. Crown Vic's are way under rated and much nicer than I expected. I plan to drive the wheels off this one and then go get another newer one. If your into comfort, nice ride, decent gas mileage, afford ability, reliability, and tons of v-8 power this car is for you.

Faults:

Lot's of parts in the front suspension - pitman arm, idler arm, inner & outer tie rod ends, one upper ball joint...

Bad coil pack around 89k.

Oxygen sensors @ 87k and 105k.

Tranny was rebuilt before buying the car.

Other routine maintenance.

General Comments:

Overall, this has been a good car.

The front suspension might as well have been rebuilt by now, but it is an ex-police car.

Handling is decent for being a 4,000lB car. It's kind of like driving a very low-sitting truck.

The car isn't slow, it isn't fast, it's quick. There is a difference. It's quick for its size. The V8 is relentless. It won't give up until you want it to. It's like riding on a big, fast moving couch when you stomp the gas. Smooth all the way up to the top end.

The brakes could definitely use some help. Make sure you buy high quality brake pads when they do go out, otherwise stopping the car is like trying to stop an elephant on roller-skates. There is a "98 and up" brake upgrade that you can do for around $300 in parts if you need better braking. You can find info on this on crownvic.net.

The interior is very comfortable.

Working under the hood is hard, because the 4.6L makes for cramped conditions.

The car feels safe... I'd much rather drive it than my previous car if I knew I was going to be in an accident ;-)

Overall, I'm pretty happy with it.