7th Feb 2011, 20:00
- AGREED 100%!!! Police cars are slammed around much worse than any cars driven on public roads. I wouldn't touch a used police car if you paid me its original price to take it!!!
8th Feb 2011, 22:25
Actually, those of you who think the police abuse their patrol cars are wrong for the most part.
I have been an officer for 15 years, and since the police car is our office, we do tend to make sure the "office" is in top shape. We don't want it to break while en-route to save you from the bad guy or while cruising looking for speeders.
Generally the service on the cars is very regular and any issues are corrected long before it become too great of a problem.
I had a 1998 Crown Vic patrol car that had 120K miles on it when it was retired, not too bad for an abused car! Don't assume all police cars are abused; there will always be those who may be rough on the car, but mostly, officers do take very good care of their cars.
21st Mar 2011, 21:58
I did use the words "heavy duty" as compared with the standard Crown Vic... Plus the P71 is heavy duty when compared to most cars on the road. And I totally agree with Mr (ex.?) officer, not all police vehicles are beaten to ground (at least not intentionally and even if they're damaged during pursuit, they get serviced properly).
Also, how come, so many police vehicles (retired at 130-200 thousand km) end up in the secondary market in the hands of taxi drivers, who regularly put another 300-400 thousand km on top of that? They don't get half as well treated as taxis as they did as police, and yet they manage to put on so many k's through all the city's potholes, stop & go traffic, tons of idle...
MPG of 24 is great in my opinion and is real-life, not made up in a lab. I know some "lads" get 30MPG, but I'm happy with the mileage I'm getting, as it's roughly same or better than my 3.3 V6 Grand Caravan.
Mr. from Alberta: glad you're part of the Crown Vic Owner Club ;) You know what it's about and that it's a very different and special kind of car! And don't be jealous ;) I got a really good deal on it, but we'll be equal when we both get a 2011 Crown Vic a couple of years down the road!
A little update: As of March 21st, 2011, my 07 Crown Vic is in a great shape. Absolutely flawless service. Love it even more!
LONG LIVE THE LEGEND! LONG LIVE THE CROWN VICTORIA!
P.S.: I also own a 1983 Olds Delta 88 Royale Brougham in original condition, mint. Absolutely amazing car also!
11th Apr 2011, 15:40
HOW COME A PART OF MY COMMENT DATED MARCH 21ST, 2011 WAS DELETED??? I simply answered MR. "HEAVY DUTY" that he's comparing two completely different things by comparing a police Crown Vic and a heavy duty tow truck, and that part of my comment simply vanished... Hmmmm someone's frisky ;)
Mr. "HEAVY DUTY": Stop comparing the incomparable, that's like comparing a 20 ft twin engine boat with an icebreaker. The P71 is more rugged and more heavy duty than the standard Crown Vic and most PASSENGER CARS on the road today. Save your tow truck comparisons to their respective field!
And your comment on the first guy's comment (Guy from Alberta) that his car only cost $3100 for a reason? And that even Toyota holds its value better? That sounds like Toyota is some kind of crap car brand that even Toyota holds its value better. Well Mr "HEAVY DUTY", you should know that Toyotas are among those that hold their value the most, along with Hondas. And if you're familiar with Crown Vics, you'll know how much use and abuse these cars can handle; the only ones I'd stay away from would be the 1995-2001 models, as these had manifold issues.
My Crown Vic passed emissions with DOUGHNUTS in all 5 fields, and that was done at 153 000 km (95 000 miles) right after it was retired by RCMP in Nova Scotia. This was not a Toronto cruiser, which honestly I wouldn't touch, but a highway patrol that put on a lot of k's in less than two years before being retired. Not to mention that rural Nova Scotia hardly gets to see any "action". It feels and drives brand new, and I'm happy with it.
14th Apr 2011, 23:07
"the only ones I'd stay away from would be the 1995-2001 models, as these had manifold issues."
Edit: 1996 was the first year for the plastic intake-manifold.
3rd Feb 2012, 00:42
Heavy-duty; adj. Made to withstand hard use or wear.
A car built for the rigors of police service is heavy duty.
A washing machine at a laundromat is heavy duty.
A lawn mower at a golf course is heavy duty.
A lumberjack's chainsaw is heavy duty.
Velcro is heavy duty etc. etc.
You don't need a 50 ton wrecker to recover a chainsaw. You are actually a heavy tow operator, not a heavy duty tow operator (unless you withstood hard use or wear).
I'm just sayin'.
2nd Aug 2012, 22:55
Agreed! I have a 1998 Crown Victoria, and I had to replace my intake manifold as the fluid started to leak from a crack in the water crossover.
I ordered a new intake from a US Ford dealer, as it's way cheaper than buying from a Canadian dealer. The new intake comes with an aluminum water crossover, which corrects the problem, but they are a bugger to remove, as it's a lot of work.
If you have to replace your intake, be prepared to spend several hours on your car.
For Canadians looking for a lower price intake manifold from the USA, make sure you have the dealer send it by the United States Postal Service, as the courier companies will kill you with outrageous brokerage fees. At the time I bought my manifold, the US Post charged $55.00, plus Canada Customs got me for the GST & PST, but still a heck of a lot cheaper than what the Canadian dealers charge.
The American list price is around $600, but they sold it to me for $440. What comes in the box is a new intake manifold with the aluminum water crossover, gaskets, upper radiator hose, new thermostat housing, and a new engine cover. The part number is F8AZ 9424 CA.
6th Feb 2011, 23:49
This guy is echoing his favorite words "heavy duty" his entire story.
I was a "heavy duty" tow truck driver before I got into driving big rigs. The HD truck was a Mack 20,000 pound capacity wrecker. I towed 3 axle Crown school buses and Century trash trucks with that truck. That's Heavy Duty! What that person was talking about was simply a retired cop car.
And the fuel mileage at 24 hwy sucks compared to a Park Avenue that gets 29-31 hwy and offers a much better ride. Granted, the old Vic was a reliable car and a jack of all trades; the fact that the thing only cost $3,100 is for a reason. Even a Toyota holds its value better than that thing did.
Cops treat cop cars like people treat rental cars. They don't care about the car! Tax dollars pay for it, so they could care less. They get abused and have heavy idle hours and tons of stop and go wear and tear on the transmissions. Everything from feces to vomit blood and urine has been in the back seat under the seat, and in some cases in the front seat.
Aside from being a HD tow truck driver, I towed more than 2000 cars for L.A.P.D California Highway Patrol State Police and the L.A. Sheriffs Department. I've seen it jack! And you can have it.