Steve annonomus, I had an '01 P71 Vic Interceptor used by the Kentucky State Police and when I sold it, it had 263,000 miles accumulated and still ran good.
Ian A Ran well. Good is for nouns. YOU LOOK GOOD. THIS TASTES GOOD. YOUR MOM'S HOT (tell her I said hi) Well is for verbs. CAR RUNS WELL. I SLEPT WELL. WATER COMES FROM A....well, that's not a verb - but you get the idea
Get a retired K-9 car if you can. It'll be difficult to get the dog smell out, but it will likely be a one driver car, and many of the miles on it will be to and from the officer's house. Comment based on 20 years in law enforcement.
In most departments only the K-9 handlers drive those cars with the dog, and he or she takes the car and dog home after work. When we traded them off after 3 years they had about the same mileage on them as the regular patrol units, but half that mileage was easy miles to and from the officers home and the car had been used only 1 shift a day, 4 or 5 days a week for police patrol work. Also police cars take a beating in pursuits, and K9 cars tend not to join pursuits or relinquish them to regular officers immediately because the dog can get injured bouncing around in the back of the car during the violent driving of a pursuit, which is another reason these cars are generally in better condition when retired. Yes, getting the dog smell out is a challenge but it can be done.
Wow, you impressed me with your knowledge of emergency equipment. I'm a Firefighter/EMT, we rolled the hour meter in our ambulance TWICE before passing 150k miles. Our 1991 fire engine only has 45k miles on it, but the CAT engine is so worn out it has more exhaust comming out of the crank case vent than the exhaust pipe. The odometer turns while the truck is pumping so of the 45k about half are actual road miles. There's no way to tell how many hours, but I'm sure the number is astronomical.
Thanks for the comment! Yeah, I usually don't suggest going by the hour meter as it might not tell the true story. I work with vehicle telemetry equipment everyday so I spend quite a bit of time with LEAs, FDs, and EOC on how their vehicles are setup for both data as well as communications. I truly appreciate your service brother. Stay safe out there.
Big Truck Big RV Newer Ford police vehicles actually have a digital hour meter. My old Crown Vic got retired at 87k miles with almost 20k hours on it. My new Explorer is at almost 1000 hours in 6000 miles.
Big Truck Big RV hello. Just watched your video. I was wondering if the new Taurus interceptors are capable of being tuned with an obd2 tuner. I would like to tune one but have minimal knowledge on the capabilities of these engines. They seem to already be performance upgrades but I would like to push the envelope considering they have lower center of gravity then civilian models.
Jordan Semmel In the state of Georgia the EMT course is usually done by a tech school or equivalent. Mine was only 2 semesters, at the time Paramedic was another 3 semesters. I learned (and continue to learn) the fire fighter skills on the job.
Worked at a car dealership years ago. The commercial sales manager was a retired police officer who sold to 75 different police agencies in my state. One day, one of the smaller departments was at the lot to pick up 4 cruisers and drop off 4 trade-ins. Before they left, the manager asked them if they wanted to look through the cars one more time before they left, in case they missed anything in them. They did, and found a forgotten evidence bag filled with what I can only assume was about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of pot. They laughed, manager laughed, I laughed, they took the evidence and left. Was the saddest day of my life.
Benjamin Filbert They called it an evidence bag, but think about that for one second. That was for there own personal use, no way could that be upheld as evidence unless they plant it on someone.
U know they just told you guys it was evidence but they had taken it for there own use and wasn't going to say that. Evidence don't get left behind in the squad car my friend
I bought a 06 impala ppv 4 years ago from a sheriffs department in the Atlanta area. The price was right and it came with the service records from day 1. Every oil change, brake service, tire changes ect. It was super detailed and made it easy for me to spend the money. This thing has been super reliable needing only oil changes and brakes. This summer I put a new water pump, radiator, fans and a thermostat because it was starting to run hot in the 100 degree weather. When I bought it the cage, push bar, and spotlight were still on it so the wife refused to drive it. It only took me a couple of hours to remove all of that. Best car I've owned and more reliable than a lot of my newer stuff. The wife wants me to buy an Explorer now for her to replace it but I'm leaning more towards the Caprice. Thinking about building a poor man's SS.
Love the idea that an engineer is telling people what to buy. Nothing wrong with opinions but as a line tech for years and even talking to engineers from General Motors, I often wished that an engineer had to try to repair some of their projects. Example is that Cadillac gave 1.2 hours to remove and replace the right hand valve cover on an HT4100 engine. The guys at the GM Training Center agreed that it was impossible to do it without AC compressor R&R (which allowed something like 2.5 hours for R&R plus evac and recharge system and WAS necessary) however they expected you to do it in 1.2 because engineers said it could be done. Maybe on he engine stand in engineering but not in the car. General Motors was very good to work for but union and engineering made being a service manager in later years a complete crock. Customers and dealers then parts ordering................Glad I got out of it!
I would suggest federal government vehicles over state owned vehicles. They are optioned with full interiors, plus idle time is not an issue like state vehicles. And federal maintenance programs are much more strict when compared to state policing agencies as well.
I just picked up a 2009 Tahoe PPV from a small coastal town in my State at auction. One owner (city owned), complete service records included in sale; so far I'm very happy with it!
Ex police/gov panther platform cars are always a good buy. Parts are cheap and common both new and used. Good heavy duty frame and body and the drivetrain lasts 600k+ miles. Pretty muchly a light duty f150 in a car body.
Matthew Fincher 98-2011 towncars, grand Marquis, crown Victoria. p71 crown Vic had the best performance/cooling packages. Craigslist, police gov/state city auctions. sometimes Richie brothers.
You forgot to mention the marauder, I own one and the car is a blast! Also the only panther platform to have the 32v engine, but yes the panther platform is fantastic and durable.
You're right. The panther platform is great, but instead of buying a used police car, why not buy a clean crown vic. From what I have seen you can get heaps of low mileage nearly mint civilian crown vics that haven't been abused for really cheap too, so its the best of both worlds
If you want to constantly replace your transmission, buy one of these. Been in enough ride-alongs to see that every call, great or small, required stomping the accelerator. And been on two ride-alongs where the transmission has given out. After 40, 000 miles, the engine feels like it's only running on half the cylinders.
Sir, you are absolutely right about your comment(s) for vehicles used by the U.S. Border Patrol. They sure are sticklers on vehicle maintenance, no shortcuts allowed.
Jocelin Paul lol, I mean those poor tax payers who have to keep replacing thoses, Los Santos must have a crazy big police budget the way they keep coming back. :P
Bought a 06 Crown Vic. Ex Highway Patrol. So not as much idling time on engine. Drives and runs like new. I have put 45k on it so far. Put new cooling fan, electric window switch and tires on it so far. Runs fantastic and pretty fast for a lead sled.
This is a very informative video and it's perfect in its timing. I am thinking about buying an interceptor in January and you gave me a few more things to consider. Thanks for the info and good job, as usual.
I just bought a 2014 Tahoe with the SSV package. Differs from the PSV only in that it’s 4wd. 98,000 miles. Belonged to a local fire department. Love it! Not sure of the hours, but it can’t be an extremely high amount. Time will tell how it lasts.
I've always been told that 1 hour of idle time is equivalent to 26 miles if I remember correctly. So 40 hours idling is 1,040 miles. Definitely adds up as time goes on.
The Ford Crown Vic is designed to sit and idle all day, in the summer, with lights and other equipment running. the extra capacity alternator handles it. You also have a transmission cooler, and lots of other extras to keep the car from being overstressed. Even the drive shaft - composite materials for extended high speed driving, etc. The pre-wiring allows me to put a second battery in the trunk and install a lot of communications gear that just works all day.
I own three retired police vehicles. Two P71s and a Tahoe PPV. All were from large agencies and fleet maintained. The PPV was once a State Trooper vehicle. All had over 100K on them when purchased, irrespective of their idling hours. While not perfect, they're outstanding values and among the most reliable vehicles I've ever owned. My 09 PPV looks great and has plenty of power for a vehicle of its size. I'd buy another one tomorrow.
My neighbor has one and it's left him stranded on numerous occasions. He thinks it's the fastest thing on the road and he got super pissed when my 95' Z28 smoked him on the bypass. Lol I even gave him a head start.
Weedhopper I as well have an 03, bought with 90,000 now at 140,000, when purchased it had 3 pages of documented work done replacing parts, it was like new!!!! Zero problems, fantastic car, was a Sheriff’s car, really nice and taken care of, I won’t drive anything else till I die, (of course I’m 74 so who knows how long that will be LOL). I’m sure with you Weedhopper, they are TANKS!!!!! And let me add, the first Ford I’ve owned that burns zero oil and no leaks either, that’s great in itself!!!!!
Excellent point on the engine hours. I work for a trucking company with about 200 trucks in the fleet, & after receiving some new trucks & hearing that the particulate filter needed to be pulled & cleaned at 250,000 miles, I called the dealer & asked "Well, how about at how many engine hours??" I got a long pause, followed up with some, "Well,....I'm not sure about that" (this is supposed to be the "service" department. We run a fleet of dry bulk tankers that spend quite a bit of time loading & unloading the trailers, by means of running the p.t.o. & the blower. And of course, when the blower is running, the r.p.m.'s are higher (around 1200), so that must count for something as well.
answer was pretty much what I was thinking, worth it if you're mechanically inclined, but getting into the prices of all the equipment was unnecessary seems it's all pulled before being sold
I up-fit Police and Fire in Northern California. the 17' Tahoes are amazing. At the moment I am instaling brand new Harleys, and retro fitting dash and prisoner cameras, body cams and DVR systems.
I've owned a couple of p71 Crown Vic's . I drive one now . Great cars . Very dependable. Cop cars have a gauge that shows engine hours. Most only have 65000 miles when sold. I love them.
The hour meter is one of the odometer functions. On the Crown Vic, it shows ONLY the hours where the engine is running and the car is in park. Driving hours are not included in that number.
all new cars have this, the regular cars review guy reviewed a 2013 caprice retired cop car, the computer clocked over 3000 hours of total run time, 2024 of those hours were just idling in park
In the crown vic owner manual, it tells you this (This is paraphrased, but you'll get the point.) Press the odometer reset button two times. This will take you to the idle hours meter. Multiply the idle hours by (some number I cant remember) and this will give you equivalent engine miles based on idle hours. Add this to the odometer mile meter. This should better help you as a fleet manager manage maintenance cycles on your vehicle.
They typically run fine, though. They might have cosmetic issues or parts that were tampered with, but they reliably get one from point A to point B. We got a used cop car (albeit likely an undercover one or detective's unit), and it has a lot of miles and his been beaten up quite a bit... yet it has been completely reliable during road trips, city driving, and dirt drifting.
I can say you have hit a lot of key points on what to look for in a buy. I can say as a Installer at CAP Fleet Upfitters here in Temple Texas. Some county's reuse light bars, sirens, camera systems plus the lights off older vehicles to help cut costs down. Plus we just built a Tahoe K9 unit that was upwards to almost $100,000 in total. But you are right the hours are what you should look for plus be careful some people don't know how to strip them without removing wires or capping wires off so it will not cause issues for buyers down the road after the sale.
the interceptor blocks (just the engine block) are usually x-rayed before being built up into a running engine to be sure that have no micro-fissures or imperfections in production, meaning they can USUALLY handle higher compression and can run longer hours without having catastrophic engine failure while in use.
Well organized thought on your part. My take-away is, with the much lower acquisition cost comes a much higher instance of problems due to the enormous idol time, which is not reflected on the odometer.
if you want a police car try to get one that was used specifically for detective work. they're not beat on like patrol vehicles. had a 09 Vic detective car from nyc, factory smoked window tint, upgraded suspension and chassis. sat a little bit higher then a average Vic. clean, tough, fast and not a scratch dent or anything. all paperwork too.
Finally somebody made a video of this, we had so many cop cars in the junkyard, and people and the owners go by miles to price them, now down south might be different, but up north the squad car it's running nonstop in the winter, well maybe there in summer, but forklift, loaders and any other big equipment runs by hours, whit miles they try to sell it to you with highway miles, but whit hours they can't sell it like that, the only thing it's equipment doesn't get devaluation as bad as any other vehicle.
I got a 2000 p71 at auction 7 or so years back in NM. It was a huge auction with a hundred or so vehicles. The particular one I bought I believe was used as a transportation policcec vehicle. It had 123k mi, it has nearly 200k now and has never had one major mechanical issue, best purchase I ever made.
High risk, high reward. Think of a used cop car as a tool, not a used daily driver. What condition are used tools in? Some used tools are in excellent condition, others may be very worn down and do not work as efficiently as they originally did. Just don't be shocked if the vehicle requires extensive mechanical work. If you can DIY it, you save money. BUT these vehicles can be purchased at a very cheap price with repair cost. You may still come out way ahead and you get to enjoy cheap HP and performance.
In 2008, I bought a 1999 CV from Newport Beach police. 34K miles on it. Detective's car. Had to replace motor mounts and alternator. Ran trouble free up to 129K miles. Ice cold A/C. Ran like a champ. Sold it to buy a pick up.
Justice lightbars are very rarely used anymore, actually. They're many generations old than what's current -- perhaps you could consider it the "budget" bar from Whelen. Think of Whelen as the "Apple" of lighting equipment, they charge a huge premium for their hardware and software and most agencies settle for a very simplistic setup if they go the Whelen route. FedSig, Code 3, and Soundoff Signal are the other big companies and are generally much cheaper lighting equipment manufacturers that still provide exceptional (if not better) products than Whelen does. Budgeting $5,000 for lighting equipment, you'll get a much more elaborate setup from Soundoff Signal than you ever will from Whelen. There's also many agencies choosing to use a light package that consist of a name-brand lightbar and off-brand auxiliary lightheads, i.e. grille lighting or taillight flashers, to make things cheaper. Not everything has to come from one brand -- in fact, it almost never does. Agencies who can budget well know what they're doing. =]
Thanks for the comments. I agree with you on EVERYTHING you typed. I work closely with some large equipment suppliers like Fleet Safety as well as dozens of smaller ones that sell brands like Axixtech and Feniex as well as CODE3, Soundoff and FedSig...even GALLS. It's quite difficult to articulate all the details (with images) while I was driving, so I appreciate you feedback. Thanks again!
The very very rural Sheriff's department in my county (there is no county police and only one town has a police department in the whole county) use a single red spiny flasher (I have no idea what its called) on the tops of their cars. Like the ones used in the late 1940's. Because the Sheriff is super duper cheap.
Good advice you have given. I picked up a 1994 Crown Vic last year at a police auction for $500 I brought it for one use only and that is I used it for a demo car. I came in second place with it.
Great content!👍 I own a 07 Tahoe PPV for a few years now...with 280k, runs & drives like brand new! However, prior to purchasing, I did take the time to research the previous agency’s fleet maintenance schedule; I’m very happy I did! Best advice!! 👍👍
Unicornstalk like thats a bad thing , the founding fathers never intended for us to have such a thing as police officers let alone all these other so called needed law enforcement agencies, hell even the name law, a law is something put in place to control others , or in my way of thinking to take away ones freedom, so in a supposedly free country you have a group of people going around enforcing other peoples views as to what you can and cant do can and can not put into your body even , and force you to pay for that ........ funny thing isnt ? it has gotten to the point that they say every person in the us commits a felony 3 times a year with or with out knowing it , there is a book written about it , forgot the author but good read
Lot of great points, I bought a crown Vic from a county auction I was up against cab companies that day and was forced to pay a premium!! You can get them cheaper but mine had the spotlight, push bar, and police wheels with small hubcaps! I originally bought it to park beside my elderly parents house as a decoy for thieves!! I bid 2,300 before I got mine, but most of the more plain ones averaged around 1,800. My friend bought one of those!! His had 80,000 miles on it, and mine had 123,000 miles. They averaged between 75,000 and 95,000 miles. Mine was very high compared to the others, but more people wanted mine with the extras. Well just to give a personal experience, when I bought it I fell in love with it, and didn't park it beside my parents house like I had planned. I drove it till it has over 300,000 miles on it after it was a police car. During those miles I put one battery years after purchase. One junkyard rearend, cheap and plentiful if you can do the work. One alternator, harmonic balancer, fan relay, and a windshield wiper switch. All that was over a ten year period. They had even left a small curly antenna. Just a side note: I was pulled over 6 times in a 10 year period just because rookie cops weren't sure what to think of it till they found out where I'm at as long as you don't have red or blue lights or markings it's perfectly legal. So if you do bad things you don't want one like that, it will bring unwanted attention and stand out like a sore thumb!! But anyway it was a cheap car to drive and maintain if you drive local. Mine got 18 mpg city and 23 mpg highway. Not too bad for a car that big and heavy if you don't have to drive too much. I just wanted to share my experience with you guys and say it was the best and most fun car I've ever owned, and believe me I've owned a lot of cars!!
For those who might be looking at Ford Police Interceptor sedans or Utility's as they start to be sold off at auction I can tell you both now have idle hour meters as well as total engine hour meters in the Driver info center which can help to give you an idea of the vehicle drive to idle ratio. I agree with the advice to stick with a unit from a larger agency they typically have their own mechanic staff and vehicles will be scheduled for monthly oil changes/multi point checks, anything worn gets replaced immediately, If going with a Ford I would suggest sticking with the 3.7 Ti-VCT motor they have proven to be very robust thus far and with the additional cooling I've yet to see one overheat even in the most extreme conditions.
A guy a I work with bought a used Crown Vic that was the sheriff's cop car and it has over 500,000 miles, he put a 2nd engine into it that was a used cop car engine. He still drives it and don't plan to get anything new. He likes it cus all the parts are dirt cheap and it gets ok gas mileage for him and is comfortable.
Another thing to consider is the condition of the inside. While most PD/SO vehicles get regular mechanical maintenance, very often the interior components are factory original. Seats, especially the driver's seat, get broken down from near continual use throughout the life of the vehicle. And in police cars, the driver is a cop. Obvious, but what you don't think about is the radio, handcuffs, sidearm, etc, digging into and breaking down the structure of the seat. Also, let's not forget about holes drilled in the dash, or floorboards for the mounting of equipment. Most often, the equipment is removed, but the holes not filled. And last but not least, let's think about the vehicle's next most common user, the guy/girl in handcuffs in the back...EVERY conceivable body fluid has been left back there.
i simply stumbled across this video but after watching it i found the information incredibly useful and stimulating. this video is strangely satisfying for info nerds👍
As a 28 year vet as a police officer I would not buy a used police car. These pattol cars are driven to the max shift after shift. Officer's do their paperwork running the air conditioner the entire time. Patrol cars go over curbs and driven in the desert. The patrol cars just take a beating.
I was talking to an officer and he told me that when buying one, in order to determine the general wear and tear on them is to multiply the the actual miles by 1.8 - 2.4 and it would drive like a vehicle with that kind of miles on it. So an 80,000 mile vehicle would have similar mechanical wear(engine and tranny) to a vehicle with 144k on it.
Great video, I am a owner of a ex police crown victoria it has 96k on it and around 3000 engine idle hours so the cars at like 200k total due to the engine hours. Most police/fleet cars have engine hours equipped telling you how long it's sat for at idle. My car was a big city car so we had alot of them in the city and maintained properly. I've had the car for 7months and never had a problem, just regular maintenance. These cars are tanks and have gotten hugely popular over the past few years due to decommission. Great video and you should get behind the wheels of a crown victoria p71 for a review.
I've driven a few of them actually. They drive very smooth but with a nice firm planted stance because of the stiffer suspension and shocks. I've also spend quite a bit of time in the new Interceptor SUVs and Cars. They are also fun to drive. Thanks for the comment!
Great video..one thing you didn't mention that these cars sometimes have mechanical equipment ...radiators.trans cooling suspension maybe not available on stock cars? Is that true?
johnnyohness yes the police interceptor comes with heavy duty suspension sits about a inch and a half obove a civilian crown vcitoria due to hoping curbs it also has transmission and oil cooling. I'm not as familiar about the taruas and explorers
When looking at trucks always pull up bead liner and see how tore up bed is. Dealer taught me this when he pulled one up and it was all scratched up, he said, "See how this liners brand new but underneeth is trashed. This was a commercial fleet truck at one point.
Another thing to note, is the price of parts! I work for O'Reilly Auto and people are very surprised to find out that their brake components can be nearly double the price of normal ones. Food for thought, people.
Yeah, but the part you failed to mention is that they don't have to buy the "severe service duty" rated parts if they are just using for a daily driver.
It's probably just preference, but in my area most LEAs have moved away from Chargers because they claim that it's not a real pursuit vehicle. They say it's the same suspension package that is included on the RT and has been known to have shock and suspension issues when cornering. Apparently they are a roll over hazard. This is what I'm told by LEAs at least. You are right though, I should have included them. Also, that was some time ago when I was told this information (about 2 years ago) so perhaps the issues have been addressed in later models.
really good topic I always see people driving used cop cars.i would think parts are quality and they always get maintained.but as for dogging the motor & transmission, yeah these engine get treated bad.every time they pull someone over it gets punched out to catch the vehicle.
All Tahoe’s of late have a engine hour meter in the driver info center and there is also a chart in our owners manuals on how to do maintenance by hours, you can also find it online.
My tip, find out where the vehicle was in service, and that will paint a clear picture on how it was treated. For us the bulk of retired police vehicles that are sold are from the ontario provincial police, and the only worry with them are idle hours. They don't get into high speed pursuits, or do much aggressive driving.. they are typically parked on the side of a highway idle, or conducting proactive enforcement like ride programs, all which consist of the vehicle parked and on for extended periods of time. Other than that, they're generally highway cruisers which make them pretty decent, just typical things need to be changed/fixed when it comes to tires, brakes, rotors etc.
Nathan Antilla happens all the time lmao. I'm In a small town that's mostly backwoods and country too. They just started putting them out in the last 3 years or so
Same here, town with a population of 2000. The only time I see a cop car, it's either one of the local PD's two patrol vehicles, or an MSP Interceptor.
As a former auto Electrician in NSW Australia we used to fit out RMS (State Heavy Vehicle Inspectors) station waggons.We were sent a brand new Ford Falcon station wagon (specced to RMS standards) all of the employees got stuck into stripping the old vehicle .Light bar ,heavy duty scales and racks two way radio phone computer monitor siren headlight flashers and all the other bits and pieces. After finishing the vehicle we got a call from the dealer (nameless) to ask the stock number on the screen. After a long period of silence they informed us that they had sent the wrong vehicle. We then proceeded to strip the vehicle and returned it to the dealer for repairs. Hole in B- pillar numerous holes in console need new cargo bay carpet as we drill straight through to fit scale racks. I think they got another car to replace this one for the original purchaser and sold this one as a second hand car.. Moral of the story check stock numbers.
elfederal01: nice to meet you brother. I'm down that way every week. Have worked with your fleet and logistics folks at the Sheriff's office. De La Bosque from SWAT is a good friend.
I bought a 2013 Chevy Tahoe from the Chicago police department for 15k. It had 67k. I've turned into a tactical truck for about an additional 5k (LED lights, sliding racks, bars. Night vision camera, Etc) had all the existing wiring which saved me big bucks. Really happy with how it's turned out. I replaced the cam shaft immediately upon buying, besides that have had zero issues and have made a real head turner on a relatively small budget.
I cannot believe the condition of that Panasonic Toughbook! It took some great force to damage that screen like that. I have been using the CF-31 for years in all outside and inside conditions. I use it in the heat, rain or snow. It has traveled the country. My Toughbook looks great. There is a concern with buying a used police vehicle that you did not mention. The police departments use a common fleet key. Therefore, they are easy to steal. I would consider getting the lock cylinders recoded / changed.
Wow thank you for your information the idle time was a great thing to tell us about I'm thinking about buying a used police vehicle because I do security and don't want my personal vehicle to be idling and come under attack or reprisals but the thing about the police equipment most City strip it bare before they sell it to you won't even let you have a spotlight on the side so that was kind of too much information I'm looking at a Tahoe now 13 for $8,000 it looks great but I might want to invest in one of those readers for the idle time
Or you can just check the idle hours on the dash via the trip selector knob. Must police package vehicles come equipped with idle hour meters and can be checked with out a scan tool. The reason for this is pretty simple, if a dept. buys a car and just sits idle and never ever drives it will still need maintenance and this is how to tell if it is ready pm's, Oil changes, plugs and so on. On Ford's I believe it is every 31 or 33 hours of idle equels about 1 mile of driving and its close for every manufacturer give or take a little.
Don't they remove the electronics from the car before they sell them, to be reused on the new vehicles? Don't you get a pretty stripped car when you buy a used LE car?
I've seen cars with equipment left in it. Depends on the county. Some leave siren speaks, strobe power supplies etc. We strip all of our old equipment and auction it. We use new stuff for the most part.
Hey Josh.. you might want to watch the video again dumbass. Only one truck passed him on the right and that was the truck he just passed. Go back and look
I live in Virginia and when they did away with the Crown Vic town, city and state police went to Dodge Chargers. I think the SUV's are a mixture of Ford and Tahoe. I was told by someone who was born and raised in Montana and also sells cars that when s state police car reaches 75.000 miles they auction it off. He had one that he had bought at auction for resale and the car looked like new inside and out. He ships cars anywhere in the world and if I had of had the money I'd of bought that Montana Sate Police car. It was a Crown Vic by the way.
Wayne Hodge I bought a 2007 Ford Crown Victoria police interceptor, ex Montana highway patrol car. I bought her with 92k miles, and 2600 idle hours. 3.27 open diff. I absolutely love this car.
Did you know that those Ford Crown Vic's are actually more powerful and quicker/faster than the Chargers? At least they were when Police first started using them. My old neighbor that is a cop said that the Chargers aren't even HEMI's, but V6's, which took me by surprise. Nowadays, unless it's a Highway Patrol car, we don't see many Police Chargers. All you really see here are the Ford SUVs and Tauruses.
Tyler429FV the charger is definitely faster than the vic. Even a V6 charger will walk a vic. Even though it has a 4.6 V8, the Crown Victoria was always a heavy, slow car.
Hey man, I'm taking the word of a man that has been a police officer for 25-30+ years. Who said they've raced them numerous times and the Crown Vic is quicker/faster.
The Ford crown Victoria with its 4.6 engine is one of the best engines Ford has ever built. An American car going well over 200K miles is pretty impressive if you ask me.
I have seen many retired explorer interceptor suvs and all had a display for engine time. I am not sure if all have that or just the ones I saw. It was the center display between the tac and speedometer. You had to cycle through a bunch of stuff to find but it was there.
Depends on the station and rental company i have bought a old 1997 ford explorer v8 awd with 104,000 miles from a fairly good rental company and have driven it 8,000 miles with no problems other than one window needed greased to roll down
I bought a 93 Caprice 9C1 ex-North Carolina State Police for $3,500 with 113k miles in 2001. It now has 308k and still never had the valve covers off or touched the transmission. Sadly it is getting rusty but it has been a very good car.
My 06 Crown Vic will display the engine hours if you hit the trip computer button a couple times. And I'm pretty sure that the ones up from that year have them too.
you are actually wrong on the idling part if you could just leave your motor running at idle and never have to shut it off it would basically run for ever with exception of changing fluids 90%of wear on a engine is the start up not the actual running of the said engine
I've had 2 crown vic police cars,1 had 7,000 idle hours,the other had 6,000 idle hours.Ford says in the manual every idle hour is the equivalent to 33 miles on the engine.
That silver Teggy the tittle actually should read "person-drives down hi way speeding rambling on about police cars as you get car sick watching video" byo barf bag
You made some very good valid points with this video. The idling hours aren't something most people would take into consideration.
Mostly because no one who pays for the Fuel lets his Engine idle for Hours.
smellcaster 🗣PREACH 🤣
Crown vic = king of super high mileage. Cop cars, Taxi cabs, Secondhand buys. These things have a tank for an engine.
Steve annonomus definitely, Ive had 2 05 p71s...
Steve annonomus, I had an '01 P71 Vic Interceptor used by the Kentucky State Police and when I sold it, it had 263,000 miles accumulated and still ran good.
Yeah but P71s get about 10MPG OUCH!!!
Ian A
Ran well.
Good is for nouns.
YOU LOOK GOOD.
THIS TASTES GOOD.
YOUR MOM'S HOT (tell her I said hi)
Well is for verbs.
CAR RUNS WELL.
I SLEPT WELL.
WATER COMES FROM A....well, that's not a verb - but you get the idea
BUT GLASS TRANSMISSIONs
Get a retired K-9 car if you can. It'll be difficult to get the dog smell out, but it will likely be a one driver car, and many of the miles on it will be to and from the officer's house. Comment based on 20 years in law enforcement.
Robin Sattahip 20 years of being noise blind too the nasty dog smell. We fight over who has to work on those stink boats
In most departments only the K-9 handlers drive those cars with the dog, and he or she takes the car and dog home after work. When we traded them off after 3 years they had about the same mileage on them as the regular patrol units, but half that mileage was easy miles to and from the officers home and the car had been used only 1 shift a day, 4 or 5 days a week for police patrol work.
Also police cars take a beating in pursuits, and K9 cars tend not to join pursuits or relinquish them to regular officers immediately because the dog can get injured bouncing around in the back of the car during the violent driving of a pursuit, which is another reason these cars are generally in better condition when retired.
Yes, getting the dog smell out is a challenge but it can be done.
Tunderpimp + I'd rather have dog smell than puke, urine, and the transient BUM funk...Bleghhhh
Rob R You rather huff some officer fart dust, I suppose.
mr mr
No perp barf, spit, sweat, etc... are much better right?
how LONG do you think a fart lingers anyway?
not even Peter Griffin is that good
I have never thought about engine hours..thanks for pointing that out
Wow, you impressed me with your knowledge of emergency equipment. I'm a Firefighter/EMT, we rolled the hour meter in our ambulance TWICE before passing 150k miles. Our 1991 fire engine only has 45k miles on it, but the CAT engine is so worn out it has more exhaust comming out of the crank case vent than the exhaust pipe. The odometer turns while the truck is pumping so of the 45k about half are actual road miles. There's no way to tell how many hours, but I'm sure the number is astronomical.
Thanks for the comment! Yeah, I usually don't suggest going by the hour meter as it might not tell the true story. I work with vehicle telemetry equipment everyday so I spend quite a bit of time with LEAs, FDs, and EOC on how their vehicles are setup for both data as well as communications. I truly appreciate your service brother. Stay safe out there.
Big Truck Big RV Newer Ford police vehicles actually have a digital hour meter. My old Crown Vic got retired at 87k miles with almost 20k hours on it. My new Explorer is at almost 1000 hours in 6000 miles.
Big Truck Big RV hello. Just watched your video. I was wondering if the new Taurus interceptors are capable of being tuned with an obd2 tuner. I would like to tune one but have minimal knowledge on the capabilities of these engines. They seem to already be performance upgrades but I would like to push the envelope considering they have lower center of gravity then civilian models.
fedsigMaster i wanna become a paramedic and did you learn all that on the job?
Jordan Semmel In the state of Georgia the EMT course is usually done by a tech school or equivalent. Mine was only 2 semesters, at the time Paramedic was another 3 semesters. I learned (and continue to learn) the fire fighter skills on the job.
Worked at a car dealership years ago. The commercial sales manager was a retired police officer who sold to 75 different police agencies in my state. One day, one of the smaller departments was at the lot to pick up 4 cruisers and drop off 4 trade-ins. Before they left, the manager asked them if they wanted to look through the cars one more time before they left, in case they missed anything in them. They did, and found a forgotten evidence bag filled with what I can only assume was about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of pot. They laughed, manager laughed, I laughed, they took the evidence and left.
Was the saddest day of my life.
Benjamin Filbert
They called it an evidence bag, but think about that for one second. That was for there own personal use, no way could that be upheld as evidence unless they plant it on someone.
😔😂😂😂
Damn those cops must be the dumbest ever! That amount of pot is the size of a new born baby.
U know they just told you guys it was evidence but they had taken it for there own use and wasn't going to say that. Evidence don't get left behind in the squad car my friend
“ Evidence “ BTW
on 2006+ Crown Vic Police Interceptors, you can press in the trip odometer reset to cycle between trip miles, total miles, and idle hours.
I bought a 06 impala ppv 4 years ago from a sheriffs department in the Atlanta area. The price was right and it came with the service records from day 1. Every oil change, brake service, tire changes ect. It was super detailed and made it easy for me to spend the money. This thing has been super reliable needing only oil changes and brakes. This summer I put a new water pump, radiator, fans and a thermostat because it was starting to run hot in the 100 degree weather. When I bought it the cage, push bar, and spotlight were still on it so the wife refused to drive it. It only took me a couple of hours to remove all of that. Best car I've owned and more reliable than a lot of my newer stuff. The wife wants me to buy an Explorer now for her to replace it but I'm leaning more towards the Caprice. Thinking about building a poor man's SS.
LFS Trucking good to hear , just got one . seems to run great and I want the push bar !!
What I'm really getting out of this is that I need to get into the market of selling electronics to the government.
Folopolis good luck Whelan has it on lock down
Love the idea that an engineer is telling people what to buy. Nothing wrong with opinions but as a line tech for years and even talking to engineers from General Motors, I often wished that an engineer had to try to repair some of their projects. Example is that Cadillac gave 1.2 hours to remove and replace the right hand valve cover on an HT4100 engine. The guys at the GM Training Center agreed that it was impossible to do it without AC compressor R&R (which allowed something like 2.5 hours for R&R plus evac and recharge system and WAS necessary) however they expected you to do it in 1.2 because engineers said it could be done. Maybe on he engine stand in engineering but not in the car. General Motors was very good to work for but union and engineering made being a service manager in later years a complete crock. Customers and dealers then parts ordering................Glad I got out of it!
I would suggest federal government vehicles over state owned vehicles.
They are optioned with full interiors, plus idle time is not an issue like state vehicles. And federal maintenance programs are much more strict when compared to state policing agencies as well.
I just picked up a 2009 Tahoe PPV from a small coastal town in my State at auction. One owner (city owned), complete service records included in sale; so far I'm very happy with it!
Ex police/gov panther platform cars are always a good buy. Parts are cheap and common both new and used. Good heavy duty frame and body and the drivetrain lasts 600k+ miles. Pretty muchly a light duty f150 in a car body.
D4x4Bronc What's the panther platform? and where is the best place to look for them?
Matthew Fincher 98-2011 towncars, grand Marquis, crown Victoria. p71 crown Vic had the best performance/cooling packages. Craigslist, police gov/state city auctions. sometimes Richie brothers.
They pretty much are an F-150 with a trunk, heck technically they shared the 4.6L V8 if an F-150 of the time was optioned with it
You forgot to mention the marauder, I own one and the car is a blast! Also the only panther platform to have the 32v engine, but yes the panther platform is fantastic and durable.
You're right. The panther platform is great, but instead of buying a used police car, why not buy a clean crown vic. From what I have seen you can get heaps of low mileage nearly mint civilian crown vics that haven't been abused for really cheap too, so its the best of both worlds
If you want to constantly replace your transmission, buy one of these. Been in enough ride-alongs to see that every call, great or small, required stomping the accelerator. And been on two ride-alongs where the transmission has given out. After 40, 000 miles, the engine feels like it's only running on half the cylinders.
Sir, you are absolutely right about your comment(s) for vehicles used by the U.S. Border Patrol. They sure are sticklers on vehicle maintenance, no shortcuts allowed.
Oscar Lechuga was up Oscar?
if cop cars are that expensive ill stop blowing them up on GTAV lol 😂
Jocelin Paul props bro xD
Jocelin Paul lol, I mean those poor tax payers who have to keep replacing thoses, Los Santos must have a crazy big police budget the way they keep coming back. :P
@@CodeMerk Well it based off Los Angeles, so yeah they probably do.
holy smokes! that's southbound 281. I thought I recognized it. I'm an Hidalgo county detention officer/reserve deputy. that's my daily commute.
Bought a 06 Crown Vic. Ex Highway Patrol. So not as much idling time on engine. Drives and runs like new. I have put 45k on it so far. Put new cooling fan, electric window switch and tires on it so far. Runs fantastic and pretty fast for a lead sled.
This is a very informative video and it's perfect in its timing. I am thinking about buying an interceptor in January and you gave me a few more things to consider. Thanks for the info and good job, as usual.
I just bought a 2014 Tahoe with the SSV package. Differs from the PSV only in that it’s 4wd. 98,000 miles. Belonged to a local fire department. Love it! Not sure of the hours, but it can’t be an extremely high amount. Time will tell how it lasts.
I've always been told that 1 hour of idle time is equivalent to 26 miles if I remember correctly. So 40 hours idling is 1,040 miles. Definitely adds up as time goes on.
The Ford Crown Vic is designed to sit and idle all day, in the summer, with lights and other equipment running. the extra capacity alternator handles it. You also have a transmission cooler, and lots of other extras to keep the car from being overstressed. Even the drive shaft - composite materials for extended high speed driving, etc. The pre-wiring allows me to put a second battery in the trunk and install a lot of communications gear that just works all day.
look for a supervisors car, usually don't have the notch for the spotlights cut in door
Gene Murphy I have a supervisors car. Cruise control, nice cloth seats and actual carpet. Love it
They have a California vehicle auction near me most every month but the Crown Vics that are coming in now are near 200k miles
I own three retired police vehicles. Two P71s and a Tahoe PPV. All were from large agencies and fleet maintained. The PPV was once a State Trooper vehicle. All had over 100K on them when purchased, irrespective of their idling hours. While not perfect, they're outstanding values and among the most reliable vehicles I've ever owned. My 09 PPV looks great and has plenty of power for a vehicle of its size. I'd buy another one tomorrow.
I have a 2003 Crown Vic Interceptor. 200K miles on it and it still purrs like a kitten, and tears down the road like a cheetah!
My neighbor has one and it's left him stranded on numerous occasions. He thinks it's the fastest thing on the road and he got super pissed when my 95' Z28 smoked him on the bypass. Lol I even gave him a head start.
If you've even watched Wildest Police Chases on TV, you know there's a lot of cars that can smoke my Vics ass.
That's vic's ass, not vick's ass. Wow.
Weedhopper I as well have an 03, bought with 90,000 now at 140,000, when purchased it had 3 pages of documented work done replacing parts, it was like new!!!! Zero problems, fantastic car, was a Sheriff’s car, really nice and taken care of, I won’t drive anything else till I die, (of course I’m 74 so who knows how long that will be LOL). I’m sure with you Weedhopper, they are TANKS!!!!! And let me add, the first Ford I’ve owned that burns zero oil and no leaks either, that’s great in itself!!!!!
🐈🐈🐈🛣🛣🛣🚗🚗💨💨💨🐆🐆🐆🐆.
Excellent point on the engine hours. I work for a trucking company with about 200 trucks in the fleet, & after receiving some new trucks & hearing that the particulate filter needed to be pulled & cleaned at 250,000 miles, I called the dealer & asked "Well, how about at how many engine hours??" I got a long pause, followed up with some, "Well,....I'm not sure about that" (this is supposed to be the "service" department. We run a fleet of dry bulk tankers that spend quite a bit of time loading & unloading the trailers, by means of running the p.t.o. & the blower. And of course, when the blower is running, the r.p.m.'s are higher (around 1200), so that must count for something as well.
answer was pretty much what I was thinking, worth it if you're mechanically inclined, but getting into the prices of all the equipment was unnecessary seems it's all pulled before being sold
I up-fit Police and Fire in Northern California. the 17' Tahoes are amazing. At the moment I am instaling brand new Harleys, and retro fitting dash and prisoner cameras, body cams and DVR systems.
Yep I got an 08 Vic with 137k, the engine hours are at about 4.4k. Still a very reliable car though.
That's 0,5 year of straight idling 😀
zelo533 lol
I've owned a couple of p71 Crown Vic's . I drive one now . Great cars . Very dependable. Cop cars have a gauge that shows engine hours. Most only have 65000 miles when sold. I love them.
The crown vic has an hour meter, as do tahoes
The hour meter is one of the odometer functions. On the Crown Vic, it shows ONLY the hours where the engine is running and the car is in park. Driving hours are not included in that number.
+BryanTorok that's what the odometer miles is for
all new cars have this, the regular cars review guy reviewed a 2013 caprice retired cop car, the computer clocked over 3000 hours of total run time, 2024 of those hours were just idling in park
In the crown vic owner manual, it tells you this (This is paraphrased, but you'll get the point.)
Press the odometer reset button two times. This will take you to the idle hours meter. Multiply the idle hours by (some number I cant remember) and this will give you equivalent engine miles based on idle hours. Add this to the odometer mile meter. This should better help you as a fleet manager manage maintenance cycles on your vehicle.
I saw the RCR review as well. That was one badass machine. It's a pity there aren't more in the United States.
Some vehicles like semi trucks have engine hour meters.
I think some modern farm tractors have them too.
no matter what never get a retired city cop car, they're usually in the worst condition
They typically run fine, though. They might have cosmetic issues or parts that were tampered with, but they reliably get one from point A to point B. We got a used cop car (albeit likely an undercover one or detective's unit), and it has a lot of miles and his been beaten up quite a bit... yet it has been completely reliable during road trips, city driving, and dirt drifting.
trent ryan usually from big cities right
I can say you have hit a lot of key points on what to look for in a buy. I can say as a Installer at CAP Fleet Upfitters here in Temple Texas. Some county's reuse light bars, sirens, camera systems plus the lights off older vehicles to help cut costs down. Plus we just built a Tahoe K9 unit that was upwards to almost $100,000 in total. But you are right the hours are what you should look for plus be careful some people don't know how to strip them without removing wires or capping wires off so it will not cause issues for buyers down the road after the sale.
Very candid review!
A friend of mine has just bought a 2013 Taurus Interceptor, with only 36k Miles, and even though he needed to rebuild it it is a badass!!!
the interceptor blocks (just the engine block) are usually x-rayed before being built up into a running engine to be sure that have no micro-fissures or imperfections in production, meaning they can USUALLY handle higher compression and can run longer hours without having catastrophic engine failure while in use.
Pan tera But it's ford :/
i'm a honda civic guy
this is not the case. been in the automotive business for many years, particularly fleet services if taxi, LE, and construction
Yep. I'll take my B18A1 anywhere you can take a Crown Vic whether it was originaly equipped with a doughnut maker in the trunk or not.
Pan tera , I call bull sh.. On that. Lol
Well organized thought on your part. My take-away is, with the much lower acquisition cost comes a much higher instance of problems due to the enormous idol time, which is not reflected on the odometer.
Almost always when a police car gets sold, all the extra equipment that was used for police duty like the cage and roof lights are removed.
if you want a police car try to get one that was used specifically for detective work. they're not beat on like patrol vehicles. had a 09 Vic detective car from nyc, factory smoked window tint, upgraded suspension and chassis. sat a little bit higher then a average Vic. clean, tough, fast and not a scratch dent or anything. all paperwork too.
Finally somebody made a video of this, we had so many cop cars in the junkyard, and people and the owners go by miles to price them, now down south might be different, but up north the squad car it's running nonstop in the winter, well maybe there in summer, but forklift, loaders and any other big equipment runs by hours, whit miles they try to sell it to you with highway miles, but whit hours they can't sell it like that, the only thing it's equipment doesn't get devaluation as bad as any other vehicle.
vincent carrella he can call it a squad car if he wants...who are you? fucktard
`Ya if you see them in your rearview mirror behind you ...they're called "bacon barges".
ROTFLMAO......Your subtle reply made it all the funnier. See? Who says less isn't more.
+vincent carrella If it's not a squad car, what is all that "alpha, bravo, lima" stuff police always identify with?
Aren't those squads?
vincent carrella So, what do those call signs mean?
I got a 2000 p71 at auction 7 or so years back in NM. It was a huge auction with a hundred or so vehicles. The particular one I bought I believe was used as a transportation policcec vehicle. It had 123k mi, it has nearly 200k now and has never had one major mechanical issue, best purchase I ever made.
High risk, high reward. Think of a used cop car as a tool, not a used daily driver. What condition are used tools in? Some used tools are in excellent condition, others may be very worn down and do not work as efficiently as they originally did. Just don't be shocked if the vehicle requires extensive mechanical work. If you can DIY it, you save money. BUT these vehicles can be purchased at a very cheap price with repair cost. You may still come out way ahead and you get to enjoy cheap HP and performance.
Good point
In 2008, I bought a 1999 CV from Newport Beach police. 34K miles on it. Detective's car. Had to replace motor mounts and alternator. Ran trouble free up to 129K miles. Ice cold A/C. Ran like a champ. Sold it to buy a pick up.
Justice lightbars are very rarely used anymore, actually. They're many generations old than what's current -- perhaps you could consider it the "budget" bar from Whelen. Think of Whelen as the "Apple" of lighting equipment, they charge a huge premium for their hardware and software and most agencies settle for a very simplistic setup if they go the Whelen route. FedSig, Code 3, and Soundoff Signal are the other big companies and are generally much cheaper lighting equipment manufacturers that still provide exceptional (if not better) products than Whelen does. Budgeting $5,000 for lighting equipment, you'll get a much more elaborate setup from Soundoff Signal than you ever will from Whelen.
There's also many agencies choosing to use a light package that consist of a name-brand lightbar and off-brand auxiliary lightheads, i.e. grille lighting or taillight flashers, to make things cheaper. Not everything has to come from one brand -- in fact, it almost never does. Agencies who can budget well know what they're doing. =]
Thanks for the comments. I agree with you on EVERYTHING you typed. I work closely with some large equipment suppliers like Fleet Safety as well as dozens of smaller ones that sell brands like Axixtech and Feniex as well as CODE3, Soundoff and FedSig...even GALLS. It's quite difficult to articulate all the details (with images) while I was driving, so I appreciate you feedback. Thanks again!
The very very rural Sheriff's department in my county (there is no county police and only one town has a police department in the whole county) use a single red spiny flasher (I have no idea what its called) on the tops of their cars. Like the ones used in the late 1940's. Because the Sheriff is super duper cheap.
Good advice you have given. I picked up a 1994 Crown Vic last year at a police auction for $500 I brought it for one use only and that is I used it for a demo car. I came in second place with it.
You passed my house right after the 490 turnaround lol
Great content!👍 I own a 07 Tahoe PPV for a few years now...with 280k, runs & drives like brand new! However, prior to purchasing, I did take the time to research the previous agency’s fleet maintenance schedule; I’m very happy I did! Best advice!! 👍👍
If the cops had to pay for their equipment, then they would be more careful with it.
Iman Axbert absolutely true read my comment I wrote cops are Cheap!
now that's a stupid comment
Unicornstalk like thats a bad thing , the founding fathers never intended for us to have such a thing as police officers let alone all these other so called needed law enforcement agencies, hell even the name law, a law is something put in place to control others , or in my way of thinking to take away ones freedom, so in a supposedly free country you have a group of people going around enforcing other peoples views as to what you can and cant do can and can not put into your body even , and force you to pay for that ........ funny thing isnt ? it has gotten to the point that they say every person in the us commits a felony 3 times a year with or with out knowing it , there is a book written about it , forgot the author but good read
Obviously
Iman Axbert that kind of goes with anything?
Lot of great points, I bought a crown Vic from a county auction I was up against cab companies that day and was forced to pay a premium!! You can get them cheaper but mine had the spotlight, push bar, and police wheels with small hubcaps! I originally bought it to park beside my elderly parents house as a decoy for thieves!! I bid 2,300 before I got mine, but most of the more plain ones averaged around 1,800. My friend bought one of those!! His had 80,000 miles on it, and mine had 123,000 miles. They averaged between 75,000 and 95,000 miles. Mine was very high compared to the others, but more people wanted mine with the extras. Well just to give a personal experience, when I bought it I fell in love with it, and didn't park it beside my parents house like I had planned. I drove it till it has over 300,000 miles on it after it was a police car. During those miles I put one battery years after purchase. One junkyard rearend, cheap and plentiful if you can do the work. One alternator, harmonic balancer, fan relay, and a windshield wiper switch. All that was over a ten year period. They had even left a small curly antenna. Just a side note: I was pulled over 6 times in a 10 year period just because rookie cops weren't sure what to think of it till they found out where I'm at as long as you don't have red or blue lights or markings it's perfectly legal. So if you do bad things you don't want one like that, it will bring unwanted attention and stand out like a sore thumb!! But anyway it was a cheap car to drive and maintain if you drive local. Mine got 18 mpg city and 23 mpg highway. Not too bad for a car that big and heavy if you don't have to drive too much. I just wanted to share my experience with you guys and say it was the best and most fun car I've ever owned, and believe me I've owned a lot of cars!!
You’re driving southbound into Edinburg, TX.
I was gonna say same thing I’m in MI but used to truck drive to Pharr every week
For those who might be looking at Ford Police Interceptor sedans or Utility's as they start to be sold off at auction I can tell you both now have idle hour meters as well as total engine hour meters in the Driver info center which can help to give you an idea of the vehicle drive to idle ratio. I agree with the advice to stick with a unit from a larger agency they typically have their own mechanic staff and vehicles will be scheduled for monthly oil changes/multi point checks, anything worn gets replaced immediately, If going with a Ford I would suggest sticking with the 3.7 Ti-VCT motor they have proven to be very robust thus far and with the additional cooling I've yet to see one overheat even in the most extreme conditions.
Thank you for the advice. Appreciated.
A guy a I work with bought a used Crown Vic that was the sheriff's cop car and it has over 500,000 miles, he put a 2nd engine into it that was a used cop car engine. He still drives it and don't plan to get anything new. He likes it cus all the parts are dirt cheap and it gets ok gas mileage for him and is comfortable.
Another thing to consider is the condition of the inside. While most PD/SO vehicles get regular mechanical maintenance, very often the interior components are factory original. Seats, especially the driver's seat, get broken down from near continual use throughout the life of the vehicle. And in police cars, the driver is a cop. Obvious, but what you don't think about is the radio, handcuffs, sidearm, etc, digging into and breaking down the structure of the seat. Also, let's not forget about holes drilled in the dash, or floorboards for the mounting of equipment. Most often, the equipment is removed, but the holes not filled. And last but not least, let's think about the vehicle's next most common user, the guy/girl in handcuffs in the back...EVERY conceivable body fluid has been left back there.
Hey great video, very informative.
i simply stumbled across this video but after watching it i found the information incredibly useful and stimulating. this video is strangely satisfying for info nerds👍
As a 28 year vet as a police officer I would not buy a used police car. These pattol cars are driven to the max shift after shift. Officer's do their paperwork running the air conditioner the entire time. Patrol cars go over curbs and driven in the desert. The patrol cars just take a beating.
I bought a used DHS rig in great shape and I love it. 2010 tahoe 4x4
Any dedicated special service or pursuit rated vehicle will have and idle hour meter.
Tahoe PPVs should, Caprice PPV does as well, as do P71 Vics from 2006 - 2011. Taurus, Explorer Pursuit come standard with it.
I've owned 2 ex cop cars both 84's neither had one!
Sam Iam cause its from 84 old man
My 2000 Crown Vic didn't have one either.
I learned that it depends on the state and local facility to opts for it.
yup.. i work at a place.. we receive the factory base police cars.. and we install all the essentials.. tons of extra money in gear and labor
The only useful thing he said was to check the engine hrs. Besides that, it's a waste of time watching.
I was talking to an officer and he told me that when buying one, in order to determine the general wear and tear on them is to multiply the the actual miles by 1.8 - 2.4 and it would drive like a vehicle with that kind of miles on it. So an 80,000 mile vehicle would have similar mechanical wear(engine and tranny) to a vehicle with 144k on it.
Great video, I am a owner of a ex police crown victoria it has 96k on it and around 3000 engine idle hours so the cars at like 200k total due to the engine hours. Most police/fleet cars have engine hours equipped telling you how long it's sat for at idle. My car was a big city car so we had alot of them in the city and maintained properly. I've had the car for 7months and never had a problem, just regular maintenance. These cars are tanks and have gotten hugely popular over the past few years due to decommission. Great video and you should get behind the wheels of a crown victoria p71 for a review.
I've driven a few of them actually. They drive very smooth but with a nice firm planted stance because of the stiffer suspension and shocks. I've also spend quite a bit of time in the new Interceptor SUVs and Cars. They are also fun to drive. Thanks for the comment!
Great video..one thing you didn't mention that these cars sometimes have mechanical equipment ...radiators.trans cooling suspension maybe not available on stock cars? Is that true?
johnnyohness yes the police interceptor comes with heavy duty suspension sits about a inch and a half obove a civilian crown vcitoria due to hoping curbs it also has transmission and oil cooling. I'm not as familiar about the taruas and explorers
Are tie rods ball joints and struts if they have them, heavier duty as well?
When looking at trucks always pull up bead liner and see how tore up bed is. Dealer taught me this when he pulled one up and it was all scratched up, he said, "See how this liners brand new but underneeth is trashed. This was a commercial fleet truck at one point.
Another thing to note, is the price of parts! I work for O'Reilly Auto and people are very surprised to find out that their brake components can be nearly double the price of normal ones. Food for thought, people.
Great point sir. Thanks
You're welcome - great video.
I used to work at an O'Reilly and the customer's face when I told them the price for their police interceptor brakes was one to remember.
Yeah, but the part you failed to mention is that they don't have to buy the "severe service duty" rated parts if they are just using for a daily driver.
Simon Heavlin No, it wouldn't work. Entirely different part numbers.
Fascinating! Never knew how much went into a police car.
Good video again! But you forgot about the new Dodge Charger police pursuit. That's is currently the best selling police sedan
It's probably just preference, but in my area most LEAs have moved away from Chargers because they claim that it's not a real pursuit vehicle. They say it's the same suspension package that is included on the RT and has been known to have shock and suspension issues when cornering. Apparently they are a roll over hazard. This is what I'm told by LEAs at least. You are right though, I should have included them. Also, that was some time ago when I was told this information (about 2 years ago) so perhaps the issues have been addressed in later models.
Big Truck Big RV yeah i just looked it up. But who knows for sure. Good video though
Big Truck Big RV what about Dodge Journeys
I was gonna mention Chargers/Challengers too. I hate that cops drives Chargers.
😮wow this guy knows his stuff ❤best video on what I was looking for,
really good topic I always see people driving used cop cars.i would think parts are quality and they always get maintained.but as for dogging the motor & transmission, yeah these engine get treated bad.every time they pull someone over it gets punched out to catch the vehicle.
Yes it's easy to abuse a vehicle when someone else's money is paying for it. Cops have a license to abuse every and anyone they want.
All Tahoe’s of late have a engine hour meter in the driver info center and there is also a chart in our owners manuals on how to do maintenance by hours, you can also find it online.
Guy in the Red Ford Ranger.... typical Texas driver. Must be from Lubbock....
My tip, find out where the vehicle was in service, and that will paint a clear picture on how it was treated. For us the bulk of retired police vehicles that are sold are from the ontario provincial police, and the only worry with them are idle hours. They don't get into high speed pursuits, or do much aggressive driving.. they are typically parked on the side of a highway idle, or conducting proactive enforcement like ride programs, all which consist of the vehicle parked and on for extended periods of time. Other than that, they're generally highway cruisers which make them pretty decent, just typical things need to be changed/fixed when it comes to tires, brakes, rotors etc.
A lot of our state cops are driving chargers here in Michigan now
There's few things on this Earth more awe-inspiring than an MSP Charger Interceptor, caked with dirt, flying past you at 100mph with their lights on.
Nathan Antilla happens all the time lmao. I'm In a small town that's mostly backwoods and country too. They just started putting them out in the last 3 years or so
Same here, town with a population of 2000. The only time I see a cop car, it's either one of the local PD's two patrol vehicles, or an MSP Interceptor.
Always Sin Here in Southern California I've seen them drive Corvettes and Lamborghinis.
LBCvalenz562 same in Nyc
As a former auto Electrician in NSW Australia we used to fit out RMS (State Heavy Vehicle Inspectors) station waggons.We were sent a brand new Ford Falcon station wagon (specced to RMS standards) all of the employees got stuck into stripping the old vehicle .Light bar ,heavy duty scales and racks two way radio phone computer monitor siren headlight flashers and all the other bits and pieces. After finishing the vehicle we got a call from the dealer (nameless) to ask the stock number on the screen. After a long period of silence they informed us that they had sent the wrong vehicle. We then proceeded to strip the vehicle and returned it to the dealer for repairs. Hole in B- pillar numerous holes in console need new cargo bay carpet as we drill straight through to fit scale racks. I think they got another car to replace this one for the original purchaser and sold this one as a second hand car.. Moral of the story check stock numbers.
How much weight is added to police cars
I' was your number 13,000 subscriber! :)
Supercrossed Up: congrats. thanks
your in Hidalgo county by Linn San Manuel in that video awesome!!
elfederal01: yes sir
Big Truck Big RV howdy I'm a deputy Constable in Cameron County lol
Thats cool elfederal01 thank you for serving your community and thank you for protecting the public too god bless.
elfederal01: nice to meet you brother. I'm down that way every week. Have worked with your fleet and logistics folks at the Sheriff's office. De La Bosque from SWAT is a good friend.
Big Truck Big RV awesome good to hear love your channel.
I bought a 2013 Chevy Tahoe from the Chicago police department for 15k. It had 67k. I've turned into a tactical truck for about an additional 5k (LED lights, sliding racks, bars. Night vision camera, Etc) had all the existing wiring which saved me big bucks. Really happy with how it's turned out. I replaced the cam shaft immediately upon buying, besides that have had zero issues and have made a real head turner on a relatively small budget.
I cannot believe the condition of that Panasonic Toughbook! It took some great force to damage that screen like that. I have been using the CF-31 for years in all outside and inside conditions. I use it in the heat, rain or snow. It has traveled the country. My Toughbook looks great. There is a concern with buying a used police vehicle that you did not mention. The police departments use a common fleet key. Therefore, they are easy to steal. I would consider getting the lock cylinders recoded / changed.
Great advice, thanks!
Heddingmyway ii
I worked at a salvage for years if you go to but a engine or trans make sure you get it from a wrecked vehicle you know they work
Wow thank you for your information the idle time was a great thing to tell us about I'm thinking about buying a used police vehicle because I do security and don't want my personal vehicle to be idling and come under attack or reprisals but the thing about the police equipment most City strip it bare before they sell it to you won't even let you have a spotlight on the side so that was kind of too much information I'm looking at a Tahoe now 13 for $8,000 it looks great but I might want to invest in one of those readers for the idle time
That guy in the red truck really wanted to stay ahead of you. 6:45
Good vid my CVPI has 9738 idle hours so it's been left idle for 400 days
CZFIFTYTWO ARMORER my 09, p72 came with 8000 hours and has been very well maintained . runs great.
Man and I thought 4,200 was a lot
Or you can just check the idle hours on the dash via the trip selector knob. Must police package vehicles come equipped with idle hour meters and can be checked with out a scan tool. The reason for this is pretty simple, if a dept. buys a car and just sits idle and never ever drives it will still need maintenance and this is how to tell if it is ready pm's, Oil changes, plugs and so on. On Ford's I believe it is every 31 or 33 hours of idle equels about 1 mile of driving and its close for every manufacturer give or take a little.
Don't they remove the electronics from the car before they sell them, to be reused on the new vehicles? Don't you get a pretty stripped car when you buy a used LE car?
They often do, or mandate the dealers do who sell em
They often go to third parties though. Someone whose niche is to provide that service
Steve from Texas many agencies re-use equipment when they can. We re-use everything except the computer.
crazynova23 Oh Ok! Can you mail me a computer?
I've seen cars with equipment left in it. Depends on the county. Some leave siren speaks, strobe power supplies etc. We strip all of our old equipment and auction it. We use new stuff for the most part.
GREAT video! Very well done, and while you were driving! very nice job on the editing! Thank you.
Good video but please get your ass out of the left lane when you're just cruising and especially when people on your right are passing you.
Stop complaining.
You sound like a whiner. Lol. He did fine.
Hey Josh.. you might want to watch the video again dumbass. Only one truck passed him on the right and that was the truck he just passed. Go back and look
Josh S he moved over inside of the first minute.
I like the Sheriffs dept here in my area... one light bar and 4 surface mounted lights, and 4 hideaway strobes
I live in Virginia and when they did away with the Crown Vic town, city and state police went to Dodge Chargers. I think the SUV's are a mixture of Ford and Tahoe. I was told by someone who was born and raised in Montana and also sells cars that when s state police car reaches 75.000 miles they auction it off. He had one that he had bought at auction for resale and the car looked like new inside and out. He ships cars anywhere in the world and if I had of had the money I'd of bought that Montana Sate Police car. It was a Crown Vic by the way.
Wayne Hodge I bought a 2007 Ford Crown Victoria police interceptor, ex Montana highway patrol car. I bought her with 92k miles, and 2600 idle hours. 3.27 open diff. I absolutely love this car.
Jacob Wallace Good on you, I envy you man. =)
Did you know that those Ford Crown Vic's are actually more powerful and quicker/faster than the Chargers? At least they were when Police first started using them. My old neighbor that is a cop said that the Chargers aren't even HEMI's, but V6's, which took me by surprise. Nowadays, unless it's a Highway Patrol car, we don't see many Police Chargers. All you really see here are the Ford SUVs and Tauruses.
Tyler429FV the charger is definitely faster than the vic. Even a V6 charger will walk a vic. Even though it has a 4.6 V8, the Crown Victoria was always a heavy, slow car.
Hey man, I'm taking the word of a man that has been a police officer for 25-30+ years. Who said they've raced them numerous times and the Crown Vic is quicker/faster.
The Ford crown Victoria with its 4.6 engine is one of the best engines Ford has ever built. An American car going well over 200K miles is pretty impressive if you ask me.
You're in the RGV!
hoorah
xob you're the kind of fan I want !
Hey, this is right by my house!
I have seen many retired explorer interceptor suvs and all had a display for engine time. I am not sure if all have that or just the ones I saw. It was the center display between the tac and speedometer. You had to cycle through a bunch of stuff to find but it was there.
I heard it said several years ago by a Louisiana Sheriff that his guys could tear up an anvil in a week. Never buy police vehicles or rental vehicles.
jw '46 wtf...hahaha get out of here. no knowledge ass
Who are you?
jw '46 Guy Muffin.
Depends on the station and rental company i have bought a old 1997 ford explorer v8 awd with 104,000 miles from a fairly good rental company and have driven it 8,000 miles with no problems other than one window needed greased to roll down
I bought a 93 Caprice 9C1 ex-North Carolina State Police for $3,500 with 113k miles in 2001. It now has 308k and still never had the valve covers off or touched the transmission. Sadly it is getting rusty but it has been a very good car.
Do not buy V6 Dodge Chargers. The damn things are always "Out" at the mechanic for repairs. University police department.
The1FastGP: yeah, I've heard they have alot of problems
My v6 charger runs great. 180k miles
My 06 Crown Vic will display the engine hours if you hit the trip computer button a couple times. And I'm pretty sure that the ones up from that year have them too.
you are actually wrong on the idling part if you could just leave your motor running at idle and never have to shut it off it would basically run for ever with exception of changing fluids 90%of wear on a engine is the start up not the actual running of the said engine
I've had 2 crown vic police cars,1 had 7,000 idle hours,the other had 6,000 idle hours.Ford says in the manual every idle hour is the equivalent to 33 miles on the engine.
title should be police xars explained..
That silver Teggy: good Point. I might change it
That silver Teggy the tittle actually should read "person-drives down hi way speeding rambling on about police cars as you get car sick watching video" byo barf bag
That silver Teggy Titles fine the way it is.