I love panther cars. First one i drove was a silver 01 CV LX. The interceptors are super cool and its nice to see you keep one in good condition. Most of them are pretty tired by now as they had a hard service life and then people that bought them cheap skipped out on service and treated them like race cars. They often have an asking price higher than a same year and mile Town Car or Grand Marquis too! Just bought a rust free Florida 2005 Town Car for 5,000. My Town Car will never see road salt as i have another car to use as the daily.
I am a mechanic who used to drive the older crown Vic’s but just recently moved up to one with max power and rack and pinion , and wow oh wow did they refine them in 2005
Funny. I prefer the 03-04 cars. THe HO and Sport models still are the fastest, but with cables but also the position of the gauge cluster. I cant see the idiot lights since theyre now at the bottom, and the shape of the airbag blocks them (I sit leaned back and far back). The older cars are at the top so you can see all the lights. But right now, parts are a big issue. I spent a few months just trying to find a new radio cd player. All of them skipped something fierce (still do, but I want to keep them stock). Its a lot easier keeping a car from the 50s to 70s stock than a modern Panther.
Just look for this in an ad: It's got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas.
My observation on the large number of admin P71s being listed lately is that the regular patrol cars were worn out and retired years ago while the admin cars are in much better shape and just now being retired due to age rather than wear whether kept in daily service or simply stored as backup units. While most departments in my area went to Chargers and Tahoes 10+ years ago for patrol units, you still see a few admin crown vics rolling around and more just now being sold. Second observation: The regular white, black, or oreo units are assumed to be the worn out patrol units while the uncommon light blue, beige, silver, maroon, and green units are always associated with admin units because of their colors. Many smaller towns tend to have the oddball paint schemes and only recently have started to retire them, so in actuality they have more wear on them simply because they were in service much longer. Being small towns with smaller budgets, they tend to be kept nicer in appearance because they can't just beat them up and get new ones like the big cities do. People see the different color body with shiny paint and automatically assume it had an easy life. I personally have an oreo P71 from Houston PD with 12,600 idle hours at 164k. Other than control arm bushings being a little loose, it's about the same shape as similar units I check out with 3-6k idle hours. All in all, it really just boils down to how officers treat each individual unit. Some have a heavy foot everywhere they go and stand on the brakes while others treat it like their own vehicle. That's why you see 120k units with engine issues, failed ABS, and slipping transmissions while 180k+ units are still tight as a new one.
I can definitely agree with that and I do think that you are right. However, the point of my video was more or less the point out that the majority of cars that I have seen being sold as “admin” units are usually not. I’ve seen black and white cars, white, black… I’ve seen them all listed as “admin cars.” And then, when you look at them close, the interiors are beat up, paint is beat and they show all the signs of used and abused patrol cars. The general public doesn’t know what to look for, so it’s easy for a regular fella to get screwed over. There’s definitely a few admin cars out there like you said, but I’m more then willing to bet that many of the cars being advertised as such, probably aren’t. Just gotta be careful and do some homework, that’s all I was trying to say here. Thanks for watching!
Notice the Michelin Crossclimate 2 tires. I installed a set of those on my Grand Marquis and it doubled in value. Also, they get good traction in the rain and snow. GREAT VIDEO!
I’ll look into those tires! The tires on the car when this was filmed was a set of Goodyear Ice Grip WRT’s. They were okay, they did the job. Car now has a set of Sumitomo Ice edge and they’re by far one of the best snow tires I’ve ran. For an all season tire Michelin Defenders absolutely rock!
I hate to ask, how much is the car? I’ve got another video on my channel that you might wanna check out too. “is the Crown Vic the right car for you?” Check it out for some more info
Thank you for your reply zero rust it’s a 2011 89,984 miles with 5316 hours for $6995 and spot light Is it worth financing? and yes I will check out your other videos and subscribe
Awesome Dan《☆》We had at least 10 Cages piled up in a corner of our Hanger. Every time a New Pilot transferred to the Air Unit from Patrol the Cage would be removed👍🏾😁☮
The car could have been patrol and then downgraded to administrative use at the end of its life; my agency does this. Either way, any claim made in an ad needs to be backed by provenance. Make them prove their claim in writing and documents from the agency. If they can't, walk away because what else may they be lying about or try to get it for significantly cheaper. Figure a city car did two officers per day or 80 hour weeks. A highway patrol car may only do a 40 hour week, but the engine and trans is getting hammered from 0 MPH to light speed to catch up to speeders on a regular basis. You can also do a public records request and for $9, by me, you can get all the records for that car. Also watch for clones or misrepresented civilian Vics; always check the VIN.
Absolutely true. So many people make the claim and don’t back it up. Any police car is gonna have different wear and tear then the equivalent civilian car, but you still wanna make sure you get the best bang for the buck regardless of what you buy.
@@billy_doink why don’t you just check the idle hours of the vehicle. Anything patrolled (that wasn’t wrecked) will have over a thousand idle hours. Most will have thousands of hours.
I just bought a 2017 Dodge Charger Pursuit AWD. I bought it from the state surplus auction. It was a highway patrol car. Had 131k on it, 1200 idle hours and 4500 total hours. It’s in great shape, have all the maintenance records.
I know that most agencies dont use the LX appearance package as patrol cars minus some unmarked. So when I look for crown vics I look for the ones with the bench seats carpet and crime trim
I used to work for a large city government fleet, about a thousand cars, and from time to time old worn out vehicles went to auto auctions. This included hundreds of Ford Crown Victoria cars used by the police department. Part of my job was removing/salvaging the police equipment out of them before they went to auction, which meant I drove them all, and I got a real good look at their condition pre-auction - and I can tell you that not one of these cars were "babied"! Invariably the police cars showed signs of major wear. These cars were heavily worn, and mostly worn out, since they were driven by people who literally could not care less about them, which meant they'd been abused, because the drivers did plenty of things you'd never do to a car you actually owned. A milion cold starts, hours and hours of I would not spend more than $1,000 for any of these cars, especially since I knew that anybody who bought one of these was going to be throwing money at them big-time. And consider this, that odometer reading did not represent their true condition, since police cars spend a whole lot of time just idling. Any mechanic will tell you, idling a car causes the most engine wear of all. So take the odometer reading, then double it. That's probably the true amount of wear that car actually has.
Most of these newer cop cars do have idle hour meters. This particular Crown Vic has about 5600 hours of idling on it. And you are absolutely correct. These cars are driven hard and put away wet. People buy these and think they’re gonna get a perfectly maintained vehicle that’s durable and reliable when the fact is, they’re worn. This particular Crown Victoria has more money in parts then I paid for the car.
The Taxi Inspector would stop by to certify a new Cab at my Cab Co.and always drove the same unmarked Crown Vic that stayed in mint condition for years one day he showed up in a new Taurus and he said they took his beloved Crown Vic away @ 120,000 miles and said he wishes he could get it back. We don't live near the Rust Belt and well made cars last indefinitely here.
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan There will never be a car made as Durable and Heavy like the crown vic ever again, the frame is so strong that car customizers cut the frame section off with the powertrain attached and weld it onto classic cars and trucks back section for the perfect vehicle.
Thks. Helped me. Taught me what to look for. I have a local car dealer who claims all his cars are admin. I've never bought from him just on a "wariness" gene.
I bought a 2010 CVPI a few months ago it was the Sheriffs car it has 135,XXX with 1547 hours (I put a little over 1,500 miles and 11 idle hours) has the open 3.27 diff I got it off Govdeals sight unseen and the only issue is that the suspension squeaks going over bumps (quite loud squeaks)
During the BLM protests, my city exhausted all of their Explorers as quite a few were destroyed or deployed elsewhere. They pulled out all these rusty and peeling paint crown vics and had them all over the police headquarters along with tactical units. I used to drive by the lot where they had been parked for probably ten years. Very bizarre.
How do you tell if it was an administrative vehicle? It will have rediculously low mileage for the year. I have a 2001 I got with 48k miles on it. I bought it from an old Lt who used it to taxi prisoners around from place to place on their grounds. The chief of police for that city was at city hall, where we did the title transfer blah blah blah. Anyways, his story matched up to what the other guy was telling me. Mine was never painted black and white, and is the same silver color in the video here. No cage, and still had drug tests in the trunk from where they'd test people in the jail. He had the push bar and asked if I wanted it. I didn't. It's extra weight I'll never use, because it's my dail driver. I've had it for 2 years and it still runs PERFECTLY. An amazing vehicle I wish they'd bring back. Drop a Cobra or Godzilla motor in it, and it would be a beast!!!
I’ve seen some really clean cars with like 90-100k and have only like 200-500 idle hours and immaculate interiors. They were definitely admin cars. Carpet interior, street appearance package, chrome grille and trim etc.
Both mine are non-patrol cars. My white '03 was a detective vehicle, it did have a cage in the back (taken out before I got it), spot light removed, no light bar, no push bar, only 1 antenna in roof. It has a full carpet interior, not a plastic floor. The county I got it from I was able to talk to a mechanic that worked on it, he said it was a detective's vehicle till about 2018 and when it had ~ 110,000 miles. It became a "spare" vehicle for general use in the motor pool. He said it almost never got used, occasionally used for parts runs, but said it had not moved from the back lot in 4 years before I got it this year with 112,000 miles on it. My black '11 was a Texas DPS "Protective Services" (the governors "secret service") vehicle for the first 145,000 miles. I found a business card in it and called it, trooper said he drove it for 10 years just driving around the state with the governors detail, lots of highway miles. He said he loved that car, it would cruise at 80+ mph all day long. It was then used by the Texas Emergency Management office, not sure what for, but they drove it ~ 25,000 miles in 3 years. Vehicle is a SAP vehicle with cloth bench seats front and rear, carpet, no light bar, 1 hole in roof from an antenna, cruise control, CD player (broken), Only 560 idle hours on it.
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan Yeah, I am still looking around for a 3rd one, and seems I did get lucky with what a got. Most everything I am seeing now is pretty beat up with super high mileage. Both are pretty solid vehicles, and aside from tires and basic maintenance on both (all fluids changes, filters, belts, plugs and such) and a few other minor issues, they are good vehicles. Being able to talk to the mechanic was a bonus, he was the one that helped me load the vehicle onto the trailer and had been with the county for almost 10 years. He said they were pretty strict on routine maintenance, and used either OEM or top tier NAPA parts. He also said the only reason they got rid of it was it had aged out (said they auction vehicles at 20 years regardless of mileage or condition), but this one sat for an extra year because it was forgotten about. Good info in the video, because it does seem so many are being listed as detective or admin vehicles, but is obvious they are not. Ford adding the idle hour meter does help figuring that out in many cases. Same for if it is a SAP vehicle, not as many of those were used as patrol vehicles.
Look at hours I have one that has more than 11,000 hours only has 100,000 miles on it the motor is quieter than a Swiss watch they gave me service records from new I'm thrilled to get a 30,000 dollar car for 2200 dollars and another one with 9,400 hours on it and it's a2011 one of the last no problem
Most work/fleet vehicles have hour meters and they measure total engine run time, not necessarily hours of idling. This is a big misconception when it comes to CVPI owners. And it shouldn't detour you from buying one. The reality is as long as the oil was changed frequently and the engine didn't overheat or have any other internal issues, these 4.6 2v motors are usually fine with 5000 to 7000 idle hours. This whole notion of taking the hours and multiplying them by 30 miles and adding that to the odometer is nonsense. In this case most every CVPI has 200k to 600k miles on them lol. Not to mention all the DOT and other Gov fleets out there still running strong with 10k to 15k hours on them. I've seen DOT trucks with 30k hours on them. The reality is when a vehicle idles for long periods of time the oil turns to sludge. This damages internal parts. As long as the oil gets changed frequently this usually doesn't happen. Personally I would be more worried about the transmission if I were buying a CVPI. An all around fluid service can help with this. The intakes are really bad about cracking and leaking coolant into things too. I would look into getting a Typhoon all aluminum or Ford Performance with deeper runners. It's really more about maintenance than anything else. I wouldn't recommend someone without any mechanical knowledge to buy a used CVPI.
I agree with you on most of those things. Routine oil changes are definitely important on these. The Crown Victoria Idle hour meters only works when the car is in park or neutral, they do not calculate total engine run time. The notion of multiplying every idle hour by 33 miles is actually straight from Ford themselves. It’s not some dumb internet thing someone made up. The purpose of this video was not to say that higher idle hours are bad, it was mainly to say that the idle hours are a good indicator of how the car was used. I mean shoot, I have legitimately seen in real life P71s with almost 20,000 idle hours on them. And they run fine. In the end you are correct, oil changes and basic maintenance make all the difference. And with regards to the intake, I literally just installed an all aluminum Typhoon intake on this car and it has a rebuilt and Jmodded transmission too. Lol
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan I've worked with a lot of fleet vehicles. They all have hour meters. I've watched them turn over while driving. I'm not sure why Ford would make a complex system that only engages in park or neutral like that in a pretty cheap run of the mill car like the Crown Vic. Especially when their $80k work trucks don't use this system. This is why like I said before if this theory was correct most all CVPIs would have like 300k to 600k miles on them. And trust me, cars with this amount of mileage without having the engines rebuilt usually don't run very well. They leak and burn oil. They miss like crazy because of oil getting on plugs due to bad piston rings. You look under the car and everything is coated in oil. The engines basically self destruct over time because of wear. Nothing like a Panther with a few thousand hours on the engine.
@@blessedjuggernaut On the Crown Vic, the idle hour meter is only engaged when the car is in park or neutral. I can say that with absolute fact. To prove my point, I’ll post a link to an active eBay listing. This is a P71 with 172,000miles and 600 hours. If the hours went up when the vehicle was in drive, some simple math would show that in order for the car to have reached 172,000 miles in 600 hours it would’ve had to be driving at 278 mph. That’s obviously not possible. On many of the newer police cars such as my former Dodge Charger, it had total runtime and engine idle hours separately. I don’t personally use idle hours as a deciding factor on if I’m gonna purchase a car, the entire purpose of the idle hour meter was to assist fleet managers in determining when to change the oil. Ford saying that one idle hour equals 33 miles driven doesn’t mean that the engine itself is getting 33 miles of wear, the OIL itself is getting worn. It simply allows the fleet manager to determine when the oil should be changed, because exactly like you said, oil can turn to sludge when idling for a long time. The fleet manager can now know that a cop car that’s been idling for 90 hours straight has the equivalent of about 3,000 miles of wear on the oil and it should be changed soon. As for the 4.6 itself, I’ve seen many of these motors personally with half a million miles on them and still running great. Heck had an 04 that I bought with 300k and sold later on, it’s still being daily driven to this day 5 years after I sold it.
I personally have owned 2 recently. 1. 2008 baby blue was an admin car with 64k and 2. 2008 white city patrol car wit 138k and hands down the patrol version was so much faster and nimble than the admin one, I still wonder why? Would love to hear CVP community opinion. Thanks
If people don't have any receipts for the parts they ordered and installed on car or receipts from the mechanics where they did minor and or magor mechanical maintenance I rarely if ever believe them! I've had numerous people that seemed like decent people try too rip me off and or lie 🤥 too me! Do your research be diligent about the vechlies your buying regardless of who owns it or how nice 🙂 you think 🤔 they are!
I didn’t need to do any look into my Vic because when the light hits it just right I can see the ghost writing from the city police department. The duel spot lights was another give away 😂
i got the dog one it had alot of hair the original leather seats great consiton drove it 3 hours i was concerned i got a 2013 explorer for 2k im in Albany i been doing cars and shit for over 10 years tax foreclosed houses as well
Also look for signs of repaint. Bumper covers can hide more damage underneath. Its not always a sign of a bad car but keep in mind, finding new bumper covers right now is a pain. In fact, any parts that are body or trim pieces are near impossible to find unless you have a cache of parts. Last parts car I gutted was an 05 SAP and I knew the history of it. It was 3000 bucks, back in 14. Normally for a car that was shamed in the rear (with bend frame) would be a no go. I knew the cop that was assigned to the car. I called him up, and he told me, the car was smashed in the front prior, and had all brand new parts put on, just for a week later the car to be rear ended by a police Tahoe that a perp stole. So, the back was smashed, but everything front of the firewall was so new, it still had the Ford stickers. I mean, springs, IFS, brackets, lights, bumper (though the morons drilled the plate bracket crooked). I still have most of those parts and fro a few others to keep my fleet of Panthers going. Good video, very good points. Im just glad that finally Crown Vics are more or less gone as police cars. I used to be a cop, but just loved these cars. The whackers (is that a thing anymore?) caused so much heat. I got pulled over so many times just because of a guy impersonating, and my car matched the description. It was always just easier to show him my badge and move on, But if I wasnt, it would be such a hassle. My daily is a Grand Marquis now, which is the best under the radar car ever. Nobody bothers you lol. Granda ma can do 100mph right in front of a trooper and nothing. Plus theyre cheaper than the other Panthers, and mine drives like its brand new.
No doubt about it. In my area, nobody really gives a crown Vic a second look despite the fact that has the push bar on it and I am OK with that. Over a decade of driving these cars I have never been hassled by the police. But I also never had questionable equipment in my vehicle, the whackers are still indeed a thing they’ve just moved onto newer platforms.
Had a Grand marquis for a short time and they are definitely smooth riding cars. I just absolutely hated the 2.73 rear gears in those. Off the line acceleration was so sluggish. Crowns in general aren’t that fast but the 273s are horrid. love everything else about the car though.
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan Yeah, thats what I meant. The Crown Vic whackers are gone. I remember when I was on the job, we did check out former cop cars, just to be cautious and all. So speeding would be tough. And yes, the Grandma is so freaking slow, and hates hills. She will do it, but nowhere near the speed the Crown Vic CVPIs and Sports will do. But Grand Marquis also get insane mileage. I was near 30 on my last road trip. Not bad at all
Thanks for the great info, I learned a few things. It's nice to listen to an informative and clean video. I'm looking at a 2010 with 91k in good shape for $5k. What do you think? Thanks 🙏
Bought my 2011 CVPI last year with 167k and 3350 idle hours. High miles,but low idle hours. Former Kentucky State Police sergeant's car. 3:55 axle ratio.
They can easily exceed 200k. Taxi companies used to buy these in bulk from police auctions and run them as cabs for hundreds of thousands of miles. I've personally seen Crown Vic taxis with over 500k running and driving great on original engines. The transmissions typically don't hold up that long tho.
My car has had a new motor 30k miles ago and trans 5k miles ago. They did the motor and I did the transmission. Kept all the documents and pictures of condition sold. I picked it up at auction and they left in all the equipment and some riot gear. I gave the radio equipment and such to my local pd but kept the lights and siren. The buyers contract stays in my glovebox to prove I bought it in the condition it is in.
There is a 2010 crown Vic police interceptor for sale in my town Has a little over 2000 hrs and 93k miles Guy said he got it two years ago from small town police dept He had transmission taken apart and worn parts replaced Installed new torque converter new battery new tension belt new spare tire and rim new oxygen sensors has very little rust new paint job and all receipts to back it up Wants 5500 Canadian negotiable Runs and drives perfect Horn and radio does not work I’m on the fence on whether this is a great deal or the car seen a lot of abuse Seems like a lot to replace I ll have to take her for a test run Thoughts? Thanks
A few years ago, I saw an Expedition for sale an auction. It looked like it had been park police. From what I knew, the car drove a half mile to the park, then idled there the whole shift to keep the AC running. Then drove back. Then possibly a second shift. So, that meant it was driving at most four miles a day. Park police never made any effort to exit their car except probably to throw away trash or use the rest room. They may have driven it to the restaurants a few hundred yards away. So, my feeling was the car had very little wear. Other than the engine running. I did not know what to think about that. I asked the people in the city office what they knew about the car. And they told me to fire a freedom of information request. They offered me the forms. I said "I don't want to put anybody to any trouble." "No trouble at all." the office manager said in a depressed voice. I don't believe I ever got the information. Later I asked what happened to city cars. They said they had a contract with a company and that company took every car and did not have to bid. And the citizens would not have a chance to buy them from the city directly. This city had a tendency to get no bid exclusive contracts with companies that donated money to councilmen.
So, what are bad numbers on hours and miles? Also, I've never owned a Crown Vic. How did you switch the screen to "hours"? And are those hours only the hours it was idling, not moving?
@@auteurfiddler8706 To check idle hours on a Vic, you click the trip button and it displays on the Odometer. Idle hours kinda depend on the vehicle, on a crown Vic I wouldn’t be concerned with them too much. I’d say about 3,000 to 6,000 idle hours is average for a police car. On cop cars with idle hour meter, it only registers when the car is in park or neutral. Newer cars like my Charger or the newer Fords have idle hours AND total engine hours. Total engine hours is the amount of time the engine has been running whether it’s idling is cruising on the highway.
I’m gonna be buying my Vic from a reputable dealer I’m not gonna buy one all out because I will still have to put money into it and minor repairs in the future!
i just bought a 2001 p71 with 100,472 miles it has carpeted floor and cloth seats no cage but i have anntennas on my trunk and black gps pucks for computer gear i dont see holes in the bumper for a push bar the car did have lights in it i dont know if it had a light bat car is a silver or grey color and has 3.23 gears but i have to recheck that was told it was leiutennant car i think it was tuned or at least the shift points in the trans were changed and has a trunk organizer but not a trunk pack bought from pa
That’s exactly what I was trying to say here. The idle hours in the overall condition of the car are going to have more to say about the cars past life then anything the seller will tell you.
Personally, in 2023 what would you consider good idle hours for one of these to be, around the 5k price range? I'm in the market for one, and I'd love a clean example to call mine, finally.
I’d say the same. 5k idle hours being fairly average. On a Crown Vic, I wouldn’t be super concerned with idle hours as I would be on a hemi or a 5.3L as both those engines are known for lifter failures.
Don't even inspect the car just buy it place your bid and go pick it up you will be smiling when you do, next time I'm getting a Charger I want to feel that Hemi but remember buyer beware
I would definitely inspect any police vehicle before purchase, as these cars can have very hard lives. I did love my Hemi, it was a great car and tons of fun
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan I had to do it that way, once I looked at the auction site and only had 35 min the ones I did inspect I didn't buy they have to disclose any known issues or you can nullify the sale much different than buying from a car lot or private seller in all honesty you should get underneath it to see how much rust is there and check for leaks, I just didn't have time
Hi I found a clean title 2010 with 35000 miles and they are asking 13,300 firm won’t go lower which I think is high price but could it be worth it? Or pass? Seems lot of money
Ive been looking at the Explorer Police Interceptor sport editions with the ecoboost 3.5 Twin Turbo as well as the Taurus, have you had any experience with those cars ? And if so how is their longevity if found around 5k idle hours ? Thanks
@@offmetaassault7429 the Ecoboost is fast, and can be fairly reliable too. Biggest issue with those is the timing chain driven water pump. When it goes it contaminates the oil with coolant and effectively grenades the engine. The one ecoboost cat we had needed new turbos, cat converters and a bunch of work that ended up being a royal pain. Personally I’d just go with the basic 3.7L V6 as it’s mechanically simpler. That’s just my opinion, others have had good success with the Ecoboosts though.
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan I appreciate your response, I've been looking for something sportier that's tunable as well because in my area caprices are very rare and that would be my first choice, I'll definitely keep looking for something else unless I find a 3.5 with extremely low idle hours
@@davemcdrip510 no experience with the Ram 1500, most of the agencies in my area that use trucks are like park police, or special police units like conservation police or Rescue units. You’d hafta try to find out more info on what agency had the truck prior to purchase. It could’ve done anything really.
I was getting dizzy after the fifth time around that car. Might think about having the trunk and doors open while giving your ideas on the purchase of said vehicles. Gives a little different landscape Just saying.
It was from Aventura Florida which is right next to Miami, but Miami was the first thing I could think of. When I first got the car, I could see the faded spots where the decals were.
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan so sorry I asked the wrong question can I buy a stage 2 chip snd put it in my taurus Interceptor 2015 straight away ,or does something else have to be done thank you sir
@@ronaldhaugen5967 I’m afraid I don’t have the answer for that. I don’t know much about tuning for the Taurus platform. I’d highly suggest checking the forums or Facebook groups for more info. I’d also recommend getting an actual tune and tuner. Most ‘chips’ I see are usually junk.
I’ll never understand why people put them big obnoxious plastic brush guards on a car if a deer hits the car going 60 + or even close damage will still be done,
The brush guard on this car is solid steel. It weighs about 40-50 pounds. If you hit a deer at 60+ mph your gonna do damage to a car regardless if you have a brush guard or not. These are not designed to take impacts at high speed, they’re more designed to protect the front of the patrol car from low speed impacts that could be encountered during patrol work. These are mainly used on police cars for pushing disabled cars out of the roadway or mounting equipment. They’ll provide some protection to the car in an accident, but anything over 30 mph the brush guard is gonna be mangled and cause damage to the car
I love panther cars. First one i drove was a silver 01 CV LX. The interceptors are super cool and its nice to see you keep one in good condition. Most of them are pretty tired by now as they had a hard service life and then people that bought them cheap skipped out on service and treated them like race cars. They often have an asking price higher than a same year and mile Town Car or Grand Marquis too!
Just bought a rust free Florida 2005 Town Car for 5,000. My Town Car will never see road salt as i have another car to use as the daily.
I am a mechanic who used to drive the older crown Vic’s but just recently moved up to one with max power and rack and pinion , and wow oh wow did they refine them in 2005
Funny. I prefer the 03-04 cars. THe HO and Sport models still are the fastest, but with cables but also the position of the gauge cluster. I cant see the idiot lights since theyre now at the bottom, and the shape of the airbag blocks them (I sit leaned back and far back). The older cars are at the top so you can see all the lights.
But right now, parts are a big issue. I spent a few months just trying to find a new radio cd player. All of them skipped something fierce (still do, but I want to keep them stock). Its a lot easier keeping a car from the 50s to 70s stock than a modern Panther.
Check the hours the engine has run, sometimes more important than the miles driven. Great video.
How would you check?
@@kaltakchi using the cars menu
Just look for this in an ad: It's got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas.
Fix the cigarette lighter.
@@DirtyDanMunicipalManomg!❤
HAHAHAHAHAHA🇺🇲😎🦆
Great references!
I heard you can get one for a microphone
Shit box Dodge.
My observation on the large number of admin P71s being listed lately is that the regular patrol cars were worn out and retired years ago while the admin cars are in much better shape and just now being retired due to age rather than wear whether kept in daily service or simply stored as backup units. While most departments in my area went to Chargers and Tahoes 10+ years ago for patrol units, you still see a few admin crown vics rolling around and more just now being sold.
Second observation: The regular white, black, or oreo units are assumed to be the worn out patrol units while the uncommon light blue, beige, silver, maroon, and green units are always associated with admin units because of their colors. Many smaller towns tend to have the oddball paint schemes and only recently have started to retire them, so in actuality they have more wear on them simply because they were in service much longer. Being small towns with smaller budgets, they tend to be kept nicer in appearance because they can't just beat them up and get new ones like the big cities do. People see the different color body with shiny paint and automatically assume it had an easy life.
I personally have an oreo P71 from Houston PD with 12,600 idle hours at 164k. Other than control arm bushings being a little loose, it's about the same shape as similar units I check out with 3-6k idle hours. All in all, it really just boils down to how officers treat each individual unit. Some have a heavy foot everywhere they go and stand on the brakes while others treat it like their own vehicle. That's why you see 120k units with engine issues, failed ABS, and slipping transmissions while 180k+ units are still tight as a new one.
I can definitely agree with that and I do think that you are right. However, the point of my video was more or less the point out that the majority of cars that I have seen being sold as “admin” units are usually not. I’ve seen black and white cars, white, black… I’ve seen them all listed as “admin cars.” And then, when you look at them close, the interiors are beat up, paint is beat and they show all the signs of used and abused patrol cars. The general public doesn’t know what to look for, so it’s easy for a regular fella to get screwed over. There’s definitely a few admin cars out there like you said, but I’m more then willing to bet that many of the cars being advertised as such, probably aren’t. Just gotta be careful and do some homework, that’s all I was trying to say here. Thanks for watching!
Been driving these cars for 30 years and everything you stated is spot on! Thanks for an excellent video Dan.
Notice the Michelin Crossclimate 2 tires. I installed a set of those on my Grand Marquis and it doubled in value. Also, they get good traction in the rain and snow. GREAT VIDEO!
I’ll look into those tires! The tires on the car when this was filmed was a set of Goodyear Ice Grip WRT’s. They were okay, they did the job. Car now has a set of Sumitomo Ice edge and they’re by far one of the best snow tires I’ve ran. For an all season tire Michelin Defenders absolutely rock!
Thanks you gave some valuable information I am considering financing a crown Vic without any knowledge about buying use cop cars
I hate to ask, how much is the car? I’ve got another video on my channel that you might wanna check out too. “is the Crown Vic the right car for you?” Check it out for some more info
Thank you for your reply zero rust it’s a 2011 89,984 miles with 5316 hours for $6995 and spot light Is it worth financing? and yes I will check out your other videos and subscribe
Awesome Dan《☆》We had at least 10 Cages piled up in a corner of our Hanger. Every time a New Pilot transferred to the Air Unit from Patrol the Cage would be removed👍🏾😁☮
They are all detective / Captain cars. The struggle is real. Lol.
The car could have been patrol and then downgraded to administrative use at the end of its life; my agency does this. Either way, any claim made in an ad needs to be backed by provenance. Make them prove their claim in writing and documents from the agency. If they can't, walk away because what else may they be lying about or try to get it for significantly cheaper. Figure a city car did two officers per day or 80 hour weeks. A highway patrol car may only do a 40 hour week, but the engine and trans is getting hammered from 0 MPH to light speed to catch up to speeders on a regular basis. You can also do a public records request and for $9, by me, you can get all the records for that car. Also watch for clones or misrepresented civilian Vics; always check the VIN.
Absolutely true. So many people make the claim and don’t back it up. Any police car is gonna have different wear and tear then the equivalent civilian car, but you still wanna make sure you get the best bang for the buck regardless of what you buy.
where would i check to get my record request? i think my vic was from sebastian fl
@@billy_doink why don’t you just check the idle hours of the vehicle. Anything patrolled (that wasn’t wrecked) will have over a thousand idle hours. Most will have thousands of hours.
Thanks for this video! I am not from the US but I plan to import one to my home country in the near future.
I just bought a 2017 Dodge Charger Pursuit AWD. I bought it from the state surplus auction. It was a highway patrol car. Had 131k on it, 1200 idle hours and 4500 total hours. It’s in great shape, have all the maintenance records.
Nice! Sounds like you got a good car!
How much did you paid?
Thanks for this, been thinking on getting an older crown Vic police package just for a toy.
These are great project cars. That’s initially what I bought mine to be.
I know that most agencies dont use the LX appearance package as patrol cars minus some unmarked. So when I look for crown vics I look for the ones with the bench seats carpet and crime trim
That’s also a good indicator as well!
I used to work for a large city government fleet, about a thousand cars, and from time to time old worn out vehicles went to auto auctions. This included hundreds of Ford Crown Victoria cars used by the police department. Part of my job was removing/salvaging the police equipment out of them before they went to auction, which meant I drove them all, and I got a real good look at their condition pre-auction - and I can tell you that not one of these cars were "babied"!
Invariably the police cars showed signs of major wear. These cars were heavily worn, and mostly worn out, since they were driven by people who literally could not care less about them, which meant they'd been abused, because the drivers did plenty of things you'd never do to a car you actually owned. A milion cold starts, hours and hours of
I would not spend more than $1,000 for any of these cars, especially since I knew that anybody who bought one of these was going to be throwing money at them big-time. And consider this, that odometer reading did not represent their true condition, since police cars spend a whole lot of time just idling. Any mechanic will tell you, idling a car causes the most engine wear of all. So take the odometer reading, then double it. That's probably the true amount of wear that car actually has.
Most of these newer cop cars do have idle hour meters. This particular Crown Vic has about 5600 hours of idling on it. And you are absolutely correct. These cars are driven hard and put away wet. People buy these and think they’re gonna get a perfectly maintained vehicle that’s durable and reliable when the fact is, they’re worn. This particular Crown Victoria has more money in parts then I paid for the car.
The Taxi Inspector would stop by to certify a new Cab at my Cab Co.and always drove the same unmarked Crown Vic that stayed in mint condition for years one day he showed up in a new Taurus and he said they took his beloved Crown Vic away @ 120,000 miles and said he wishes he could get it back. We don't live near the Rust Belt and well made cars last indefinitely here.
Man that’s awesome. I wish I could live in a place with no rust. Now that I’ve got a Charger, the Crown Vic is getting put away for winters.
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan There will never be a car made as Durable and Heavy like the crown vic ever again, the frame is so strong that car customizers cut the frame section off with the powertrain attached and weld it onto classic cars and trucks back section for the perfect vehicle.
Thank for advice and information
Thks. Helped me. Taught me what to look for. I have a local car dealer who claims all his cars are admin. I've never bought from him just on a "wariness" gene.
Glad I could help!
In whitfield ga administration use the same cars as patrol only difference is no light bars or ram bars but both are black with yellow decals
I found a 2010 Ford Crown Victoria with 128k miles. 1169 idle hours for $3950, low balled him $350 bit and I must say it's a very smooth ride
I bought a 2010 CVPI a few months ago it was the Sheriffs car it has 135,XXX with 1547 hours (I put a little over 1,500 miles and 11 idle hours) has the open 3.27 diff
I got it off Govdeals sight unseen and the only issue is that the suspension squeaks going over bumps (quite loud squeaks)
I would bet it’s your rear trailing arms. Those are notorious for squeaking
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan Ill have to check that out
During the BLM protests, my city exhausted all of their Explorers as quite a few were destroyed or deployed elsewhere. They pulled out all these rusty and peeling paint crown vics and had them all over the police headquarters along with tactical units. I used to drive by the lot where they had been parked for probably ten years. Very bizarre.
Man. Kinda interesting to see they put ‘em back in service. Glad they had the reserve
How do you tell if it was an administrative vehicle? It will have rediculously low mileage for the year. I have a 2001 I got with 48k miles on it. I bought it from an old Lt who used it to taxi prisoners around from place to place on their grounds. The chief of police for that city was at city hall, where we did the title transfer blah blah blah. Anyways, his story matched up to what the other guy was telling me. Mine was never painted black and white, and is the same silver color in the video here. No cage, and still had drug tests in the trunk from where they'd test people in the jail. He had the push bar and asked if I wanted it. I didn't. It's extra weight I'll never use, because it's my dail driver. I've had it for 2 years and it still runs PERFECTLY.
An amazing vehicle I wish they'd bring back. Drop a Cobra or Godzilla motor in it, and it would be a beast!!!
I’ve seen some really clean cars with like 90-100k and have only like 200-500 idle hours and immaculate interiors. They were definitely admin cars. Carpet interior, street appearance package, chrome grille and trim etc.
Both mine are non-patrol cars.
My white '03 was a detective vehicle, it did have a cage in the back (taken out before I got it), spot light removed, no light bar, no push bar, only 1 antenna in roof. It has a full carpet interior, not a plastic floor. The county I got it from I was able to talk to a mechanic that worked on it, he said it was a detective's vehicle till about 2018 and when it had ~ 110,000 miles. It became a "spare" vehicle for general use in the motor pool. He said it almost never got used, occasionally used for parts runs, but said it had not moved from the back lot in 4 years before I got it this year with 112,000 miles on it.
My black '11 was a Texas DPS "Protective Services" (the governors "secret service") vehicle for the first 145,000 miles. I found a business card in it and called it, trooper said he drove it for 10 years just driving around the state with the governors detail, lots of highway miles. He said he loved that car, it would cruise at 80+ mph all day long. It was then used by the Texas Emergency Management office, not sure what for, but they drove it ~ 25,000 miles in 3 years. Vehicle is a SAP vehicle with cloth bench seats front and rear, carpet, no light bar, 1 hole in roof from an antenna, cruise control, CD player (broken), Only 560 idle hours on it.
@@blupupher you got some good cars!!! Getting to talk to the mechanics who worked on it is also a rare treat!
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan Yeah, I am still looking around for a 3rd one, and seems I did get lucky with what a got. Most everything I am seeing now is pretty beat up with super high mileage.
Both are pretty solid vehicles, and aside from tires and basic maintenance on both (all fluids changes, filters, belts, plugs and such) and a few other minor issues, they are good vehicles.
Being able to talk to the mechanic was a bonus, he was the one that helped me load the vehicle onto the trailer and had been with the county for almost 10 years. He said they were pretty strict on routine maintenance, and used either OEM or top tier NAPA parts. He also said the only reason they got rid of it was it had aged out (said they auction vehicles at 20 years regardless of mileage or condition), but this one sat for an extra year because it was forgotten about.
Good info in the video, because it does seem so many are being listed as detective or admin vehicles, but is obvious they are not. Ford adding the idle hour meter does help figuring that out in many cases. Same for if it is a SAP vehicle, not as many of those were used as patrol vehicles.
Look at hours I have one that has more than 11,000 hours only has 100,000 miles on it the motor is quieter than a Swiss watch they gave me service records from new I'm thrilled to get a 30,000 dollar car for 2200 dollars and another one with 9,400 hours on it and it's a2011 one of the last no problem
Wow, 11000, idle hours, I thought 6000 was a lot?
Most work/fleet vehicles have hour meters and they measure total engine run time, not necessarily hours of idling. This is a big misconception when it comes to CVPI owners. And it shouldn't detour you from buying one. The reality is as long as the oil was changed frequently and the engine didn't overheat or have any other internal issues, these 4.6 2v motors are usually fine with 5000 to 7000 idle hours. This whole notion of taking the hours and multiplying them by 30 miles and adding that to the odometer is nonsense. In this case most every CVPI has 200k to 600k miles on them lol. Not to mention all the DOT and other Gov fleets out there still running strong with 10k to 15k hours on them. I've seen DOT trucks with 30k hours on them. The reality is when a vehicle idles for long periods of time the oil turns to sludge. This damages internal parts. As long as the oil gets changed frequently this usually doesn't happen. Personally I would be more worried about the transmission if I were buying a CVPI. An all around fluid service can help with this. The intakes are really bad about cracking and leaking coolant into things too. I would look into getting a Typhoon all aluminum or Ford Performance with deeper runners. It's really more about maintenance than anything else. I wouldn't recommend someone without any mechanical knowledge to buy a used CVPI.
I agree with you on most of those things. Routine oil changes are definitely important on these. The Crown Victoria Idle hour meters only works when the car is in park or neutral, they do not calculate total engine run time. The notion of multiplying every idle hour by 33 miles is actually straight from Ford themselves. It’s not some dumb internet thing someone made up. The purpose of this video was not to say that higher idle hours are bad, it was mainly to say that the idle hours are a good indicator of how the car was used. I mean shoot, I have legitimately seen in real life P71s with almost 20,000 idle hours on them. And they run fine. In the end you are correct, oil changes and basic maintenance make all the difference. And with regards to the intake, I literally just installed an all aluminum Typhoon intake on this car and it has a rebuilt and Jmodded transmission too. Lol
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan I've worked with a lot of fleet vehicles. They all have hour meters. I've watched them turn over while driving. I'm not sure why Ford would make a complex system that only engages in park or neutral like that in a pretty cheap run of the mill car like the Crown Vic. Especially when their $80k work trucks don't use this system. This is why like I said before if this theory was correct most all CVPIs would have like 300k to 600k miles on them. And trust me, cars with this amount of mileage without having the engines rebuilt usually don't run very well. They leak and burn oil. They miss like crazy because of oil getting on plugs due to bad piston rings. You look under the car and everything is coated in oil. The engines basically self destruct over time because of wear. Nothing like a Panther with a few thousand hours on the engine.
@@blessedjuggernaut On the Crown Vic, the idle hour meter is only engaged when the car is in park or neutral. I can say that with absolute fact. To prove my point, I’ll post a link to an active eBay listing. This is a P71 with 172,000miles and 600 hours. If the hours went up when the vehicle was in drive, some simple math would show that in order for the car to have reached 172,000 miles in 600 hours it would’ve had to be driving at 278 mph. That’s obviously not possible. On many of the newer police cars such as my former Dodge Charger, it had total runtime and engine idle hours separately. I don’t personally use idle hours as a deciding factor on if I’m gonna purchase a car, the entire purpose of the idle hour meter was to assist fleet managers in determining when to change the oil. Ford saying that one idle hour equals 33 miles driven doesn’t mean that the engine itself is getting 33 miles of wear, the OIL itself is getting worn. It simply allows the fleet manager to determine when the oil should be changed, because exactly like you said, oil can turn to sludge when idling for a long time. The fleet manager can now know that a cop car that’s been idling for 90 hours straight has the equivalent of about 3,000 miles of wear on the oil and it should be changed soon. As for the 4.6 itself, I’ve seen many of these motors personally with half a million miles on them and still running great. Heck had an 04 that I bought with 300k and sold later on, it’s still being daily driven to this day 5 years after I sold it.
www.ebay.com/itm/2006-Ford-Crown-Victoria-Police-Interceptor-4dr-Sedan-3-27-axle-/144430687731?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m2548.l6249&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0
This is the link for the 172k P71 with 600 hours.
I live in a major city where we do still have some of these running g the streets both patrol cars and admin cars.
I personally have owned 2 recently. 1. 2008 baby blue was an admin car with 64k and 2. 2008 white city patrol car wit 138k and hands down the patrol version was so much faster and nimble than the admin one, I still wonder why? Would love to hear CVP community opinion. Thanks
Id guess that the city patrol car had a 3.55 axle vs the Admin car with 3.27's. The 3.55 axles are much torquier and feel faster.
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan oh, did not know that, thank you for the info, much appreciated
It's all about the differential 2.55 was a highway patrol calibrated differently for faster acceleration as well
If people don't have any receipts for the parts they ordered and installed on car or receipts from the mechanics where they did minor and or magor mechanical maintenance I rarely if ever believe them! I've had numerous people that seemed like decent people try too rip me off and or lie 🤥 too me! Do your research be diligent about the vechlies your buying regardless of who owns it or how nice 🙂 you think 🤔 they are!
Spot on sir!
I didn’t need to do any look into my Vic because when the light hits it just right I can see the ghost writing from the city police department. The duel spot lights was another give away 😂
i got the dog one it had alot of hair the original leather seats great consiton drove it 3 hours i was concerned i got a 2013 explorer for 2k im in Albany i been doing cars and shit for over 10 years tax foreclosed houses as well
Also look for signs of repaint. Bumper covers can hide more damage underneath. Its not always a sign of a bad car but keep in mind, finding new bumper covers right now is a pain. In fact, any parts that are body or trim pieces are near impossible to find unless you have a cache of parts.
Last parts car I gutted was an 05 SAP and I knew the history of it. It was 3000 bucks, back in 14. Normally for a car that was shamed in the rear (with bend frame) would be a no go. I knew the cop that was assigned to the car. I called him up, and he told me, the car was smashed in the front prior, and had all brand new parts put on, just for a week later the car to be rear ended by a police Tahoe that a perp stole. So, the back was smashed, but everything front of the firewall was so new, it still had the Ford stickers. I mean, springs, IFS, brackets, lights, bumper (though the morons drilled the plate bracket crooked). I still have most of those parts and fro a few others to keep my fleet of Panthers going.
Good video, very good points. Im just glad that finally Crown Vics are more or less gone as police cars. I used to be a cop, but just loved these cars. The whackers (is that a thing anymore?) caused so much heat. I got pulled over so many times just because of a guy impersonating, and my car matched the description. It was always just easier to show him my badge and move on, But if I wasnt, it would be such a hassle.
My daily is a Grand Marquis now, which is the best under the radar car ever. Nobody bothers you lol. Granda ma can do 100mph right in front of a trooper and nothing. Plus theyre cheaper than the other Panthers, and mine drives like its brand new.
No doubt about it. In my area, nobody really gives a crown Vic a second look despite the fact that has the push bar on it and I am OK with that. Over a decade of driving these cars I have never been hassled by the police. But I also never had questionable equipment in my vehicle, the whackers are still indeed a thing they’ve just moved onto newer platforms.
Had a Grand marquis for a short time and they are definitely smooth riding cars. I just absolutely hated the 2.73 rear gears in those. Off the line acceleration was so sluggish. Crowns in general aren’t that fast but the 273s are horrid. love everything else about the car though.
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan Yeah, thats what I meant. The Crown Vic whackers are gone. I remember when I was on the job, we did check out former cop cars, just to be cautious and all. So speeding would be tough. And yes, the Grandma is so freaking slow, and hates hills. She will do it, but nowhere near the speed the Crown Vic CVPIs and Sports will do. But Grand Marquis also get insane mileage. I was near 30 on my last road trip. Not bad at all
@@RipRoaringGarage 30 mpgs is insane! Best my P71 will do is like 25!
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan It shocked me too, and going through Vermont. Not exactly flat country!
Debating if I want to put money into my 99 GM or buy a P71. I like comfort, but would like alittle extra speed.
Personally I’d go with a newer model if I was you. You could always get a P71 and swap in the Grand Marquis interior parts into it
Thanks for the great info, I learned a few things. It's nice to listen to an informative and clean video. I'm looking at a 2010 with 91k in good shape for $5k. What do you think? Thanks 🙏
That’s fair, I’d still examine it closely tho like any used car purchase
Hey man, I ended up with a 2005 sport, duel exhaust, 3.27 gears and super clean for $4600.00. I'm loving it so far. Take care
My 2011 has around 130k and almost 7000 idle hours and the engine runs great. All depends if they beat the crap out of it or not.
That and if they maintained it. This car is far better now then when it was purchased but it still needs more work!
@@DirtyDanMunicipalManI don’t consider them perfect cars. But they are reliable. They do have issues but what car doesn’t?
Bought my 2011 CVPI last year with 167k and 3350 idle hours. High miles,but low idle hours. Former Kentucky State Police sergeant's car. 3:55 axle ratio.
I have an 05 city patrol car and a 04 County constable car
Thanks for the info. BTW, if they've been cared for - by the police and the second owner - can these cars exceed 200,000 miles?
They can easily exceed 200k. Taxi companies used to buy these in bulk from police auctions and run them as cabs for hundreds of thousands of miles. I've personally seen Crown Vic taxis with over 500k running and driving great on original engines. The transmissions typically don't hold up that long tho.
Mine has over 250k. Was patrol then converted to K9. Look at the inside of the door. My 06 is all black but has the Oreo paint scheme in the door jams
My car has had a new motor 30k miles ago and trans 5k miles ago. They did the motor and I did the transmission. Kept all the documents and pictures of condition sold. I picked it up at auction and they left in all the equipment and some riot gear. I gave the radio equipment and such to my local pd but kept the lights and siren. The buyers contract stays in my glovebox to prove I bought it in the condition it is in.
They're in the million mile clubp!... if we'll maintained from its early life....often 500,000 miles.
Awesome video!. I am in the market for a Crown Vic and i learned a lot from your video. Thanks man
Thank you for watching! If you’ve got any suggestions for future videos, let me know!
There is a 2010 crown Vic police interceptor for sale in my town Has a little over 2000 hrs and 93k miles Guy said he got it two years ago from small town police dept He had transmission taken apart and worn parts replaced Installed new torque converter new battery new tension belt new spare tire and rim new oxygen sensors has very little rust new paint job and all receipts to back it up Wants 5500 Canadian negotiable Runs and drives perfect
Horn and radio does not work I’m on the fence on whether this is a great deal or the car seen a lot of abuse Seems like a lot to replace I ll have to take her for a test run Thoughts? Thanks
As always it’s hard to say without seeing it in person. That price is about average these days. It sounds like an okay deal. I’d scope it out.
A few years ago, I saw an Expedition for sale an auction. It looked like it had been park police. From what I knew, the car drove a half mile to the park, then idled there the whole shift to keep the AC running. Then drove back. Then possibly a second shift. So, that meant it was driving at most four miles a day. Park police never made any effort to exit their car except probably to throw away trash or use the rest room. They may have driven it to the restaurants a few hundred yards away.
So, my feeling was the car had very little wear. Other than the engine running. I did not know what to think about that.
I asked the people in the city office what they knew about the car. And they told me to fire a freedom of information request. They offered me the forms. I said "I don't want to put anybody to any trouble." "No trouble at all." the office manager said in a depressed voice.
I don't believe I ever got the information.
Later I asked what happened to city cars. They said they had a contract with a company and that company took every car and did not have to bid. And the citizens would not have a chance to buy them from the city directly. This city had a tendency to get no bid exclusive contracts with companies that donated money to councilmen.
So, what are bad numbers on hours and miles? Also, I've never owned a Crown Vic. How did you switch the screen to "hours"? And are those hours only the hours it was idling, not moving?
Aww man gotta hate crappy politics.
@@auteurfiddler8706 To check idle hours on a Vic, you click the trip button and it displays on the Odometer. Idle hours kinda depend on the vehicle, on a crown Vic I wouldn’t be concerned with them too much. I’d say about 3,000 to 6,000 idle hours is average for a police car. On cop cars with idle hour meter, it only registers when the car is in park or neutral. Newer cars like my Charger or the newer Fords have idle hours AND total engine hours. Total engine hours is the amount of time the engine has been running whether it’s idling is cruising on the highway.
Alot of cities and counties give used ones to other departments like building inspectors.
I’ve seen that too.
Mine had lights on it thin light bars n bright!!
I wanna be careful I been having my doughts but idk 🤷♂️
I’m gonna be buying my Vic from a reputable dealer I’m not gonna buy one all out because I will still have to put money into it and minor repairs in the future!
Tomorrow I'm checking out a 2009 p71 with 90,000 miles and 1,500 hours. $4k
Wish me luck 🤞
Hey Man! Mat t from Buffalo!! I have a 2020 PIU! Love to meet you some time!
@@mattewmackes it would be awesome to have like a meet up in the area at sometime.
Yes would like more cop car videos!
i just bought a 2001 p71 with 100,472 miles it has carpeted floor and cloth seats no cage but i have anntennas on my trunk and black gps pucks for computer gear i dont see holes in the bumper for a push bar the car did have lights in it i dont know if it had a light bat car is a silver or grey color and has 3.23 gears but i have to recheck that was told it was leiutennant car i think it was tuned or at least the shift points in the trans were changed and has a trunk organizer but not a trunk pack bought from pa
Interesting, I have seen some agencies don’t run cages in their cars as they have paddy wagons or other cars specifically for transport.
Seal those roof holes quick, leaks and rust BAD. PUT push in plugs or screws with Motor HOME caulikng in them, proflex is best
Current both holes are occupied by antennas for Ham radios. Any cop car with holes it’s always best to make sure they’re properly plugged and sealed
Skip what the ad says and just look at idle hours and total hours. Anything with thousands of hours obviously was patrolled
That’s exactly what I was trying to say here. The idle hours in the overall condition of the car are going to have more to say about the cars past life then anything the seller will tell you.
How do yyou find idle and run hours? Thanks
@@fb510m in the cluster menu it’s either under settings or system check.
Personally, in 2023 what would you consider good idle hours for one of these to be, around the 5k price range? I'm in the market for one, and I'd love a clean example to call mine, finally.
I’d say the same. 5k idle hours being fairly average. On a Crown Vic, I wouldn’t be super concerned with idle hours as I would be on a hemi or a 5.3L as both those engines are known for lifter failures.
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan Thaaaanks, I used your advice and found a really, really nice one! Thank you so much for helping me out ♥
better off finding a grand marquis’s or town car. they were driven by adults and taken care of. maybe even stored in garage
Thats almost always the advice I give to anyone looking for one of these cars
Don't even inspect the car just buy it place your bid and go pick it up you will be smiling when you do, next time I'm getting a Charger I want to feel that Hemi but remember buyer beware
I would definitely inspect any police vehicle before purchase, as these cars can have very hard lives. I did love my Hemi, it was a great car and tons of fun
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan I had to do it that way, once I looked at the auction site and only had 35 min the ones I did inspect I didn't buy they have to disclose any known issues or you can nullify the sale much different than buying from a car lot or private seller in all honesty you should get underneath it to see how much rust is there and check for leaks, I just didn't have time
i got for a crown vic p71 for 3600$ with 104k miles and 5583 idle hours steal or scam??
Sounds like an okay deal to me. That’s not a bad price.
Hi I found a clean title 2010 with 35000 miles and they are asking 13,300 firm won’t go lower which I think is high price but could it be worth it? Or pass? Seems lot of money
@@lennylee6528 pass.
@@lennylee6528 35k miles or 350k?
@@lennylee6528 if it’s only 35k make sure there is nothing wrong with it sounds amazing
4. There used for training then junked
thought came to mind to check door code for original paint color.....
That’s always a good idea too.
Ive been looking at the Explorer Police Interceptor sport editions with the ecoboost 3.5 Twin Turbo as well as the Taurus, have you had any experience with those cars ? And if so how is their longevity if found around 5k idle hours ? Thanks
@@offmetaassault7429 the Ecoboost is fast, and can be fairly reliable too. Biggest issue with those is the timing chain driven water pump. When it goes it contaminates the oil with coolant and effectively grenades the engine. The one ecoboost cat we had needed new turbos, cat converters and a bunch of work that ended up being a royal pain. Personally I’d just go with the basic 3.7L V6 as it’s mechanically simpler. That’s just my opinion, others have had good success with the Ecoboosts though.
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan I appreciate your response, I've been looking for something sportier that's tunable as well because in my area caprices are very rare and that would be my first choice, I'll definitely keep looking for something else unless I find a 3.5 with extremely low idle hours
This Friday, I will be looking at a 2009 w/ 36k miles for $9,995. Clean interior and mostly clean exterior. Would you say that's a fair price?
@@volcan8778 seems a bit high, but that seems to be going rate these days. If it’s clean and really runs good then go for it
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan Thanks for the reply!
Thank you, very helpful
You don't want to know what was on the floor and back seat.
Wipe it down with some Clorox disinfectant or alcohol and it’s like it never happened lol
So I asked the seller how many idle hours it had… And he was like, what?
Oh goodness. What year and model car? The older cars didn’t have clocks on them.
Any links to get a cop bash bar or that one you have plz let me know im currently trying to make a lincoln cop car lol
You can get the center section still new from GoRhino. The wraps available separate and bolt to the center piece.
What would be considered high idle hours? Is 3800 on a 2017 high?
I’d consider that average or even fairly low. In my experience 3000 to 7000 is average and about 7000 and over is fairly high
@wjye any experience with the Ram 1500? What type of patrol would use it? Jas push bar and partition between rows. Spot light on roof ect. Thanks.
@@davemcdrip510 no experience with the Ram 1500, most of the agencies in my area that use trucks are like park police, or special police units like conservation police or Rescue units. You’d hafta try to find out more info on what agency had the truck prior to purchase. It could’ve done anything really.
Good info
I was getting dizzy after the fifth time around that car. Might think about having the trunk and doors open while giving
your ideas on the purchase of said vehicles. Gives a little different landscape Just saying.
So, why was the car in the video civilian silver it it was a patrol car and all the patrol cars that city used were white?
It was from Aventura Florida which is right next to Miami, but Miami was the first thing I could think of. When I first got the car, I could see the faded spots where the decals were.
Can you please send me Link to the radio you have in your car the aftermarket radio 📻🔘
I’m honestly not sure if it’s made anymore. I got it used a few years ago.
It’s a pioneer AVH-x491bhs
I am looking for a good used ex police interceptor Crown VicDo you have any for sale?
I do not. Its been a little while since I've picked some up to sell.
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan ,ok,thanks.they are good cars,a nice one is great
Does this include taurus Interceptor?
This video is mostly general in nature referring to any model of police car.
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan so sorry I asked the wrong question can I buy a stage 2 chip snd put it in my taurus Interceptor 2015 straight away ,or does something else have to be done thank you sir
@@ronaldhaugen5967 I’m afraid I don’t have the answer for that. I don’t know much about tuning for the Taurus platform. I’d highly suggest checking the forums or Facebook groups for more info. I’d also recommend getting an actual tune and tuner. Most ‘chips’ I see are usually junk.
@@DirtyDanMunicipalMan thank you for this advice , especially the last part ,most are junk ,very important thanks brother
What if I want to UTE the crown vic?
Then do as you wish lol
Just check vin.....it will have p71 or p78...crown Vic's.....
That will tell you if it’s a police package car…that’s it. Wont tell you anything about who drove the car and what it was used for.
I’ll never understand why people put them big obnoxious plastic brush guards on a car if a deer hits the car going 60 + or even close damage will still be done,
The brush guard on this car is solid steel. It weighs about 40-50 pounds. If you hit a deer at 60+ mph your gonna do damage to a car regardless if you have a brush guard or not. These are not designed to take impacts at high speed, they’re more designed to protect the front of the patrol car from low speed impacts that could be encountered during patrol work. These are mainly used on police cars for pushing disabled cars out of the roadway or mounting equipment. They’ll provide some protection to the car in an accident, but anything over 30 mph the brush guard is gonna be mangled and cause damage to the car
They're taxpayer funded cars not cop cars or government used cars
@@KrazyJohnny I’m not sure exactly how that pertains to anything I said here.
East coast rust bucket
Most cars here are. This one is not. Only seen a few winters and is spotless underneath. I won’t buy northern rusty cars if I plan to keep them.
BORING, REPETITIVE
SORRY HOSS
I'm on a mission from God 🚓