I found an Ex RCMP Ford Crown Victoria 2003 for $1000.00, the guy say's the only thing wrong with it is:

It needs a new battery

gas tank

&

gas tank straps

 

would you say it's worth it?

(this IS Nova Scotia, Canada so ignore the white shit on the ground)

What's the mileage on it? (If you know)

If it's 150,000 miles or less on it, and those are the only things needing to be fixed/replaced, then $1000 isn't bad at all. I'd have a professional mechanic take a look at it though.

 

I wish I could find a nice CVPI for $1000, the cheapest I can find one around me is $2500 for a "decent" model.

Just remember, those cars get beat to hell ! But, they do take a beating.

Hell yeah! I would love to have a CV but their not common over here :(

I've heard bad things about ex-cop cars. Was it a take-home, or a fleet car? Fleet cars are allegedly treated like crap while they're being used, and so aren't really good for reliability.

Theres a place near me that sells used CVPIs and Dodge Charger Police Cruisers (I'm in the UK). One of them had been in a head-on collision. Make sure that it's in reasonably good condition and there aren't any undiagnosed faults, this can save you a lot of bother later on. You'd want to drive the car more than fixing it!:P

i wouldnt by it,

not after god cummed all over it and left the sticky everywhere

but no seriously that thing looks pretty beat down

like a hooker who just hit rock bottom into a hiv positive needle field.

I personally think the guy is shady, he said the mileage is only 250KM which i know is a crock of shit, only because it's a police cruiser and it's a 2003, i have however found a guy with a 2007 CVPI that was used as a Surrey RCMP marked unit and it IS MINT, i go look at that one tomorrow, and he's asking $3200.00 for it, basically wht he paid for it.

1st off most police crown civs take flex fuel, so unless you have a gas station that sells flexfuel you won't be going long. Another thing is the reason police departments sell there cop cars is because they are having a problems with it. A real life cop told me that, the only reason they sell there cars is if it gets in the way of the line of duty. Such as something is wrong with it and is to much to fix....

You don't want a high mileage cop car, especially a patrol vehicle.  My buddy has two supervisor cars (CVPI...03 and 08) and he loves those things.  He paid about $7k-$8k and they were both under 50K in mileage when he picked them up (both are dark grey too).  He's had a few small issues like fuel pump, ect. over the years but nothing major.  The key is to find them with low mileage and more of a Lt. car or supervisior, something like that.  You'll pay more, but you'll be glad you did. 

 

Offer the guy $400 and see if he'll split the difference with ya.

 

Good luck!

 

DrDetroit

get a mechanic to take a look at it and get an estimate of what has to be done/replaired etc. i bought mine and i love it. i havent rly havent had to do much to it after i paint it it should pretty much be perfect and i gotta fix a rusted line i found the other day. mine HAULS ASS but u gotta maintain them like anything else and if u live somewhere where u get snow like me be advised it handles like a corvette in the snow, not the best for tht weather lol

Edited February 25, 201313 yr by FDLC FF/EMT Boxer

@Dark Angel- I don't entirely believe that they sell them because they are too much to fix, only because it doesn't make sense to  seell a car cause a part is too much when an outfitted police cruiser is probably almost 40 G's.

 

What's Flex Fuel? i just thought it was a fancy name for premium fuel.

Just because they take flex-fuel doesn't mean they can only run flex-fuel. They can run normal pump gas that you can get at any station. You don't need to strictly run flex-fuel. Flex fuel is basically E85 Ethanol which you can get at a gas station right along with normal gas. One of our cars is a Crown Vic, I love it, got it about 3-4 years ago with about 95,000 miles and paid like $2900 I think. The thing was in excellent condition and I honestly haven't had any major issues, its been a great car. Not the greatest when it comes to gas mileage in the city but thats what you get with a V-8

@Dark Angel- I don't entirely believe that they sell them because they are too much to fix, only because it doesn't make sense to  seell a car cause a part is too much when an outfitted police cruiser is probably almost 40 G's.

 

What's Flex Fuel? i just thought it was a fancy name for premium fuel.

it can run on more than 1 fuel in this case being ethonol and/or gasoline its supppost to be more fuel effiicent

So in other word's it's just a higher grade fuel?

Not all police units run on flex fuel, the OPP units in my hometown do not and they are primarily 2009 CVPI's.

As a former 2003 CVPI owner, I feel I should throw my 2 cents in here.

 

First of all, make sure you know what you're talking about in regards to cars, or at least know and trust someone who knows what they're talking about. As many above have stated, ex-cop cars are very hit and miss purchases.

 

Personally, looking at everything you've provided, I'd pass on that. Even for just $1000. A few points:

 

• 2003 models are notorious for engine and electrical problems. They were also the first model year that switched around the suspension system as well, and as such all the bugs weren't necessarily worked out by the time they shipped. FWIW, 2004 models are widely regarded as the 'best' model year CVPI, citing gearing and the fixes that were made on the 2003 model.
• The rims on that CVPI are the recalled 7-hole models. Ford recalled them because they were weak and tended to crumble and warp under pressure. They replaced them with the 13-hole models, as pictured here. And don't expect Ford to honor the recall if you get stuck with the recalled rims, these are fleet cars, and they're not interested in helping out a second hand owner.
• You're looking at an ex-RCMP vehicle, which means it was used heavily in the snow, and snow = road salt/sand which in turn = tons of corrosion. I'd suggest trying to find one from a drier region of the globe, there's a reason many departments in the US Southwest still run CVPI's made in the 90's.

An ex-cop car can be a very practical purchase, but don't hesitate to look around a bit. A poorly looked at ex-cop car could turn out to be a total nightmare and an endless money pit. Remember most officers don't own their cars, and as such many get abused (think of how many times you've seen your local PD drive em up and over curbs to get past traffic). Not to mention the tons of idle hours, broken up only by bursts of acceleration by flooring the throttle. (Btw, 2006+ models keep track of Idle time as part of their digital odometers, be sure to check that out as I think it works out to something like 1 mile for every 3 Idle Hours.)

 

That being said, should you find a car that meets your standards, if it can stand up to the punishment of police work, it can certainly stand whatever you can throw at it.

 

If you're dead set on buying an ex-cop car, I'd recommend looking through here:

http://chicagomotors.com/index.aspx

 

I've heard plenty of success stories from this place and they really know their stuff.

On top of that, I'd recommend looking around here and doing some research. I used to be a part of this community, and they're all very knowledgeable people who would be glad to give you some pointers.

http://www.crownvic.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php

 

You can also PM me if you want any more insight from a former CVPI owner. 

 

EDIT: 1 Idle Hour = ~30 miles.

Edited February 25, 201313 yr by CG Blaze

@Dark Angel- I don't entirely believe that they sell them because they are too much to fix, only because it doesn't make sense to  seell a car cause a part is too much when an outfitted police cruiser is probably almost 40 G's.

 

What's Flex Fuel? i just thought it was a fancy name for premium fuel.

Fuelflex is a speical type of fuel and its called different things but its called fuelflex here. Yes you can put regular gas in the car, the MPG you see on Crown Vics is with fuelFlex. Your version of the cop car will get 14MPG in the city and also 20MPG on the highway (note this is based on FuelFlex) So you can expect that to be lower. Another thing is cop cars get beat to hell, they really do. Cops have to accelerate extremely fast then slam on the breaks after a while of doing that it really takes a dent on the car.

 

Also I know what you are thinking it cost to much to fix, wouldn't it be cheaper to just repair it then getting a new cop car. By what I mean is when you keep putting money into a car that will just keep having problems its not even worth it. Because if the engine goes that is a few weeks the cop car is off the road, that is thousands if not 10 of thousands of dollars wasted. Once 1 things goes in a car a lot of other things start to go its like a chain reaction.... So no I don't recommend getting that car

 

 

Edited February 25, 201313 yr by Darkangel

Damn CG BLAZE, spoken like a true expert!  Great information there.  I know I drove my CVPI like I "stole it" while on patrol.  A lot of ENDLESS idling only to be ran peddle to the floor in short bursts then back to idling.  When I got my Expedition it was the same...only when I got a BRAND NEW Charger did I baby it.  The CVPI's are awesome cars but I personally would NEVER buy one that was previously used in a law enforcement fashion.  Yes they are serviced to a high level, but a lot of times they are getting rid of them because they are miled-out (high mileage) or have issues that aren't cost-effective to fix.

 

 

Good luck nevertheless!

Edited February 25, 201313 yr by leepersc