What do you think? I am about 4 ft 11' inch right now and I am taking my permit test next week. (Southern California )

 

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/cto/5496636647.html <-- WOULD MOST LIKE WANT SOMETHING LIKE THIS ONE, 2011 OR 2010 Model

http://palmsprings.craigslist.org/ctd/5486852980.html

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/5492544848.html

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Crown-Victoria-P-71-Police-Interceptor-/141931952565?forcerrptr=true&hash=item210bcdb9b5:g:pjAAAOSwxp9W6gJL&item=141931952565

 

 

I really like these cars, they SOUND COOL, are not too fast, my dads Spark EV is faster (Acceleration). They are built to last, and the car and parts a dirt cheap. I am just worried about being harassed by the police. What do you think? Is this a huge issue? 

the crown vic is a really reliable car, and it will serve you well for years without a problem if you maintain it good(maintenance is easy and cheap).if you have the money go for the 2010 cvpi its one of the latest models, so all the little error are gone. hell its even one of the best years for a cvpi it has the least problems. other wise go for the 2008 (the 2011 has more problems than the 2008 but not as much as the 2006) cause the 2006 has a lot of problems.  

And as far as being harassed by the police. its actually the opposite people think you are from the police so the let you pass and all other kind of fun stuff.  its allowed to drive a ex police vehicle as long as you don't use the lights or sirens. 

Good luck 

3 minutes ago, ESU said:

the crown vic is a really reliable car, and it will serve you well for years without a problem if you maintain it good(maintenance is easy and cheap).if you have the money go for the 2010 cvpi its one of the latest models, so all the little error are gone. hell its even one of the best years for a cvpi it has the least problems. other wise go for the 2008 (the 2011 has more problems than the 2008 but not as much as the 2006) cause the 2006 has a lot of problems.  

And as far as being harassed by the police. its actually the opposite people think you are from the police so the let you pass and all other kind of fun stuff.  its allowed to drive a ex police vehicle as long as you don't use the lights or sirens. 

Good luck 

What about the 2011 model? What one would you get? I am really looking at 11 vs 10 models. Have not found any good 08s in my area.

Edited March 26, 201610 yr by TheGeeker

is also a solid choise but there where some problems reported with the drivetrain, AC and steeringwheel. ill definitely would go for the 10

 

Edited March 26, 201610 yr by ESU

7 minutes ago, ESU said:

is also a solid choise but there where some problems reported with the drivetrain, AC and steeringwheel. ill definitely would go for the 10

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Crown-Victoria-P-71-Police-Interceptor-/141931952565?forcerrptr=true&hash=item210bcdb9b5:g:pjAAAOSwxp9W6gJL&item=141931952565

You think this would be a good choice? I cant test drive it or anything until I buy the car and fly out. I am kinda worried about buying CVPIs over the Internet and not in person.

10 minutes ago, ESU said:

is also a solid choise but there where some problems reported with the drivetrain, AC and steeringwheel. ill definitely would go for the 10

 

Also I could test drive this one but it does not look to be as nice, maybe just needs a wash but IDK. 

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/5489308840.html

it looks like a well maintained vehicle very clean and the engine is well maintained, the dashboard shows no signs of cracks as far as i can tell from the pictures. but some off the seats show some kind of wear. as far as the seller goes it has 100% positive feedback and it looks like a  cardealer is selling it. so you cant go wrong as far as the seller goes. the least you can do is call the seller and see if they have more info about the car. (logbooks, history, maybe a picture of the drivetrain). to be sure . but it looks like a solid purchase to me. 

i came across this one its from the same seller. its cheaper but is not as neat as the other one http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Crown-Victoria-P-71-Police-Interceptor-/141940049755?forcerrptr=true&hash=item210c49475b:g:XAYAAOSw9uFW9Xzz&item=141940049755

 

the 2010 p71 for $7500 is also a solid option, especially that you can test drive it before you buy it and you can check the vehicle itself for any damage or other problems. so ill would try that one first 

 

Edited March 26, 201610 yr by ESU

Crown Vics are good Cars. We own 2. A 2002 Detectives Car. and a 2002 CHP Unmarked Slicktop (With Rambar) They both are very reliable and not expensive. Although there are a few years that you want to try to avoid when buying the car. Idk what ones but I do remember hearing about it. Watch this 

  This is not my video.... 

A bit off topic. Here is the CHP CVPI we own. 

Edited March 26, 201610 yr by RustyNail272
Made JPG's smaller

On 3/26/2016 at 10:34 AM, TheGeeker said:

What do you think? I am about 4 ft 11' inch right now and I am taking my permit test next week. (Southern California )

 

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/cto/5496636647.html <-- WOULD MOST LIKE WANT SOMETHING LIKE THIS ONE, 2011 OR 2010 Model

http://palmsprings.craigslist.org/ctd/5486852980.html

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/5492544848.html

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Crown-Victoria-P-71-Police-Interceptor-/141931952565?forcerrptr=true&hash=item210bcdb9b5:g:pjAAAOSwxp9W6gJL&item=141931952565

 

 

I really like these cars, they SOUND COOL, are not too fast, my dads Spark EV is faster (Acceleration). They are built to last, and the car and parts a dirt cheap. I am just worried about being harassed by the police. What do you think? Is this a huge issue? 

It depends on what exactly you're getting, and what your driving habits are like.

Lets first figure out if you're getting a Ford Crown Victoria, or a retired CVPI. There's a huge difference between the two. The body is the same, as is most of the engine, but the police vehicles you buy used are going to have had the absolute **** kicked out of them over the course of the last 80,000-100,000 miles they've been driven. They also have a stiffened suspension which makes for a less comfortable ride, they are stripped of all but the bare essentials for the interior and most options, some don't even have regular back seats, or back seats of any sort at all. The center console (if there is one) will be stripped out and may have wires hanging all over and around it from the radio and siren boxes being ripped out, the spot light will stil be attached, along with mounting points for the old LED lights that were on the vehicle. The CVPI version offers slightly better gear changes, but not much else over the civilian version. Both will have terrible gas mileage, both of them are extremely heavy, both of them are very big, both of them are cumbersome to drive through tight spaces and turns (sort of like driving a boat, but low to the ground), and the CVPI version with a spot light and ram bar still attached may even get you unwanted attention from civilians trying to flag you down because they think you're a cop who can help them in the event of an emergency.

The CVPI's are built to last; for the 80,000-100,000 miles they are used before the police auction them off. The civilian versions are built similarly; but at the end of the day, they're Fords. Bad quality interiors, frequent repairs needed for the cooling systems, tire pressure sensor faults, frequent AC recharges if you live in California like you do. And the parts are cheap because the cars are still in use by police and taxi fleets for another couple of years. They went out of production in 2012. As the years go on, those parts are going to become less and less available, making the part costs increase. But I wouldn't worry about small things breaking. On the CVPI, the things that take the most abuse will be the transmission and the brakes. Brakes are replaceable, a new transmission means a new car. The civilian version will have even wear. But it's just an unweildly, antiquated sedan that can be outperformed and bested in efficiency by plenty of other four doors on the market from other companies.

TLDR; Don't.

I'm speaking from experience, as an SUV I drove for a long time was a Ford fleet model, retired from a major American fire department. Poor quality interior, terrible ride quality, very low horsepower (207HP for a heavy SUV), ruined driver seat, small problems galore, including ruined brakes upon purchase, a tire pressure sensor fault, 3-4 broken u-joints, semi-functioning A/C that needed a recharge and had a broken setting (and no air re-circulation was even available as an option on the car), a broken thermostat that set off the overheating sensor prematurely, a traditional crack down the middle of the tail gate by the Ford logo which happened on most 2004-2009 models that were garaged in a state with changing climates, a $500 thermostat housing repair and a ruined stereo system. That was for about $7,000, and oddly enough that was the best I could get for that price, as cars that costed less were auctioned off instead of being sold at a dealership, and anything else in the same class that was better quality was another $2,000 to $3,000.

Edited March 28, 201610 yr by unr3al

Yea. Once they are beat to the limit or are over the mile limit etc. They get auctioned off. The only cars that were kept were some of the caprice's they were the only car that some police departments cared to fully restore after they took there limits. (The older caprices 80/90s) 

3 hours ago, RustyNail272 said:

Yea. Once they are beat to the limit or are over the mile limit etc. They get auctioned off. The only cars that were kept were some of the caprice's they were the only car that some police departments cared to fully restore after they took there limits. (The older caprices 80/90s) 

Gotta love a good ol´Caprice, one of the best police vehicles ever used. 

I dont really care for a caprice. I dont know why. I just dont

1 hour ago, RustyNail272 said:

I dont really care for a caprice. I dont know why. I just dont

Its a great car, when looking at performance it can easely compete with the latest gen of the CVPI. If well maintained

Edited March 28, 201610 yr by S0berDrunk

Yea.

Personal Preference. Coming from a LE Family. Don't, as a regular person still don't. I personally believe it is for people who are wanna-be police officers at a young age, and its just not needed. But from personal thoughts outside of LE. I still don't think its needed. Even though it is a very good car. Just my 2 cents.

Edited March 28, 201610 yr by IndianaisMyState

Most of which I could state was already stated by unr3al.

My tips for owning a Crown Victoria are;

1. Don't try to look like a cop. It'll get you nothing but hate and fear. Mainly hate.

2. Don't drive like a cop. Never. Ever. Drive like a cop. You'll end up destorying your car's engine, wearing out your brakes, and screwing up your alignment. 

3. Try to make your car look as civilian as possible. This is much more of a personal preference, but it can also help you. If you have spotlights and a brushguard on your car, you'll straight up look like a cop, that's not a good thing. Stay away from things like that, especially if you plan on removing them. It's best to buy a clean Crown Victoria. Mainly without spotlights. Same with roof antennas and light bars, you'll just end up with nasty holes or ugly plugs.

4. Don't buy an Ex-Patrol car. Those things are used and abused on a daily basis. You may find one with only 70k miles on it, but that doesn't include the wear on the vehicle along with idling time.

5. Remember you are driving a pretty big car compared to today's standards. If you're used to driving an economical car such as a Toyota Corolla or any such of the type, just remember your car is most likely bigger than the next guy's. Drive throughs at fast-food joints are going to be a much tighter squeeze, especially nowadays seeing the size of some of them around here. 

6. Don't put your foot to the floor. As cool as that V8 may sound accelerating to high speeds, don't do it every day. You'll just end up running it into the dirt, both 'possibly' physically and mechanically.

7. My last tip. When buying a Crown Victoria, buy anything from 05+. The newer the better. There might have been an odd year out between 05-11 that I missed, I'm just going off of memory.

I may also add, the honeycomb grille which is mainly seen on the police cruisers, DOES get better airflow, but it's another "cop" sign. I chose the classic chrome slit grille that you see on almost all of the 1998 Crown Victorias. Luckily mine is a civilian package aside from the grille I got with it. That being the honeycomb.

Edited March 29, 201610 yr by Lundy

On 3/26/2016 at 5:34 PM, RustyNail272 said:

Crown Vics are good Cars. We own 2. A 2002 Detectives Car. and a 2002 CHP Unmarked Slicktop (With Rambar) They both are very reliable and not expensive. Although there are a few years that you want to try to avoid when buying the car. Idk what ones but I do remember hearing about it. Watch this 

  This is not my video.... 

A bit off topic. Here is the CHP CVPI we own. 

What is the driving experience like? So you get harassed or flagged down often? 

Well recently yes. One for the tint but it was just under being illegal cause to pass inspection its gotta be legal. And the most recent because we got Assault Life stickers, and Molon Labe (Come take) and was pulled over and the car was searched for weapons. Which we didnt have in the car. They even looked under the hood "the most safest place to hide a gun" (sarcasm). For experience on driving. They handle good and all but some are really sensitive, Like you tap the gas you hit 15 mph quickly. But yea. They are good reliable cars. 

On 3/29/2016 at 1:34 AM, Lundy said:

but that doesn't include the wear on the vehicle along with idling time.

Don't put your foot to the floor. As cool as that V8 may sound accelerating to high speeds, don't do it every day. You'll just end up running it into the dirt, both 'possibly' physically and mechanically.

Re-reading this, you raised two points I totally forgot about. One of them was about idle time. During my first ride along in a small town, they had only a small fleet of cruisers, as only 2-3 officers were out on patrol at one time. The FTO for the department told me that as a result of that, the cruisers were literally almost NEVER turned off during their 80,000-90,000 mile run. Once a patrolman finishes his shift, he fills it with fuel, using what more or less amounts to being a "town credit card" to pay for it, drives it back to the station, climbs out and says hello to the other officer as he climbs in and takes over the car for his shift. The other was revving the car to hear the engine. Transmission wear mainly comes from changing gears, but engine wear comes from running the car at high RPM. You can drive a vehicle at 100mph without a problem if you're running at 3-4,000 RPM. The speed itself isn't stressful. But if you're literally topping you car out and you're at the red line, or you constantly drag race it or hard accelerate it, that produces a lot of stress on the vehicle.

Edited April 14, 201610 yr by unr3al

On 3/26/2016 at 9:34 AM, TheGeeker said:

What do you think? I am about 4 ft 11' inch right now and I am taking my permit test next week. (Southern California )

 

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/cto/5496636647.html <-- WOULD MOST LIKE WANT SOMETHING LIKE THIS ONE, 2011 OR 2010 Model

http://palmsprings.craigslist.org/ctd/5486852980.html

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/5492544848.html

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Crown-Victoria-P-71-Police-Interceptor-/141931952565?forcerrptr=true&hash=item210bcdb9b5:g:pjAAAOSwxp9W6gJL&item=141931952565

 

 

I really like these cars, they SOUND COOL, are not too fast, my dads Spark EV is faster (Acceleration). They are built to last, and the car and parts a dirt cheap. I am just worried about being harassed by the police. What do you think? Is this a huge issue? 

No. Fuck No. No. To the No. No.

Sorry man but I think that'd be a major bad part on your end. I'll give some examples why it'd be bad. 

A. Usually if someone sees a CVPI or anything relating to a normal patrol car they either A. Slow down like crazy which in turn makes it suck ass for if you're trying to drive to somewhere in a quick pace. Or B. They think you're still a Cop (Kinda blends with A) and will either try & piss you off or do something else annoying. And then there's C. Cops... Cops (Most of them) hate people who drive CVPIs who aren't actual cops. Makes it seem like you're too much of a want-to-be. I've rode with a few officers in my explorers day and still ride with them. Stopped a few people in normal CVPIs just their everyday car and almost everytime I'm with an officer and they make contact it's a want-to-be officer. It just gets annoying.

B. The cars complete shit. If it's a past police car then FML you're life. It's probably got 120k+ mileage which is real bad. My SROs has a crown victoria that he still uses and it's at about 115k and the wiring. Don't get me started. That's the shit. Floors have torn off, with wires popping out. Console would have to be taken out so you'd have nothing but space where a normal console would be. You'd have holes randonly in your car where wires used to be at. 

C. CVPIs for a personal car... If you're wanting to get on a cop's good side just get a normal car and get a few bumper stickers that say "I support my Sheriff" or "Blue lives matter" or "Future Police Officer on board". Trust me, It'll help you get away with warnings. I've had a few friends who were also explorers and had bumper stickers like that and got away with just warnings because the officer knew they were good kids & would probably be an officer like them

D... Oh god. Just like the stickers it may cause problems for you though... I was actually talking to a police friend today matter of fact about this kinda thing. She has some bumper stickers that just say "Blue lives matter" and stuff. and she said the first few weeks she had those bumper stickers she got her car egged and said a few other friends had their windows smashed, and their cars keyed just because they support cops. Think about a CVPI... That'll get egged, keyed, windows smashed. Let's face it... Some people hate the cops and will do stupid shit like key your car at night and you can't do anything about it or whenever you're at school or something. Just don't get a CVPI...

Get something generic like a literally anything but that. Save yourself money and problems. Good luck.

1 hour ago, LCSO Sheriff Jester said:

If you're wanting to get on a cop's good side just get a normal car and get a few bumper stickers that say "I support my Sheriff" or "Blue lives matter" or "Future Police Officer on board". Trust me, It'll help you get away with warnings.

That's arguably more of a "suck up" move than buying a CVPI, and can lead to the problems you listed in 'D'. The best way to get on the good side of a police officer is to not break the law. And if you do, don't be an ass****, just own up to what you did, admit you were wrong and that you'll accept the consequences.