View Full Version : any of you gentleman into crown vics?
I'm a toyota/subaru guy generally. currently driving an 85 mercedes 300d which really has it out for me it seems (the starter freezes in the cold, the brakes suck, nobody wants to work on it...)
looking for something a bit newer in the 3500 dollar range.
I came acros a bunch of nice looking crown vics/merc marquis on CL in this range. most of somewhere around 100k. clean, original, ready to roll it would seem.
The mercedes has given me a bit of a thing for driving a big ass sedan.... I'd just like something a bit less quirky.
i do my own maintenance and most repairs. so basically looking for:
reliable
easy to work on
good parts availability
passable gas mileage (over 20 on the highway)
It seems like little pickups and decent compact cars are really commanding a premium price. like 93 civics and 88 toyota pickups cost the same they did 8 years ago. I guess it's a good investment, but I'm really not interested in shelling out 3000 dollars for something 20 years old with 180,000 miles on it.
so tell me about the vic, seems like the large LE community here would have a good idea of how well they take abuse. ;)
Top speed is about 125 and at that speed for about 3 minutes straight it starts to burn oil hahaha. From the cars at our station I would stay away from years 03-05, at least the cvpi model those years seem to be the least reliable. I can't really comment on ones older than that. I like CV they are big and comfortable.
As a dealer tech I worked on them from 93-02. The 4.6 is a great reliable engine. They are generally reliable vehicles , that are fairly easy to work on ( room wise ). If you like to wrench a cool swap is to find a crashed 96-99 Lincoln MK VIII to swap the engine and pcm out . You now have a all aluminum 4.6 DOHC that puts out 300HP .
I own a retire 2003 P71 Police interceptor I am in love with this car i got it from a police auction it is in Great shape .I have had it up to 130 and it was like riding on glass 4.6L when not getting on it i get a little over 400 miles to a full tank . the only problem i have had in in the LCM and i have no high beam which i have to swap out a 5 dollar relay to get them working other than that is runs like a champ
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h86/PFC-JB/002-11.jpg
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http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h86/PFC-JB/005-14.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h86/PFC-JB/001-14.jpg
I did swap the 03 steel 7 slot wheels with the 04 and up 12 slot steel wheels .because the 7 slots were recalled due to welds failing
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h86/PFC-JB/006-11.jpg
this is a great sight to look for CVPI and others
http://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm#.TwcHgtX4JVo
The 4.6L and 4R70W are reliable and the cars are pretty decent; and in my opinion a CV meets all of the requirements on your list. Should be capable of getting well above 20mpg on the highway particularly if it has the grandma gears in it (2.73 or 3.08).
pilotguyo540
01-06-12, 09:04
I have had a couple, and crashed then rebuilt one. They are good cars. The P71 has some cool upgrades and bucket seats. The one huge drawback for me is that, if you are in a hurry, everyone will slow down in front of you because they think you may be a cop. If you are always in a hurry, you may want to look elsewhere.
I have had a couple, and crashed then rebuilt one. They are good cars. The P71 has some cool upgrades and bucket seats. The one huge drawback for me is that, if you are in a hurry, everyone will slow down in front of you because they think you may be a cop. If you are always in a hurry, you may want to look elsewhere.
:jester: My wife says that all the time when people slow down in front of me or I get blinkers to get out of my way and everyone drops their cellphones and drive right HAHA
I call it spooky because I spook the hell out of everybody around me .hell I even saw some punks speed up and throw something out going around a curb(drugs maybe) then they slowed down and followed all traffic laws it cracked me up
If you don't mind looking like a cop or a wannabe, they are reliable and inexpensive. Gas mileage varies, but they are pretty close to what you're looking for if you're a conservative driver.
All of the Sheriffs and Locals I see and talk to me Miss the CVPI they hate the chargers and SUVs .they always wave at me when they see me. But they also know I am in the process of getting in at the county jail as a correctional officer.it is not the best Job ,but it is a foot in the door
run stock heat range copper plugs and change out the coils. Its a COP design and with a code scanner, you can diagnose a misfire instantly if not sooner. Also, do yourself a favor and seafoam the top end of the motor (smoke out the neighbrhood). The latest models will pack the most HP and an SCT tune will help free up some more power. I run Mobil 1 5w-30 in my 'bird and make sure you keep Mercon V trans fluid in the 4R..nothing else.
Eventually you will have to rebuild the trac lok unit, if it has one. Easiest way to tell is to check the axle code on the door jamb or the tag on the pumpkin. If it has one, you will see an L in the sequence. Such as 3 L 27. Thats a 3.27:1 rear gear with a traction lok unit. The clutch set is available from Ford and runs about $50. You can double pack the clutch units for a more aggressive lock up, the instructions are on modular depot.com.
If you run into motor related issues or just want real indepth tech, head over to tccoa.com Both Palmguy and I are members there, sadly, i have close to 10k posts!
oh, and a Marauder swap is where its at!
I have heard about the seafoam how do you do just the top end I hear it does wonders for cleaning out the crud
I have heard about the seafoam how do you do just the top end I hear it does wonders for cleaning out the crud
since both the CV and my bird run on vac assist brakes, i pour into the vac line off the brake booster. It pulls at about 20psi, so its easy to do. In my car, I do a half bottle in the tank and the other half in the top end. Pour slowly until its all gone, if you pour too quickly, you will stall out the car. After pouring, shut the car down and wait about 10 min, then start it up, go for a drive(like you stole it) and smoke out the neighborhood.
since both the CV and my bird run on vac assist brakes, i pour into the vac line off the brake booster. It pulls at about 20psi, so its easy to do. In my car, I do a half bottle in the tank and the other half in the top end. Pour slowly until its all gone, if you pour too quickly, you will stall out the car. After pouring, shut the car down and wait about 10 min, then start it up, go for a drive(like you stole it) and smoke out the neighborhood.
Outstanding Man!!!! thanks for the info so i need to be at idle and pour slowly into vac line on the brake booster and the other half in the tank .turn off sit for 10 then drive it like i stole it :D how long does it take to get it out of the system?
Outstanding Man!!!! thanks for the info so i need to be at idle and pour slowly into vac line on the brake booster and the other half in the tank .turn off sit for 10 then drive it like i stole it :D how long does it take to get it out of the system?
just a few minutes, when the smoke stops, you are done. Just remember to reinstall the vac line. The vac line will look like a black button about the size of your thumb. Be careful to ensure that the grommet/seal doesnt fall out.
I love the Crown Vic. I just wish Toyota made it.
I have had a couple, and crashed then rebuilt one. They are good cars. The P71 has some cool upgrades and bucket seats. The one huge drawback for me is that, if you are in a hurry, everyone will slow down in front of you because they think you may be a cop. If you are always in a hurry, you may want to look elsewhere.
people in colorado drive 5 under the speed limit side by side in both lanes anyway. hopefully a flash or 2 of the high beams will put them in the slow lane more effectively with this car than others.
so here's another question with the p71, is a low mileage (say 80k) police car worth it over a slightly higher mileage elderly driven crown vic? the police cars are well maintained but a lot of them see some very heavy service.
people in colorado drive 5 under the speed limit side by side in both lanes anyway. hopefully a flash or 2 of the high beams will put them in the slow lane more effectively with this car than others.
Nope. I watch retards on our freeways not move for DPS running Code 3. People are retarded. You need to put the airhorn behind the grill, Daddio! ;)
woodandsteel
01-06-12, 13:00
people in colorado drive 5 under the speed limit side by side in both lanes anyway. hopefully a flash or 2 of the high beams will put them in the slow lane more effectively with this car than others.
so here's another question with the p71, is a low mileage (say 80k) police car worth it over a slightly higher mileage elderly driven crown vic? the police cars are well maintained but a lot of them see some very heavy service.
Do you know which department the former police car is from? Some departments will run their cars 24/7. Some, like my department, will assign maybe 2 officers per car. A few others will assign cars to indivividual officers (Take Home Program). Find out if the car came from a department that does the last two, and you should end up with a well maintained car. I'd pass on the first type of department. We used to be like that, running cars 24/7, and they were beat to hell.
I, several years ago, bought an old Granny Crown Vic. That thing drove like a dream. Way more comfy than a police car. I got rid of it due to the ridicule of my peers. :p I really miss that car. :(
the P71 has a little stiff ride but hugs curbs like no other car i have own mine cane from a small dept in Tenn and most PD services their fleet every 3000 miles .
My CVPI was so clean you can still read the bar codes on the motor .the underside was just as clean ,it does have upgrades you don't find on the granny cars like Oil coolers,trans coolers and powers steering coolers. heavy duty brakes and the Trans are geared up .
I have taken mine on several trips and it is a great car to hit the highway in.
I was lucky it seems my car was a One officer car from what the dept told me and they left the Pro copper console in so I mounted my CB in,the seats are also a bit heavier than standard and have stab plates installed in the backs of them and the drivers side has a lumbar support. Plus i got a better rate on my insurance because of the upgrades on the CVPI. fair warning though on some auction you will not get a spare but i was able to find one at a local junk yard
RogerinTPA
01-06-12, 13:48
:jester: My wife says that all the time when people slow down in front of me or I get blinkers to get out of my way and everyone drops their cellphones and drive right HAHA
I call it spooky because I spook the hell out of everybody around me .hell I even saw some punks speed up and throw something out going around a curb(drugs maybe) then they slowed down and followed all traffic laws it cracked me up
Every other old person here in FL has one. Some retirees with crown vics they got at a police auction, likes to pose, but I blow right past them.:jester:
Every other old person here in FL has one. Some retirees with crown vics they got at a police auction, likes to pose, but I blow right past them.:jester:
my friend talked me out of a silver Marauder for just that reason! Now, I get to hear that my blacked out F150 looks like an undercover ride!
Do you know which department the former police car is from? Some departments will run their cars 24/7. Some, like my department, will assign maybe 2 officers per car. A few others will assign cars to indivividual officers (Take Home Program). Find out if the car came from a department that does the last two, and you should end up with a well maintained car. I'd pass on the first type of department. We used to be like that, running cars 24/7, and they were beat to hell.
I, several years ago, bought an old Granny Crown Vic. That thing drove like a dream. Way more comfy than a police car. I got rid of it due to the ridicule of my peers. :p I really miss that car. :(
i don't know what departments i'd be able to get a car from. probably denver, fort collins, boulder, etc:confused:
I'd think a car with 80k on it, run 24 hours a day would show some obvious wear under hood compared to one treated more reasonably...
i don't know what departments i'd be able to get a car from. probably denver, fort collins, boulder, etc:confused:
I'd think a car with 80k on it, run 24 hours a day would show some obvious wear under hood compared to one treated more reasonably...
The wear would probably be most noticeable with mild oil consumption. I would expect the crosshatching to still be present in the cylinders, maybe some barely noticeable piston slap, which would indicate bearing wear on the bottom end. The timing chains are good past 250k miles, as are the followers and tensioners. Assuming that the cars had the proper scheduled maintenance, the motor could easily go another 100k. The tans could also, so long as the fluid and filter are changed, many of the small parts in the older models have been remedied....hardened OWC, heavier lockup clutch, better valvebody, etc....
outrider627
01-06-12, 19:21
I had thought about getting a retired crown vic for my first car, but I ended up with a jeep. When I was looking into crown vics, I remember reading that retired North Carolina HP, or some other state agency, crown vics are usually the best ones out there.
If you're into performance mods, the crown vic should be an easy car to work on. It shared the V8 from the Mustang, so parts are available, but they would probably need minor work to fit in the crown vic. When it comes to performance, the king of the panther platform is the Marauder. Same engine as the Mach 1 Mustang, but IIRC tuned for more torque. I wonder if Marauders also had a P71 option, since FHP and a few other highway patrols used Marauders for unmarked cars.
One of my old co-workers scored a very clean P71 a couple years ago. Low miles for a cop car, perfect paint, and tinted windows. The only problems were one scratched window tint, and 4 mounting holes on the dash. This crown vic looked immaculate for being a retired car. He even found 8 rounds of Blazer .40 stuck in the rear seat! Sadly this guy was a ghetto thug and that poor crown vic had a worse time in one year with him than it did as a cop car. By the time I quit, he had ****ed up both bumpers from hitting various things, his hoodrat girlfriend knocked off the passenger mirror and he duct taped back on, and another hoodrat co worker wired in a sound system, but messed up the power supply so the radio power wasn't keyed to the engine and would stay on all night if not manually turned off.
my friend talked me out of a silver Marauder for just that reason! Now, I get to hear that my blacked out F150 looks like an undercover ride!
a ton of the state Police here use blacked out SUVs and trucks on the HWY
Every other old person here in FL has one. Some retirees with crown vics they got at a police auction, likes to pose, but I blow right past them.:jester::D:D:D:D I could see that down there Most of the surrounding areas here still Use the Crown Vic so I still drive slow and freak everybody out:jester:
One thing I did do when i got it was go through and change the Belt ,oil ,filters and fluids I maintain a strict maintenance routine .it is a fun car to drive .there are sme good deals out there, just see if they offer the Maintenance records with it some do some don't .
Parts are every where and there are a ton of Mods you can do
The_War_Wagon
01-06-12, 19:52
I've owned a Grand Marquis in this generation. Solid, reliable, and a breeze to maintain. Decent gas mileage for a RWD V8 its size. Bolt on a cold air intake and pick up another 10-15 horses while you're at it. :cool:
"
maybe some barely noticeable piston slap, which would indicate bearing wear on the bottom end. "
Piston slap is not caused by bearings, it is caused by either cylinder wall wear on the thrust side of the bore or an undersized piston skirt due to incorrect sizing (factory and common on some years) or a collapsed piston skirt. The noise or slap will be most noticed on a cold engine and will diminish or go away all together as the engine warms up due to skirt expansion from heat of combustion
" "
Piston slap is not caused by bearings, it is caused by either cylinder wall wear on the thrust side of the bore or an undersized piston skirt due to incorrect sizing (factory and common on some years) or a collapsed piston skirt. The noise or slap will be most noticed on a cold engine and will diminish or go away all together as the engine warms up due to skirt expansion from heat of combustion
not on the 4.6L I took apart. The only play occurred at the rod bearings, the bottom side bearing in particular. everything on the top side of the rod, including everything piston associated was within tolerances.....including the bore.
karmapolice
01-07-12, 11:01
lol at people moving over for unmarked Vics, must live in Mayberry. Here in Atlanta with a marked unit lights siren and hell multiple units people don't even seem to give a frack.
lol at people moving over for unmarked Vics, must live in Mayberry. Here in Atlanta with a marked unit lights siren and hell multiple units people don't even seem to give a frack.
I drove Spooky to ATL for the Hatebreed ,Five finger death Punch show on I-20 everybody got out of my way while downtown all I got was dirty looks haha when I parked in the parking deck all the pot heads ran like rats they thought I was PO PO :fie:awesome show !!!
kinda leaning back toward a cherokee. the car i buy depends largely on what i can get a good deal on though. gotta have some options
lol at people moving over for unmarked Vics, must live in Mayberry. Here in Atlanta with a marked unit lights siren and hell multiple units people don't even seem to give a frack.
the only marked units I see most of the time are either municipalities! Most of the unmarked/undercover vehicles I encounter Sheriff vehicles.
not on the 4.6L I took apart. The only play occurred at the rod bearings, the bottom side bearing in particular. everything on the top side of the rod, including everything piston associated was within tolerances.....including the bore.
Like I said that is not "piston slap" Sounds like you had a rod knock. A "rod knock" gets louder as an engine heats up because of the oil getting thinner from heat. "Piston slap gets quieter or goes away as the engine warms up due to expansion of the piston skirt.
hate to resurrect a dead thread, but I'm kinda back on my CV kick....
if i were to pick up a former unmarked car, would that likely have lead an easier life than one that was used as a patrol car?
I have an 02 Grand Marquis. I've upgraded it with police springs and some good shocks and bigger front and rear sway bars and dual exhaust. Handles like a 4door Mustang GT. With 3.23 gears (an eBay purchase) it got 18-20 mpg AROUND TOWN and 27 on the highway. With the current 3.73's I get around 23 highway now but alot more umph on takeoff and all on regular unleaded. I've had this car for 6+ years now, regular oil changes, trans fluid change and brakes are all the maintainance its required. Huge trunk, plenty of room and a nice ride. Love it.
Eurodriver
02-01-12, 08:17
Lots of holster sniffing in this thread.
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