used police cars
used police cars
Who here owns any retired police cars.
Re: used police cars
In Reply to: used police cars posted by MFP on January 23, 2000 at 21:09:27:
Why would anyone want to? Usually they are all beat up with 200,000 + miles when the cops sell em or scrap em
Why would anyone want to? Usually they are all beat up with 200,000 + miles when the cops sell em or scrap em
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5.7 Interceptor
- Posts: 342
- Joined: Wed Aug 11, 1999 2:52 pm
Re: used police cars
In Reply to: Re: used police cars posted by JtB on January 24, 2000 at 00:07:12:
: Why would anyone want to? Usually they are all beat up with 200,000 + miles when the cops sell em or scrap em
My Caprice had only 90,000 when I bought it. I agree that a lot have high miles on them and aren't worth more han scrap weight, but there are those cars that were
supervisors cars, small city cars and so forth. Again, check out some on-line classified ads and you'd be suprised what's out there. It's been 5 years after I bought my car and it is still worth $2,000 more than what I paid according to the insurance company.
: Why would anyone want to? Usually they are all beat up with 200,000 + miles when the cops sell em or scrap em
My Caprice had only 90,000 when I bought it. I agree that a lot have high miles on them and aren't worth more han scrap weight, but there are those cars that were
supervisors cars, small city cars and so forth. Again, check out some on-line classified ads and you'd be suprised what's out there. It's been 5 years after I bought my car and it is still worth $2,000 more than what I paid according to the insurance company.
Re: used police cars
In Reply to: Re: used police cars posted by JtB on January 24, 2000 at 00:07:12:
As 5.7 says, the POLICE cars, especially the patrol units, can be pretty beat, but it is not the police car so much as the police package that you want.
My friend had bought a "fish and game" car that had the full police package but had not had a hard life.
Last note: Don't let people fool you by telling you how amazingly fast there "ex-cop" cars are. Nearly all (american)cop cars were based upon standard versions of sedans. They usually were available with a wide range of motor, from 6 cylinder to 4 barrel big block V8. But they (almost) never got the dual 4-barrel, solid lifter, Hemi etc etc option that we drool over.
Yes, they could be damn quick--but not any quicker than a similar LTD etc with the same motor option.
The situation is even more simple past the late 70s when there weren;t that many optional motors anyway. Even when you could get a 351 in an LTD cop package in say 87, which was better than the 302--it was only a 180HP motor! Big Deal.
That being said--the cop cars had the best brakes, cooling systems etc.
As 5.7 says, the POLICE cars, especially the patrol units, can be pretty beat, but it is not the police car so much as the police package that you want.
My friend had bought a "fish and game" car that had the full police package but had not had a hard life.
Last note: Don't let people fool you by telling you how amazingly fast there "ex-cop" cars are. Nearly all (american)cop cars were based upon standard versions of sedans. They usually were available with a wide range of motor, from 6 cylinder to 4 barrel big block V8. But they (almost) never got the dual 4-barrel, solid lifter, Hemi etc etc option that we drool over.
Yes, they could be damn quick--but not any quicker than a similar LTD etc with the same motor option.
The situation is even more simple past the late 70s when there weren;t that many optional motors anyway. Even when you could get a 351 in an LTD cop package in say 87, which was better than the 302--it was only a 180HP motor! Big Deal.
That being said--the cop cars had the best brakes, cooling systems etc.
Re: used police cars
In Reply to: Re: used police cars posted by JtB on January 24, 2000 at 00:07:12:
: Why would anyone want to? Usually they are all beat up with 200,000 + miles when the cops sell em or scrap em
As one who actually drives a cruiser and seen the condition that we put these cars through, you are looking at a car that has seen some REALLY hard miles. We put these cars through their paces, and yes, we beat on them. Alot of times we have to. But here's the deal. There are NO major engine work done to these cars to "supe" them up, besides a heavier duty cooling system. It has to do with the supsension system and a heavy duty drive-train. It is not uncommon for us to have to take these cars, ahem, off-roading. And to go into turns at high speed. The supsension also allows the cars to maintain high speeds without loosing control, and the tires are rated to handle the speed up to 140mph safely. And the gearings in the rear end are different too. The suspension and front end really take a beating when we hop curbs. As for Supervisor cars being treated better? That's questionable. Think of it this way. Would you want to buy a rental car? If the answer is yes, okay, can you live with a car that's been beaten worse than a rental? Another factor to consider. Some cruisers are specifically assigned to an individual officer, that officer is responsible for it's staying in good condition, or if it is a shift car, meaning that it runs 24-7. Those get beaten the worse, naturally. Now, I know there is a group who collect 80's Fox body Mustang Police Interceptors, and they are considered rare, and are worth restoring, and maybe worth something in years to come, or around the show circuit, if that is what you are into. Hope this helps...
: Why would anyone want to? Usually they are all beat up with 200,000 + miles when the cops sell em or scrap em
As one who actually drives a cruiser and seen the condition that we put these cars through, you are looking at a car that has seen some REALLY hard miles. We put these cars through their paces, and yes, we beat on them. Alot of times we have to. But here's the deal. There are NO major engine work done to these cars to "supe" them up, besides a heavier duty cooling system. It has to do with the supsension system and a heavy duty drive-train. It is not uncommon for us to have to take these cars, ahem, off-roading. And to go into turns at high speed. The supsension also allows the cars to maintain high speeds without loosing control, and the tires are rated to handle the speed up to 140mph safely. And the gearings in the rear end are different too. The suspension and front end really take a beating when we hop curbs. As for Supervisor cars being treated better? That's questionable. Think of it this way. Would you want to buy a rental car? If the answer is yes, okay, can you live with a car that's been beaten worse than a rental? Another factor to consider. Some cruisers are specifically assigned to an individual officer, that officer is responsible for it's staying in good condition, or if it is a shift car, meaning that it runs 24-7. Those get beaten the worse, naturally. Now, I know there is a group who collect 80's Fox body Mustang Police Interceptors, and they are considered rare, and are worth restoring, and maybe worth something in years to come, or around the show circuit, if that is what you are into. Hope this helps...