P71 Crown Vic

kevin1961 · May 9, 2010

Needing to look for a replacement work car and have been toying with the idea of a police trade in. Seems like they ride well and are not too bad on fuel economy. Thoughts or experience, pros or cons. Thanks in advance.

cyclesarge · May 9, 2010

My wife drove a Mercury Grand Marquis for several years. They are rather mundane, but give a nice ride, HUGE trunk, plenty of room inside and great mileage on the highway with the cruise control set, we regularly got 28 MPG on the 620 mile trip to Pendleton and back. I would be a little leery about the potential for wear and abuse on a police cruiser, but I believe they switch them out well before there are any issues. It would be great to be able to get all the extra duty police equipment without the police wear and tear.

steveracer · May 10, 2010

I bought a retired FBI "Police Interceptor" (don't let the name fool you, it's just a different gear ratio) at auction in Maine. It was very comfortable, and quiet and smooth. It was NOT powerful by my standards, and when you floored the gas it sounded like a washing machine.
However, it got OK mileage and I liked the size. I sold it after two years and didn't look back. I'll say this, though: I never had a split second's trouble with it. It needed oil changes. That's it.

Rix · May 12, 2010

police trade in around these parts means it's been crashed a half dozen times.
AND it's a ford product.
Lose-lose in my book.

steveracer · May 12, 2010

I was actually pleatantly surprised. The car I got (for 1500 dollars) was in very nice shape. It had 103K miles on it, and aside from the fact that it had been smiked in, it was very nice. I never had a moment's maintenance or repair trouble, and when I sold it, at 155K miles, it ran like it was new.

kamshaft · May 17, 2010

Police departments typically trade in their cars in about 100k miles. The cars have a rock-solid reputation and get acceptable gas mileage for their size. The 4.6L is very easy to get cheap horsepower out of, if you are concerned with that. P-71's come with an oil cooler and a larger transmission cooler, I believe.

M.Link · May 17, 2010

I have one right now and have learned a lot about them. I have had others...there is a lot to know about them. I prefer the 2000-2002s they have less computer stuff and get a bit better MPG. They drive more like a racecar than a honda civic ide say. All ride and drive great. Ide stay away from the 03s, its all mismatched parts. The P71 package is more than just a gear ratio change. They also have heavy duty suspension, big oil coolers, a better tranny, aluminum driveshaft, stainless dual exhaust, some computer stuff and heavier sheetmetal. Its pretty hard to dent them. Usually when the police wreck them they don't bother to fix them. Do not buy a big city car, look for a State or Federal car, they usually have a lot better life. I've had a Washington State Collage car and WSP cars, which is what I have not. They come with a ton of different "police" options, they one I have now has rare carpet on the floor and cruise control. They get good milage and are reliable, and tuff. Those black steel wheels have a use to, they are very tuff! If you have any other questions, email me at [email protected]

Rix · May 18, 2010

Most of the police type cars have a bigger alternator and battery, and a bunch of extra and larger wiring too.

M.Link · May 18, 2010

Rix is right, I forgot to add that. Most have a 150 or 200 amp alternator. Some have a "police power pack" which is an extra fuse block under the glove box with 6 fuses and some short wires coming out for you to hook into. They have 3 constant and 3 keyed power leads. They also have a trunk relese button in the middle of the dash and the door panel, that only work when the key is on. They are NOTHING like a civilian car. They are from a different factory too. And they have a bigger cooling system.