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Hey guys any advice on buying a used FHP charger or Crown Vic from auction? What's the highest mileage you would go on either one? What are the major problems with them? Anything and everything you could tell about them to me would be helpful beneficial thank you also what years would be the best for the charger? Thank you all in advance for your help I really appreciate any and all advice.
I would definitely not waste my time buying the charger. We spend so much money on these things trying to keep the upkeep on them with engine mounts, rear ends, alternators, fuel pumps, power steering pumps.
I had a 2006 Crown Vic. The one I turned in had 225000 miles on it. I had a couple of minor issues that weren't normal wear and tear, but other than that I think all I did was oil changes, brakes and air filters for the most part.
The one advantage the Charger has is the transmission. I have only heard of one being rebuilt in out area and know several cars well over 100k that have had no tranny problems unlike the CVPI which had to be rebuilt every 30-50k. But beyond that it costs a lot of money to keep these Chargers on the road.....fuel pumps, control arms, power steering issues, driveshafts, cooling fans / radiators.....etc.
I hoe to be unbiased in answering this query, but this goal may not be reached.
Several things:
When FHP (and many agencies) decide to declare a vehicle surplus, it is more often than not going to be a money pit.
If you want to see our Chargers, feel free to stop by a Chrysler stealership. They seem to live there. Camshaft failures and lubrication system catastrophe's are very common. The front brakes and electrical systems are not the best. It doesn't help that the prisoners have been splicing and dicing the wiring in these cars. When the car is not acting up, it's not bad. They also assist with removing the equipment prior to going into surplus, and quality control is a totally foreign concept. In fact, if you really think about it, what incentive would there possibly be for prisoners to take good care of a police car? Smash and grab is about all they know.
If you want a good used police car, the GM (Holden) 2013-2017 Caprice is the way to go. Find a really clean unmarked and take good care of it. There will be no production after this summer, and they will become collectors items (they already are) for quite a few reasons.
The Crown Vic was a pretty good car, but getting DECENT parts is getting hard and these cars are quite old. The only people really driving these cars now are police impersonators and other weirdos and cabbies. If you don't mind being lumped in with that bunch (or plan on robbing crack houses), you can get a running P71 for the price of a few Donald Trump tattoos.
Whatever direction you take, good luck with your car search. Also, look under any car you are considering buying. I'm sure you already knew that though. It surprises me how many people will drop thousands and never look under a vehicle, only to get it home and find it has 3 big oil leaks and the transmission is puking hard.
Ford is bringing back the CVPI.
Now get off here and go write some tickets.
You first.Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered
Charger is nice with nice tech stuff but very pricey in repairs.
Crown Vic is a much more sturdy / reliable. But then again it's an aging car and parts are hard to come by. Also, the people that tend to buy used crown Vic's are usually cabbies, druggies, pi, and wannabees. I said "tend" not saying all.
Buy a used Honda
I wouldn't buy any FHP car. These cars are used hard. Pounding through medians, full throttle acceleration for a mile followed by hard, hard braking then going to extended idle time in 90 deg heat. You're better off buying a city or county car or an unmarked that wasn't used for traffic....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered
Or a used Toyota. Either will serve you much better than a former LEO vehicle.