It's got a cop motor, a 440-cubic-inch plant. It's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. It's a model made before the catalytic converter so it'll run good on regular gas.
I was my parents' dedicated cop watcher since I was 8, and this is definitely a big one that a lot of people overlook. It's one of the easiest features of even an unmarked police vehicle to spot from behind if you know to look for the folded light's mounting hardware. My wife is always surprised at how quickly I can spot a cop from long distance, and it's often because I spot something strange sticking out of the drivers' side mirror.
The iconic police Crown Vic model was discontinued like a decade ago. Like 80% of police cars I see nowadays are SUV's.
On March 12, 2010, Ford Motor Company unveiled the Ford Police Interceptor Sedan. While sharing a nameplate with the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, the Police Interceptor Sedan was a variant of the sixth-generation Ford Taurus, shifting from the long-running Panther chassis to an all-wheel drive version of the D3 architecture.[29]
In a design decision, the Police Interceptor Sedan did not adopt the Taurus nameplate, as it was sold alongside the Ford Police Interceptor Utility, derived from the Ford Explorer. Along with heavier-duty components and a redesigned interior, the Police Interceptor Sedan adopted higher-performance steering and suspension tuning. The standard engine was a 3.5-L V6, but a 3.7-L V6 (shared with the Mustang) later became the standard power plant. A twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 (shared with the Taurus SHO) was also available as an option.[30]
The Ford Police Interceptor Sedan was discontinued alongside the North American Ford Taurus model on March 1, 2019.[31] The Ford Police Interceptor Utility remains in production as of 2022 as Ford's main police vehicle, sharing its design with the civilian market Ford Explorer.[32]
Anyone driving a black or white ford explorer is worry some. The tell is the antennas. Cop cars have big antennas on the roof that normal cars don't have.
Actually I kinda want to get one of the ex-police Chargers at auction because I'd never spend that much on a sporty car, but I feel like that would be fun, even if it only lasts a couple of years. For less than 6-8k you can certainly do worse!
They do in poorer areas- my local county sherrif only had the budget for two new dodge Durangos in the last 4 years, the rest of the force drive crown vics with junkyard engine swaps to keep them going past 300k miles.
I see what I think is a crown Vic driving around sometimes, being driven by a constable! I have absolutely no idea what a constable does and how that position still exists
Alternatively I see people driving white explorers with crash bars and every time I think they're police. I'm trying to get to Taco Bell in 30 seconds flat guys, stop pretending to be cops!
I used to hit the TX state police auctions pretty often. I really liked the 9C1 Caprice basically the car the 1994-1996 Impala was based on. A little bit Cadillac, a little bit Camaro. Iron block and heads version of the LT1 improved reliability/durability. Could take speed bumps at 70 mph without flinching and was a phenomenal highway car especially for TX. Highway Patrol (DPS) cars are issued to specific troopers and not whored out to the whole department on a 24 hour rotation, so they are generally much better looked after.
Anyway I happened to hit one auction that was unique. Before, they put a really crappy paint job on to cover up the black and white paint scheme. After, they cheaped out and just spray painted white squigglies all over the car. I picked up a nice 1995 still black and white 9C1 for $2600.
Rocketing between Houston and Austin at over 100 mph, cars would move over to let me pass. Cops on the other side heading the other way would wave instead of pulling me over. On the rare occasion I did get pulled over, the registration showed previous owner as DPS since I bought directly from them myself. So I always got off with a warning.
Man I miss that car. They quit making them so they could make more SUVs..
Also the DPS Mustangs were stick shift so of course I grabbed one of those too!
It's got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas. What do you say, is it the new Bluesmobile or what?
People who buy these and don't do anything to make them look less like a cop car are the worst kind of people.
But I understand it. You want something cheap, reliable, and powerful. A retired cop car neatly checks all those boxes. But please, don't be like my brother and figure out how to reconnect the lights and sirens. Remove the bumper and spotlight, then take the thousands you saved and get some rims and a paint job.