Police auction vehicles

I have looked but not purchased.

Some smell bad, some have been crashed, most have tons of all city miles (highway patrol notwitstanding) and tons of idling time regardless of where used, but usually regularly-schedule service.

Standard caveat emptor applies. I think prices use to be better but now not quite as much. Also, I think while they may have some heavy duty parts (usually better cooling, better alternators, etc.) relatively few have special police engines these days. Some are the biggest engine you could get in the model, again not necessarily police specific, some are not. It just depends the department policy.
 
Anyone own or ever bought a police auction vehicle? Any pros or cons to doing this?

No but I've been where they've been offered at auction.

In short-

Pros: Dirt cheap

Cons: Generally abused, cosmetically & mechanically. Spartan interior, inop rear windows
 
Anyone own or ever bought a police auction vehicle? Any pros or cons to doing this?

An actual police car, or an impounded car? Not sure I'd want a Houston or Harris County police car... They've probably curb surfed more than once.
I knew a police officer who curbed surfed and tore out the suspension on a Caprice. They did manage to repair it...

I had a Crown Victoria that was an unmarked/detective car; the best car I ever had.
 
I have looked but not purchased.

Some smell bad, some have been crashed, most have tons of all city miles (highway patrol notwitstanding) and tons of idling time regardless of where used, but usually regularly-schedule service.

Standard caveat emptor applies. I think prices use to be better but now not quite as much. Also, I think while they may have some heavy duty parts (usually better cooling, better alternators, etc.) relatively few have special police engines these days. Some are the biggest engine you could get in the model, again not necessarily police specific, some are not. It just depends the department policy.

i would agree with all of your first statement...they're used heavily,but at least well serviced and repaired when necessary.

as for the standard crown vic police special used by 99% these days...they DO have a special equipment package,heavy duty suspension,lightweight aluminum driveshaft etc,a quick google search should turn up most all the details pretty easily..they also have a bare bones interior and these days the chip for the fuel injection mapping that gives em a bit more juice has likely been pulled and replaced with a stock one prior to sale...tho you may get lucky there :)
 
the chip for the fuel injection mapping that gives em a bit more juice has likely been pulled and replaced with a stock one prior to sale...tho you may get lucky there

And if not, they are easy enough to swap out. The chip, depending on how it was programmed, can also change shift points and remove limiters. :thmbsp:
 
i would agree with all of your first statement...they're used heavily,but at least well serviced and repaired when necessary.

as for the standard crown vic police special used by 99% these days...they DO have a special equipment package,heavy duty suspension,lightweight aluminum driveshaft etc,a quick google search should turn up most all the details pretty easily..they also have a bare bones interior and these days the chip for the fuel injection mapping that gives em a bit more juice has likely been pulled and replaced with a stock one prior to sale...tho you may get lucky there :)

I thought that's what I said, other than the engine calibration bit?
 
And if not, they are easy enough to swap out. The chip, depending on how it was programmed, can also change shift points and remove limiters. :thmbsp:


Most newer vehicles don't have chips, per se, but yes certainly electronic transmission shift characteristics can be changed, speed limiters removed, etc., with a tool to load in a different calibration. In some cases they may be adjustable, but from my experience most factory/OEM cal stuff is just dumping in a different program, not changing individual parameters.

Engine cals can be changed too, but on most essentially stock gas engines the cal tuning in and of itself doesn't make that big of a difference in output power, unless, perhaps, the standard engine is considerably restricted by the cal - not that common though, IMO. Mostly, they may bump the idle up to provide adequate electrical power, perhaps turn on the cooling fans at lower temperature, etc.
 
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Hit Florida and get one of their unmarked Mustangs. I saw some in action and not sure what was under the body but suspect equal to a GT500 Shelby without the glitz. Also they used a variety of Buicks and Chevy Caprices with police packages. I tried to get a '95 Caprice ordered with the police package but was told it required a police purchase order. I remembered when you could walk into a dealership and order the package or they'd open the parts book and order a special build equal to the police package parts kit.

The same with their taxi packages that from a parts list had the suspension and heavy duty accessories of the police package but not the engine and tranny. They even had the same utilitarian interior. You used to be able to order the taxi pack and then add an engine option and tranny and get something that could leave a plocie packaged version in the dust.

A client had done it with a '80s Caprice, he had the taxi pack and dumped in a big block Vette engine and tranny while the police were driving the same car with small blocks under the hood. The client did order the high end interior with wood (well plastic) inserts, leather seats, etc. so it looked like the high end Caprice and not suspicious. It cost him a pretty penny but he wanted what he wanted and could afford it.

The local cops had weekends to teach defensive driving and other things and one weekend were offering basically a race training course. We went to it and I wathced as the police showed him how to race the car around an oval track and at the end of the day offered to race those who had received a certificate. He had and entered onto the race. His Caprice left the police in the dust before turn 1 and after an officer took his Caprice for a high speed spin around trying to figure out how he did so well. His only comment was memorable and similar to what a NAZI pilot responded to when asked by Goreing what they needed to win the Batle of Britian; the response was they needed the Spitfire. The police officer remarked the Caprice as my client had it was what they needed in the fleet.

I think up here in Canada the police vehicles are or were special builds from seeing them tool around. Not sure what is happening since the Crown Vic was withdrawn; I'm seeing some Chrysler 300Cs in the unmarked fleet and what looks like restored Caprices but not seeing and new Ford or GMs. Possibly they are going to keep the Crown Vics on the road as long as possible rather than cycling these old cars out. The 300 and possibly the Taurus may be the options as from reading the Impala does not make the minimum grade, though they are becoming populat in the taxi fleet here.
 
Cons: Generally abused, cosmetically & mechanically. Spartan interior, inop rear windows

This greatly depends on the police department. If theyre vehicles from a big city, bet your ass theyre abused. Cars from the county sherriff, state police, or smaller cities are generally very well taken care of. The rear windows were operable in every one I owned. Dont ask me how I know why, as Ive only owned 4 of em ;). The pros of ex police vehicles are the cheap insurance as well as cheap and easy to find parts.
 
I live near Washington, DC, and some nice federal law enforcement cars show up every now and then. I'm not exactly sure but believe they are "company" cars owned by agents who drive them home every night. They are usually in super condition and not flogged. Only drawback are the cheaper interiors, and the steel wheels (which I actually prefer). The Chevys usually have a high performance 3.8 Buick-based engine. They have excellent power and still get 30MPG highway.
 
As a guy who has worked in these cars for many years I gotta ask........do you really want to sit back there?
Even if they washed it in acid I wouldn't sit back there.
 
"It's got the Cop motor, Cop tires, Cop suspension, & it'll run good on regular gas..." "Fix the lighter..."
 
This greatly depends on the police department. If theyre vehicles from a big city, bet your ass theyre abused. Cars from the county sherriff, state police, or smaller cities are generally very well taken care of. The rear windows were operable in every one I owned. Dont ask me how I know why, as Ive only owned 4 of em ;). The pros of ex police vehicles are the cheap insurance as well as cheap and easy to find parts.

The rear windows were fixed on all the cars my police-chief buddy had. He must've had a good dozen this way- I dunno.

Naturally there will be variants depending on the type of duty for which a particular unit was intended.

Generally speaking, most police cars were Interceptor Package equipped which were more durable than their civilian counterparts. The problem with buying at auction that there is usually no opportunity to test drive prior to bidding- so you're buying a pig in a poke basically. On the other hand, it's all relative to price so if you buy cheap enough, hopefully there'll be enough room left should the car need a transmission job, etc etc etc.
 
Years ago, like around 1978, a friend of mine bought a 1972 Sportster from a Police Auction. It had been in their impound lot for over 3 years, and he got it for around $800. He took it home and worked on it for a good month only to find that he couldn't get the title. It was originally sold in Canada and abandoned in Colorado, but there were complications that he didn't want to mess with.

So instead of selling it as a parts bike, he converted it into an off-road Harley! Knobby tires, huge rear sprocket, wide handlebars, etc. The first time he road it, it ran out gas with its 1.25 gallon peanut tank. So to make sure that never happened again, he bought a used BMW 6 gallon tank and mounted it with plumbers strap. Man, was it ugly, but could it climb. Torque for days.
 
I have a buddy who buys these for a hobby. Here's the things to look
out for.

Avoid the ones with K9 - stinks and you cannot get rid of the stink.
Watch out for the drivers seats, cops have all that extra personal
gear and wears out the seats. Then, in heavy urban areas, you're
competing with cab repair shops looking for the same replacement
parts.
there was a slight re-design somewhere around 2008 and the
cars are much much better rides.
Try for a detectives car. and don't worry abouit mileage, they
run into the 300Ks, pass smog, great ride and good MPG on
highways.

I'd get one but wifey says no way.

Of, and they're not expensive, check CL in your area, because
the cop cars drive down the crown vic prices you could get a
late model for a little bit more than the auction versions.

good luck.

Bob
 
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