Good morning! Our mid-week Showdown is between two former cop cars, both made by Ford, but from two disctinctly different technological eras. But before we get to those, yesterday’s sensible stickshifts were a hit, it seems. Let’s see which one took top honors.
Well, I’ll be. Somehow I expected the Honda to walk away with this one. I guess the high mileage gave some of you pause. For me, I think I’d take the ZX2 as well, but I’d show up with two grand cash and not a penny more. A $500 discount for having to pop-start it to get it home seems fair.
Now, for today, I’ve chosen two former police cars. I know such vehicles can carry all sorts of connotations about their owners, and not all of them are exactly wholesome, but let’s leave all that aside and just look at them as used cars. Used cars that have led hard lives, sure; cop cars spend a lot of time idling, and then suddenly accelerating at full throttle, and the combination of the two is not easy on a vehicle’s engine, transmission, or cooling system. But if they’ve been serviced properly, they should have some civilian life left in them. Let’s check them out.
2009 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: 4.6 liter overhead cam V8, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Gilroy, CA [Editor’s Note: Hey! The Garlic Capitol of the world! – JT]
Odometer reading: 120,000 miles
Runs/drives? Great, the ad says
Once upon a time, not so very long ago, this car’s headlight pattern was known and feared throughout the land. It didn’t matter if you were a car person or not; you could spot a late-model Crown Vic’s lights in your mirror, and you involuntarily clenched and slowed down. Then, inevitably, someone’s Aunt Matilda and Uncle Jasper went by you on their way to the Sizzler for the early-bird special.
This CVPI (as these have come to be known in internet shorthand) is a later model, so it benefits from the 500 or so years of development and refinement that Ford did to these cars. It has the later chassis with rack-and-pinion steering, upgraded suspension, a horsepower bump, and a fix to the 4.6 liter modular engine’s cooling system woes. This car should be just about armageddon-proof.
It does appear to be pretty clean, and it has an actual back seat instead of the molded-plastic bad guy seats. Like a lot of cop cars, it did get to retain its A-pillar-mounted spot lights; I guess they leave these on because without them there would be a gaping hole in the door frames. And it’s not like an auxiliary light is exactly cop-specific.
(As an aside, some friends of mine and I used to put the spotlight on my friend’s ex-cop car to an interesting use: Free beer. When I was in college up in Superior, Wisconsin, everyone liked to have bonfires on the beach, and, being Wisconsin, drink copious quantities of alcohol while there. Well, this included the high school kids, who once or twice got there before us and took the prime bonfire spot. We drove along the road, shining the spotlight down onto the beach, watched them scatter, and then thanked them for not only starting the fire for us, but also the cooler of beer they left behind. Not that I, or anyone here at the Autopian, condone such actions today, of course.)
This car isn’t without its flaws. The paint job is cheap-looking, and since it was painted it has had an altercation with something on its left rear flank. It’s not a big deal; I think a Crown Vic Police Interceptor in pristine shape would look wrong somehow.
2013 Ford Taurus AWD Police Interceptor – $4,900
Engine/drivetrain: 3.7 liter dual overhead cam V6, six-speed automatic, AWD
Location: Hayward, CA
Odometer reading: 120,000 miles
Runs/drives? Yep, but we don’t get much more info than that
After the Crown Vic’s reign, Ford designed two new Police Interceptors: One based on the Explorer, and one on the Taurus. I confess I almost forgot about the Taurus Police Interceptor (or Ford Police Interceptor Sedan, technically, I guess). They’re not common in my neck of the woods; Explorers are everywhere, but the local constabulary seems to prefer the Dodge Charger for its sedan needs.
This car is powered by a special 3.7 liter V6 not available on civilian Tauruses. It’s not quite as powerful, or nearly as fast, as the Taurus SHO, but I’m sure the cops would prefer you didn’t know that. It also comes equipped with all-wheel-drive, an advantage in slippery situations over the old Vic, even with a limited-slip rear end. It has a manually-shiftable six-speed automatic, and like the Charger police cars, the automatic’s shifter is up on the column, where it belongs.
This Taurus’s black-and-white color scheme allows me a rare chance to impart some nerdy knowledge from my day job in the fleet-vehicle-graphics industry. Most black and white cop cars aren’t painted black and white any more like they used to be; they’re painted black or white, depending on which is the dominant color, and the other color is a wrap, often with door shields and other graphics printed on the wrap for a one-piece installation. This is cheaper, both for initial purchase, and for the inevitable repairs. It also makes it easier to “de-copify” (to borrow a term from KITT222 on Opposite Lock) the car once it’s put out to pasture. So there; now that’s a thing you know.
This one is a few steps further away from civilian life, besides the white doors and roof. It has no back seat at all, only some intense-looking bracing that may or may not be present in the normal Taurus. We don’t get much to go on when it comes to its condition either; the seller only says it runs great, passed a smog test, and has working air conditioning. All important points, but Craigslist doesn’t charge by the word; they could expound a little.
I know cop cars aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, for a variety of reasons, but as someone who owns a former government fleet vehicle, I can tell you that if you find the right one, they can make great used cars. So here we have two options: One is a proven dinosaur, and the other is a modern ride with all the niceties, and complexities, that entails. Which one would you choose?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
Panther platform. Always the Panther platform
As a Public Works professional, I have a lot of experience with police cars that have been handed down to our department. People need to understand that the full-on cruisers are horrible places to be, even in the front seat. The $400 apiece tires take 50 psi and ride like wagon wheels. The handling is great, but not because of some BMW magical suspension tuning. It handles great because every part of the suspension is made of either concrete or structural steel.
And inside, the pursuit models get cheap, pukeproof plastic, rubber floors, and a complete lack of any comfort features. It’s loud AF on the highway. It’s a far cry from Aunt Matilda and Uncle Jasper’s civilian model.
That being said, a Crown Vic with the 4.6 will disappoint. It’s slow and boggy, and yet it’s so easy to break the rears loose. It does not want to go fast.
The Taurus and Exploder PIs use the old base Mustang V6, with 300 hp. This engine combined with six gears and AWD makes a rocket ship off the line, I mean it just hooks up and blasts forward. Volvo bones don’t hurt either.
But seriously, if you really want the cop motor and cop tires, find one that was a “sergeant’s” or “chief’s” car, it will have the mechanicals you want but with a normal civilian interior.
Why do they run 50 psi tires? That seems excessive.
I think it’s because they’re designed to be able to withstand crazy abuse. At 50 psi they won’t roll over like a civilian tire at 35 psi.
And the TPMS sure does let you know if they drop even one pound under.
Did they even have TPMS back then?
Welp, it’s 106 miles to Chicago, it’s dark, and I’m wearing sunglasses.
Crown Vic fer this cat.
Fix the cigarette lighter…
If the Taurus was an EcoBost model this would be tougher, but…Yeah, gotta got with the Vickie.
My dad bought police cars for his TV repair shop for the space and the durability. That Vickie is bone simple, easy to fix, and easy to mod. I am betting a 3 valve 4.6 would be fun.
Plus, cop shocks, cop tires, goes good on regular gas….
Damage to the flank adds authenticity, indeed:
https://youtu.be/M4LZO2TpCOk?t=103
Crown Vic is a no-brainer. Not that the Taurus isn’t cool (it is), but the Vic Is way more car for less money and is easily something I could daily.
My daughter is a cop in Louisville, KY and for a long time she drove an old, broken down, but trusty, Crown Vic. Then they “upgraded” her to a Taurus. As you can guess from the quote marks, it was not an upgrade… Panther all the way.
Before the pandemic and my now permanent work from home arrangement, I commuted to downtown Louisville every day. Right up until the pandemic I noticed they still had some Crown Vics in service. I imagine those have been retired by now though.
I’ll take the Woolly Bully. My backseat days are long in the past.
Going against the grain today… I’ll take newer and smaller with AWD. I’ll find a backseat in a junkyard.
Give me that vic. 2009 has the uprated 4.6, so an extra 40 ponies.
Plus california? Time to enter Spec P71 and take that around sedona and leguna seca. A real vic race, not the cletus ripoff of it.
My Internet money is going to the Panther platform. That Taurus is tempting with AWD, but not tempting enough.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3bg1gt
There are a number of differences between a government fleet vehicle and a former cop car. I’ve driven any number of the former and one or two of the later. Fleet cars aren’t idling all the time they’re not moving. That said, I do like dogisbadob’s idea of swapping in Godzilla.
Because of that, if someone could somehow force me to choose, I’d pick the panther. But if not under any kind of pressure, I’d pass on both.
It all depends on the application and the operator. I’ve seen police cars with very low and very high idle hours and the same for other fleet vehicles. The plus is both of these are new enough to have hour meters. Even though the CV only has total hours a little quick math calculating MPH will give you a good idea of how much idle time there is. Or you can multiply total hours by 33mph to give you an equivelent number of miles the engine has seen.
Crown Vic, please!
It’s not a Taurus.
And I could say “It’s the last of the V-8 Interceptors!” and be somewhat correct.
Oh yeah, MFP livery incoming…
But if there’s not a clutched blower sticking through the hood, what are you even doing?
Figuring out how to have a clutched blower sticking through the hood, of course.
One step at a time.
Hey as long as the paperwork’s clean, you can do what you want out on the road.
Thanks, Fifi!
I had who I thought was a guy in-the-know admire my mint ’06 dark blue slicktop Grand Marquis. He was standing at the curb with his wife and in my best Australian accent I hit him with that line. They both just stared.
Bombo!!!
Were it not for the lack of back seats I would have gone Taurus. As it stands, my vote goes to the old-school but incredibly reliable Crown Vic
never the Taurass
also, if it doesn’t have enough power, you can always swap in a Godzilla 😉
Panther. This looks like a detective car. There were also ten zillion of these made so parts will be cheap. Being a 2009, all the bugs were well dead by the time this example rolled off the line.
I’d trust the Panther more than the Taurus to cycle in to civ life. Plus, if you’re actually in the market for a former cop ride, would you even feel that in the Taurus?
The Taurus looks cleaner and the 3.7 is pretty reliable.. but the Crown Victoria is peak police car before everything started to get more complex
Panther, and then check my local LKQ for same-year Grand Marquis/Town Car seats.
Crown Vic. I mean, right?
Maybe the taurus is newer and has more technology, but it’s basically just a SHO and those aren’t exactly rare.
Crown Vic all the way.
If I’m driving a former cop car it’s going to be THE cop car. Not Taurus’s last stand. Regardless of age I’d imagine keeping the Crown Vic on the road is going to be easier than the Taurus.
Even here in the UK, I think a lot of people would recognise it as a cop car, just from the last thirty years of US based tv/film/etc.
Plus if I had it over here, I could set it up as an exact replica of a cop-car, without getting into trouble with the local plod.
These two are close. I was going to vote for the Taurus with its newer drivetrain, probably smoother transmission, and AWD. But the Crown Vic is a little less expensive and more complete (requiring less work and money put into it), so it got my vote.
Really? This one was not even a thought for me. The Panther is better all around, and cheaper, and that was before I saw the fact the Taurus is missing the seat. No hesitation, CV all day long.
Crown Vic for the coming AI apocalypse.
I would take the panther platform for a few bucks less. Someone did the rear seat swap or it was a detective car.
I mean, the Taurus wouldn’t look right in the Sabotage video.
Also a P71 and NA Miata combo is just about the perfect cheapskate two-car solution.