I purchased the vehicle in 1996 from an auction, so I don't know what went wrong before I had it. I loaned the car to my father only 5 weeks after buying it so he could keep his Volvo at home and drive this car to his office in an "iffy" neighborhood, and he gave it back in 1999 when he relocated his office.
- Leaked pretty much ALL fluids, the undercarriage was a mess of wetness.
- display for radio did not work, so the station it was on was always a mystery.
- exhaust system went in 1999. The car was a former police car and garages suggested that the car may had been overhauled because a Crown Victoria exhaust system did not fit on this car and it would be impossible to find out what type of exhaust system would be appropriate, one even went as far as to suggest that the car's engine was not be original and may have belonged on a 1970s Ford. I took a mechanically-inclined friend's advice and put accordion pipes on it myself.
- air conditioner eventually became too much for the car to handle. I had to have it disconnected in 1999 because the car would stall out. Unfortunately, it was the COLDEST vehicle A/C I have EVER experienced. It was Antarctica in that car at all times in the summer.
- Engine practically exploded in 2000 on the highway... and that is where she died.
Her name was Beulah. If the car had been a person, it would have had a weak heart. She only ran on 93 Octane gas and got 9 MPG. If you put 89 Octane in it, you may as well have dumped Sweet and Low in the tank.
She was a police edition, so she still had her flashing headlights, which was one of the main selling points. It also came with the metal divider between the front and back seats, but I thought people wouldn't want to drive with me if I had that.
It drove insanely sluggish when I first acquired it. Forget about driving uphill, it just wasn't happening. My father found someone to work on it when he had it and it was adjusted so that she was sluggish, but not nearly as bad it had been.
Basically, the police force beat the living daylights out of the car before giving it up.
The suspension was awesome, I couldn't ask for anything better. On flat surfaces, it was like driving on butter. The air conditioning was awesome for a 9 year old vehicle (when I got it).
The vinyl seats were not the best of choice, but in the 1980s, every car had them.
ROOMY! I could have fit half of my friends' cars in the trunk. No lie. You could have full-scale parties inside that trunk. Completely insane. Likewise, the hood in the front was about the size of Lake Erie. It was pretty intimidating to raise the hood and peer inside. It was a field of moving metal.
It was my first car, so I couldn't expect a whole bunch. It was an experience I wouldn't likely forget.
Why were the flashing lights a major selling point when it is illegal to impersonate emergency vehicles/police officers? Or does your work/your father's work involve emergency services?
The Crown Victoria is one of the best cars Ford has ever built, it'll run forever.
Generally, people should not buy ex-police cars, be it old Diplomats, Crown Vics or Caprices, even if they look enticing... they (the ex-police cars) tend to have suspension problems, or other such wear and tear from aggressive driving and the like, along with the possibility of high mileage. If you are still interested in the said ex-police car, try and get it's repair history, and have it undergo a complete mechanical inspection by a trusted auto mechanic, and all those precautionary things. (like you should do with all potential car purchases).
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