Crown Vic questions?

"Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey" (dingersghost) 09/07/2015 at 21:31 • Filed to: None

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Lately my dad has been telling me it would be a good idea for me to get a loan for a car (which he would cosign) to fix up and drive to save miles/wear on my Ranger. Now, my truck is perfectly fine, and aside from minor repairs now and then (save for a transmission earlier this year) it doesn’t cost me very much at all. I would just really like something that.. well isn’t a Ranger.

My problem is, I know I won’t be making a wise decision with this. The reasons: 1. I don’t want to spend much money, as I want it to be a quick loan to payoff as I still want to move out of the house before long. 2. I’m not scared of a project, especially something simple, but I am a Ford-technician-in-training, so I do have some more experience and resources than some. 3. Mileage doesn’t bother me, so much as how the car runs and body/frame rust as I am in the salt belt.

This all leads me to this. I have always wanted a Police Interceptor Crown Victoria. I don’t know why, but it’s a car I have always wanted to own. I’ve driven a handful of them through work, and there’s just something about having an acre of car that appeals to me. I also know they’re fairly cheap, and usually simple to work on. I’ve found this car, and I’ve really fallen in love with it

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Now, I know it has high mileage, with at least 30k more than my truck, but it’s also two years newer than the Ranger. The ad also says it’s a TN car, and the pictures show hardly any rust. The small misfire doesn’t really concern me, as it is probably something I can track down and fix using the Ford diagnostic tools at work, plus I’d fix/replace anything that would cause a misfire if I bought the car, I.e. Plugs/wires and coils.

I’m really considering talking to my father about this car and trying to get in touch with the owner. CVPI owners, is there anything in specific to look out for? I understand these don’t always lead an easy life and some pointers would be nice. Would this be a good car to start out with? Keep in mind this will be the first car I will be purchasing.

Hell, I’ve already named the car “Bad Cop” as I am a huge Lego fan and I loved the movie.

MM54 > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey 09/07/2015 at 21:43

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*Cracks knuckles*

The miss is probably a COP (these don’t have distributors/plug wires, etc) on its way out, at 170k the OEM ones will be getting tired. If you’re lucky it’s just a boot with a crack in it, about $4. Intermittent nature of the miss makes me think it’s not compression-related.

Check the rear axle for signs of leaking at the wheel bearings - there was a batch of axle shafts in 2003s which weren’t hardened correctly and wear down pretty badly. By 170k miles it’ll be pretty clear if it’s leaking or not. While you’re back there, check the tag on the differential, it’ll be held on one of the bolts. On the second row, the first part will be something like “3L27” or “3 55” - the main part you’re looking for is where the L is. The L means it’s a minited slip diff, which you do want, especially in the snow (I used to live in Erie until a couple months ago).

Something to keep in mind with the old police cruisers is that some had much worse lives than others - look inside at the back of the B-pillar trim. If there’s cutouts from the cage bolting in, you know it was a cruiser and not a sheriff’s car or what have you.

That looks way cleaner underneath than either of the p71s I’ve bought in the area, so I’d believe the TN claims. ‘03 and up got a revised (for the first time in decades) suspension setup, so you’ll like that. The steering also changed to rack and pinion that year and it’s worlds better than the ‘02 and older recirculating ball rack.

For the most part, these caren’t aren’t too bad to work on. The main issues I’ve had with mine were from previous owner neglect and rust issues. Don’t make the common mistake of thinking these are fast cars, either (they’re not). What they are is a good highway cruising, reliable boat which can be made to handle better than you’d think 5,000lbs of car can, especially the ‘03 and later chassis.

If you have any further questions, let me know. I’ve done a lot of work on my ‘02 and very much miss my ‘03 (which was rear-ended and totaled two months into ownership). The forum (crownvic.net) is also a fantastic resource, although some of the people are a bit... rough...

One last thing - if you do get it, be prepared for everyone to think you’re a cop and drive the speed limit or lower when in front of you.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey 09/07/2015 at 21:43

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I guess I don’t really understand how this came about at all. Do you live with your parents and he uses the Ranger too or something? Why pay to maintain two vehicles when it sounds like you can’t even buy a second one without a cosigned loan AND you already have a perfectly good running vehicle on hand?

Thisnewformatisrubbish > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey 09/07/2015 at 21:45

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You would be better off getting a texas fox mustang and driving it home. When I was 20 and in college, i flew to nyc and drove my 240sx home to Kansas City.

LtotheG > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey 09/07/2015 at 21:45

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Crown Victoria is a solid car. If you go look at it check the intake manifold, your misfire might originate from there. The early 2000 models have injection molded intakes with aluminum coolant runners for each side of the engine. They are know to crack and cause misfires at cylinder 1 due to coolant pooling at the coil pack

MM54 > MM54 09/07/2015 at 21:47

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Oh, almost forgot to mention - see where you can see grey primer on the fender? That’s Ford Performance White paint. It comes off in sheets. Conveniently, Rustoleum’s White Automotive Enamel is a close enough match if you’re not too worried about it.

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 09/07/2015 at 21:50

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I’m still living at home with my parents, I’m only a year out of school yet and haven’t been able to move out yet. The reason for getting the loan for a car at all is to build myself credit, because right now I do not have anything that’s truly in my name. The reason I am looking to get another vehicle on top of the one I already have is because I usually have no reason to actually be driving a truck all the time, plus there are times where the truck has been down and a backup would be nice.

He might not even have to cosign on the loan, that part I don’t know.

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > Thisnewformatisrubbish 09/07/2015 at 21:52

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A Fox Mustang was another one of my options, but most of them are beat around here, so yeah I’d definitely have to travel for a decent one.

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > MM54 09/07/2015 at 21:55

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I am definitely not looking for or thinking these are fast cars, and that wasn’t something I was concerned with either. Anything is faster than my Ranger.

Thank you for all the advice! I will definitely let you know if there’s anything else I need.

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > LtotheG 09/07/2015 at 21:57

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Thanks! I believe the trucks have the same issue (pretty sure I’ve helped with one with a similar problem at work) so it’s quite possible that’s what it could be.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey 09/07/2015 at 22:01

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Alright, well, here comes my opinion:

“Building credit” — I think you’ll get a multitude of opinions on this one, but unless you’re attempting to REBUILD your score (as in you’ve made some costly mistakes and have dipped well below say 600), taking out a loan for the sake of credit building is... not a fantastic idea in my opinion in your current state. We bought our house no problem with... “acceptable” credit scores because we had other appealing qualities (*cough* mucho money down, consistent employment). I guess the question is: is credit building at whatever snail’s pace it will be (it falls at the drop of a hat, and rises as slowly as an indecisive erection) worth what you’re losing? A small loan even, plus general cost of ownership, plus cost to insure... that’s all money that you’re NOT saving towards moving out, money that doesn’t go for a deposit on an apartment or bedroom, and it will cost you TIME as well! Opportunity costs, man.

LtotheG > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey 09/07/2015 at 22:03

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I had an 04. Gave me the misfires cylinder 1 code and for about a week and I couldn’t figure out why. Car was considerably down on power too. I grabbed a flashlight and did a visual thru the top end. The leak was hard to spot when the car was hot as it evaporated. When I removed the intake it crumbled due to heat stress on the runner. Good luck man. Job was not hard and parts were like 150

smobgirl > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey 09/07/2015 at 22:05

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If it's credit building, you're a lot less likely to get in big trouble with a car loan than a crappy credit card. Sounds like a solid plan to me, especially with a car that isn't rapidly depreciating and you're able to get the benefit of learning on as well.

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 09/07/2015 at 22:10

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I understand all that, and they are definitely valid points. Trust me, it is well appreciated. And honestly, I really doubt I will even get the car. It was jsut an idea suggested to me by my father, more for the sake of saving wear on my truck than for building any sort of credit. I just kind of figured, in the back of my mind, if I get and pay off a small loan in a relatively short amount of time, it probably wouldn’t really hurt my credit. But, like I said, I agree with you. My truck serves me well enough and I probably won’t even end up getting the car anyhow. I just figured I’ throw it out there and see what Oppo thinks.

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > LtotheG 09/07/2015 at 22:11

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That’s good to hear then. Not too expensive at all.

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > smobgirl 09/07/2015 at 22:12

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I figured if anything, learning on it would be the biggest benefit. Especially working for Ford. Of course, that’s the biggest benefit of driving my hand-me-down beat old Ranger anyhow.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey 09/07/2015 at 22:26

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I’m sorry. You just wanted to talk about cars. And I talked about things.

smobgirl > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 09/07/2015 at 22:27

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Fair point. But right now he might have no score/history (no idea though, I don’t know any student loan or car loan info to make that assumption). With no/very little credit he’ll probably need someone to co-sign for a lease anyway unless he’s making way more than 3-4 times the rent, and I know my parents would’ve rather co-signed for a car they could resell at the purchase price if I screwed up my life than sign for an apartment.

Just playing devils advocate here, he sounds like he’s got pretty cool parents if he needs support.

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 09/07/2015 at 22:28

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Bahahaha no you talked about very valid things that make absolute total sense.

Honestly, it’s much better than the “CROWN VIC BUY IT NOW IT’S CHEAP WHY HAVEN’T YOU BOUGHT IT YET THIS IS OPPO THE ANSWER IS MIATA OR CROWN VIC OR MANUAL BROWN DIESEL SOMETHING OR OTHER” I was expecting.

ranwhenparked > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey 09/07/2015 at 22:39

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A Crown Victoria is generally a pretty solid car, they’re basically built like a truck with 4 doors and a trunk. However, I’d be careful looking at the CVPI versions. Smaller departments tend to hold on to their cars pretty long and rack up higher mileages, while ones with bigger budgets have shorter replacement intervals, but also tend to be larger cities that beat on the cars a lot more. That said, a well-used ex-cop Crown Victoria is still a prime candidate to be turned into a taxi cab and do another several hundred thousand miles. As with all things, condition is key, you want one that’s been well looked after.

I wouldn’t disregard a civilian Crown Victoria LX or a Grand Marquis either. Resale values are a bit higher, but not much, and in all honesty, the upgrades made for police duty are a lot less dramatic than they were back in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > ranwhenparked 09/07/2015 at 22:41

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I actually drove past a parked Grand Marquis that was for sale today, and my girlfriend pointed it out to me and I considered stopping to look at it. I unfortunately was in a bit of a rush so I didn’t get the chance.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > smobgirl 09/07/2015 at 22:44

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No, no, I understand and you make good points. There’s other factors involved with the whole thing, like whether he wants to move out ASAP or if there’s a timeline or exactly how unreliable the ranger has been (dude, those transmissions, every time)... Priorities and whatnot. And sometimes moving out for the sake of moving out can lead to very bad decisions (<——- me, once upon a time).

smobgirl > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 09/07/2015 at 22:48

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Both of us, it sounds like :) It sucked being that age.

(And speaking of bad decisions, my little sister has twice texted to apologize for drunk-dialing me, and I have no missed calls. Hmm...)

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > smobgirl 09/07/2015 at 23:14

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Well then she must have been REALLY drunk.

ffoc02 > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey 09/07/2015 at 23:34

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Just make sure the misfire is only a bad coil. Otherwise it could be a coolant leak from a failed intake, causing coolant to spill down the spark plug tubes. Even that is a relatively cheap fix, with aftermarket intakes going for under $300.

You said the undercarriage is rust free, so there’s really nothing else to go wrong. You can’t talking go wrong with a Panther for longevity.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey 09/07/2015 at 23:38

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“1. I don’t want to spend much money, “

Well this tells me that that you just stick with the Ranger and not buy anything else.

And if you want to build credit, there are cheaper ways... like going to a bank and taking out a personal loan for a small amount like $100 and paying that back over 12 months.

Hammerdown > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey 09/08/2015 at 15:43

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I couldn’t get the link to work so I’m not sure how much that car is, but 170,000 is quite a few. You can probably afford to be picky and find a good lower mileage example for not much more money. There are tons of these cars out there. If you can, see if you can find a civi model. I found a 2004 LX with 92,000 on it last year. $5,000 out the door and it looks brand new. Shop around.

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 09/08/2015 at 16:28

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This is probably going to be the plan, I think I’m going to stick with the Ranger after all.

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > Hammerdown 09/08/2015 at 16:30

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They want $1200 for this car. I didn’t realize the link wouldn’t work. I think I’m gonna end up sticking with the Ranger after all anyhow. Later on, though, I definitely still want one of these, and I will also look at civi models then too.