I’m looking at a 2009 Crown Vic Police Interceptor and want to know what to check before buying. Any tips or advice?
- Find out if it was a patrol car or a detective’s car. Detective cars are usually in better shape.
- Check how many hours the car has idled.
- Look for maintenance records… some departments keep good records, others don’t.
Some Crown Vics are more desirable based on the year. For example, 2004 and newer have the Marauder intake with a bigger mass-air sensor. Some have 3.55 gears with limited slip, and certain ones have the “metal matrix” driveshafts which are better than the aluminum ones.
@Leandro
Fun fact: Crown Vic police cars from 2005 onwards could have a built-in fire suppression system near the gas tank. It sprays fire-suppressing foam if there’s a crash or can be activated manually with a red button near the rearview mirror.
@Leandro
How do you find out how many hours it was idled?
Alyssa said:
@Leandro
How do you find out how many hours it was idled?
It has an engine hour meter that shows how long the engine has been running, even while idling.
Alyssa said:
@Leandro
How do you find out how many hours it was idled?
It has an engine hour meter that shows how long the engine has been running, even while idling.
Is that only on certain cars?
@Alyssa
Specifically on the Crown Vic, but other police and commercial vehicles have it too.
Roselon said:
@Alyssa
Specifically on the Crown Vic, but other police and commercial vehicles have it too.
I’ve seen that on some Fords, but not many. Wouldn’t have thought to check it!
Just remember, at some point, someone might’ve peed in the backseat.
Austin said:
Just remember, at some point, someone might’ve peed in the backseat.
It’s been detailed, so if someone did, I can’t see or smell it, haha.
Austin said:
Just remember, at some point, someone might’ve peed in the backseat.
It’s been detailed, so if someone did, I can’t see or smell it, haha.
I was just joking around… but hey, the car looks good!
Definitely check the engine hours. The 2009 models have an hour meter in the instrument cluster, so that helps.
Biggest thing is how long it’s been idling. People see low miles and think it’s great, but these cars idle for hours a day. That’s a lot of engine wear, even if the body and suspension are fine. Low miles don’t always mean a good engine.
@Alexander
I once had a low-mileage cat. Got him neutered, and he took care of the rats.
BrandonGearhead said:
@Alexander
I once had a low-mileage cat. Got him neutered, and he took care of the rats.
My landlord had a low-mileage cat named Tequila. He got trapped under a car by two foxes and bit one’s tail off! Has nothing to do with your Crown Vic, but I felt like sharing. The car will definitely get slow drivers out of your way though!
Double or triple the mileage. These cars are rarely turned off, and service records might not exist. Departments often just do the minimum to keep them running.
Transmissions tend to fail after 200k miles. Don’t limit yourself to just cop cars; Crown Vics were used as fire chief vehicles, army staff cars, hospital transports, rental cars, and even hearses.
August said:
Transmissions tend to fail after 200k miles. Don’t limit yourself to just cop cars; Crown Vics were used as fire chief vehicles, army staff cars, hospital transports, rental cars, and even hearses.
Maybe he wants a cop car because they’re usually beefed up. Do the other models come with the same features?
@Oscar
Cop cars aren’t that special. They just have a limited slip differential and some other bits you can find on eBay. The engines are still the same old 4.6 V8 you see everywhere. If you want a faster Crown Vic, you’ll need to swap in something like a Coyote engine… it’s been done!
They’re reliable, but if you want speed, you might consider a 4V swap at some point.