I bought my dream car - a P71 Ford Crown Victoria! 

welcome to the club and the begining of a life long obsession lol. You got the right year and an extra rare color. Hang on to that car theyre only getting harder to find in any kind of decent shape

Awesome car! I’d love one as well!

Congrats on snagging one ol' Cleetus hadn't found (as fun as those Freedom Factory races are to watch, I cringe at all those Crown Vics getting destroyed!) Pretty surprising to find an Ohio car in such good (non-rusted) shape; most anything here older than about a 2004 (unless garaged all Winter) is rotting to the point where it barely casts a shadow...Have fun with this one, and yes, as others have suggested, a meetup w/ Ian and "Betty" is a must; trade cars and compare!

It's 106 miles to Southampton, we've got a full cannister of gas, half a pack of jumpleads, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses. Hit it!

one of my Mates, Dennis, a retired master mechanic had to attend a training course at a Ford corp. Training facility for his job as shop foreman. He told me these cars the /crown Victoria was one of the most reliable cars ever built. His only concern was the sheer size of the timing cam chain. Other than that, they consistently will reach 300,000 miles with proper maintenance. The car is not very fuel efficient, but does well compared to other v8 engines. A wise purchase Sir. Cheers

Watching from the US, I've always enjoyed your channel because it features unfamiliar British and European models. And now... As you correctly stated, these things are EVERYWHERE here in the States, along with their Mercury Grand Marquis cousins. That said, it should be fun to see what life is like with a Crown Vic in England. ;-)

For someone like me, who isn't well-versed on specs, it would great to see a comparison with Hubnut's Ford Fairmont. Maybe a collaboration is in order.

Great to see you got your Crown Vic in the end. As a fellow Brit CVPI owner I can say it's a satisfying chunk of Americana to own. Living in the states these cars get a lot of respect and are very reliable daily drivers. For a novice in car repairs they are also the perfect starter car, since they are pretty basic and the engine bay is very spacious. Parts are also very cheap and the heavy duty police suspension make them fun to drive.

I'm glad to see you bought this terrific car! You were asking about the radio only being able to tune odd numbers. That is normal for North America. Our FM radio stations are always 96.9 or 97.7, etc, never even numbers. Also, don't overlook Canada as a source of parts, we had a lot of them up here too, and your shipping or import charges might be less than from the USA.

Congratulations! A Crown Victoria is one of my dream cars as well, so you could say I'm a bit jealous! I'm so happy this one found such a good home and I really can't wait for all the clean up, servicing and driving videos of this beauty. Love the color as well, it's going to be amazing after a good polishing session.

I'm from New Jersey My dad owned the regular crown victoria, I drove it, the floating boat 🚢, I have 2 friends own the regular crown victoria each have over half a million miles. This is the w123 of america lol extremely reliable and cheap to fix

You got the right Crown Vic; all that time passing and deflections-disappointments led you to YOUR dream car. I'm 🇨🇦Canadian and rightly proud of our history producing many of these icons.

Looks great, you seem really excited by it! They will just be plain 16" steel wheels behind the wheel covers and if you want the chrome center (sp) caps, you'll need to import a set over or the 92-97 Explorer ones fit too.

Well done Matt, not only does it look like a pretty straight vehicle, it looks really nice too & I look forward to future videos about getting it MOTd etc & on the road for your first drive!! ENJOY!!!

I love watching people import these and drive them around lol. Makes me enjoy my 2011 p7b that much more. My friends has 38,000 idle hours and 220,000km on the dash. Thats 1.7 million kilometers lol

Congratulations Matt, I've known how badly you've wanted one of those and am happy that you have finally got one. Look forward to the video on the car's history.

I think there is something glamorous about column change automatics, really miss them on UK cars.

I have an 04 LX Sport. I bought from a local dealer (central Florida) about 10 yrs. ago. It had 16,322 mi. on it in 2012. I paid 12k for it. Best money I ever spent. This thing is a DREAMBOAT! Im 55 and it probably will outlive me. VIVE La CROWN VICTORIA!

I just picked one up as my car may be totaled. A 2005. Last owner was a PD. The reason I did this is I didn’t want a payment but needed something reliable that lasts and is easy to work on. My thought was 1989 Mercedes 300E or P71. Owned the Benz and I actually sold that to someone who shipped it overseas by you. I have owned a M2, Mini Cooper S, Sonic RS, Golf, Jetta all sorts of fun cars over the years. P71 blows my mind. They served their purposes well and had a very long run as an American Police Car. Guzzler on Gas you’ll be lucky to get 25mpg but an extremely fun car to drive. The clean ones you find now were likely not Patrol vehicles. As those hit 100k and were sold off a long time ago. Captains cars, Meter Maids, Public Works, Detectives. They took longer to put on the miles. I’m sure the vehicle you have wasn’t a regular patrol car especially with the forest green and the hub caps. Still the P71 although as they were all ordered that way from Ford. Started doing some research and yes they are getting harder to find and the prices are only going up if they are clean. Cab companies drove most of these to the grave so finding them will only get harder. Some of us sometimes think plenty of them made. These cars generally did double service. 412k miles isn’t unheard of after a Taxi Company. They will get rare like the 1991 Caprice quite fast I imagine. Enjoy it! And yes you are correct it’s the end of an era and that’s probably one of the best cars Ford and America ever produced. Or should I say tank! Lol. It’s a real body on a frame. They weigh a ton. So putting power to that V8 your always fighting the weight. They still got on everybody’s bumper no problem. Lol. Driving mine for the first time days ago and feeling it out. Dark Mode. Lol I’m like okay this is how they did it. 200amp alternators and big oil coolers for idling. It’s a good car if you get one clean enough. 1 word of advice. You will find some quirks. They are quite common and 9/10 of them are cheap. The lines that feed the oil cooler always leak. When they start. You can either just run it so things expand. Or pull the lines off and use silicone o rings with out replacing the lines. It’ll last longer. Few other gremlins out their too such as the air bag light. Usually it’s a simple $50 fix. Do research and just maintain it. It’s gonna do what it’s supposed too. Last lol. Your rust spot isn’t uncommon. Plus it’s small. I’ve seen active patrol cars rust in that same spot. You can do that work your self. Or have it repainted. Ford Escorts we’re the same way always over the wheels. Just get to it early. Once you see rust especially if it bleeds through primer. Solve it quick.

Well done Matt, I can remember that warm fuzzy feeling when you finally get that car you've always dreamed of. I felt just like that when I got my Tagora 13 years ago, only thing is, it hasn't turned a wheel since. 😭

Congratulations Matt, the car looks a beauty, I know what you mean about the DVLA taking their time to process these type of applications. My mate bought a Calsonic Impul K12 Micra back in June, he finally got the paperwork and number plates in October!! Looking forward to seeing more of this on the channel.

It’s amazing that you know more than a particular American RU-vid that is the self proclaimed “godfather “ of crown Vic’s . You know you me stuff for sure I respect it brother. Any questions let me know and I can get you in touch with the most knowledgeable people in the community.

Congratulation sir. LOVE your car :) I am an old man living in America and never gave the Crown Victoria a second look. Until about 6 months ago while RU-vid surfing. Now I own 2 and LOVE it so much. I don't know why. Have you named your yet :) The first one that I bought was owned by a Fire Department an SAP model. Someone ran a red a light and my Crown prove its strength. I hit his car about 60 MPH and I was able to drive home and are fixing it myself. I am no auto mechanic or a body mechanic. Lucky for me one came up for sale the same year that I have so I bought it. Again, CONGRATUATION

Nice car 🚓 . I am a big fan of CVPI, I have owned and flipped many CVPI . There are getting less and less now, especially in good condition. I’m in LA, if you need any parts or have any questions let me know. I am glad to help you with my knowledge. Good luck with your CVPI 👍

I am genuinely so happy for you just now. It's wonderful to make a dream a reality and I can just imagine the adventures this will now make possible. I look forward to seeing "My other car's a crown vic" stickers appearing on the rest of the fleet :)

I can appreciate your enthusiasm for this car, I had the opertunity of driving one in London for an outfit I worked for, we had 4 p71 vics all 2001/2 on 51 and 02 plates . All were police white but we repainted 3 of them and changed the grill. I had the single enjoyment of driving it and using on in London, but I had not the problem with fuel being a company car. I now live on Canada and owned a lovely Grand Marquis, but I sold it and now prices are climbing, dam it. enjoy you toy.

I live in Texas and hearing you talk about yours has reignited my own love for mine. I’ve owned mine for a little over four years and put over 70,000 miles on it and I’m hoping for thousands more! It’s an ‘07 P71, in it’s service live it was a Dallas/Fort-Worth state trooper car. Full cloth interior (with cruise control!). Black too.. I really do love it

YES YOU GOT ONE!! Panther brothers!!

I have had two Grand Marquis a 1983 square body 5.0 V8 and a 2007 4.6 V8 they drive great and run forever the only problem I had with the 1983 was the throttle body fuel injection clogged if you didn’t use the right octane but yours should have direct injection which is much better .

Fantastic news! I also bought a Crown Vic this week (it's a model of the Police Interceptor used In Casino Royale, but still...)

I've had 5 of these. Take care of the car and it will take care of you. Change/don't flush all fluids. Check thermostat stat, get new housing and bolts. Order upgraded PI intake with aluminum crossover pipe and gaskets. This idle hours will kill that gasket. Clean mass airflow sensor and throttle position sensor. The loud power steering pump may need to be replaced. Look up your axle code as this makes a difference for acceleration. Love the car!

I love these cars!! Can't wait to hear about its working life. Also can't wait to see this and HubNuts AU!

Gorgeous car! I’m really excited for this one. Also, as a side note, there was a version of these with an amber section on the taillights, you should be able to import a pair of those which could make the lighting stuff much easier :)

The last body on frame design ended with the 2006, my PI71 lasted 9 years before I had to replace the transmission, fix up the upper and lower control arms and replaced the oil line. Rest was all normal maintenance. Solid work horse of a car. Full sized, built like a rock.

I have had the fortune to become the owner of a P74 'Cusion Cruzer'. I knew the owner, 30 years ago and through friendships, and because he recently has been strickened with Alzheimers and moving back to Sweden that I was offered the car, I didn't hesitate. I don't hesitate to state it is about as close as one can get to be a near showroom car. I say honestly that it still has remnants of a new car smell for a car that has been driven for 132, 500 miles. This is what I also bought, that it was purchased in Sweden, has been in Norway, Denmark and a swim across the North Sea to Germany and France and somwhere in there was a trip to China. I feel very honhored to be the owner and I will carry on the same or as close to the same care as he had.

I am from the USA the state of new jersey,congratulations, you now own the last of the American banana boats, LOL.the first thing you will notice driving an old crown Vic- the ride will be firmly but not like a what we americans say , 'a European puddle jumper," the ford crown vic uses front and rear coils springs and the thing too look a with the front suspension is weakened or sagging front springs,from what i see the looks like the car is sitting level.I am very surprised you found one with a good body ,in New york City the police where brutes too those cars.24 hour 2 shifts , the taxi ones as welI, am glad you found a good one.Enjoy.

Thats one hell of a COOL car, officer ! 😉👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Congrats - you deserved it 👍👍👍 That engine sound is absolutely sweet….

I'm excited for this one. Let's hope it doesn't need loads of welding. Also hoping for a light bar.

Blimey that one escaped ole cleetus! He could have hooked you up with one surely!? Glad you have this. Enjoy and good luck! You and hubnut have a pair of interesting imports there! When you say secret....the wife knew yes?!

I absolutely love that color. I can honestly say I’ve never seen a Crown Vic in that “Fern Green” paint in all my years. Some police and environmental control agencies will have their Crown Vics painted in green, but different shades (the Vermont State Troopers and NY ENCON come to mind). It’s subtle and gorgeous.

So happy for you Matt! I’ve imported 2 cars from the UK to the US (and 2 other cars from Japan as well) and I’m genuinely surprised you shipped via container rather than the much cheaper ro-ro (roll on, roll off) method where the car is driven onto a huge car transport ship and parked there (like a floating multi-story car park). Was your decision to use a container due to the shipping congestion issues you mentioned? Or did you want your new P71 to arrive gift boxed? ;)

Very cool car, I love a V8. Exhaust could do with being a smidgen louder, but other than that it's perfect. Incidentally, I rode in the back of a yellow cab version about 10 years ago on the way to & from JFK airport.

Very nice unit. Yeah, love these cars myself. The quintessential North American car. Low, long hood, V8. They're very popular in our family. In June of 2011 my father, my uncle and I went on a tour of the factory near St. Thomas, Ontario.I wish Ford had made them for a little while longer instead of trying to push that Taurus.

Fellow UK-based CVPI fan - this is one of my dream cars too! I'm definitely planning to import one of these at some point in the future :) I've always had a soft spot for the Crown Victoria since I grew up seeing them in action in a lot of American TV shows and films.

Look forward to hearing all about this Matt, great choice, I fancy a Lincoln Town car 90-97

Congratulations 👍 Awesome bit of kit. You wouldn’t believe that the body side mouldings and the rubber seals were made here in the U.K. The velour seats on the Grand Marquis version are really comfy. The fenders must have got some wear from jean studs as people rolled across the hood… 😉

I love my 2007 P71. My P71 has less rust on the frame. But mine is 5 years newer. & My mileage is 180,000. [STILL RUNS GREAT] I shopped for a year as well. Sweet find! I love your story!!!

One of my favourite late model America classic cars. Ford Crown Victoria sedan. Very nice, has those classic lines. I would put a new set of white wall tires, on her, you would be surprised just how much, it helps enhance the crown vic’s appearance.

Look forward to a side by side size comparison with the Volvo, will you be adding a centre console armrest.

Is it ULEZ compliant?

Your enthusiasm for the Crown Vic is infectious. Also have a 2011 purchased in ‘19. The Crown Vic is a simple, basic dependable car that does everything right. The more I drive it the more I like it. Welcome to the club and looking forward to more videos on your journeys with the amazing car that you won’t regret buying.

I retired from law-enforcement after 24 years in Arizona. I had the pleasure of driving those crown VICS for several years. In my whole time, I was only authorized ****ONE**** pursuit and it was in a crown Vic. The top speed was 136 mph. The car handled quite well. I do miss them, unfortunately my department pulled them immediately after they started blowing up in or around 2000. A lot of other departments kept them on their fleets for many years, but unfortunately, they went away for us, and we were given crappy, gutless V-6 Chevy Caprice‘s 😩😩. I hated those cars!!!

Good evening from Texas. I've owned several CVPI's over my life and currently own a 2011 EX Texas DPS P7B. Mr Random is right, it will become an obsession. If your looking for a center console to fill the space between the seats look at the console from the 2002-2005 Ford Explorer. With minimal trimming it will fit and look almost factory. Plus you will get 2 more cup holders. Always a bonus. I will be following this series and watching the love affair grow.

The Panther platform has lineage to the ‘65 Ford Galaxie. The 4.6 2v was used in the Mustang GT from ‘96-‘04. Yours has the Pi heads which are the same as the Mustang beginning in ‘99 and slightly detuned cams giving more low speed torque befitting a heavy car. Best way to wake it up would be 4.10 ring and pinion. Trans cooler is a good thing on these P71s, and a trans fluid/filter change as well as all fluids will keep her on the the road. Cheers!

I am a fellow CVPI owner from Maine in the US. I have a 2010 With the bars and the Partition it has 260hp and Posi- rearend 327 gearing, I absolutely Love it I am not parting with it.

Mate!! I'm soo ruddy jealous!! It's even the older model with the old hubcaps and no RPM gauge!

Glad to see another person who loves Crown Victorias. Cool ex-cop Vic, man.

I first visited the USA in about 2002 and these were everywhere as police cars and taxis and even back then I remember thinking it looked incredibly old fashioned. They have aged relatively well though.

Fascinating! Nice colour, nice condition, nice mileage. So glad you fulfilled your dream and so glad you didn't get another project, this one is for enjoying straight out of the box. Looks like it has a comfy ride too with high walled tyres, high ride height and mattress sized seat cushions. Can't wait to see it on the road, the engine sounds sweet! 👍😎

Congratulations on your CVPI. I just love seeing people who are not Americans who buy a P71. The first person I saw was from Germany and he had it out on the autobahn. I have a 2004 P71 with 68K miles. I bought in 2016 with just 38K miles. Hopefully your P71 is tagged and patrolling the streets of England. Enjoy.

Absolutely Magnificent! So pleased for you and really looking forward to sharing the experience with you. Jack Reacher (not a petrol head) said if he had to have a car this would be it, so praise indeed and who'd argue with him. Love the sellers small print "our opinion may not agree with yours". Hope in a small way our enjoyment watching the channel has enabled you to purchase your dream car.

So happy for you Matt, what a beauty. Glad you opted for a driver over a project so you can just enjoy and tinker from day 1. All the best!

You only live once. Enjoy your dream car, we all enjoy watching you. Thanks Car Captain.

Pure enthusiasm! Great to see you fulfill a dream and I'm sure you'll have many a great experience with the Crown Vic. Fingers crossed you can get it road legal soon!

Welcome to the club my man! I've got a 2009 Crown Vic P71, has a single spotlight but no rhino bars and just turned over 140,000 miles a couple weeks ago. I've had it about a year, had a few niggles with it, but absolutely love it to death. These old Vics are very common sights here along with their siblings, the Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car, but you've got what's essentially a unicorn over there, can't be too many of them in the UK! You've just gotten a new subscription from me today, can't wait to see what sort of content you may have in store for this!

Your green dream it's beautiful I got mine here in Baja in Cabo San Lucas México, but is a Mercury Grand Marquis 2009 BLACK with original 132,000 miles, it's very similar to Crown Vics, enjoy it they are truly amazing and unique built for a lifetime just give it love and regular maintenance and will never let you down!!

I love my P71. My friends hate it for some reason, but after 10 years I've had no complaints.

The added wiring was probably done by the municipality or a contractor to install department-specific equipment that wasn't available from the factory. Near where I live, when Chevrolet changed the Impala body style from 2005 to 2006, the city garage employees assumed that the factory harness routing within the body panels hadn't changed. They didn't read the documentation, drilled holes through the inner body to install various bits, accidentally drilled through existing wiring, thus causing a number of the city's brand new 2006 Impalas to catch fire from electrical shorts over the next several months.

Congratulations!! They're special for sure. They last forever and are simple to repair. I have a Grand Marquis LS and they are such a pleasure and a hoot to drive. Enjoy!

Loved the video, and loved especially seeing how enthusiastic and pleased you are and relieved that you've got it all done. Must have been a lot of anxiety!

I have a Lincoln Town Car myself, enjoy it while you still can. These cars are really the last of the lineage, solid-rear axle, V8 engine, and bench seats. Never will an auto manufacturer produce these types of vehicles ever again.

When discussing the chrome grill, you suggested no one ever bought crown victorias privately. In reality thousands upon thousands of people bought them privately. I got mine from a 98 year old lady 😂 It’s a 2006 LX Sport with the center console shifter with only 62,000 miles. I love them! Congrats on getting a Panther! Hope she stays on the road for years to come.

I drive a 1997 Vic, just had the whole suspension , rubber and rims, done. My favorite car ever.

I love your enthusiasm for a panther platform car, and hearing your perspective and enthusiasm from "across the pond" is great. The radio is a standard "Ford radio" that they put in fleet cars and trucks (the F150 has the same radio) you can keep the radio and get a Bluetooth that wires up to your phone so you have "the look" but has modern conveniences to listen to music, podcast, navigation etc... and most cars sold in North America only have the stations in odd numbers (I didn't know radios had even numbered stations til now.). Also call stations for radios east of the Mississippi River start with a "W" 97.7 WROC and the stations west of the Mississippi River start with a "K" like 1067 KBPI, the "Panther platform" is the workhorse of cars in the USA and are becoming harder to find in nice condition like yours. The only issues with these is going to be at one point you'll have to replace the intake manifold, these are a weekend chore to do and most mechanics will say it's a blown head gasket. It's not it's the intake manifold. You can also use this time to replace the fuel injectors, valve cover gaskets and ignition coils and run it for another 120k miles. Hope you enjoy it and I'm sure it turns eyes in Europe

Congratulations! I don't even own a car but the pleasure you felt and expressed was evident and infectious.

I have an 02 myself. Best year as far as I'm concerned. Suspension is easier and cheaper to maintain than the 03 and ups. Done many videos on it. A few tips and tricks for you reference yours. I don't think you have an exhaust leak. Those 4.6 cars produce a lot of water. The bottoms of the mufflers have little holes in them from factory to let the water drain out. No worries there. Also, if lock the doors while driving, your passengers can't roll down their windows. So, if you have the doors locked and all of a sudden your passenger goes for windows down, and they don't move, either you have to use your controls or unlock your doors. Weird quirk, but don't panic if one day randomly it appears your passenger windows don't move when a passenger tries to move them. If you want an extra trunk release on your door, the wiring is already there inside the door card, under that plug. Just get a switch from a civilian car, pull the wiring through, plug in your new switch where the blank plug was and now you have one in the dash and one on the door. Comes in handy. There's also another harness in the dash for your trunk switch. You can choose between the button always has power or use the other harness and it will only work when the key is on (dealer's choice). I put a Ford Ranger stereo in mine with AM/FM and CD. A cheap upgrade, plug and play. Radio removes is easy too. Cut metal shirt hangar in half and stick the now "U-shaped hooks" in each of those holes to release and remove the radio. There's also a power wire that's always hot in each A-pillar for spotlights. So, you can either rock a spotlight or something else you need to run power to. I have a spotlight driver side and I used the power from the right A-pillar for my dash cams. 2002 is an odd year reference the water pumps. Some have the older short pump and some have the newer long pump. (Or maybe I have that backwards? In any case the only difference between them is the pump length and thus the pulley design. I bought a spare pulley from the junkyard for the water pump my car does not have. That way if I ever have a pump failure I can order either pump and attach the appropriate pulley and be back on the road in minutes instead of waiting for the proper pump for the pulley I have. I'm no longer at the mercy of the supply chain and parts department. I have options. Lastly, I know how you UK guys seem to get your cars stolen more frequently than us Americans. Under the dash fuse 7 controls the PCM and ignition coils. Fuse 1 under the hood is the electric fuel pump relay. If you live or park in a shady area, pull fuse 7 from your under dash fuse box before leaving and re-install before driving away to prevent theft. It's a 25 amp fuse. Bottom left, I believe? That's what I do and nobody has stolen her yet. Nobody's tried either but they'll fail if they do. Enjoy your new beast.

Congratulations on finally getting a yank, you won’t regret it. Smiles per gallon all the way. If you want to chase some bad guys in it, my Charger is almost up and running again! Looking forward to seeing the updates. Nigel from Double Zero Garage

Awesome Matt, looks like you've found a great example of your dream car, I feel a bit better not being in need of help when it comes to car's as there are other car fanatics out there, something that my dad will never ever understand, well done and I look forward to many interesting tinkering videos on your channel 😎

Nice car, bought my 2011 ford crown Victoria police interceptor straight from a Tennessee police dept, car still has paint underneath and only cost me a total of 5k to bring to my door, really easy to make road legal especially if you know where you can get parts from like me,

I`d also absolutely love a Crown Vic Interceptor. But it would have to be black or white, the black steel wheels, push bars, and those spot lights on the A pillars!

Crown Victoria, best car ever made

I was just as excited as you are when I first got my crown vic! I've always wanted a crown Vic or town car and found a 2010 SAP for a solid price. I'm looking forward to see more videos about this.

Make sure your fuel tank has the one inch piece of plexiglass between the fuel tank and bumper bolts, which was ford's solution to the fuel tank problem.

Absolutely made up for you and finally living the dream! Having been following Bosch on Amazon Prime I'd be tempted to go for the black steelies with chrome centre caps personally, but love the mean dark green paintwork :)

Life is to short not to make a dream come true. Have fun with your dreamcar!

You can also easily add cruise control by putting the cruise control steering wheel on and the cruise servo under the hood, which connects to the throttle. All the other wiring is present.

Congratulations from Germany! Keep that beauty!

Congratulations on your buy it looks terrific

WOW! WHAT A GREAT VIDEO! Congratulations on achieving your dream! As a CVPI owner as well, I feel your excitement. This is one car that continues to thrill me every time I drive it. It has a reputation as a very reliable car. and mine certainly has been! My 2003 now navy blue metallic CVPI is a former California Highway Patrol cruiser a close friend had purchased at the Sacramento California CHP yard. They "de-copify" them and sell them on to the public. It has been a wonderful daily driver! Only failure I have experienced was the usual coolant leak at the thermostat & resultant mandatory intake manifold replacement (for some reason Ford 4.6 plastic intake manifold has a very thin plastic extension of the manifold that is sandwiched into the thermostat housing that degrades and leaks over time--watch for coolant drips there!) Manifold replacement not expensive or difficult, and was a good time to replace cooling service bits, such as water pump, hoses, and of course the thermostat. The Crown Victoria Police interceptor (what a great name!) drives like a big yet very comfy BMW without the BMW costs or reliability issues. This is a car with real road presence. People seem to tailgate me less, and allow me to back out of my driveway without crowding me... My non scientific "proof of reliability" is that many of the Crown Victorias I find in the local salvage yard have 300 to 500+ thousand miles on the odometer! The CVPI is truly a special Crown Victoria. So many subtle yet significant differences. I have found many parts on the car stenciled with "POLICE" on them (for assembly line use I presume): aluminum driveshaft, special column shift mechanism, "certified" speedometer, lower final drive ratio gears (most civilian Crown Vics have an acceleration cripplingly low final drive ratio-- (my car has 3:27 open dif.), bigger front sway bar (& CVPI exclusive rear sway bar!), and other things such as fully stainless exhaust system (hey, that's probably not an exhaust leak!-- each muffler has a condensation drain hole.), engine and transmission oil coolers too. Not sure if engine is any different, but engine in my car has decal on it that suggests police specific application). One of my favorite differences is: NO ELECTRIC TRACTION CONTROL! I guess Ford presumes that the CVPI driver is a good enough driver as to qualify for being in full control of their car at all times!! Some suggested maintenance items are the usual stuff such as: trans filter and full trans fluid replacement (suggest all Ford Motorcraft parts on this car including their semi synthetic Mercon V trans fluid), power steering fluid, differential oil (& friction modifier if limited slip unit), Universal joints (mine were not clunking, but upon driveshaft removal I discovered that one u joint had completely worn through the bearing cap and had started wearing into the -CVPI specific aluminum driveshaft- ears- yikes!), brake fluid pressure bleed/flush--I hear that the anti lock system benefits from new fluid (& pressure flush best way to bleed out intricate passages of anti lock system), as well as preserving the brake calipers (all the fluid at each corner was very brown from fluid inside the caliper). Also another commonly worn item(s) are the anti sway bar bushings (front and rear). The bushings on my car were not too bad looking, but after I replaced the original bushings (and front end links) with performance urethane ones, I could really feel the difference (particularly under lightly loaded "cornering" conditions such as at highway speeds-- really improved tracking and reduced wander in windy spots!). Spark plugs: replace while cold to avoid tearing out aluminum threads, & use anti seize on new ones. PS, might want to blow out any debris down inside the spark plug well before pulling plugs. This is also a great time for new ignition coils as well! I Really believe your 2002 is amongst one of the best year CVPI's. It has the newly redesigned all new suspension! New rack and pinion up front, all new rear suspension for increased high speed stability. Note that the wheels are different from those used on earlier design, due to wider suspension. Also your car was made prior to Ford switching over to the "drive by wire" throttle system. I prefer how the NON drive by wire cars respond to inputs, and I also feel more comfortable having a direct connection between my foot and the throttle body! by the way, there is also a plastic shield that goes on top of the engine. I can see that you car has the mounting brackets for it. Not a crucial piece, but as plastic engine covers go, I think it is unobtrusive and rather attractive. Also check your door information sticker, -if it's still there- it can yield some interesting information... axle ratio, paint codes (I was a bit confused as to why my had TWO exterior paint codes-- I decoded them to be: black...and white --oh, of course! ready to go cop car, just add your own seal on the door!) Sorry for going on a bit, but your very well done video has absolutely made my day! Thanks again, and congratulations on your well bought new steed! PS, Other than being a bit big for some UK roads, I think the missus will in time appreciate how truly practical (and safe) the Crown Vic is!!

Seeing a Crown Vic as a Brit bought back so many memories of visiting the usa, going to Detroit, visiting the Motown Museum and riding around in Crown Vic taxis! 😃

It’s so awesome to see how a car that’s so common here is loved by others, enjoy!

Always liked these growing up watching The FBI Files, Forensic Detectives, and that sort of thing. Cannot imagine having a use for one myself but I do appreciate them for what they're for and reliability.

I'm really happy for you my British friend. The crown Victoria is an excellent car. I own a Grand Marquis and I did a lot of upgrades to it so that it rides like the crown Victoria. The 4.6 l engine is an excellent engine. Just change the oil when it needs to be and it will run for many hundreds of thousands of miles

Brilliant, so glad you finally got one and that it has arrived in one piece! Can't wait to re-enact some Blues Brother's!!!!!!

Great looking CV, Matt, I feel your excitement! I recently bought a 2011 P7B and it's a fantastic vehicle. I had to sell a 1987 Dodge Diplomat with the police package after a job loss a few years back and it hurt, but now the wound is healed with my Crown Vic. I'm sure you'll enjoy this car to the max! I just subscribed to your channel. Cheers from Virginia, USA.

Good luck finding a lockup garage big enough for that hunk of Americana! Fantastic for you Matt - achieving owning a personal dream car. Will make for interesting viewing.

That’s my dream car too. I got my first one 6 years ago. Since then I’ve come across another one a year ago. (Same exact day mr random got his last black one.) A black K9 car with all the police equipment left in. I have a bid on another one that I’m hoping to win tomorrow. It’s going to be a parts car for my other two. Or a project, I haven’t decided yet. Your gonna be happy with your Vic I know, just keep an eye on your transmission. It’s the bad part of these cars but can be upgraded to last a lifetime.

Congratulations, love it, loved mine. The first thing to fail on mine was the alternator (which is common on ex-Police cars), so I would get one, it is a piece of cake to swap over - mine caught fire. Window regulators are another issue too. I pulled a few miles of cable out of mine, looks like yours has already had most of the additional wiring removed. It was an absolute blast to drive, way better than the standard Crown Vics, the simpler coil spring suspension makes a huge difference over the waftiness of civilian cars. Economy was surprisingly good, 20 MPG (US) on the highway.

Congratulations on achieving a dream! Such a huge car and I'll bet it's comfy and roomy. Ohio is in the 'Salt Belt' so lets hope there are no nasty surprises. What a treat to see such a car in the UK, very exciting.

Congratulations on finally getting your Dream car! I have the same dream and will thankfully be able to purchase one within the next few weeks...a perfect Christmas present for me! I've been doing the research on these for over a year, looking at countless videos and no doubt driving my GF crazy with the obsession I have with this car, likely the last car I will ever buy and drive. Enjoy your purchase and have fun with it! Congrats again and thanks for this great video!