"we're such a symbolic-heavy society. we love our things which stand for things." - that moment when regular car guy breaks it down better than any history instructor you ever had
The best/worst thing about owning an ex-cop car. Traffic. Yes they all slow down and behave around you..... but when YOU'RE in a hurry they're in the way. All three lanes will do exactly the speed limit and you can't get past.
+Bad Drivers of SE WI Also, counter-intuitively, you are a cop magnet. Friend of mine swears by the P71 (he's had several) and he keeps getting pulled over. It's hilarious to ride in it and watch everyone panic, though.
+Nelson Jenkins I got pulled over only once in my white one (but was flagged down a bunch of times) only because I was doing 15 over since the previous owner (the city I was pulled over in) changed the transmission and didn't change the speedo gear.
Just test drove a 2010 Crown Vic today. I popped a U turn to bring it back to the dealer and omg people started freaking out. I cannot wait to own one and just watch people freak the fuck out.
Hah I have a friend who works as a mechanic and has gotten to replace the brakes in a couple of newer State Patrol FPIS's and FPIU's. Every time he slams on those brakes while in those cars on the road people get scared shitless.
I'll miss these things when they're all decommissioned, even if they're not great cars or even great police cars. The sound of a 4.6 Police Interceptor under hard acceleration is one of my favorite engine notes.
Five years later, no one slows down for crown vics anymore😂 I own a 2008, silver P71 and everyone blows by me on the expressway like nothing. The last on rolled off the assembly line in 2011 and these vics have been replaced by Explorers, Taurus, Tahoes and Chargers
Funny you mention Stalinist Russia, as the best way to get a car in that country was to be of high class. My grandfather, an ex-second class navy captain, was eligible for a Volga, but never cashed in. If you were a lowly worker however, you had to wait in years-long waiting lists.
I grew up without a lot of money (as in mom qnd dad didnt pay my way)and I owned 6 Panthers. Because there wasnt another late model V8 rwd car I could afford to buy and insure. Only one was a P71, I had just gotten out of the Army and it was the most solid thing I could find for my budget. I gave $600 for it and put another $300 into maintenance. The other Panthers were Vic LXs and Grand Marquis. I graduated to Ford trucks and Mustang GTs once life got better. Now I have a Caprice PPV because I missed the boat on a new G8 and the SS is too expensive. Those Panthers were fun cars. Many who buy them are douches, I am just a car guy.
I guess having an appreciation of these cars (as basically the last cars of an era, as the largely unappreciated work horses of public servants and taxi drivers) really glosses over the stigma that apparently these cars have. Before my father-in-law sold me his Town Car for a song, I test drove a few P71s. Aside from the gaping holes in the dash full of severed cables, and the sometimes present flood lights in the A-Pillar, I never thought "woo-hoo! cop car! time to live out my cop fantasy!". Instead it was, man, I could stick a trailer hitch on this and get away without having to buy a pickup. Or man that factory dual exhaust sounds good! Or "200hp out of a 4.6l? This car will ENDURE." I might be in the minority though, judging by the related videos on the side here (basically all home vids of "legal" light setups on civilian owned cars... really guys??)
+Neil Bolin You're not wrong about not needing a pickup, my 03 F-150 has the same engine. While I'm sure there are other differences, you're still getting a lot of power out of that.
Ive owned a 1989 Lincoln Towncar, a 1997 Crown Vic Base, 1997 Crown Vic LX and now a 2003 Lincoln Towncar Cartier. Love my Panthers but I dont think id like owning a P71 after ive owned a fully loaded Towncar
+Neil Bolin I am with you, there is an appeal to these old dinosaurs. So much so that I picked one up as my daily driver (2005 P71 "Large Marge") a few months ago. California highway patrol car and I'm maybe the 3rd private owner? It still has the floodlight, would like to replace the bulb with some sort of LED rainbow spectrum thing. I get my gas reimbursed and my job has me cruise all around Austin, TX all day so it has been a good fit. The worst thing about it is the cop stigma. But I wanted to experience a RWD V8 American barge that could still drive reasonably well on the cheap and this is pretty much it. "Old elephants limp off to the hills to die; old Americans go out to the highway and drive themselves to death with huge cars." - HST
+Neil Bolin I bought my 2003 Marquis when I was a Junior in HS. I've had this car for 7yrs, and this thing is the best. I got it with 40k and now has 245k. I added a trailer hitch and towed my 1988 Mustang Coupe through the Rockies from Cali to MN, I was even able to leave overdrive on for the small hills. I average 26MPG too. Love this car because of the reliability and ability. This baby is all original too, no rebuilds or anything.
Most of those "legal" light setups on civilian cars (at least, the ones that I've watched) belong to volunteer EMS or firefighters who are allowed to install lights and sirens on their personal vehicles in most states.
I have a 2000 P71 detective car. Bench seats carpet etc. great road trip car. Just drove last week from Cincinnati Ohio to Naples Florida. 1100 miles only stopping for gas. One coil crapped out in Corbin Kentucky but only took a few minutes to change and had a few extra in the trunk. Great cars!!!
I would love to have one of these just for fun. Since they're being phased out all the decommissioned cruisers are on auto trader. As a driver, I've always been very aware when I saw any kind of crown Vic front profile in my rear view mirror. Sometimes it's just a Grandpa going for a drive, but it's always safer to behave around these things.
id love to have one of these amazing cars... sadly bring one to europe is more expensive than the entire car and gasoline is way more expensive here... so sad :____(
CVPs are great cars, for someone who appreciate a tough, RWD vehicle. Getting excited about being mistaken for a cop is just childish. I love cars in general and Crown Vics used to be build a few miles away from where I live. I have owned two P71s, both in black with no search lights. Calling something utility vehicle when its loaded with all bells and whistles is laughable. Police crown vics are true utility cars, build for a purpose. Same goes for race cars. So, do a review of a race car?
I've got an LX, grey, no cop stuff at all, so it doesn't really have the "see me slow down effect." However, it does have a neat trick. If you come flying up on some left lane slowpoke and don't give them enough time to figure out what you are, 70% of the time they'll dive out of your way. It's really great.
I sort of miss my Crown Vic already. But it's so damn big to drive unless you have a highway commute, it's awesome. People don't drive like assholes around you. When you're in a hurry you get in the fast lane and floor it and people hear the notorious Vic engine noise and get the hell out of your way. You fly by a cop at 15mph over speedlimit and they wave you by. Road construction workers immediately let you pass and wave.
The 1-2 squeak is the serpintine belt slipping over the alternator pulley when the RPMs change suddenly and the alternator's intertia keeps going. There are one-way clutched pulleys for this exact reason.
A lot of the guys on my fire department have purchased these used from a dealership that specializes in selling these things. They're great for us volly guys because they're already setup for lights, sirens and all our gear fits in the trunk. Doesn't stop me from driving a Saab 9-7x
It's got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas.
I own one of these as both my first vehicle and my only vehicle; owning and driving one is like owning a mechanical keyboard for the first time: it takes some time for you to forget what you're using, and for it to feel normal and totally out of your subconscious. The major difference, however, is that, with a Crown Vic P71/P7B, you never know when you'll happen upon some instance wherein you're fully reminded of what you're driving; as soon as some random other motorist blatantly reacts to my vehicle, I am reminded that all (or most) eyes are on me. It's a small price to pay for owning one of the toughest and most reliable cars out there. If I were worried out of my mind about it, I'd install civilian wheel covers, remove the spotlight, and add chrome trim.
I know those roads, you were right near me! Northern Virginia driving is way different than Eastern Pennsylvania driving where I grew up. Everyone around me is so aggressive for no reason. Now I want a P71 too so people will chill out.
Tom Fielding >>> You’d be surprised. The last one is still only 8 yrs old and the look of the CV is seared into most people’s memory. It’s a gut reaction to lift the foot off the gas, until you confirm. Of course the funky “Wild Bill Guthrey’s Used Auto Sales” license plate frame, would be a dead giveaway, but some people just see generic cat ear taillights and freak.
I know when my friend owned an old late 90s Lumina, he said at night allot of people would slow down around him because the size, shape, and the lights all looked very similar to a crown vic, and heck, some departsments (I've never seen em) actually used Police spec'd Luminas.
In Washington state it's easy to tell them apart because non-military government vehicles always have "XMT" written vertically on the plate before the actual number.
Eh, I still want one. I like the austere, utilitarian styling. According to internet the 3.55 rear end was optional with a 3.27 one being more common. I'd give up the acceleration the lower rear end provided for the overall better gas mileage you'd likely get from the taller rear end. Problem being that the standard 3.27 was an open differential and, you know, who really wants to do peg leg burnouts is a cop car?
@@anthroism26mc 04 got the Marauder airbox but anything after is usually OK. Only problem on 05 was some teething issues with the drive-by-wire system, but you can fix it through reprogramming, and you get the bonus of being able to enable cruise control by just swapping the steering wheel.
I have a 2007, replaced the antennas which still had the mounting points (two on trunk, two on roof). Came with the push bar and spotlight for $2500. 110k miles. Spent $1000 on new tires, synthetic oil, alignment, basic maintenance. You are right on how EVERYONE notices you. It's crazy. Lots of people will not pass me going down the freeway. Some people can tell it's not a cop car. Most people can't. NO ONE tailgates you anymore. It's so weird and different driving it that the only way to know is to buy one. Why not? It's cheap, it's fast, it's comfortable, it's safe. The main drawback is the gas mileage but so what. You will have plenty of money left over for gas. These cars are indestructible. My only gripe is the paint is crappy on EVERY one of these cars. If you want it to look good you have to spend the money on paint. If you don't care: Bargain priced, awesome vehicle.
The white paint is absolute trash, black paint isn't much better. But if you can get one of the other colors (silver, dark blue, dark grey, etc.) they usually hold up better and look a hell of a lot cooler.
There’s actually a very simple trick to knowing weather or not a crown Vic is a police car or not JUST LOOK AT THE LICENSE PLATE if it’s not a police license plate it’s not a police car
I made two separate lane changes - each time with a person next to me - and both people slowed down to let me in front xD. Also, I had a lady give up her turn at a stop sign for me. I feel bad... but good, at the same time.
I just found your channel and I have to say you're a wonderful human being. With that said I'm saddened you don't have a review of an '85 IROC-Z with t-tops. Please rectify this ASAP.
I didn't like the confusion when driving my black detective interceptor so I added Grateful Dead vinyl to the rear window and front license plate. Instead of people glancing suspiciously at me, I get a smile and/or thumbs up.
Seems to be a good car for trolling traffic. But here in Illinois, cops don't seem to care if you're speeding on the highway if you're not blazing past everyone (They're usually the ones speeding, and I've even seen cops make people pull over just long enough to get around). The trolling level is toned down a bit though as it seems the Crown Vics are being phased out either for SUVs or Chargers with steelies and brush-guard bumpers.
How to spot the difference between a real Police Car here in Nevada and a civilian owned one: Police cars have two letters positioned diagonally on the licence plate on the left side, EX meaning Exempt.
I made fun on the original P-71 video, but honestly; who wouldn't want to command the road just by driving normally. Having owned a NARCmobile 1996 Chevy Lumina for a while, it was nice to have lanes open up for you when your in a hurry; not that I would speed or anything...😈
I drive a Charger (a popular police cruiser in America since the Crown Vic ended production) and people ride my blindspot all the freakin' time. They are afraid to pass because they think I'm a cop, lol.
It's always cool to watch these old cop car videos when the public purchase them and then go wow on the cop mods - especially the power and brakes. Does anyone else have the urge to buy an ex cop car as a thing to maybe look into down the road?
Common issue with Crown Vics of this era, serpentine belt slipping under WOT. In 2001 Ford changed the Vics belt routing, it helped slightly, but the issue wasn't resolved until 2004 when the P71s got the alternator with the clutch pulleys. Best fix for the belt slip is a new belt tensioner, idler pulley and a Goodyear gator back belt....no more slippage! Lol
Common issue with Crown Vics of this era, serpentine belt slipping under WOT. In 2001 Ford changed the Vics belt routing, it helped slightly, but the issue wasn't resolved until 2004 when the P71s got the alternator with the clutch pulleys. Best fix for the belt slip is a new belt tensioner, idler pulley and a Goodyear gator back belt....no more slippage! Lol
people really dont care about that car. Its among the least cop looking P71s. To look less cop like you have to do what I did and paint it red and stick racing stripes on the hood Also these will be like caprices soon. People used to worry about caprices being cop cars but not anymore same now the explorer is the car you get if you actually want to look like a cop. Every time I come upon a new gen explorer I do that "real cop or not cop" look and what angers me is unlike the crown vic in its prime 99% of the time the explorer driver is some soccer mom but still you cant take chances because passing cops even at the speed limit is illegal where I live. I wonder if the reason the cops chose explorers was for this specific reason because of how often theyre used as just a family car they now all act as speed deterrents just because 1% of them may be an unmarked car
In CA at least if the plate says CA EXEMPT instead of CALIFORNIA it's usually a cop. Or at least a gov. vehicle. As you land in LA take heed of this knowledge Regular.
The biggest clue as to whether or or not one of these crown vic police interceptors are true cop cars is to look for an "x" in the center of the license plate.
from 1st to 2nd there is a 4000rpm drop its ridiculous....how many times have I heard people say "police interceptors are fast" and I was being quite doubtful....when a friend of mine got one as a winter beatee, I had to try it.... it was stupidly slow, the 3speed+ OD kills all the power, my 3L ranger is faster to 60mph -__-
I find it funny, first intersection and already some idiot in an SUV decides to make an illegal right from a left lane to run from what they think is cops. Almost makes you wish that P71 actually did have cops in it.
I rented a white crown Vic to go on vacation to myrtle beach, it was the funniest drive ever, everybody was getting out of my way in the fast lane way in advance and people wouldn't pass me until they saw my license plate.
