Ford Police Interceptor
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US $2,350.00
What do you think of the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor?
I'm looking for a car, and ideally I would get a Mercury Marauder, however, it's about $20,000 out of my price range. I started looking at Crown Victorias, and more specifically, the more high performance Police Interceptors as a very close looking alternative. Some people say that they're great, more heavy duty equipment, a motor with more horsepower, but others hate them. They say they are unreliable, guzzle gas (more than a regular crown vic), and usually have things that need fixing because of how hard they are run. Now I realize that this partly depends on what department the car came from, but can someone give me a general overview and recommandation on this car. And before anyone goes off on body condition, I'm only interested in vics with a great body, and under 100,000 miles.
Good advice from the other responders. I have owned four police cars, all of them Mopars. It is true that the life of a police car is a demanding one. However fuel injection and better computers have made more modern police cars much more reliable than in the past. Do not buy one that shows any sign of body damage - about half of them do. Remember that often police cars idle for hours without moving, so the standard of "under 100,000 miles" may or may not be an accurate standard for engine wear. Ford Crown Vic police cars have had several well publicized cases of bursting into flames when rear ended. Undoubtedly, this is an uncommon occurrence. I like police cars for their unique qualities, but they are also a risky financial investment.
Crown Vic Police Interceptor: Fordâs Newest Green Machine
The Ford Motor Co. announced that the 2008 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor will be transformed into a green machine by making it a flexible fuel vehicle that runs on either petrol or E85 ethanol fuel.
Ford is currently the largest manufacturer of police vehicles with over 80 percent of the market. And because of the shift to environment-friendly vehicles, the automaker is extending its alternative fuel technology to its fleet. And the Ford Crown Vic falls not in the exception field. Ford felt the need to offer alternative fuel fleets even to the police customers.
"The ability to offer an E85 capable vehicle to our police customers is significant," said Gerald Koss, the Ford's fleet marketing manager. "Many municipalities and states across the country are encouraging, if not mandating, that their police and other government fleet vehicles begin using alternative sources of fuel. We can now help our police fleet customers achieve this goal."
The automaker will be giving credits toward EPACT mandates and increasing the flexibility in their vehicle fleet selection and purchase to government agencies that include the Crown Vic FFV Police Interceptors on their annual Department of Energy plan. Ford is now accepting orders for the E85-powered Crown Vic Police Interceptor. The production of the vehicle is set to begin this May.
"Ethanol is one way in which we can help lessen America's dependence on foreign oil," said Koss. "In addition to our flexible fuel vehicles, fleets looking to go green can also choose from two hybrid models, the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner, as well as a number of Ford PZEV (partial zero emissions vehicles) models."
Ford also unveiled that it has accumulated a 50-state certification for all of the Ford and the Mercury 2008 flexible fuel passenger car models. The current flex fuel vehicle (FFV) lineup includes the Crown Victoria, Ford F-150, and the Mercury Grand Marquis. Achieving the said certification means that the automaker’s FFVs meet both emission rules set by the federal government and the state of California.
The standards of California pose unique challenges for FFVs. Moreover, by complying with both standards, Ford could sell their product lines nationwide minus the limitations imposed on some non-compliant vehicles. This fact will also limit complexities legal-wise. In an effort to distinguish its flexible fuel vehicles from standard gasoline vehicles, the automaker will start equipping the E-85 capable vehicles with yellow gas caps. The placing of the caps will begin later this year. Now, when you want to know how environment-friendly your Ford is, look no farther than the window motor - just search for the yellow gas caps.
Ford has delivered over two million FFVs on the road. Further, the Detroit automaker has pledged to make half of its production capable of running on alternative fuels by 2012. This is when the necessary fuel and infrastructure are in place.
About the Author
Katie Jones writes for a local newspaper and her beat involves the latest updates in the automotive industry. She is also working on her book on cars during her spare time
Ford Crown Victoria on last legs as Cedar Rapids’ police car
The Police Department and many other law-enforcement agencies across the nation have had a long love affair with Ford’s Crown Victoria patrol car. The affair is coming to an end. Ford is going to stop making the Crown Victoria, the police model of which is called the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. Police Chief [...]