What does Veeky Forums think of Crown Vics?

What does Veeky Forums think of Crown Vics?

Driving a mazda 6 v6 I want something with a v8 engine, and rear wheel drive, my sister keeps trying to talk me out of it, but I can get an 2011 crown vic, with around 160k kms for 2k.

I also looked at accord coupe but the one i went to see was an 03 model and those had some nasty transmission problems

god damn nigger we have this thread like once a week if not more

it's a big fucking barge with a lazy but torquey engine that will run basically forever

it doesn't have angry headlights, it doesn't connect to your phone, it doesn't have electronic stability control, you're lucky if it even has traction control and ABS, it likes kicking the ass end out on loose surfaces, it has the slowest shifting auto transmission known to mankind, it exists in a perpetual state of 15 degree body roll, everyone will think you're a cop and if you put a bull bar and lights on it we'll make fun of you and your autism

it has fantastic visibility, it's comfortable to drive, you can fit four full size spare tires in the trunk (track day NO) and still have room for a jack and groceries, gas mileage isn't as bad as you'd think, the 4.6 SOHC is reliable as fuck once they worked out the intake manifold kinks in '03 and easy as hell to work on with loads of room in the engine bay, it's the last car to have body on frame construction so if you live in the salty north body rust won't compromise the structural integrity of the car (and they can all be replaced), carry your shit, carry your family, carry their shit, still go up hills at half throttle like nothing

it's the last remnant of the classical American family sedan, a big car that is very, very good at being a big car and not very good at things that don't involve being a car

also consider: mercury grand marquis (crown vic with a different badge) and lincoln town car (crown vic with LUXURY™ options)

what's wrong with your mazda?

also I don't think the standard transmission accords had issues

but this guy definitely answered your question, with a shitposty flair

It's my moms car, my sister will not let me mod it.

We can't flex in it, we're still on the looking board for which car to buy

Cars we've considered:

RSX, Integra, Acura TL 3.2(03yr), Accord coupe but their a little pricy and we'll have to get like an 06 model so we scrapped that, Honda civic (coupe and sedan, absolutely not my dad has a Civic and we crave something else) Considered getting a BMW 3 series but when parts break they will be expensive.

Camry, Altima, Maxima, Corrola are out of the question.

We want something sporty, something we can slap an exhaust on and race everything that has 4 wheels.

get your own car

I'm planning to, i'll need something cheap for when i'm in college

I had an '85 Chevy Impala in college. It was dark maroon and had two giant, buggy whip antennas on the back that weren't hooked up to anything. It also had, what I call " dog dish" hub caps like pic related. I could cruise into a frat party parking lot with my park lights on and watch everyone dump their drinks on the ground. It was awesome.

First of all what do you want this car for?
If your expecting something that's quick and nimble, keep looking.

If you want a comfy cruiser, this is a great car, though I would consider the GM or town car over the Vic.

They're the ideal car if you have autism

This about sums it up. The only thing I'd place more emphasis on is that they're rather slow. They'll pull pretty well, but they're certainly not quick. They're comfy as all hell though. They're like a Chrysler 300 except with the ghetto tuned back about 100 clicks and actually somewhat reliable.

Also kek at
>it exists in a perpetual state of 15 degree body roll

this basically.

it's the epitome of "yup, it's a car."

It's basically what you will get if you tell a toddler to draw a car.

but it does depend what you want. You can't go into a Crown Vic expecting a powerful V8 RWD with a "fast" engine. crown vics are slow.

Anyone who gets a Vic or Marquis, does so because they want the landbarge lazy V8 part of it.

if you want a landbarge that DOES have power however, look into early 90's Caprices or Buick Roadmasters, which LITERALLY have a detuned LT1 out of the corvette.

lol this

I had pic related with a spotlight and a couple antennas on the trunk lid.

I have to say, the driving experience is unparalleled. I have so many funny stories about driving that car.

I wouldn't do it again, though. It was the greatest car to have when I was young and poor. For me to get one now would be weird.

Keep in mind that they're "rather slow" compared to lighter, faster sedans and modern cars that are all faster anyway- no matter how you split it it's a car from 1992 regardless of what the model year says. For that era it's perfectly serviceable, and even now it's not like you're going to be a danger to other people getting onto the freeway or something, just mash the pedal and go; at 60mph you've still got another 4000RPM before redline.

>if you want a landbarge that DOES have power however, look into early 90's Caprices or Buick Roadmasters, which LITERALLY have a detuned LT1 out of the corvette.
The LT1 only came standard in later wagons, but came with the optional towing package on sedans (including the 9C1 Caprice police cruisers). Either way, the B-bodies have their own issues people might not want to deal with, namely Optispark, the transmission, and finding one that isn't a clapped-out shitheap to begin with. There's also the Olds Custom Cruiser of 91-92, which has no sedan equivalent and was discontinued before the LT1 was an option (so SBC 305 or 350 only) but shares everything else with the other B-body wagons including the bubble-glass roof.

An LT1 B-body will blow the doors off any Panther except maybe a Marauder, though, and they're even bigger to boot.

> when I was young and poor.
there's a small small affluent community near me, and I've seen a guy who owns a mint condition early 90's Town Car. And I tell ya hwat, it looks classier than the shitty looking lexus parked next to it.

a panther is a panther. when you are "young and poor" you get a vic, for later in life you get an unmolested (non fleet) Grand Marquis or Town Car

Sure, nothing beats a cherry old luxury car.

I'm just saying that ex-cop car was a shitload of entertainment bang for my transportation buck. Sure, it wasn't fancy or classy or fast or anything but practical, but as a trollmobile it was fantastic.

And then you grew up and stopped being a whacker, and while you may have strayed from the Church of the Panther, the V8 and the Holy Boat, now's the perfect time to find yourself a Town Car and rejoin.

>Sikorsky

Aren't you the user from Milford or did you just save that pic.

lol
There is a small window of time in life where you can pull off driving a CVPI without being too young to look like you might be a cop and too old to look like a creep impersonating one. That window of time where you are young and poor enough to plausibly buy one just for the practicality but not so old you clearly could afford something better but decided no, fuck it, I want people to think I'm a cop.

Later in life I returned to luxury, but I'm all about Japanese reliability, so I got a minty LS400 for a spare car.

I just saved it 'cause I think that shit's a riot.

pic related is every crown vic driver. not even joking sadly

Listen to your sister, you look like a fucking creep/autist driving around in the worst V8 ever made.

>worst V8 ever made
But user, he isn't looking to buy a Cadillac.

For the time that a Northstar is functional it has a net advantage in quality over a mod motor point blank.

>Church of the Panther, the V8 and the Holy Boat
help, my sides have disintegrated harder than a pre-03 Crown Vic intake manifold

that's absolutely not true!

I dont have a mustache

>What does Veeky Forums think of Crown Vics?
You cannot drive them into a lot of parking lots because the aisles and spaces are made for shorter cars (it's the new legal standard). At my metro area's biggest mall, you can't park in many of the outdoor spaces without blocking the aisle. If 2 crown vics parked opposite of each other, no car could drive down the aisle.

Your crown vic could park at the medical center, but just by itself, it would stick out enough to block the aisle. That is how parking lots have changed. It's not angled parking, so you might not be able to park it because your backing out room is quite small. The developer made the spaces just a hair bigger than the law required to have spaces marked "Compact Only". As a result, they are really tiny spaces with a tiny aisle. It's a challenge to back out if you don't have a rear camera or sensor.

Having owned my share of B Bodies and Panthers, the LT1 cars are hardly any faster than late model Panthers. Both cars are dogshit slow. LT1s make a bit more torque on the bottom end and are better for tire shredding burnouts but real world acceleration is neck and neck (roughly 8s 0-60).

Tbqh anything powered by one of these is faster than any B Body or Panther, yes, even the Marauder.

What are the Pros and Cons of both cars?

And then the head gaskets go kaput and the toothpick bolts work themselves out and it's time to just fucking scrap it because it's cheaper to buy a whole 'nother Seville. Meanwhile the guy in the Crown Vic is laughing as he crawls by at 45mph while leaving a white cloud that puts Subaru meets to shame because his intake manifold gasket is failing and he's pissing coolant but by God he's gonna make Old Country Buffet before they close at 8.

>Meanwhile the guy in the Crown Vic is laughing as he crawls by at 45mph while leaving a white cloud that puts Subaru meets to shame because his intake manifold gasket is failing and he's pissing coolant but by God he's gonna make Old Country Buffet before they close at 8.
That's nothing to be proud of.
There's a reason Ma Mopar is superior American car.

If everyone bought as many Newports and New Yorkers as they tell stories about (it had the 440! you could lay across the seats sideways and your feet wouldn't touch the floor! you were conceived in the back of one! etc etc), then Chrysler wouldn't have killed off their full size V8 cars before the 80's were even over. Mopar shmocar.

>then Chrysler wouldn't have killed off their full size V8 cars before the 80's were even over.
Emissions friendo.

>GM kept their barges going until '96
>Ford went all the way to 2011
So what you're saying is Chrysler couldn't figure out how to make their engines not spew fumes like a cheap whore on a binge, and basically fumbled their way through the 70's until His Holiness of Chrome and K-Cars Iacocca showed up in the early 80's to stop the nosedive?

I feel like theres always a great deal of animosity from panther owners toward Northstar owners on this board.

>>GM kept their barges going until '96
>>Ford went all the way to 2011
Which barges?

>Chrysler couldn't figure out how to make their engines not spew fumes like a cheap whore on a binge
Big blocks have a higher volume of pollutants bar none.
The big block V8 was extinct by the 90's regardless of manufacturer.
Also Crown Victoria is miniscule compared to what Ford used to produce.
Go look at something like a Gran Torino or a Galaxie in person.

Even Northstar owners will tell you about the Northstar's known problems. If they don't it's one of two things:

>they haven't encountered them yet
>they own an Aurora and don't want to think about the repair costs for the oddball 4.0

>tfw I own both

>Which barges?
GM had the B-bodies (Caprice, Roadmaster, and Custom Cruiser); Ford had the Panther bodies (Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, Town Car).

>Also Crown Victoria is miniscule compared to what Ford used to produce. Go look at something like a Gran Torino or a Galaxie in person.
The difference is generally in wheelbase and width- a whale body Crown Vic is 212 inches long, which is within an inch of most every full-size car Ford had in that era. Wheelbase is often close or a couple inches less- width is generally around five inches smaller, but that's hardly even worth mentioning given that EVERY car was gigantic in that era. The one thing that's considerably larger than a modern Panther is the original (non-Crown Victoria) LTD, which is just staggeringly massive, a full foot longer than a Panther and over half a foot longer than even a late model GM B-body wagon.

>GM had the B-bodies (Caprice, Roadmaster, and Custom Cruiser); Ford had the Panther bodies (Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, Town Car).
Oh so what you're after are Chrysler's LH and LX platforms.

>The difference is generally in wheelbase and width- a whale body Crown Vic is 212 inches long, which is within an inch of most every full-size car Ford had in that era. Wheelbase is often close or a couple inches less- width is generally around five inches smaller, but that's hardly even worth mentioning given that EVERY car was gigantic in that era.

And yet Panthers look and feel so much smaller.

>even worth mentioning given that EVERY car was gigantic in that era.
I own a Corvair you can't fool me.

Regardless Chrysler was ahead of the time.
In a era of downsizing they capitalized on it pretty quick.

The Cadillac wreath on your trunk looks vaguely like a silver version of the Quake logo.

isnt that because the lt1 is detuned?

>And yet Panthers look and feel so much smaller.
Panthers are in that weird spot where they look and feel smaller than the true road-boats that came before them, but ALSO look smaller than even a modern Corolla because the Panthers are so long and flat instead of bulged and tall. I never get over parking next to a new econobox and looking out my window to see their fenders are halfway up my windshield.

Me here.

Northstars arent without their flaws, but neither are Modulars. Problem is people dont know or care how to wrench. The Northstar isnt nearly as hard to work on as people think it is. Its more time consuming than a modular or old 5.0 because everything is crammed in a sideways engine compartment but in general people are lazy and cant be bothered to fix issues when theyre small and just let their cars perpetually deteriorate for the duration of their ownership.

Detuned and have Iron heads instead of aluminum found in the Vette.

A simple flash will not bring these cars up to 300hp like Impala fanboys would care to beleive.

>Northstars arent without their flaws, but neither are Modulars.
That's fair. I'll be the first to admit my intake manifold is a ticking time bomb and the timing chain guides probably aren't far behind, not to mention the hodgepodge of shit on the rest of the car ranging from a transmission that shifts so slowly and hesitantly that one of the original designers for it wrote up his own guide on how to bring it up to the original specifications, to the world's shittiest cup holders and those weird rotating rear dome lights with the "off" position being between two different "on" areas.

>Datt Lac

Why is it so hard to find a clean Eldorado for a decent price? I can find an STS for less than half of what sellers are asking for nice ETCs.

The Eldos I see are either complete shitbuckets for cheap or pristine examples at a stealership for 8-12k. Theres literally no middle ground.

M-mr. Regular?

Fuck no, Mr Regufur's entire video was about Crown Vics as police cars and how their owners all have daddy issues and want a feeling of authority over others, not a word about how they're the last cars of their kind and people want them for reasons other than playing copper on the highway- nevermind anything actually USEFUL about the car itself.

>how they're the last cars of their kind and people want them for reasons other than playing copper on the highway
Which is completely untrue btw

The two doors just look so much better than the sts, people are willing to pay more.

Ive noticed these cars are also like preludes in the sense that they have their own oddball cult following. It's not like g body or civic people who buy, build and sell their cars twice a year. These are folks tend to keep their cars for a very long time.

Kutztown Dragon please go, there's a big ol' fallacy two minutes into your video.

>people buy ex cop cars because they're sturdy enough for police service, cheap, have fleet vehicle service records and they made a billion of 'em
>IF COPS DROVE (x) CAR THAT'S WHAT YOU'D DRIVE
>...because if that's what the cops drove, then it would be because they'd be sturdy enough for police service, cheap, have fleet vehicle service records and there would be a billion of 'em
>but that isn't what the cops drove, they drove Crown Vics, and now there's a billion sub-$2000 Interceptors on the market that you can at least count on lasting longer than a $1000 Civic sold by Pedro Martinez

>Kutztown Dragon please go
wrong, i'm a normie and RFR is a freak.

The weirdest thing about all his blathering is that one of his very first video was a POV drive of his grandparents' (?) Grand Marquis, and that was apparently totally fine and kosher.

>or pristine examples at a stealership for 8-12k.

Thats what I ended up doing. Couldnt find a decent black on black Touring Coupe to save my ass so when one popped up at a dealer across the country,I just bit the bullet and bought it.

Get the grand marquis. It's the CV without the stigma and it will be in better condition than a clapped out cop car. Also most CVs don't have bench seats, unlike the GMs, and bitches love bench seats believe me, I was a kisses virgin before I got my GM, I'm still a virgin but I got a handy in that car once.

They made a shitload more STS and DTS than ETS

>without the stigma
Wrong, you still look weird if you aren't a geriatric driving it.

What if I just hike my pants up real high, wear a silly hat and complain about pop music?

if you don't have more wrinkles then a raisin you'll still look weird as shit.

I'll just scowl really hard at how shitty life in general is and that'll add enough wrinkles to make up for it.

I don't get it. Isn't the secondary appeal (primary being cheap) the fact that everyone else on the road will worry that you're a cop and not drive like shitheads around you?

Why wouldn't that be enjoyable?

There's a 97' Vic on craigslist, 90k miles and the guy claims he's the second owner, first being an old lady who did the first 75K. He claims he replaced the intake manifold.

Assuming its in good condition could I expect it to last me at least 8-10 years or am I being unrealistic? I'm not very knowledgeable about cars just trying to get something that lasts longer than my first one and I can take on a ~200 mile trip a few times a year without a second thought, and I've always kind of liked the idea of having a Vic.

>wants to go 10 under the limit everywhere

>people enjoy hanging out in front of cop cars

I imagine most do what I do and get out of the way.

>get out of the way.
They really don't.
People act like a deer in the headlights when they're being followed by what they perceive to be the lawman.

People definitely got out of my way when I drove my old cvpi. YMMV.

I want a crown vic in my town but no police auctions available.

Why is the p71 looked down upon? Besides wear and tear, is there really a difference between the civilian and police model?
What makes them so cheap? Lack of appeal? I'm looking to buy one as my first car because of the reliability found in them, and I need to go on the highway for at least 7 hours every 3 months(about 1200/year) not including my daily drive.


How old is too old? I need to also look into common problems of the generations.

Young college poorfag by the way.

If he already changed the manifold, the drivetrain should be fine for another decade- it hasn't even broken 100k miles yet, that's nothing. Just make sure he replaced it properly and that the gaskets aren't already leaking again.

You might have to worry about other things creaking or falling apart due to age, but it should last another couple years at least assuming you don't live somewhere that rusts out cars in four years tops- it's made it this far, it'll keep going.

Also 200 miles is nothing.

main problem with the decommissioned cop cars is the idling. could be 100k miles, but that's not counting the hundreds of hours its been sitting around idling.

but that's only if you're buying a decommissioned police car i would think

>Why is the p71 looked down upon?
Stigma, primarily.

>is there really a difference between the civilian and police model?
P71s have a number of extra features as standard equipment (some of which aren't available on civvie cars)- dual exhaust, shorter rear end gears with limited-slip as an option, external oil and transmission coolers, taller suspension, extra wiring for spotlights, flashers, etc. Same engine, same transmission, same interior (for the most part; P71s have bucket seats but use the dashboard of a bench-seat car, so there's no center console), just with bits and pieces to make it easier to use as a police car.

Wear and tear is definitely not something to consider "besides," though- generally speaking ex-cop cars have extremely high idle time where the car just sits around running, then goes at redline for five minutes, then it's back to idling for six hours. Not only is this horrible for the engine but idle time doesn't show up on the odometer, and by Ford's own standards one hour of idle time is equal to around 33 miles of wear on the engine. Newer Crown Vics have an option to show idle time on the dash, but I don't remember what year that started offhand. 7 hours of highway cruising wouldn't hurt anything though, given that it's actual driving- if there's one thing these cars are good at, it's long-distance freeway travel.

Too old isn't really a thing- there are people that use the old box-body Panthers as daily drivers even now, I'm pretty sure there's a couple here on Veeky Forums in fact- but if you want maximum reliability, go for something between 2003 and 2009 or so. 2003 was the first time in over a decade that the platform was heavily updated for better road handling, and also had the notorious intake manifold problem (mostly) resolved- the last couple years (10-11) were when the cars were stopping production and being parts-binned together from spare bits by workers who knew they were gonna be laid off, so quality control can be iffy.

The only people I know who look down on cvpi's are here on Veeky Forums. Most people recognize them as a pretty good bargain.

True, they get abuse and lots of idle time, but the junkyard is stuffed to the gills with cheap as fuck replacements. Worst case scenario you replace the drivetrain for a whopping $1500 including labor. Oh noes.

>pic related is every crown vic driver


uh, that isn't a nigger

GM was putting 8.1L Vortecs in trucks up until 2007...

rides like a truck, much less smooth and tight than your mazda. good for the highway I got over 25 mpg at 80 in my mercury.

Oh, which by the way, I did. I bought a CVPI for $500 with rod knock, drove it to a shop, had them swap in a junkyard motor and trans with 40k miles on it, spent $1500 and drove it problem free for almost 160k miles after that.

>not swapping in an InTech 4v from a Lincoln
user why

I didn't know shit back then.

If you want a V8 barge get an LS400.

>live in sunny FL
>drive an 03 Grand Marquis
>half the traffic is Panther cabs
>most of the cop cars are still late model panthers
>parking spaces are fuckhueg
>sad that I can't find a Florida Edition GM that isn't beat to shit

Still love my grandmamobile. Now that I know the 4.6 Cobra is the same block and that the 6spd can be mounted with it, I'm hoping to do the swap.

>unibody landbarge thats not a mopar
how about no

the Panther was literally the last clasically styled, body on frame, RWD V8 landbarge in the US.

which is another reason someone might buy one, particularly if they avoid the crown vic and go for a Grand Marquis or Town Car

>tfw I do this
>I dont wear hats but I do this
I mean, I-I just like tucking my shirt in and I like that early 90's high waist jean look.

Mike stop posting.

whose mike?

>except maybe a Marauder
no, not even the Marauder. Dont get me wrong, the marauder is a nice car, but my buddy has one and I have a 94 9C1. I always beat in him. It is close sometimes but those LT1 b-bodies are rocket barges.

>the Church of the Panther, the V8 and the Holy Boat
fuck dude, I gotta put that on a decal. We need more landbarge stickers.

Is it actually possible to make these fast without spending more than you paid for the car?

mike belongs to no one

old ones- swap in a mustang or explorer engine, can be upgraded to 400hp before the block cracks in half. All the weight reduction you can manage will make it run 12s, maybe 11s.
new ones- twin turbo it

>live in snowy NY
>drive a GrandMa
>first winter I had it I dumped it into a snowbank literally a hundred yards from my driveway in front of my neighbor who I've never spoken to while they were shoveling snow
>my fucking face the whole time I'm revving the piss out of it, swinging the column shift between D and R like I'm jerking off Robocop to rock it out of the snow
You southerners have it easy.

Are the LT1 B-bodies that fast? Goddamn, I knew they stayed in service long after their discontinuation just because of their speed, but didn't realize just how much of a difference there was.

Define fast.

snow tires, bud. plus you gotta learn how to really drive in icy conditions. fwd is baby tier bullshit.

I love the snow with my Crown Vic. my snow ties get me through anything and I can do sick donuts and drifts like nothing.

>Are the LT1 B-bodies that fast?
By landbarge standards, yes. They are a force to be reckoned with especially back in their era. Those b-bodies are a prime example when people say its fun to drive a slow car fast. No one expects a barge like my 9C1 to be as fast as it is.

I own both a panther and b-body btw. In case you are wondering.

I normally run snow tires on everything, I just didn't do much driving that winter and so I hadn't put 'em on. Always ran Blizzaks but I've heard lots of good things about those newer Nokians so I'll give those a shot this coming winter.

I got a deal on Firestones and they are pretty great. I recommend them if you can get a good price.

In his town car review he pretty much said this
He just think that the TC is much better than the CVPI.

>Are the LT1 B-bodies that fast?

In short, no. The reason they were kept in service so long was the fact they had higher speed limiters than most Vics. Highway Patrols also clung on to 96 & 97 Vics as long as possible because they had higher top speeds than earlier models and later Whales that were limited to 120 for the most part.

Whats top speed on a lt1?

Just shy of 140

Suit yourself, more for me.

What's a good price for a low mile Town Car from the last few years of production? I've seen them anywhere from like $10,000 to $20,000.