Ex Police Cars

[Joshy]

Just wondering what everyone thinks about the quality of ex police cars. A good mate of mine works for the police and recently got a new SS to drive around. He used to be driving an XR8 and he reckons he wouldnt recommend anyone buying it as an ex police car from auction. Not that they flog them all the time but for the fact that they are run 24 hrs a day almost. When one shift finishes with it, the next shift jump straight in and head off. Driven like that for a good 2 years or something depending on the station but yeah they're not exactly looked after.

He admits that they flog it a bit when they dont have much to do also.

People with ex police cars (or those with an opinion) what do you think or how have yours gone?

[Wombat]

Hmmm....methinks he might be trying to put you off buying something he has his eye on himself when it goes to auction...
Seriously though, they are well-maintained and regularly serviced vehicles, like most Government cars, and have a complete service record that you can look at, unlike a lot of second hand cars.
Unless you want to try and get an SS or an XR8, or you really like white paint, you should try and get a detectives car. They are usually in a variety of colors, and are better looked after as they will probably never have been used for anything more taxing than driving to a crime scene after all the action has happened. I know a guy who bought a detectives car (XE Fairmont) and it was equipped with air-con, power steer, and a good stereo and floor shift transmission (this is going back to the mid-eighties when these things were still options).
They are usually more up-spec than a normal police car and quite often have good interiors and if Fords are usually at least Fairmonts or if Holden, usually Berlinas or something similar, and not the base model car that a police car is built around.
Another plus is that sometimes they will "look normal" but have the police suspension option, so know your codes before going to an action.

All up, not a bad way to buy a recent-model car with a well-known service history.

[MaNiac_VP]

Agree with what Wombat said, but with any car purchase be very cautious as I have a mate who bought a VR ex interceptor and the engine had only 140,000 ks on it but was noisy and un responsive, got the top end rebuilt and it was better but still not upto scratch. It really depends on the station and its budget, some stations can afford a few cars and will get them serviced properly etc, other smaller stations may rely on the one car too much and overwork it.

[t3zza]

People forget this one point. It is good when a car is always driven, IE why you think taxi's last so long without any engine dramas. Cars really suffer when they arn't driven that much, or very short rides. Truste me mate, those cop cars are well looked after, I bought one with 90,000 on the clock and had no probs to the day i sold it. Sold it for 2 grand more than I purhcased it for, so I was pretty happy. Drove over 160000km, and only added a few things to it ie body kit, wheels, stereo and at the end of the day drove 70,000km without loosing a cent

[Big_Lebowski]

The problem with ex-cop cars is that they are often driven hard with a cold motor. This causes excess wear and tear....

[Walks]

Just try and find out as much about the history of the car before you buy if you can (look for service stamps for location, ring dealer).

Look for a car that has been at a smaller station (maybe country) where maybe 1 or 2 people would drive it. Chances are they will have pride in it and looked after it.

If it has been at a big station, then chances are it has had 100 drivers and no one gives a shit about it i.e. getting things fixed when they are wrong and generally driving it like the clappers when out and about.

Walks.

[t3zza]

Just try and find out as much about the history of the car before you buy if you can (look for service stamps for location, ring dealer).

Look for a car that has been at a smaller station (maybe country) where maybe 1 or 2 people would drive it. Chances are they will have pride in it and looked after it.

If it has been at a big station, then chances are it has had 100 drivers and no one gives a shit about it i.e. getting things fixed when they are wrong and generally driving it like the clappers when out and about.

Walks.

You can't be more wrong mate. I have friends in the force, and they look after the cars really well. Remember government funded, so if the seats rattle they get them fixed, all those small things we over look they get fixed. Ie seals, seats, etc. They are serviced better as well, and in my opion outback / remote police cars are worse. There is nothing worse for a car to travel dirt roads and pooly managed roads.....

[jazza21]

I have a '97 VS II Exec, and yes it is an ex-cop car, though I don't know where it was stationed or how well it was looked after. One thing I do know... It's a great car. I have had it for 3 months now, and I treasure it. If I have the need or opportunity to upgrade, I will look out for and ex-cop car again.

It's amusing, the more I look over my car, the more I find out - like there are fine scratches over the boot lid, I assume they're left there after people had been arrested, and were being read their rights...

I didn't get it immediately after it stopped being a cop car, yet I continue to find the odd RBT breathaliser stick wedged in the carpet gaps under the seats. Great detailing work by the car yard right?

It has only done 150,000 k's, and I have heard from quite a few sources they're sold off after around 40,000 k's. It's done high average distance for a car that age.

I like the features it has too. The last owner added mags, rear spoiler and Tallon side skirts, but the rest are factory fitted; Dual airbags, Power windows, Cruise control, FE2 suspension, Sump and fuel tank protector plates (Don't think they'll be any use to me - I drive it carefully!) and a super loud horn that scares the sh!t out of pedestrians. There is also a disengaged 'black-out' switch below the radio that was used to prevent all interior and boot lights from coming on when they're normally meant to. Good for keeping the car dark if your intoxicated passengers have had a long night...

There are also marks on the underside of the roof and over the drive tunnel where the cabin seperator has been removed, plus small marks and holes in various locations around the body where police lights had been attached.

Atleast I know something about what why car was in it's 'previous life'. Something to tell my friends when I give them a lift as designated driver (or taxi as they prefer to say).

Jazza

[dellarb]

Personally i would never buy an ex emergency service vehicle. Its like a company car i reckon the drivers are a lil harsher then it's probably designed for. Im in the Volly Fire Brigade over here in WA (we are run by FESA so same maintennance standards as the professional Fire & Rescue AKA red trucks) and I've seen what we do to our landcruisers, BIG HINT never buy an ex fire brigade landcruiser! Even our normal driving is way beyond what they are designed for.

Oh also someone mentioned them being kept in tip top condition (seats rattle anaogy) that may be true for some police departments but we tend too have a hard time with mountains of paperwork to get stuff fixed. Being govt means beurocracy (soz 4 spellin its late) so stuff takes a while to get fixed.

[Wombat]

Going off Commodores for a second, I was an auxiliary ambulance bearer back in the early eighties, and the local station had about a dozen vehicles. One was a HZ Premier ambulance, with a low-line roof and quite nice lines. It had a Premier front panel, and a full-instrument GTS dash with a GTS steering wheel. It had a 253 V8 and TH-350 auto box and LSD diff. The motor had to be rebuilt, and the mechanic used the excuse of "There's extra weight to pull around, and this thing is used to take people to Brisbane (before we had an air-ambulance here) so it needs some grunt, and the government is paying for it anyway". It therefor got a Sig Erson hot cam, worked heads, extractors, a big Holley, and an electronic ignition Mallory dizzy. The damn thing lifted up it's skirts and went after that!!!! I personally saw 220 out of it on one long straight stretch of road with a badly injured kid in the back.
There was almost bloodshed leading up to the auction when it came time to be sold! Unfortunately someone else got it....bastard... :b:

[jafo]

i also have an x cop car 1996 vsI v6 and the thing is great, only thing that has gone wrong so far is the water pump and the aircon compressor bearing, other than that i cant complain has heaps more grunt than a mates standard vsII.

i can also see where they had the flashing lights mounted on the inside, tell tale marks where plastic welding has been done very minor tho.

to date the car has only done 141000 k's i got it when it had done 126000 that was 12 months ago.

[dumpd6]

People tell story’s so you never know what to believe it’s the same with any v8 or car that goes hard its just the gamble you gotta take I hardly think there is going to be many v8’s out there that haven’t had a hard life

[9C1pack]

I have an ex-cop car, it is a VT2 V6, we bought it from a dealer, did not buy it at auction, we went to a several car auctions (Vic) and they where taking bids from imaginary bidders, it all seemed too dodgy to me .
We purchased the car with 40K on the clock (in Vic they usually sell them at 40 - 60 K), it now has 90K. The only trouble we have had, is that we had to get "kits" put in the rear suspension to correct a tyre wear (poor holden design) problem. And had some good quality synthetic oil put in to the LSD to make it work properly, as holden only put cheap mineral oil in.
The cars come loaded with options, such as cruise, ABS, 2 airbags, LSD, FE2, 225 x15 Bridgestone performance tyres, plus some options from Berlina, Calais etc: like map reading lights, lumbar adjustment on the passenger seat, two horns. The car is a blue colour, so it may have been a Detective or a speed camera car. It had some screw holes in the back of the fold down rear seat centre arm rest (repaired by dealer), where a camera or computer was once affixed, also some screw holes in the floor under the passenger seat (probably where undercover radio was fitted).
In regards to whether to buy an ex-cop vehicle:
I know a guy who bought a 5L VR cop car from the auctions years ago, and has recently purchased a VX SS to replace it, if he thought they where crap he would not have gone back for seconds.
Another friend bought a V6 white car after a drive of ours, and is also pleased with it.
My sister has a AU (Phew) Falcon (country cop car) they purchased it at QLD Auctions, it has the holes/marks (mentioned in previous posts) where the barrier was, apart from a minor problem fixed by Ford under warranty, it has also been a good car.
A guy I work with has a ex-cop (Vic) Jackeroo, he purchased it loaded with extra's including, ARB bull bar, warn winch, cargo barier with approx 90K on the clock from a dealer for under $30K, he is also happy with his purchase, his touring mates have landcruisers (admittedly a more desirable vehicle) that cost $10 - 20K more.
The only complaint we have is that the FE2 sport suspension rides a bit rough on poorly maintained rural roads, but give it some good road, and its like a big fat go-kart, you need to drive these things through corners with positive throttle, if you coast around corners it feels a bit of a barge, but with a bit of throttle, its a different car!
As mentioned by other posts, the cars are often run continuously by back to back shifts, this has to be a good thing (also mentioned previously) as short runs are not good for cars. If you read the cars manual, they advise extra servicing in such cases as the oil gets contaminated by unburnt fuels & sludge.
When we bought the car we thought we would either keep it for a couple of years and then trade it, while it was still worth something!, or keep it, till it dies. It has been such a good car, that we will probably run the car out, to about 160 - 190K and then pass it on to our son who will have a license by then (he really likes the car).
Since I purchased the car, I have had it serviced (not by holden, but by Repco-Auto care) every 5K, it is now out of GM warranty so I get the 10K service by done by Repco, and do the 5K intermediate service myself, Repco use Castrol FMX, an oil that is supplied to the trade, so I rang Castrol and they advised that the retail pack, of Magnatec is made from the same base oil and is a suitable alternative/replacement.
We are so happy with the car, our next car will be a cop or ex govt car also.

[Walks]

You can't be more wrong mate. I have friends in the force, and they look after the cars really well.

Well your friends must take pride in them then. I have been a cop for 10yrs and let me tell you that most cars get flogged. As I said, if the car is used by a few people who have pride,then it probably gets looked after better.

Yes it is government funded and so a lot of shit gets fixed BUT I know a lot of fellow workers, who would, rather than having to complete PLEASE EXPLAIN paperwork, just park it up and leave it. Maybe it gets fixed, maybe it goes un-noticed.

Just speaking from experience.

Walks.

[Commodore]

I went in a VY Series I SS 9C1 tonight. It was traded in to the Holden dealer at 71,000k. They're going to sell it at $37k. But for some reason, which I didn't comment about, it smelt like one of those stinkbugs inside .

[t3zza]

I went in a VY Series I SS 9C1 tonight. It was traded in to the Holden dealer at 71,000k. They're going to sell it at $37k. But for some reason, which I didn't comment about, it smelt like one of those stinkbugs inside .

Yeah well you would be right on the money there. You think about it, drunks etc and yeah. Nar nothing that car lovers can't fix though or a couple of hard days work cleaning all the fabric etc.


In relations to what walks says I agree there is some degree of the cars having a hard life. But if you look at this way, a 18 year old flog the shit out of his car, services it himself, takes shortcuts, buy cheap or 2nd hand parts etc. Cop cars do get serviced and heaps of money spent on it etc, no shortcuts, its public safety etc so yeah. But anyway everyone has mixed opinions in the matter....



Terry

[ChRiDDa]

when i was 18, i never flogged the shit outta my car :P im now 19 and i still havent! u start flogging cars, your gonna get yourself into shit, whether it be having an accident, your car breaking down or you getting caught by the boys in blue
i never take shortcuts with my car EVER! (having said that, i know a lot that do) and i service my car religiously every 5000k (new oil, new oil filter, new spark plugs)
fuel filter n leads get replaced every 10,000k and the k&n filter gets its bath
tyre pressures are checked every week, coolant/brake/trans/diff fluid are changed every 20,000k :P
as most of my mates say, they think i take too gooda care of my car
havent even dropped a circle in any of my cars either

[t3zza]

Yeah I should say, some teenagers do hehehehe. Like hear stories where they drag all the time, water hoses blow and they still go. hehehehe but there is no doubt that even adults neglect their cars. Today I was at the garage and there was a really nice looking VT Calias. Looked in the engine bay, there was oil everywhere and the ratiator got flushed and the water was BROWN. hehehehe I am the same though I have always owned cars around $20 grand mark since day 1, and looked after them well and used the best stuff for it. Its all good, I guess when you buy a car just look if it has had a service history, and DO a major service straight away....

[jetspin_vn]

Be extra careful with ex police VLT's. Cops would wind the wastegate shut and thrash the tits off them. Ouch.

Mike

[JuLz_W]

think what you'd do with a car that:

1. wasn't urs
2. you could do almost whatever you wanted in.
3. wouldn't have an effect on ur insurance if you stuffed it.


Saying that, many of the cars are well looked after. I've got a mate who's a copper and he says many of the guys around the station do treat the cars well.

good luck.

[rattattack1313]

I have a Vee Pee 1993 series 2 ex cop car..its immaculate...now I re-painted it.....and that was Dulux's fault, not Holdens or the previous owners (police force) fault.........rest of the car is schmicko........except for the extra holes in it for the prior radio etc........ which is nothing....lol.....

[scooterjohansen]

My car is a VT 5.0l. it has just over 100k on the clock. I especially wanted to get an ex police car for a few reasons. Its chipped. i believe its sitting on 215kw. I like the fact it comes fitted with dual airbags, LSD ,dual thermos cold air induction and the previous owner put a K & N. The brakes are abs and are fantastic.( compared to the feel of a bmw) I love fe2 suspension. It looks like a standard commodore, to the untrained eye. it has standard exhaust fitted which is very very very quiet. it drives and handles like a new car or close to new. does drives like a go kart on the open road it corners sensationally and is so silky smooth and responsive that my girlfriend just sits there with a large grin and beggs for her turn to drive. it is immaculate bar the usual minor paint blemish you get for a car of this age. it has been resprayed on the bumbers I would guess about 30k ago.the inside is not your unmarked granny interior and shows signs of its age. ususal holes etc there from police accessories. the seats are firm and comfortable. the back support to help the kidney is crucial. I think it was a country car and while my car is not an SS it also cost 30% less. The only thing I would like to see is heat insulation under the floor cause on a hot day you sweat with out air con. i am planning to put 100K on it and not have to spend a cent. apart from schedule services etc and I am going to fix the chew out tyres thing too. like any car purchase i suggest getting it checked out by a mechanic to see if there is any hidden issues that could be missed. overall bang for buck very very good.

[Doctor Bob]

My car is a VT 5.0l. it has just over 100k on the clock. I especially wanted to get an ex police car for a few reasons. Its chipped..

so the previous owner did the chip then?
cos everyone knows the police dont do it.lol
Rob :b:

[helly]

I have a VY SS ex NSW police highway car, I wouldn't have bought it except I have intimate knowledge on how it was driven, I just have to switch my brain into remember mode, instead of deny everything mode...

Look its just like any car, I have never really abused any car I ahve driven in my work, however I have done ridicluaous speeds behjind other people doing ridiculous speeds and pulled handbrakes on at 80 clicks, while pushing the auto back into second and pushing my right foot real hard. I have driven 6's and 8's and in my opinion the 8's are just that bit tougher.

Only negative comment I have ever heard about an ex police vehicle is that they are awful hard to get a good wheel alignment on with out a kit. And why wouldn't they be... Bloody speed humps...

By the way, I definately wouldn't buy a WRX, every second one in Sydney has been stolen and do you think crooks care how they treat the cars they drive??? They don't have bosses, Cops do!

Holden cover everything on new car warranty anyway...

I have no complaints, mine had 50,000 km on it and it cost me $27K ($30K really but I didn't pay GST)

[scooterjohansen]

the extra money i saved not getting a badged ss/hsv I can spend on a supercharger. i like this idea a lot....it does seems there are a lot of wrx out there... hmmmm