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Ex Police Cars

J

Joshy

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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

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Hmmm....methinks he might be trying to put you off buying something he has his eye on himself when it goes to auction... :p
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

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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.
 
T

t3zza

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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 ;)
 
B

Big_Lebowski

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

Walks

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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 **** about it i.e. getting things fixed when they are wrong and generally driving it like the clappers when out and about.

Walks.
 
T

t3zza

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Walks said:
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 **** 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

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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

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I wouldnt

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.
 
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Wombat

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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:
 
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