Posted by gambino I like the old impala ss 96 etc. Cops liked them too, but they did not hold up well still, when compared to the panther.

i disagree... vehemently disagree, all fanboy shit aside.

the mechanicals of this generation Vickie are it's achilles heel... that modular engine is a flaming piece of shit compared to the LT1 and LS-series from GM. Also, their AOD transmission are flaming pieces of shit compared to the 4L60 and 4L65E. I feel that if Ford had stayed with the venerable small block V8, like GM did, they would be farther than where they are. The 4.6L just doesn't have it. Never has, never will.
However, you have to give Ford a massive amount of credit for keeping a dinosaur like the Crown Victoria alive. In light of this thread, I was talking with a friend of my dads' (Egglefield Ford, Elizabethtown NY) about Crown Vickies and availability of them. According to him, you can't order one for civilian use any more. They are strictly available for fleet use only... that means cab or taxi. Which I found strange... there is a demand for large, RWD cars... look at the premium imported brands... RWD and V8.
Anyways, I hope that this new Chevrolet will be available for public purchase.

Talking to the guys at work, sounds like the Caprice will be availble for fleet use for the first little while, but will eventually be for sale to the public.

Yeah the Gran Marquis is still available for public use, it's been stripped of a lot of gadgets, but it's still around. I think the lincoln towncar is still available though fleet only.

I know the lt1 and ls are good motors, the 4.6l is alright. But cannot compare.
Rather than retooling the plant, and coming up with a new motor or major mods, ford chose to stick with what it has. The cvpi is almost a pass to print free money, everything has been setup for years, nothing really changing.

It's pretty well know in the police world, that if you give a cop a car that is fast he will crash it, and the faster it is, the more likely he will lose control.
It was never the point to have a fast cop car, just something that would last, since it's the radio that you have to beat, not the cop on your tail. It was always said that if you want to go fast buy a mustang, if you want it to last buy a crown vic. The cars see most of their time in the city hopping curbs and idling. High speed chases rarely happen.

Ford could easily bolt in the 4.6 3v (300 hp), or go with a 5.4. The 3v 4.6 goes in with no issues.

Anyways I have owned two cv's now, an 03 lx civi, and now an 06 cvpi. The 06 is a fun car, stripped of the gadgets that would break on the 03. They are real cheap to fix, parts being so cheap. For the money I had no idea what else I could buy, I mean to find an impala ss was impossible, they were all molested. It could use more power, but for me it has enough for now. I just wanted something reliable, rwd, v8, and durable. I take care of my stuff, nothing has ever broken on my cars. If I want more power I have plenty options. I def did not want a front wheel drive, nor a truck.

I am biased towards these cars, since they have held up very well for me.

Posted by gambino It's pretty well know in the police world, that if you give a cop a car that is fast he will crash it, and the faster it is, the more likely he will lose control.

this is very much the truth. NYSP ran 5.0L Mustangs in the early 90's and had so many wrecked that they went back to Chevy Camaros due to their stability. They weren't as quick as the Mustangs, but they were far more stable and easier to drive.

It was never the point to have a fast cop car, just something that would last, since it's the radio that you have to beat, not the cop on your tail. It was always said that if you want to go fast buy a mustang, if you want it to last buy a crown vic.

Cops here often quote that... "you can't outrun Motorola." Where we live, yes, you can. Yes I have.

Ford could easily bolt in the 4.6 3v (300 hp), or go with a 5.4. The 3v 4.6 goes in with no issues.

i see what you're saying, but in my experience, that entire engine family just blows.

Anyways I have owned two cv's now, an 03 lx civi, and now an 06 cvpi. The 06 is a fun car, stripped of the gadgets that would break on the 03. They are real cheap to fix, parts being so cheap. For the money I had no idea what else I could buy, I mean to find an impala ss was impossible, they were all molested. It could use more power, but for me it has enough for now. I just wanted something reliable, rwd, v8, and durable. I take care of my stuff, nothing has ever broken on my cars. If I want more power I have plenty options. I def did not want a front wheel drive, nor a truck. I am biased towards these cars, since they have held up very well for me.

i hear what you're saying about it being hard to find a B-body unmolested... GM's were victims of their own ruggedness.

It's interesting... the Border Patrol and Homeland Security in Rochester have almost entirely Chargers now. They love them, a lot. No issues with the cars mechanically, and the only complaint is rear-seat ingress. The door-shape just doesn't seem to work with shoving idiots in back.

They love the power and handling, and almost all of the issues with the early Charger Interceptors were resolved incredibly quickly. Dodge is even using the Charger Interceptor for improvements to the consumer R/T. They added the bigger brakes to the consumer car, and have been adding new little features like interactive fuel shutoff during decel, among others. It's outselling the CVPI and the Impala in a lot of the CNY/WNY hilltowns, too, because the 5.7 Hemi seems to LOVE the hills.

Ithaca went and got a Charger 5.7 when it first came out, then went through the recall process, and then bought 2 more, and then bought the special 6.1 Hemi Interceptor for high speed pursuits of dirt bikes and other small, fast, capable vehicles on the back roads. Granted, Ithaca also has a Police New Beetle, but that's another story.

The City of Rochester, however, has been retiring the CVPI's like crazy. Almost their entire fleet is GM now, with the exception of a handful of Chargers and a few stray Vickies. But, our police departments have been suffering in the budget department recently, and being a city that is home to a major (former) GM branch (AC Delco) and currently home to the Fuel Cell Research Center, we get lots of GMs cheap. The cops don't seem to care, but then again, those cars are plenty fast on our freeways. I know they think they're awfully bland and could use a few more performance features, but overall, they're reliable cars that get them to their destinations. I have heard a few guys complain that they miss the RWD, but it's nothing they can't get used to.

I like Chargers too... I like the fact that my little Cobalt SS can outrun them... easily.

Posted by Samurai I like Chargers too... I like the fact that my little Cobalt SS can outrun them... easily.

These guys swear up and down that they're faster to 100 than the Vickies, and I've heard a couple guys say they've gotten to 140 easily. A good driver can handle the Charger at 160 without issues, and can take the Police Charger almost to 1G in lateral acceleration. It's a fine car, but only in the hands of a true driver. If only the consumer car was taken care of as well as the Interceptor.

Posted by velcrozeppelin These guys swear up and down that they're faster to 100 than the Vickies, and I've heard a couple guys say they've gotten to 140 easily. A good driver can handle the Charger at 160 without issues, and can take the Police Charger almost to 1G in lateral acceleration. It's a fine car, but only in the hands of a true driver. If only the consumer car was taken care of as well as the Interceptor.

Vickies are limited to 120mph.
I'd like to see a Charger go beyond 140. Most cops I know are not car guys and don't really know what they're talking about. The big new thing here is Chevy Tahoes... they're all 6.2L V8's out of the Camaros and I am pretty sure that they're the AWD setup out of the Silverado SS. But they're pokey slow and silly... the last cop car I was afraid of was the last of the Camaros that was stationed at the Westport barracks and patrolled between exits 30 and 33. That car was a true 160+mph car.

See, I did not know the Vickies were limited. Guess you're right about cops not being car guys!

I've had some experience with the Vickie/Merc/Lincoln cars, as my grandfather's owned a million and one Vickies/Town Cars/Grand Marquis. I've only ever driven the one he gave to my mom. It's certainly pretty luxurious, with wide, comfy seats and just miles and miles of space, but I didn't like driving it. I was uncomfortable in it above 85, because it was just so fucking boaty. Never pushed it to its limits, and really avoided driving it when possible. It just was not a car that was meant for someone who wants to drive at his or her limits.

So far, I feel pretty much the same about the Impala. It's a nice car, and if I wanted something kind of boring but reliable and spacious, I would get it. I wouldn't necessarily enjoy driving it, because it's a big boring boat.

Posted by Samurai Cops here often quote that... "you can't outrun Motorola." Where we live, yes, you can. Yes I have.

We should start a club for that It's a good feeling.


When they first started using Chargers for police cars out here, I was sitting beside a cop at an intersection who was in a charger (I think I was in my 325is), I shouted over "Does it have a hemi?" and he yelled "FUCK YEAH!" and peeled out through the intersection. It was pretty entertaining.

Only up to a certain point will the police chase you. Off the highway, it's ~100+ and they are supposed to lay off. If you can get away before they tag your plates and then hide nearby. The Motorola loses.

They won't chase you if you are going a speed that is "a danger to life and limb" and it will probably take at least 2-3 minutes to get a chopper after you.

The consideration I had was if I was going 80+MPH and I blew past a parked cop, my car could accelerate another 40MPH easily before he could hit his 120 limit...

And I have a confirmation from a friend with a base 2.5L subie outback that he has hit 150MPH on I-84 on a large downhill. I've been with him when he pulled 120MPH out of his little boxer engine somewhere in central CT.

I have in the mail coming a bumper sticker that says "You can outrun Mopar but you can never out run a (/\/\)otorola"

On a side note, I heard the reason why most of the agencies under DHS (such as US CBP, ICE, FBI, and FPS) along with NCIS* and Amtrak Police, have swiched to the Charger is because of a GSA recommendation because the Charger gets better fuel economy with the same performance as the CVPI did.

*Even Mark Harmon drives a Charger!

Posted by TheVicariousVadder And I have a confirmation from a friend with a base 2.5L subie outback that he has hit 150MPH on I-84 on a large downhill.

i'd have to see the footage of that trick.

Ditto. I worked for Subaru. I've done 150 mph in a modded STi, but not in a base Outback. Did it get dropped from a helicopter and land on I-84?

Posted by bandi Ditto. I worked for Subaru. I've done 150 mph in a modded STi, but not in a base Outback. Did it get dropped from a helicopter and land on I-84?

Pedal to the ground + big downhill + clear highway at night? He said he "hit 150 not drove the constant speed of it"

I don't know if his car had a flashed ECU or not... But he doesn't have any mechanical mods done to it.

The speedometer on mine reads up to 150MPH. I heard they might be electronically limited to 130, though.

He might have the H6, I can't remember, but it's definitely not the turbo...

Posted by bandi Ditto. I worked for Subaru. I've done 150 mph in a modded STi, but not in a base Outback. Did it get dropped from a helicopter and land on I-84?

I don't think Travis Pastrana could do that on I-15 with police looking the other way in Utah with a stock Outback.

who cares?
it's an import, one of the most perfect vehicles ever to sanctify the earth with its treadprint. It would probably roll across water, tickle your balls and tell you you're pretty it's so perfect.

Posted by Samurai who cares? it's an import, one of the most perfect vehicles ever to sanctify the earth with its treadprint. It would probably roll across water, tickle your balls and tell you you're pretty it's so perfect.

Thats why I kind of like Subaru; they don't play into the whole "Japan makes better cars because we say so" attitude like Toyota does. They advertise their strengths and are very happy with their share of the market. Nissan is the same way.

Posted by Agent Skelly Thats why I kind of like Subaru; they don't play into the whole "Japan makes better cars because we say so" attitude like Toyota does. They advertise their strengths and are very happy with their share of the market. Nissan is the same way.

yeah, i do have a soft spot for Subie... they DO build legitimately tough cars.

subie and datsun were always cars i liked, just the strange factor of some of them, the old datsun trucks with 2 plugs per cylinder. subaru putting 4 wheel drive in a JUSTY!