I'm thinking of trading in my MCS for a Crown Vic. I can get an 03 or 04 with under 20k miles for about $16,000. I think it would be so cool cruisin in one of these.

Any one have an opinion or experience with these?

 

Why don't you join a police force and get one as your squad car!? Best of both worlds!

Just out of curiosity: are you serious? What a swing from a spry little performance hatch to an all-American tank! :smile:

Clover

 

My dad had one when I was younger. Even though I never drove it, I remember that it was fast, but extreamely boring. (You couldn't feel the road) It's definitely the total opposite of the MINI.

 

I'm serious.

I really want to get one that was a police car with the sport suspension and the extra HP. These cars come loaded, it's like a Lincoln or a Caddy but cheap.

I don't know what I'm gonna do. I don't like Fords but the Crown Vic is so cool. I mean people would no longer camp out in the fast lane going slow, they would get the hell out of my way.

Now that I have a family I want something bigger and I want something I'm not going to worry awhole lot about. The Crown Vic would be perfect for road trips.

what do you think: Crown Vic or Scion Xb?

 

"It's got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas."

Not much of a choice, but I'd take the Vic over one of those goofy Toyo- er, Scions...

Cheers,

 

My feeling?... I get nervous when I see a crown vic... Just don't drive
behind me and you're okay.

 

Just remember there's a reason these cars are so cheap. For me, nothing says "old man" quite like a Crown Vic. . But, it does have good safety ratings which is a plus when carrying the family.

Have you considered renting one for a week to see what life would be like in it on a daily basis?

 

Don’t forget to get the mega-loudspeaker option.

 

Why don't you buy an ex-police car from auction? Here in MA, there are several such auctions a year, and used car dealers that specialize in selling such vehicles to the public. Just google, I'm sure you'll find them. (you will have to outbid the taxi folks, who also covet these)

I recall several years ago one of the car mags (Car and Driver?) had a test drive story about a Crown Vic "police interceptor" package car. They said it was quite powerful and well handling (for a full size American car), but that driving it on the highway was like having a giant electro-magnet on the front of your car...anytime you got within sight of a car in front of you, it was just seconds before the front car would dramatically slow and end up on your front bumper. Apparently quite annoying.

 

Don't count on that. I have had big cars and small cars and it has no effect on the campers

 

The problem with an ex-police Crown Vic is that it will most definately have been beat to all hell, the interior will be sub-par (they don't fully spec-out the interiors). Remember that what you're buying is a fleet vehicle, all stop and go, few highway miles, and it will be high mileage. Do you really want to give up your MCS for a used Ford on its last legs?

 

Maybe you should check to see if there are any Crown Vic forums...maybe they'd have some positives to share that'd help propel your quest. As for my opinion...it's just a big, unwieldy old person's car that 1) takes up way too much gas, 2) takes up too much square footage, and 3) severely lessens the aesthetics of our shared roadways. But that's coming from a MINI enthusiast. I'd have to admit it's' hard for me to understand where you're coming from on this, but I certainly respect your right to do your own thing. I just don't think a lot of MINI owners are going to "get it" that's all.

 

Oh, I think it's very cool. Not for me personally, but very cool nonetheless.

Here's a site for used law enforcement vehicles. I wouldn't nesc. think that they're all "beat" to crap either. Go for a state highway patrol car (versus a local cop car). Less sitting and idling at the doughnut shops and more highway miles. :smile:

 

I used to detail for a city yard and if you knew what the local patrol cars go through you definatly wont want a 5 year old 100K one of those. They drive these things over curbs, many little fender benders and like mentioned the intereiors are the cheapest available and are treated very bad and usually dont smell too good. The city I worked with was a very very high end city with a very low crime rate so this is actually a best case senario. A used state patrol car or chp car MIGHT not be as bad. On the other hand a private party 20K car should hold up a good long time for the family.

Why not keep the mcs AND buy a crown vic for the family cruiser ? I think you will be way bummed after a couple weeks drive the crown vic with no mcs to play with. At least that way you can have a fun car you enjoy to drive and take care of and the family car with nothing but the family in mind..no worries about spills etc.

 

Keep the MINI and get a Crown Vic? If I could afford the MINI I'd keep it in a second.

When it comes to my MINI I am about 90% happy with it but I'm thinking of getting something cheaper. I like the idea of the CV because it is an 04 with few miles and would be at least $100 cheaper a month payment wise. The insurance might be a little cheaper and gas would be a little more expensive. It is not a big V8, it only produced 220hp I think. It is a Family Cruiser and I love the whole Undercover aspect.



I'm not that interested in getting one with 100k+ miles on it. Yet

 

Read this:

http://www.freep.com/autos/crownvictoria.htm

What have you been smoking??

Crown Victorias are old relic cars with a basic frame on chassis that dates all the way back to the year 1979 (Panther platform). They don't have that much rear passenger room space for being such a large car. They handle like bricks, have thirsty V-8 engines and so-so reliability. But the worst problewm of them all is their propensity to catch fire on a rear end collision due to a defect in the location of the gas tank!! Some policy state agencies are no longer taking delivery of new Crown Victoria Police Interceptors (CVPI's) due to this risk!

Scion xB is a Toyota Echo with 4 doors! You have to be kidding me!

If you want a safe, big 4 door sedan with "presence" on the road, then look no further than a black 2005 Dodge Magnum RWD station wagon.

 

My 70 year old father recently traded in his 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis (same basic car). After 4 years of ownership, he found it to be incredibly reliable and comfortable. He also found the gas mileage to be abysmal (low teens). He ended up buying a 4 cylinder Honda Accord and seems to be quite happy.

Although I didn't mind driving the car, it's probably not something I would buy for myself.

 

I got mine!

 

I chickened out and ended up with a 2005 Accord. I'm pretty happy because I couldn't afford a cool car anymore. I'm going to save $100 a month and I got $21,000 for my MINI as a trade in. I bought it for $24,000 last October in Texas and drove it back to California. The used Crown Vic would have been cheaper but it would have gotten old pretty quick. The CV would have been at least a foot longer than my wife's Minivan. As it is my new Accord takes up a lot more room in the garage than my old MINI.

I guess I'm done with my MCS and done researching in OFF TOPIC Autos, we bought a 2005 Odessey last month, so this is most likely goodbye Unless you want me to post pic of my new Accord and hear all about the color and the options I chose.

PS: It was not easy to leave my very nice and pretty much new 2004 MCS DS/B Cordoba Beige, Premium package, H/K, Xenons, Fogs, and yes it had the stripes, at the dealership. This was my dream car and I was gonna keep it forever, pay it off, mod it, keep it cherry, etc, etc...

 

Too bad you had to let go pf your MCS, but it is good to hear you got nearly 90% back of what you originally paid for it a year earlier.

The Accord should be a better/safer choice than the Crown Victoria. I am glad I helped Ford lose another sale (I hate Fords and thier poor quality).

MINI will be releasing a 5-door "Traveller" station wagon when the R56 generation is launced in a couple of years. If you ever get the MINI "itch" again, at least you will have a more family oriented choice of MINI at your disposal.

Best of luck.