Let's Talk About The Gone But NOT Forgotten...Ford Crown Victoria! (vehicle, CV)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Ah, the Ford Crown Victoria. The name might ring a bell because it is so commonly using in police departments all around the country. It was one of those cars where if you see one, it was most likely a cop. It has that stealth silhouette and it is known as the "King of Cop Cars". Unfortunately you see less and less of them on the roads now than ever before. They stopped production and the last plant closed in Canada in 2011. In my opinion, that day was one of the worst days in car industry history. They are American classic cars and they're known as one of the last rear wheel drive sedans out there. They should have never stopped making them but the sales and numbers do not lie. They speak for themselves. I was devastated to learn that they will eventually be gone and off the roads. I've owned a couple and they're very reliable cars. The Crown Victoria requires very little maintenance and it can easily last over 200,000 miles. I've been involved with law enforcement for years and its sad that they'll be replaced by Taurus's and Explorer's. Many police departments have started switching over. I've only been a fan of the Crown Victoria and Charger which they still make. There are so many civilian modeled Ford Explorer's, Dodge Charger, and Ford Taurus's that only less than 5% are actually law enforcement vehicles. Compare them to the Crown Victoria when nearly 75-80% of them were involved with law enforcement. Majority of the police fleets consisted of Crown Victoria; while today they're mixed. They will most likely be continued to be used in law enforcement until 2019-2020. The civilian modeled Crown Victoria will be around for awhile but they will become harder and harder to find. The CVPI will always be the #1 police car without a doubt.
I had an '03 Grand Marquis to use as a family car and for traveling. Roomy, comfortable and got great mileage on the highway at 75-85 mph for a car of its size.
With a 2:73 highway rear it rolled a 16.7 at the drag strip.
I added a rear sway bar from Mercury Marauder and it helped in the handling.
they did have a darker period, during all of that controversy over the gas tanks and the hanger that would puncture it. That said, it was a strong vehicle and should be the standard for police vehicles for their power and efficiency.
Location: Born & Raised DC > Carolinas > Seattle > Denver
9,338 posts, read 7,111,956 times
Reputation: 9487
Miss my '01 Crown Vic. It was a MD state trooper overstock sold back to the dealership, bought it brand new with 000,017 miles on the dash. I was very active on the crown vic forums from 01 to about 2010. used to go to the Crownvic.net meet ups in the DC area. had quite a few performance mods as well.
the cars I drive now have a strong v6 and a 4-cylinder turbo...but i miss smashing it on the highway and hearing that V8 downshift and roar up to 90 mph in a flash.
Ah, the Ford Crown Victoria. The name might ring a bell because it is so commonly using in police departments all around the country. It was one of those cars where if you see one, it was most likely a cop. It has that stealth silhouette and it is known as the "King of Cop Cars". Unfortunately you see less and less of them on the roads now than ever before. They stopped production and the last plant closed in Canada in 2011. In my opinion, that day was one of the worst days in car industry history. They are American classic cars and they're known as one of the last rear wheel drive sedans out there. They should have never stopped making them but the sales and numbers do not lie. They speak for themselves. I was devastated to learn that they will eventually be gone and off the roads. I've owned a couple and they're very reliable cars. The Crown Victoria requires very little maintenance and it can easily last over 200,000 miles. I've been involved with law enforcement for years and its sad that they'll be replaced by Taurus's and Explorer's. Many police departments have started switching over. I've only been a fan of the Crown Victoria and Charger which they still make. There are so many civilian modeled Ford Explorer's, Dodge Charger, and Ford Taurus's that only less than 5% are actually law enforcement vehicles. Compare them to the Crown Victoria when nearly 75-80% of them were involved with law enforcement. Majority of the police fleets consisted of Crown Victoria; while today they're mixed. They will most likely be continued to be used in law enforcement until 2019-2020. The civilian modeled Crown Victoria will be around for awhile but they will become harder and harder to find. The CVPI will always be the #1 police car without a doubt.
I disagree. The 1996 Caprice was everything the Crown Vic was, and more. I mean, since we are talking about Era-Correct. The modern Chevrolet SS is better than both of them.
Most officers complained about the replacement of the Caprice with the excellent LT1 in it with the gutless crown-vic with a soggy suspension much the same way you complain about the Taurus, about 2 decades ago.
FWIW, I got out of sports cars, former police cars with 5.4L motor swaps, and all that, and now drive a little 4 cylinder AWD SUV. No turbo. It runs on 87 octane. It's faster than the V8 powered P71 Crown Vic, amusingly. Both 0-60 and 1/4.
I disagree. The 1996 Caprice was everything the Crown Vic was, and more. I mean, since we are talking about Era-Correct. The modern Chevrolet SS is better than both of them.
Most officers complained about the replacement of the Caprice with the excellent LT1 in it with the gutless crown-vic with a soggy suspension much the same way you complain about the Taurus, about 2 decades ago.
FWIW, I got out of sports cars, former police cars with 5.4L motor swaps, and all that, and now drive a little 4 cylinder AWD SUV. No turbo. It runs on 87 octane. It's faster than the V8 powered P71 Crown Vic, amusingly. Both 0-60 and 1/4.
This.
Every cop I know absolutely hated going from the Caprice to the Crown Vic. It was slower, had sloppier handling, and from what I've heard, they didn't stand up to abuse as well as the Caprice did.
About the only thing the CV had going for it was more interior room and more trunk space.
Ford kind of let it die on the vine. From about 1998-2011 it was pretty much untouched. Ford should have updated it over the years, but they didn't. With a 3.5L Ecoboost or 5.0L Coyote motor, it would have been seriously fast. Alas, Ford went through some tough financial times and their priorities lay elsewhere.
Let's face it: the domestics want everyone buying a pickup or large SUV. Some of us just resist that. If this country's automotive industry depended on my spending habits....oh Lord! They would have been out of business years ago!
That said, I do like a lot of the domestics, I'm still just a guy that likes sportier cars (Mustang, Camaro, Dodge's new cars, etc)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
