Buying an ex Police Car: good idea?
Discussion
I have no idea why but I do like the idea of having an ex police car on my drive. They get tweaked about a bit so they can keep up with scum on the run, but look totally standard.
There are some Skoda Octavia ex police undercover cars on autotrader for £3-4k, they sound like a good buy but are they? I guess they would probably rip out the high performance parts before selling them on?
There was a 1 year old Octavia VRS on eBay a while back, with 30k on the clock and (apparantly) all the performance bits left in and it went for £8k which sounds good considering it would have been £20k+ new.
So am I mad to even consider an ex cop car?
There are some Skoda Octavia ex police undercover cars on autotrader for £3-4k, they sound like a good buy but are they? I guess they would probably rip out the high performance parts before selling them on?
There was a 1 year old Octavia VRS on eBay a while back, with 30k on the clock and (apparantly) all the performance bits left in and it went for £8k which sounds good considering it would have been £20k+ new.
So am I mad to even consider an ex cop car?
dpbird90 said:
I have no idea why but I do like the idea of having an ex police car on my drive. They get tweaked about a bit so they can keep up with scum on the run, but look totally standard.
There are some Skoda Octavia ex police undercover cars on autotrader for £3-4k, they sound like a good buy but are they? I guess they would probably rip out the high performance parts before selling them on?
There was a 1 year old Octavia VRS on eBay a while back, with 30k on the clock and (apparantly) all the performance bits left in and it went for £8k which sounds good considering it would have been £20k+ new.
So am I mad to even consider an ex cop car?
I was under the impression that modern high performance cars dont require modifications - what mods do you think they make to them?There are some Skoda Octavia ex police undercover cars on autotrader for £3-4k, they sound like a good buy but are they? I guess they would probably rip out the high performance parts before selling them on?
There was a 1 year old Octavia VRS on eBay a while back, with 30k on the clock and (apparantly) all the performance bits left in and it went for £8k which sounds good considering it would have been £20k+ new.
So am I mad to even consider an ex cop car?
There was a topic on this 2 or 3 dys ago. The plod said NO. If it's an ex traffic car it'll be on it's last legs. Like any other banger.
Far as I'm aware the only thing they did was chip a few skoda diesels. And some cars have stiffer shocks or springs to cope with the weight of kit constantly in the boot. But it's not like they rally prep them or anything.
Far as I'm aware the only thing they did was chip a few skoda diesels. And some cars have stiffer shocks or springs to cope with the weight of kit constantly in the boot. But it's not like they rally prep them or anything.
Sounds good, I read somewhere that you can apply to the Police force who originally had the car for a copy of all the documentation for service, repair etc if you wish to?
You made quite a good saving there, I think that even with no service history there qould be no need to worry as the police do look after their cars pretty well, I remember going to Leicester Police HQ and they have a garage next door to the main building with loads of really big machines and people fiddling about with the cars (from what I saw when I glimpsed through the open roller door anyway)
I would really like to find some 70's CID cars like MK3 Cortina 2 litres then I can play at being Gene Hunt on the drive to work. Childish I know but come on we all know deep down we would love to...
You made quite a good saving there, I think that even with no service history there qould be no need to worry as the police do look after their cars pretty well, I remember going to Leicester Police HQ and they have a garage next door to the main building with loads of really big machines and people fiddling about with the cars (from what I saw when I glimpsed through the open roller door anyway)
I would really like to find some 70's CID cars like MK3 Cortina 2 litres then I can play at being Gene Hunt on the drive to work. Childish I know but come on we all know deep down we would love to...
I know a couple of people who've had ex-BiB Volvo V70 T5's.
They had 120k on them, were silver, and the only things 'wrong' with them were a few extra holes in the dash, and the aforementioned lack of service history. But they get serviced more thoroughly than a normal car anyway, so that's not an issue.
I think they represent a good buy if you know the pitfalls.
They had 120k on them, were silver, and the only things 'wrong' with them were a few extra holes in the dash, and the aforementioned lack of service history. But they get serviced more thoroughly than a normal car anyway, so that's not an issue.
I think they represent a good buy if you know the pitfalls.
I would always have to consider the fact that the car would have been sitting there stone cold, the call comes in, it's started up and immediately thrashed as fast as it can go. That is considerable stress on a cold engine.
Maybe I'm a bit old fashioned, but surely an engine can only do that so many times before it creates problems?
Also, I thought that brakes and suspension were upgraded for the pursuit cars. Maybe no need anymore?
Maybe I'm a bit old fashioned, but surely an engine can only do that so many times before it creates problems?
Also, I thought that brakes and suspension were upgraded for the pursuit cars. Maybe no need anymore?
My dad had a Trimuph TC2000 ex police car (in about 1979), it spent more time off the road than on the road.
The track control arm broke up when he was driving it, the first thing he knew about it was when he went to park it and the front wheels toe'd in to the point where the car stopped (the wheels were both turned in to the centre).
On a lighter note - excuse the pun, the garage down the road got the headlights to flash like a police car as it was still fitted with the relays, they'd just removed the switches.
The track control arm broke up when he was driving it, the first thing he knew about it was when he went to park it and the front wheels toe'd in to the point where the car stopped (the wheels were both turned in to the centre).
On a lighter note - excuse the pun, the garage down the road got the headlights to flash like a police car as it was still fitted with the relays, they'd just removed the switches.
Having seen the hammer these cars get, I would never buy one unless VERY cheap. Not many have performance mods, in fact hardly any. And the trim level is usually the most basic in the range but with a big engine and uprated brakes/suspension on e.g. the traffic cars. Most GP cars are just standard cars, as are the vans.
dr matt uk said:
I would always have to consider the fact that the car would have been sitting there stone cold, the call comes in, it's started up and immediately thrashed as fast as it can go. That is considerable stress on a cold engine.
Maybe I'm a bit old fashioned, but surely an engine can only do that so many times before it creates problems?
Not a problem usually because if it's hot the coppers leave the engine ticking over to run the A/C and when it's cold they do the same for the heater!Maybe I'm a bit old fashioned, but surely an engine can only do that so many times before it creates problems?
They're not cars to the police, they are tools. Tools that are used to their full potential when needed. My dad being X Trapol laughed when i mentioned the idea of buying an ex-police t5, which says it all really 
There's a reason why manufacturers sometimes give the fuzz pre-production cars to run...
Just bare all that in mind. There could be some real bargins out there!
There's a reason why manufacturers sometimes give the fuzz pre-production cars to run...
Just bare all that in mind. There could be some real bargins out there!
I know they don't extensively tune them like racing cars, but I heard that quite a bit of factory tuning goes on before they are sent out the the forces who then throw in a chip for good measure. I'm guessing an ECU remap would be on the cards, and the upgraded suspension to cope with the kit they have to pull about would make them handle better than standard. There are some panda cars on ther (old Fiestas, Astras etc but they look rubbish and start at £300. I do like the Skoda Octavia VRs though, and there's a 300bhp Volvo Estate just 3 years old, 120k on it. £5 grand off eBay.
Quite a few manufacturers do police-spec versions (GM, Volvo etc). They will get high mileage and be well used, but are very well looked after - police fleet managers have to be on top of their game.
Things to bear in mind would include trim holes where equipment has been fitted, and similar holes in the roof where the lightbar was fitted.
Things to bear in mind would include trim holes where equipment has been fitted, and similar holes in the roof where the lightbar was fitted.
dpbird90 said:
I know they don't extensively tune them like racing cars, but I heard that quite a bit of factory tuning goes on before they are sent out the the forces who then throw in a chip for good measure. I'm guessing an ECU remap would be on the cards, and the upgraded suspension to cope with the kit they have to pull about would make them handle better than standard. There are some panda cars on ther (old Fiestas, Astras etc but they look rubbish and start at £300. I do like the Skoda Octavia VRs though, and there's a 300bhp Volvo Estate just 3 years old, 120k on it. £5 grand off eBay.
Sorry, you're not listening. THE VAST MAJORITY have no extra work done to them pre- or post- delivery to the force.Rofly Lollers said:
They won't be warmed up or cooled down. Potentially RAGGED from cold. Bumped up on kerbs, bounced over speed bumps, dirty chavs sitting in the back, etc etc. It's a NO from me too.
Was in one last night, an Astra estate. Started from cold and doing 90+mph within about 1/4 mile of setting off.PhillT said:
Quite a few manufacturers do police-spec versions (GM, Volvo etc). They will get high mileage and be well used, but are very well looked after - police fleet managers have to be on top of their game.
Things to bear in mind would include trim holes where equipment has been fitted, and similar holes in the roof where the lightbar was fitted.
Diagree with the money-no-object story I'm afraid. Budget constraints generally mean that things like tyres etc. are always sorted but there are always loads of cars with faults. The traffic cars are better looked after though.Things to bear in mind would include trim holes where equipment has been fitted, and similar holes in the roof where the lightbar was fitted.
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