Would you buy an ex Police Car ?
Discussion
Love the "Oh my, a common person was in it once" based comments! I would ask how many of the comments are based on personal experiences. Are they not like any other second hand car be it a Ferrari or a Focus, you pays your money based on the merit of the specific car in question. If you want perfection, buy new. But for a cheap winter hack or a workhorse... big ex plod stuff makes sense!
Absolutely not.
They've had their looms cut to bits.
Their suspension has been hammered, day in, day out.
Their engines have been run from cold, mis-fueled, revved through the rev limiter countless times.
They're driven hard by people who love driving, or badly by people who don't care.
They will have been damaged and repaired many times over.
The servicing is no longer carried out in house - it's contracted out to the lowest bidder and they are serviced no more regularly than any other example of that model. They will have had more brakes and clutches though, because they make nasty noises when they're overdue which is hard to ignore.
A police mile is worth 5 regular miles. I used to (on occasion) drive an Astra 1.7 Tdi with 90,000 miles on it. It might as well have been 900,000. It felt like neither subframe was connected to the chassis in any meaningful way. Absolutely shagged.
Frankly, having driven police cars for the last 7 years, I'm amazed they're even saleable at the end of their working lives. It must cost more than the £500 you get for one to decomission it.
They've had their looms cut to bits.
Their suspension has been hammered, day in, day out.
Their engines have been run from cold, mis-fueled, revved through the rev limiter countless times.
They're driven hard by people who love driving, or badly by people who don't care.
They will have been damaged and repaired many times over.
The servicing is no longer carried out in house - it's contracted out to the lowest bidder and they are serviced no more regularly than any other example of that model. They will have had more brakes and clutches though, because they make nasty noises when they're overdue which is hard to ignore.
A police mile is worth 5 regular miles. I used to (on occasion) drive an Astra 1.7 Tdi with 90,000 miles on it. It might as well have been 900,000. It felt like neither subframe was connected to the chassis in any meaningful way. Absolutely shagged.
Frankly, having driven police cars for the last 7 years, I'm amazed they're even saleable at the end of their working lives. It must cost more than the £500 you get for one to decomission it.
WeirdNeville said:
The servicing is no longer carried out in house - it's contracted out to the lowest bidder and they are serviced no more regularly than any other example of that model.
You 100% sure on this one? Sussex do their own cars for sure (unless it's something that's being a b
h on a BMW etc)Stedman said:
WeirdNeville said:
The servicing is no longer carried out in house - it's contracted out to the lowest bidder and they are serviced no more regularly than any other example of that model.
You 100% sure on this one? Sussex do their own cars for sure (unless it's something that's being a bh on a BMW etc)Expect others to go likewise, as budgets are cut and forces merged.
It's very hard to justify paying a skilled mechanic and the upkeep on a fully funtioning workshop with increased focus on "value for money" and the squeeze on police buildings.
Seriously, I think that anyone who has spent any time around police vehicles would never consider buying one for private use, unless it was literally given to them.
I would certainly be very upset if I were to buy a volvo, for example, and then find it was previously used as a police vehicle. If I knew, I wouldn't buy it.
It would depend on the car. Who had it. What it had done and had been done to it.
Then the price.
For example drove an unmarked 55 plate t5 the other night. Full leather spec 60,000 on it. Never been tpacd.
Still easily good for 150+
Even tpacd cars are okay. Remember they are all done by the proper repairers.
I can think if an Audi on out fleet that at the right price I'd have. It's been well looked after although marked but never put a foot wrong
Our servicing is done in house. So I can get hold of the work done. For example we are losing an s60 that has 10k spent on it 30,000 ago and although basic spec and hole in dash for the right price would be a bargain.
There is no carte Blanche answer. Each vehicle should be judged on it's own merits. With price being the primary consideration.
Then the price.
For example drove an unmarked 55 plate t5 the other night. Full leather spec 60,000 on it. Never been tpacd.
Still easily good for 150+
Even tpacd cars are okay. Remember they are all done by the proper repairers.
I can think if an Audi on out fleet that at the right price I'd have. It's been well looked after although marked but never put a foot wrong
Our servicing is done in house. So I can get hold of the work done. For example we are losing an s60 that has 10k spent on it 30,000 ago and although basic spec and hole in dash for the right price would be a bargain.
There is no carte Blanche answer. Each vehicle should be judged on it's own merits. With price being the primary consideration.
Mr_annie_vxr said:
There is no carte Blanche answer. Each vehicle should be judged on it's own merits. With price being the primary consideration.
My feelings alsoHaving seen an old guy take ten minutes to park a car at 5000Rpm i wouldn't touch a low milage little old lady car with a barge pole
I used to sell cars for a used car dealer who often bought ex old bill cars.(maybe 3 at a time) They are maintained thoroughly and over a good weekend I would sell the lot! Many folk have the wrong idea about Police cars and think they've been shafted and shagged to within an inch of their lives, but the staff cars are a fantastic auction buy and will sell almost immediately with the right spiel to the customer.I even had to promise a disgruntled customer that I'd find him one after I sold a car he had been looking at only an hour previously, and whilst away checking insurance came back to find I'd just sold it to someone else. They really are good sellers.
I should maybe have put a smilie in the first question.Someone I know had an ex-Police 827 Vitesse once, ex-unmarked motorway patrol.
It had been 'breathed on' at some stage and went like poo off the proverbial. Ran faultlessly for years, only drawback were the holes drilled in the dashboard for the speed monitoring equipment, and lack of sunroof (so they could slap a light on the roof if necessary).
He had it ten years. Superb car by all accounts. Then again, I suppose 'being ragged up and down the motorway' is better than 'being driven at ten tenths around town centres after suspected bank robbers'.
It had been 'breathed on' at some stage and went like poo off the proverbial. Ran faultlessly for years, only drawback were the holes drilled in the dashboard for the speed monitoring equipment, and lack of sunroof (so they could slap a light on the roof if necessary).
He had it ten years. Superb car by all accounts. Then again, I suppose 'being ragged up and down the motorway' is better than 'being driven at ten tenths around town centres after suspected bank robbers'.
ive got a crapy old Zafira for work duties. ExPolice, definitely been chipped, has loads of power and crappy economy.
We've had it for about 4 years, 120k on the clock when we bought it. Havnt spent a penny on it, has flown through all MOTs, gets a brutal treatement from the whole family and never complains.
Paid about 30% less than book price from auction.
We've had it for about 4 years, 120k on the clock when we bought it. Havnt spent a penny on it, has flown through all MOTs, gets a brutal treatement from the whole family and never complains.
Paid about 30% less than book price from auction.
Edited by GhostDriver on Sunday 16th January 13:17
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