Buying Ex Police car advise
Discussion
Hi first time poster here so be gentle lol
Ok so I live very close to an Auction house and have seen some very nice BMW 530d going quite cheap
For example
62 plate 125k on the clock for £5600 inc fees
13 plate 134k on the clock for £6100 inc fees
63 plate 148k on the clock for £6600 inc fees
All said cars have has the usually holes in the roof and bumpers and the odd scrap and the not so odd
All have a print out of there service history and any extra work that has been carried out for example one a month or so ago had a new engine and turbo's fitted by BMW with a photo copy of the receipt.
now on to my questions
1. Why are they getting rid of them.
I'm guessing they have shinny new ones as why would they get rid of one which only had a new engine 8k ago.
2. What's involved in getting them back to road legal.
i.e. MOT, V5 (I read somewhere that I need to apply for a new V5 to change the vehicle's status again not sure if this is true)
3. Would you buy one?
I know panda cars get quite a hard life however I was thinking the 530d would be a motorway cruiser and although would have been driven hard at times would of spent most of it's working life setting in the slow lane doing 65mph.
I'll do a lot of work myself and do have big plans if I do go forward and buy one. i.e. leather seats, new trim, holes filled and re-spray, cut and polish, wheels refurbished and any other things that need addressing.
Any advise would be grateful.
Ok so I live very close to an Auction house and have seen some very nice BMW 530d going quite cheap
For example
62 plate 125k on the clock for £5600 inc fees
13 plate 134k on the clock for £6100 inc fees
63 plate 148k on the clock for £6600 inc fees
All said cars have has the usually holes in the roof and bumpers and the odd scrap and the not so odd
All have a print out of there service history and any extra work that has been carried out for example one a month or so ago had a new engine and turbo's fitted by BMW with a photo copy of the receipt.
now on to my questions
1. Why are they getting rid of them.
I'm guessing they have shinny new ones as why would they get rid of one which only had a new engine 8k ago.
2. What's involved in getting them back to road legal.
i.e. MOT, V5 (I read somewhere that I need to apply for a new V5 to change the vehicle's status again not sure if this is true)
3. Would you buy one?
I know panda cars get quite a hard life however I was thinking the 530d would be a motorway cruiser and although would have been driven hard at times would of spent most of it's working life setting in the slow lane doing 65mph.
I'll do a lot of work myself and do have big plans if I do go forward and buy one. i.e. leather seats, new trim, holes filled and re-spray, cut and polish, wheels refurbished and any other things that need addressing.
Any advise would be grateful.
In regards to why they get rid - it’s just because they have reached their lifespan.
Regardless what they have cost or recent work they are expected to last a certain mileage/age before being replaced. They change at this cycle fairly religiously for front line cars to ensure the fleet is kept up to date, up to regs and for uptime of the cars. Older cars going down impacts policing. Regarding a recent new engine. It makes financial sense to to spend 4 grand on a new engine to get it running ASAP (even for only 8-9 months) than to write it off, order another car and wait for the factory order (and being a car down during this time)
In regards to their use they will have spent a lot of time on motorways but also chasing drug dealers and yobs through housing estates over hundreds of speed humps at 50-60mph.
They are cheap because of this. You may get a gem you may get a dog it’s luck of the draw. However if suspension needs replacing it would have been done in service, but you can’t protect against what’s on their now wearing out earlier than expected due to the abuse.
They are usually poor spec as well. For example sat nav and leather has been standard on all 5 series/x5s etc for some time and satnav standard on 3 series since 2015 but police cars are special ordered without these, however they will often have xenons/LED lights.
The best buys if you find them are the ex training/driving school cars. These have usually had a fairly easy life compared to front line cars.
Regardless what they have cost or recent work they are expected to last a certain mileage/age before being replaced. They change at this cycle fairly religiously for front line cars to ensure the fleet is kept up to date, up to regs and for uptime of the cars. Older cars going down impacts policing. Regarding a recent new engine. It makes financial sense to to spend 4 grand on a new engine to get it running ASAP (even for only 8-9 months) than to write it off, order another car and wait for the factory order (and being a car down during this time)
In regards to their use they will have spent a lot of time on motorways but also chasing drug dealers and yobs through housing estates over hundreds of speed humps at 50-60mph.
They are cheap because of this. You may get a gem you may get a dog it’s luck of the draw. However if suspension needs replacing it would have been done in service, but you can’t protect against what’s on their now wearing out earlier than expected due to the abuse.
They are usually poor spec as well. For example sat nav and leather has been standard on all 5 series/x5s etc for some time and satnav standard on 3 series since 2015 but police cars are special ordered without these, however they will often have xenons/LED lights.
The best buys if you find them are the ex training/driving school cars. These have usually had a fairly easy life compared to front line cars.
It’s a lottery
Most forces are BMW authorised service centres and do al the servicing in house
They will have been maintained pretty much regardless of cost
Core fleet vehicles will be “ Utilities Spec” so manual a/c and heavy duty cloth interiors etc
Covert or specialist vehicles are likely to be normal UK spec to blend in
Different forces use them for various front line roles .. motorway cars are usually starship mileage whereas divisional cars are frequently much lower mileage but more knackered
Those used by firearms are usually totally shagged with knackered suspension
They are on the road 24/7 except when broken or being serviced
Monthly mileage’s frequently drop as the vehicle gets older as they often become pool or spare vehicles or less popular with drivers as newer cars come onto the fleet
One thing to look for is a gap in the mileage/time intervals as body repairs are often done in-house and not noted on the mechanical service log
Expect all to have had some body repairs .. we used to say of ours “ one owner original dashboard if your lucky”
New engines/gearboxes are quite common and often supplied either very cheaply or free as goodwill from the manufacturer or from written off cars which are frequently cannibalised for parts
I’ve seen cars that ordinarily would be written off completely rebuilt or even reshelled as the repair fund had more money in it than the replacement fund .. especially if there is no 3rd party involved to claim from .. sometimes they can be given to the apprentices as “ a project” to fix
Buy carefully and with your eyes open and you should be ok and avoid single cars in the auction
They are normally sent out in batches as the replacement new cars enter service .. a single vehicle can often mean it’s a problem child they’ve cut their losses on
Sometimes googling the reg can show what it was used for or a quick call to the relevant fleet manager may help tell you whether it’s a good un or a dog
Most forces are BMW authorised service centres and do al the servicing in house
They will have been maintained pretty much regardless of cost
Core fleet vehicles will be “ Utilities Spec” so manual a/c and heavy duty cloth interiors etc
Covert or specialist vehicles are likely to be normal UK spec to blend in
Different forces use them for various front line roles .. motorway cars are usually starship mileage whereas divisional cars are frequently much lower mileage but more knackered
Those used by firearms are usually totally shagged with knackered suspension
They are on the road 24/7 except when broken or being serviced
Monthly mileage’s frequently drop as the vehicle gets older as they often become pool or spare vehicles or less popular with drivers as newer cars come onto the fleet
One thing to look for is a gap in the mileage/time intervals as body repairs are often done in-house and not noted on the mechanical service log
Expect all to have had some body repairs .. we used to say of ours “ one owner original dashboard if your lucky”
New engines/gearboxes are quite common and often supplied either very cheaply or free as goodwill from the manufacturer or from written off cars which are frequently cannibalised for parts
I’ve seen cars that ordinarily would be written off completely rebuilt or even reshelled as the repair fund had more money in it than the replacement fund .. especially if there is no 3rd party involved to claim from .. sometimes they can be given to the apprentices as “ a project” to fix
Buy carefully and with your eyes open and you should be ok and avoid single cars in the auction
They are normally sent out in batches as the replacement new cars enter service .. a single vehicle can often mean it’s a problem child they’ve cut their losses on
Sometimes googling the reg can show what it was used for or a quick call to the relevant fleet manager may help tell you whether it’s a good un or a dog
Edited by Earthdweller on Sunday 16th September 20:51
Edited by Earthdweller on Sunday 16th September 21:20
Thanks for the replies guys, some really helpful advise especially the single police car going though the auction.
I did see a 530d auto on its own going though. However it is a non runner so might be tempted if cheap enough.
The guy at the auction house was like it could be something simple, which I replied with all the equipment they have at there disposal if they can't get it going it's probably a new engine or something big.
I did see a 530d auto on its own going though. However it is a non runner so might be tempted if cheap enough.
The guy at the auction house was like it could be something simple, which I replied with all the equipment they have at there disposal if they can't get it going it's probably a new engine or something big.
kevo21 said:
Hi first time poster here so be gentle lol
Ok so I live very close to an Auction house and have seen some very nice BMW 530d going quite cheap
For example
62 plate 125k on the clock for £5600 inc fees
13 plate 134k on the clock for £6100 inc fees
63 plate 148k on the clock for £6600 inc fees
All said cars have has the usually holes in the roof and bumpers and the odd scrap and the not so odd
All have a print out of there service history and any extra work that has been carried out for example one a month or so ago had a new engine and turbo's fitted by BMW with a photo copy of the receipt.
now on to my questions
1. Why are they getting rid of them.
I'm guessing they have shinny new ones as why would they get rid of one which only had a new engine 8k ago.
2. What's involved in getting them back to road legal.
i.e. MOT, V5 (I read somewhere that I need to apply for a new V5 to change the vehicle's status again not sure if this is true)
3. Would you buy one?
I know panda cars get quite a hard life however I was thinking the 530d would be a motorway cruiser and although would have been driven hard at times would of spent most of it's working life setting in the slow lane doing 65mph.
I'll do a lot of work myself and do have big plans if I do go forward and buy one. i.e. leather seats, new trim, holes filled and re-spray, cut and polish, wheels refurbished and any other things that need addressing.
Any advise would be grateful.
1. They get replaced when they reach a certain mileage. Its different for each force and car (we have a Volvo that went at 150k, a Focus ST that went at 160k I believe). Ok so I live very close to an Auction house and have seen some very nice BMW 530d going quite cheap
For example
62 plate 125k on the clock for £5600 inc fees
13 plate 134k on the clock for £6100 inc fees
63 plate 148k on the clock for £6600 inc fees
All said cars have has the usually holes in the roof and bumpers and the odd scrap and the not so odd
All have a print out of there service history and any extra work that has been carried out for example one a month or so ago had a new engine and turbo's fitted by BMW with a photo copy of the receipt.
now on to my questions
1. Why are they getting rid of them.
I'm guessing they have shinny new ones as why would they get rid of one which only had a new engine 8k ago.
2. What's involved in getting them back to road legal.
i.e. MOT, V5 (I read somewhere that I need to apply for a new V5 to change the vehicle's status again not sure if this is true)
3. Would you buy one?
I know panda cars get quite a hard life however I was thinking the 530d would be a motorway cruiser and although would have been driven hard at times would of spent most of it's working life setting in the slow lane doing 65mph.
I'll do a lot of work myself and do have big plans if I do go forward and buy one. i.e. leather seats, new trim, holes filled and re-spray, cut and polish, wheels refurbished and any other things that need addressing.
Any advise would be grateful.
2. It will be road legal already.
3. Not a chance. The pandas are driven by mostly people who don't like driving. Lots of little bumps. Our traffic ones can be used to block people in and as such get damaged. Don't believe for a minute it will be sat on the inside lane doing 65mph. Outside lane doing 100mph+
People who go in the back aren't the cleanest. Piss/s
t/sick/blood, yes it will have been cleaned, but still. Speaking from first hand knowledge
Every force will have a criteria for when vehicles are disposed off.
In my old force motorway cars were from memory 150,000 miles or three years, whichever came first.
Serviced every 9000 ,miles, which can be as frequently as every 6 to 8 weeks.
As has already been said the cars have a very hard life, the days of the 60 mph steady patrol on the motorway are long gone. They are rushed from job to job, often with a heavy load. The firearms 530s were often at the top of the legal weight limit and may have had heavy duty springs fitted.
Batteries and alternators get hammered.
The cars might also be left running for hours at accident scenes etc, so in addition to the mileage you have that wear and tear on the engine.
Seats get damaged as the occupants wear body armour, cuffs, batons etc
Bodily fluids of all kinds get spilt in them
Hundreds of takeaway drinks and meals
In years gone by motorway cars used to have dedicated crews, ie whenever you were on duty you drove that car, and had it for the duration of its life, as such some were better looked after than others. That is all gone now, you drive whatever is available
Whilst ex driving school cars might seem a good idea, they are often used for and damaged in TPAC training, and have had numerous new body panels.
The only ex Police cars I would consider are those provided to Chief Officers...Ie Chief Constable, Deputy, and Assistant Chief, which are provided as part of the salary package, but they are a tiny proportion of the fleet, OR those used by a full time VIP unit, who by nature of the job tended to look after the cars slightly better
Every force will have a criteria for when vehicles are disposed off.
In my old force motorway cars were from memory 150,000 miles or three years, whichever came first.
Serviced every 9000 ,miles, which can be as frequently as every 6 to 8 weeks.
As has already been said the cars have a very hard life, the days of the 60 mph steady patrol on the motorway are long gone. They are rushed from job to job, often with a heavy load. The firearms 530s were often at the top of the legal weight limit and may have had heavy duty springs fitted.
Batteries and alternators get hammered.
The cars might also be left running for hours at accident scenes etc, so in addition to the mileage you have that wear and tear on the engine.
Seats get damaged as the occupants wear body armour, cuffs, batons etc
Bodily fluids of all kinds get spilt in them
Hundreds of takeaway drinks and meals
In years gone by motorway cars used to have dedicated crews, ie whenever you were on duty you drove that car, and had it for the duration of its life, as such some were better looked after than others. That is all gone now, you drive whatever is available
Whilst ex driving school cars might seem a good idea, they are often used for and damaged in TPAC training, and have had numerous new body panels.
The only ex Police cars I would consider are those provided to Chief Officers...Ie Chief Constable, Deputy, and Assistant Chief, which are provided as part of the salary package, but they are a tiny proportion of the fleet, OR those used by a full time VIP unit, who by nature of the job tended to look after the cars slightly better
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