Alright all

 

Going to view an ex police car VRS. Only covered 72,000 and it's obviously cheaper than a like for like.

 

Would you buy an ex police car? Or should I avoid? I know they can be well looked after, but also pushed to the limit.

Try doing a search as its been covered a few times previously. Short answer, no, personally I wouldnt touch one with a barge pole. Are they looked after as well as people suspect? Id say not compared to how they used to be over maintained before the cuts. Thrashed from cold, never allowed to cool and carrying unsavory characters. Not my cuppa tea Im afraid. 

As above, they get regular oil changes but thats it, ragged from cold, parked up with the turbo still spinning, suspension thrashed over bumps at speed, "soiled" individuals in the back, front seats kicked and knocked about, 100 guarentee it will have had bodywork.

 

If i was gonna buy one, it would be to strip for parts if it came in cheap enough.

It's all going to depend on what dept had it. If its a marked response car then I would avoid, but if its an unmarked surveillance car then it will not of been hammered quite as hard. I'd also check the mileage with the force as these do get clocked quite often by traders due to high miles on relatively young cars.

carrying unsavory characters. 

 

I don't suppose you will have to take these as part of the sale...

is the inside of the car not going to have lots of cosmetic issue where they have taken out all the custom police fitting?

Cosmetic issues with internal trim can be very expensive to resolve, don't under estimate the cost.

If you like the car and it drives well check all the electrical components work correctly, quite often components aren't taken out with the same care as when they are put in.

Best of luck, hope it turns out to be a real bargain

Regards all

Juan

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Who drives the cars, that catch the cars, that are being driven like they are stolen?

Who drives the cars, that catch the cars, that are being driven like they are stolen?

DILYTTCSWDILHSI?

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Nope, gone clean over my head. How I wish I was a polyglot.

Nope, gone clean over my head. How I wish I was a polyglot.

There is a chance that I was not being entirely serious.

 

Drive it like your trying to catch someone who...

Ah! I was on the "Do I look..." track, then it lost me, but as I normally wander through this world in a state of happy confusion there is nothing new there then.

Pro's - regularly serviced.

 

Con's - driven very hard and often unsympathetically.

 

The pro's ensure the car runs well during it's ownership, the cons pose serious long term reliability concerns.

 

Gone are the days when a modern car can be run on a shoestring.

 

Gone are the days when the only thing to force a car off the road is a failed MOT or corrosion.

 

DMF's, DPF's, turbo's, complicated electronics etc. all are likely to seriously affect the cost effectivness of repairing a broken car.

 

An ex-police car can be a good buy, they can also be plagued with premature failures and are likely to reach the end of their useful life quicker.

I've been driving Police vehicles for the last 13 years. I'd avoid at all costs. I used to think they were a good buy, but seeing how they get treated- driven hard from cold, abused 24 hrs a day, poorly maintained, cheaply repaired, thrashed to within an inch of their life, used as a taxi for people who have body fluids running down their trousers legs, there's no chance I'd ever buy one, even if it appeared to be the bargain of the century.

Agree totally with many of the above posts..... never even consider the purchase of an ex police vehicle for all the stated reasons. Thrashed from day 1, a number of different people all driving with different styles. All components will be well used and premature wear on many internal parts, and a number of holes were equpiment has been removed. Often these vehicles have been driven over rough terrain and untold damage caused. That is unless you manage to get a senior officers car that was fitted with emergency equipment for tax reasons, thats never really been used by anyone else !

Pro's - regularly serviced.

 

 

There's one in my local dealership. The body is up on the lift, the engine is sitting on the ground. Apparently Kent police do their own servicing. In this case something wasn't re-attached correctly. Car needs a complete new engine, inc exhaust.

 

£7,000 so I'm told.

 

Regularly serviced: maybe, but that doesn't always mean a better level of servicing.

I looked at ex-police car when buying mine, but came to this conclusion:

 

Positives:

 

- Well looked after

- Fully serviced / good quality tyres etc.

 

Negatives:

 

- Probably repaired a lot from damage

- Thrashed to buggery chasing thiefs.

 

 

Negatives outweigh the positives for me

Interesting thread, after reading the posts I wouldn't waste my time by going to look at one of these

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