Buying an ex cop car

[Challenger1978]

Recently I've been looking at replacing my old banger with an ex cop car. Pacifically a Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi Studio 5dr [DPF] Diesel Estate. Now I've been looking at ex cop cars as i can get something that's 4 or 5 year old for only 3k to 4k. I'm guessing as its an ex cop car they're not going to be death traps and should be reasonably well maintained.

So i was wondering has anyone on here ever bought an ex cop car before. Did it turn out alright or are they a bunch of Lemons that are best avoided ?

 

[stony]

It will have been serviced well, but also will have had the balls thrashed out of it. I wouldn't touch one with a bargepole.

 

[Zubrman]

Fix the cigarette lighter.

 

[york away to this!]

Fix the cigarette lighter.

don't panda to that advice..

 

[Challenger1978]

It will have been serviced well, but also will have had the balls thrashed out of it. I wouldn't touch one with a bargepole.

Yeah i was thinking that might be the case.

I'm only going to using the car for a couple of short city runs a week (shops/doctors/hostpital) then its going to get blasted at weekend on the motorways all over the country going to dog shows. So i was thinking i might get away with using it just for that.

I just need a really cheap runner, that can handle lots of motorway miles on the cheap (why I'm going for a diesel) with a big boot for the dog cage (why I'm going for an estate).

 

[Pelly Greeny]

Recently I've been looking at replacing my old banger with an ex cop car. Pacifically a Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi Studio 5dr [DPF] Diesel Estate. Now I've been looking at ex cop cars as i can get something that's 4 or 5 year old for only 3k to 4k. I'm guessing as its an ex cop car they're not going to be death traps and should be reasonably well maintained.

So i was wondering has anyone on here ever bought an ex cop car before. Did it turn out alright or are they a bunch of Lemons that are best avoided ?

You using Ocean Finance to fund the purchase?

 

[stony]

It will have been serviced well, but also will have had the balls thrashed out of it. I wouldn't touch one with a bargepole.

Yeah i was thinking that might be the case.

I'm only going to using the car for a couple of short city runs a week (shops/doctors/hostpital) then its going to get blasted at weekend on the motorways all over the country going to dog shows. So i was thinking i might get away with using it just for that.

I just need a really cheap runner, that can handle lots of motorway miles on the cheap (why I'm going for a diesel) with a big boot for the dog cage (why I'm going for an estate).

If it's a diesel, then they are made to be thrashed. Tootling along at 1500rpm does them no good whatsoever. So engine wise it should be ok. It's the wear and tear on the other parts that is the worry, suspension, gear box etc will all have had a hard life.

 

[Challenger1978]

Recently I've been looking at replacing my old banger with an ex cop car. Pacifically a Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi Studio 5dr [DPF] Diesel Estate. Now I've been looking at ex cop cars as i can get something that's 4 or 5 year old for only 3k to 4k. I'm guessing as its an ex cop car they're not going to be death traps and should be reasonably well maintained.

So i was wondering has anyone on here ever bought an ex cop car before. Did it turn out alright or are they a bunch of Lemons that are best avoided ?

You using Ocean Finance to fund the purchase?

I don't do finance I'll be using some of my savings.<br /><br />-- Fri Mar 28, 2014 1:50 pm --<br /><br />

It will have been serviced well, but also will have had the balls thrashed out of it. I wouldn't touch one with a bargepole.

Yeah i was thinking that might be the case.

I'm only going to using the car for a couple of short city runs a week (shops/doctors/hostpital) then its going to get blasted at weekend on the motorways all over the country going to dog shows. So i was thinking i might get away with using it just for that.

I just need a really cheap runner, that can handle lots of motorway miles on the cheap (why I'm going for a diesel) with a big boot for the dog cage (why I'm going for an estate).

If it's a diesel, then they are made to be thrashed. Tootling along at 1500rpm does them no good whatsoever. So engine wise it should be ok. It's the wear and tear on the other parts that is the worry, suspension, gear box etc will all have had a hard life.

That's why I've been trying to avoid like hell ex taxis. Near enough every Ford Focus estate I've been looking at though has been an ex taxi. Which is why i started to look at the ex cop cars.

Ahh balls

 

[Mustard Dave]

I don't agree that ex-police cars have been thrashed. Yes, they might put their foot down a bit when answering a call, but they don't drive around crashing through boxes and pulling handbrake turns like Starsky and Hutch. They are generally well maintained. I know a few people who have had ex-squad cars and none have had a problem.

 

[Balti]

Fix the cigarette lighter.

.....and make sure its got a cop motor, a four hundred and forty cubic inch plant, cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks, and it's a model made before catalytic converters, so it'll run good on regular gas.