Looking at joining the Crown Vic club and wanting some advice from the experts

My wife was horribly rear ended in our 93 Corolla. The car held up well, but was still totaled and I would like to get something safer for us. We are looking for two CVs.

I have found a 2006 CVPI with 64,000 miles and 3,500 hours. The body isn't the best, but the car runs out great. Very smooth, quiet and has good power. The engine looks clean and under the car shows no rust. Drivers side window is hit and miss. I am having it taken in to my usual place that does a full inspection l, but thought I would ask the opinions or owners. The guy who is selling it bought it from the department he served with (very small town). He's asking 5,900.

Any thoughts or things I should look for? Thanks in advance!

The CVPI used in small departments are usually better than in some of the larger cities.

HOWEVER, it doesn't mean that they were better taken care of. Most large departments have a dedicated motor pool (or mechanics shop) to take care of their equipment. Some even contract with individual shops to handle all their fleet vehicles.

Some small departments change the oil every 4000 miles or twice a year as needed. And get Bob at the local gas station to do whatever work that doesn't need the dealership to handle.

The window problem isn't that hard to fix yourself, whether its a bad motor, sticking regulator, or bad switch. A good Haynes manual, going to www.crownvic.net or other forums, some time, and you can get her done.

The CVPI is a durable vehicle. Parts are still available without too high a cost on ebay , at www.RockAuto.com, or at Autozone. If indeed the car is a "P71", some parts will cost more and are specific to the P71s. Your VIN will have the "p71" in it.

You say the body doesn't look good. Bad paint can be repainted. If it looks faded, it may just need a good cleaning and polishing. I've seen some that looked bad, but a good polishing cleaned it all up.

I presently have 188,405 miles on my 1997. It still runs hard, and the engine still hasn't been into. It still has the factory gaskets. The intake (a big problem with some of the earlier ones) was replaced. I have had to do some work on the windows (all 4), and correct some of the wiring/light problems (shotty job of removing the in-headlight flashers). But then I've got a26 year old car that runs and runs hard. I suspect that somebody had flashed the PCM cause it runs hard. Still has the 3.27 rear-end.

Taxi companies love these cars because of the room, and the durability. And they still buy them from police forces to use. Taken care of on a regular basis, don't be surprised on 250,000 miles or more before major work needing to be done.

Thanks. I did confirm the department, which is a couple towns over, has its own shop and mechanics. The VIN is also a P71. The guy let me take it home tonight which was an hour highway trip from his house to mine and it was just sooo smooth. It seems like the windows are an issue with these cars so I'm glad it's an easy fix. He also has an 02 and an 03 he uses as personal vehicles. He said the 02' tranny needed to be replaced at around 103,000 and it is also a common problem with these cars. He said just be ready to spend $1,500-$2,000 to rebuild or find another car before the 100,000 mark. He seemed very open and told me all about known issues with these. He said he drove the 06 for a few months when it was first issued before he retired.

As far as the body, it has a few dings, scratches and a dent in the roof. It also has a chuck missing from the front clip, but again I think that is an east fix. I would want to get it painted too to just make it look clean, but the engine and tranny running the way it seems to be running is what is really doing it for me.

You can get the driver side master window control on e-bay for $19.95 freight inc. If you never replaced one before it will probably take 15 to 20 minutes. The miles seem right but the hour meter is high for that many miles. Lots of stationary traffic obsevation at the donut shop. If it has good rubber, a spare, clean, not perfect interior, and a cloth back seat its worth no more than $5500, I just sold my 2006 that had all the above plus cruise , new paint, no roof or trunk holes for $4600 here in Arizona.

Was a little worried about the high idle miles, but I know it is one of the cars that say on the side of the highway looking for speeders. It is clean, but not perfect. No holes on body or in interior. It doesn't have a spare and I am thinking new tires within the next year, but I would just get them done when I buy it. It has a vinyl backseat and carpet, but it all looks and smells clean.

Thanks for the advice on the window! The purchase sheet is in the glovebox so I know he bought it for $2,200 and I know he put $350 into it. So he will still be making a couple grand if I offer $4,500.