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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » what would you buy - quickie

July 12, 2008 11:19 a.m. patgizz Dork
going to look at 2 cars today. tell me which you would pick without showing pics of either car and why.
1. 1995 cadillac fleetwood brougham. supposedly clean, dark blue w/ blue vinyl top and blue leather interior. 66k miles, LT1 $2800 OBO at a dealer in cleveland by downtown that claims $1500 down so that most likely is what they have into it - most of the buy here pay here places do that so they can repo the car and make their money over and over. small inner city dealer = worries about rolled back odo, accidents, etc???
2. 1999 Crown vic police interceptor. seller claims light surface rust which i bet is on the front fenders like every other one. retired local police car but never had light bar or antenna so no holes. black w/ blue interior, spotlights, pushbars, 123k miles $2000 not sure if he will take less - private seller out of the city, states in his CL ad what town the car was in service with
i have been looking CVPI for a while and wanted to stay 2k or less but the caddy, if truly clean and they came off a few hundred to bump it down to 2500 out the door cash - i could swing it and its just the biggest pimpmobile out there and i could quote "i roll in a fleetwood, that's how i mac"

what do you guys think?

i've had previous generations of both- 78 deville that i loved so dearly which is the same exact chassis as the 95..... and an 89 CVPI, the 89 was a smelly $500 hoopty that barely got me through a winter so i cant base much opinion off it.

i almost feel in a position that if both are really good cars i'd kick myself for not buying the other no matter which one i may end up with.

sorry for huge letters i dunno wtf is up with the forum software
July 12, 2008 11:26 a.m. integraguy New Reader

If I had to pick from just these 2...it would be the Crown Vic, but then again, I'm partial to Ford products.
July 12, 2008 11:29 a.m. hrdlydangerous New Reader

I'd pick the LT1 Caddy. More creature comforts, more power, plenty of 9C1 Caprice parts in the bone yard, plus Pimp value is off the scale.
July 12, 2008 12:22 p.m. VanillaSky New Reader

I wouldn't spend even $2500 on the Caddy. I'd CarFax it and see if it comes back clean. With the car sitting at an inner city car lot, I'm willing to bet that someone who has owned it hasn't taken care of it, and possibly "customized" the car at one point. I'd pay careful attention to the interior panels, making sure that everything fits together well, and that the wiring isn't tampered with. I bought a Honda that was wired with a stereo at one point, and the power wire was simply tied back in the trunk. No fuse, just connected to the battery. There were so many things wrong with the car that I just parted it out. So I'd definately check it for ghettoness.
July 12, 2008 12:32 p.m. ignorant SuperDork

I'd buy a smaller font.
July 12, 2008 1:54 p.m. P90Puma Reader

ignorant wrote: I'd buy a smaller font.

lol, its not his fault, It's the stupid forum software that thinks the number sign means big font.
July 12, 2008 2:14 p.m. carguy123 HalfDork

Door #3
July 12, 2008 6:38 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

honestly, as much as the caddy is probably a great deal.. it's location of sale and price makes me think it has led a hard life. I would avoid it like the plague.

At least the Interceptor probably had some decent care when it was still with the police force
July 12, 2008 8:07 p.m. ignorant SuperDork

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/car/752535326.html <--- I'd buy that.

high miles but lots of maint.

the Cop car vic has no real advantage of that car.. Given that the "cop shocks and cop springs" would be worn out...
July 12, 2008 8:54 p.m. Feedyurhed New Reader

ignorant wrote: http://cleveland.craigslist.org/car/752535326.html <--- I'd buy that.

high miles but lots of maint.

the Cop car vic has no real advantage of that car.. Given that the "cop shocks and cop springs" would be worn out...

I am with you on that one. Some crown vic taxi cabs with careful maintenance can go 500K-600K miles. I can't believe they actually make seats that soft. Geeeez.

Out of the previous two I would pick the cop car although both in my opinion are land yachts.
July 12, 2008 9:53 p.m. Volksroddin New Reader

go p71!
July 13, 2008 2:15 a.m. curtis73 New Reader

I'm highly partial to the Caddy. The GM B/D body cars are (in many ways) much more car than a P71. The front suspensions are very capable. The rears aren't, but the aftermarket has TONS of stuff for them.

Plus you have to consider the fact that both cars are trying to move nearly 4000 lbs. The caddy does it with 350 cubes, the CV only has 281. The torque peak comes in high, and it certainly doesn't shine in the HP category either. The LT1 has more aftermarket parts, as does the car itself, the resale value will stay a bit higher, and lastly... just ask a cop about the GM Bbody versus the P71. There are still several agencies (including the FBI) that pay about $12k rebuilding B-bodies instead of buying new P71s. They're preferred so much for pursuit duty that they would rather invest in rebuilding an 12 year old car than buy a new one.

For the most part, they are competent vehicles, but seriously, how can you compare a spartan P71 to a cushy, low-mile caddy? Especially when it has 70 more cubes and more aftermarket support?
July 13, 2008 8:13 a.m. ncjay New Reader

If it were me, I'd be getting the cop car. I am biased and not a huge Cadillac fan. Caddy's are what Grandpa drives and cop cars are just fun to have, especially if just one person gets out of the way on the highway. Plus, with the Vic, you can quote Dan Akroyd from the Blues Brothers. It's got a cop motor, cop suspension, etc. It's an easy decision - Caddy for cruising to the country club, or the Vic for conversation and entertainment value.
July 13, 2008 8:30 a.m. minimac Dork

Save your money and keep looking. In the world of $4.25/gal.(and rising)gas, neither one of these dinosaurs are worth what being asked. That is unless you enjoy throwing good money after bad. $2500 for the privilege to drive an aging pimpmobile that may need work, or a local copmobile that spent every winter of its life idling at the Dunkin' Hortons with its heater on, or idling every summer with the air on, doesn't seem like much of a choice.
July 13, 2008 12:59 p.m. patgizz Dork

well both of them were not good so neither came home with me.

the vic was BEAT and had all the holes bondoed, rust on the quarters bondoed(i could feel where the filler squeezed through the holes on the inside), evil spray bomb job. to this guy "surface rust" means "rotting out" - and i think it was his kid's car cause the kid came out, and the rear passenger tire was bald and all the tread was up in the wheelwell. as soon as i started it up he doused the belt with dressing to get it to quit making noise.

the caddy was much better but had been hit in the RR quarter and i could see the wavy fill job from 25 feet through the gate. it was in general a nice car but needed that fixed and a paint job. i saw one later in the day and realize that the 93-96 D body really doesnt do it for me like the impala SS does. but you pay such a premium for the SS. there is a local one with 150k that "needs work" for $4800

i'm continuing to look, i'm not going to settle and i'll only buy the right car that jumps out at me. i do not like the pre 98 crown vic body style. i prefer the stripped down P71 to a full on loaded model.
July 13, 2008 3:22 p.m. belteshazzar Dork

curtis73 wrote: just ask a cop about the GM Bbody versus the P71. There are still several agencies (including the FBI) that pay about $12k rebuilding B-bodies instead of buying new P71s. They're preferred so much for pursuit duty that they would rather invest in rebuilding an 12 year old car than buy a new one.

I am HUGELY skeptical of this. I'm not calling you a liar outright, but can you substantiate this? My only source is one of my best friends IN the FBI, and he had no idea what I was talking about.

Anyhoe, I'd have said buy which ever turned out to be in nicer shape. I don't see any huge reason to buy one over the other other than that. I JUST bought my p71 last week and I love it more every time I drive it. Usually I'm bored with a car in no time so that's a good sign. Not to say I'd pass on a nice B body though.
July 13, 2008 9:21 p.m. patgizz Dork

there are a few places out there that specialize in completely refurbishing the 9C1's for more duty.

the disturbing thing i've seen with the P71's is even the 2004 i found has rust. dunno what it is about the ford sheetmetal but if the car has rotted out fenders after 4 years/80k miles i don't want to see what happens after 10 winters up here.
July 13, 2008 9:33 p.m. ReverendDexter New Reader

I'd go for the P71, the reason being that Caddies are known for their "toys", which on a 13 year old car, are likely to be broken and expensive to fix.

Fuel economy on the Crown Vic is suprisingly good, my buddy's got better than my 2.3L Foxbody (yeah, that stung a little). I know '99 was when the Mustang got the PI heads, I would assume that the crown vic would've as well. There's more hop-up parts for the 4.6, too, as the LT1 is kinda the bastard child of the small-block chevy world... especially with the LS1 coming down in price.
July 13, 2008 11:31 p.m. P71 Reader

The Crown Vic didn't get the good "Performance Improved (PI)" heads/intake until 2001. So the 98-00's are DOGS.

I own a P71 and I would have taken that Caddy over a 99 P71... Except where the Caddy is at. Granted you didn't buy either, but the B-Body Cad's are great.

I'd keep looking for a 01+ P71 if that's what you're into. The LT1's really aren't that fast. I drag race with a guy that has a 96 LT1 9C1 Caprice cop car with earily similar mods to my P71 and I dust him with noooo problems.

A B-body Impala SS is on my "Must own one at least once" list though. They were sooooo much more then just a nice 9C1.

Keep looking, neither was a deal.
July 14, 2008 10:03 a.m. belteshazzar Dork

patgizz wrote:

there are a few places out there that specialize in completely refurbishing the 9C1's for more duty.

link me one. I'm curious.

When I asked my friend who's an agent he said, "When we need a good car we just keep ones that we've confiscated. there's no room in the budget to actually buy the kind of cars we take."
July 14, 2008 10:36 a.m. neon4891 HalfDork

P71
July 14, 2008 9:11 p.m. Wall-e SuperDork

what would you buy - quickie

Yes, but I wouldn't pay much for it. Unless you meant quiche
July 14, 2008 9:23 p.m. wyldpny New Reader

Feedyurhed wrote:

Out of the previous two I would pick the cop car although both in my opinion are land yachts.

Agreed
July 14, 2008 9:33 p.m. patgizz Dork

Feedyurhed wrote:

Out of the previous two I would pick the cop car although both in my opinion are land yachts.

thats what i'm looking for.

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