An insider's guide to buying used police cars

Compared to the average model, police cars drink a lot of gas, idle for hours on end and generally take more abuse than any other vehicle on the road. But they also often last far longer, and offer an exceptionally nice firm ride.

On a dollar-for-dollar basis they are perhaps the cheapest used vehicles on the road — and if you don't drive that much, they can be well worth it. However, you have to do a lot of homework to find the good ones among the many badly abused ones.

So do you still want to even think about buying a Police Interceptor in Ford, Chevy or Dodge form? First you have to find a city or agency selling one, and while many post their excess vehicles online, it can be harder than you may think.

A few weekends ago, the city of Roswell, Ga., auctioned off 32 Ford Crown Vic Police Interceptors. There was just one small catch: Most people couldn't bid on any of them, as it was an auction for dealers and salvage pickers only. This often happens for several reasons; cities often will take less money to not deal with the hassle of shoppers who don't understand that "as-is" means "You now own it, and it's your problem if you can’t get it to start.”

So how can you figure out which government vehicles are the good ones and which ones are as rough as a worn-out mop — especially when you have 32 cars in front of you that all say: "SHOULD START WITH A BOOST, MINOR BODY DAMAGE, MINOR DAMAGE TO INTERIOR SEATS, IT HAS EXPOSED WIRES ON THE INTERIOR AND HOLES ON THE EXTERIOR."

My advice is to first start with realistic expectations. Some of these vehicles have been sitting at a backlot for weeks, months, even years after they were last on the road. You will almost definitely have to replace the battery, which means that if you want to inspect the vehicle in person, which I strongly advise you do, bring a jump box.

There is also a pecking order when it comes to Police Interceptors. Police cars that are used in the line of duty typically have a cloth front-seat, vinyl back-seat combination and you will see wires and holes wherever there was police equipment.

On a purely cosmetic level, black and white versions of these vehicles tend to be less expensive at the auctions than all black models, or other single color variations such as white or silver. Most public buyers prefer all black police cars and, as a long-time car dealer, I find that these black beauties are usually far easier to retail.

A step up from both of them is the Police Interceptor that has a cloth interior and none of the hanging wires or gaping holes of the active duty models . These vehicles tend to be abused far less and are used by government employees or, in certain cases, police officials that don't engage in high-speed pursuits. These cars will go for more money due to their lower mechanical wear and their retail-ready interiors.

Police equipment also typically adds value to the selling price. Push bumpers, spotlights, rear window bars, and the rare model with a complete rear cage all add value to the sale.

I always encourage folks to focus on no more than two vehicles, inspect the vehicles with a knowledgeable person before you bid, and try to find out as much about the maintenance history as you can. Online descriptions of these vehicles are usually garbage, but sometimes there is a silver lining under that cloud of misinformation. Sometimes you get lucky and find yourself with a vehicle well worth the risk.

Earlier this year, I bought a 2000 Ford Crown Victoria from the City of Atlanta for just $700. It had a rare leather interior, which typically means that it was driven by a city councilperson, a fire chief, or some other important public official who typically doesn't abuse vehicles. I was the only bidder of this supposedly inoperable car which, according to the online listing, showed well over 200,000 miles on the odometer.

A quick Carfax search yielded a mileage reading of only around 110,000 miles. I brought a jump box to where the vehicle was located and, miracle of miracles, the car started right up. I ended up financing it for a customer who wrecked it, but kept full-coverage insurance on it (which guarantees a financial payoff on the vehicle in the event of an accident.) My net proceeds for that vehicle were a bit over $7,000.

Of course, there are some busts in the ex-police car game. Not everything you buy turns out to be good. Ford Crown Vics in particular have become the "almost car" when it comes retailing used cars. It's the car that everyone says they "kinda" want, but never buy. A full-sized, gas-guzzling V8, with rear-wheel drive, and more cheap plastic bits than the off-brand Lego store usually doesn't translate into a highly sought-after used car.

Throw in exposed wires from all the police-only parts that were removed, couple that with well worn seats, and you wind up with a car that is sometimes bought for as little as 10 percent of its original purchase price after seven years.

The ones that the City of Roswell had listed on Govdeals were older and cheaper. I hate closed markets with a passion, especially when it comes to cars. So I decided to open up this market a bit by offering my friends on Facebook the opportunity to use me as their bidder for these vehicles. After 15 years of inspecting, appraising and liquidating government vehicles, I knew what they should expect. Most of these Police Interceptors would sell right around the $1,000 mark with maybe a few going upwards of $1,500 to $1,800.

At the end of the day, four cars were bid on and two were bought. Each were 2003 models that sold for about $1,300. They will likely need about $300 to $700 worth of work in the form of alternators, tires, and other minor catch-up maintenance. Both had front and rear cloth seats, and both were worth the selling price.

But, as you can see, it took a long time to get there. So if you want a cop car, take your time, (and please, try to avoid locking yourself in the back seat).