Hello All,

this is a Ford driver from Hungary (I hope my grammar will be okay, not too painful to read). I currently have a black 4dr '99 Ford Mondeo (better looking sibling of the Contour) 2.5 V6 with about 170k milers in the clock - still going very strong and it is in mint condition, though I do have problems with corrosion due to the countless winters it had soldier through. My father bought it back then as new, so it has a high emotional value for me and I already put it into a garage every winter.

And that bought me to this forum,as I want a CrownVic as new daily car. Love its classic proportions, the V8 of course and that it is built to last, so I am heavily considering to import one.

So far the preferences are as follow:
- aero whale body
- made in '98-'99 -> registration tax in Hungary is punitive against large engines but also depend on other factors, so a '07 CrownVic would cost 5000 USD to register whereas I would get away with about 1500 USD by buying an older one)
- police interceptor is preferred, as
--> the strong chassis and suspension would be welcome (some of the road I regulary drive on are in bad shape)
--> also the improved oil colling of the would be welcome should I find myself in a high-speed session on the German motorway
--> if there is a fleet car that has most of these interceptor goodies, lower mileage and nicer interior is welcome (prefer velour over leather)
- other aspects
--> priority no1: chassis in good shape (no rust)
--> proprity no2: mechanicals in good shape, if possible no more than 150k miles
--> no modifications (apart of stronger brakes perhaps), I prefer the original (even fancy those black wheels with the chromed caps on the patrol cars)
--> priority no3: I realize these are no new cars and I want to use it daily, so it should look as you expect a car of this age, but a nice interior is always welcome
- finally, target budget for the car (i.e. without transport, local taxes, etc.) is in between 3000-6000 USD, and I'm planning to actively look for one from February onwards

I will dig into the forums and try to get more info, but any suggestion or comment is welcome. It would be nice to find the one on these pages though!

Welcome from Miami!!

Welcome,,, and your grammer was better than mine

Welcome to CVN!!!

Thanks for all the welcoming!

I've already found a nice car with only 87k in the clock, exterior is nice, straight panel gaps up front, and a beautiful interior.

The only weak point is that the underbody appears to be re-coated (requested some additional pictures): Pictures
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60856007@N02/sets/72157637769378073/

I know someone who knows cars in the area, he will check it for me, also probably get service history via carfax. I hope you guys won't see anything too ugly.

First, a warm welcome from the U.S. and from Massachusetts! You're definitely in the right place on this site! You will get a lot of great advise here, many of the members have not only a deep knowledge of these cars, but also know what to watch out for. Now for your prospective car, I share your concern about the undercarriage paint job. It appears, and I may be wrong, that it's been painted over rust. It even appears in one picture that the shock casing is also painted. I can't tell if this is paint or a bedliner type of coating, but either way, I would be fearful that someone is hiding something there, especially where you can see some substantial rust in some of the pics, and the engine compartment (especially the firewall) appears to be extremely dirty and dusty, but it is an older model and I'm too picky sometimes. My opinion is that there are many out there to be purchased that would have less questions than the underside of that car, I would keep looking. I love digging for deals on cars, so when you're ready, I'd love to help finding a great car!

welcome from canada

Welcome from Mississippi! Good luck!

Hi there and welcome from your side of the pond ;-)

Rust is not an issue in many regions, so try to get a car that has lived in a salt-free area and you should be fine. Rust-proof it as soon as you get it and all will be well.

My '07 came from Ohio and had started to rust quite a bit already, although nothing serious.

A 98-99 P71 with SAP (Street Appearance Package) in good shape with low miles will be hard to find. But I am sure these are around as well if you have some time.

It will be much easier to find a Grand Marquis or civilian CV in excellent shape with low miles at that age. Just follow the ebay/cl finds thread in this forum for a while.

I eventually settled for a civilian P74, as it was an honest offer. It is now my daily driver and I like it a lot. But I drive it as if I lived in the US ;-)

Plenty of Panthers around - get one while they last!

Thanks for all the replies!

Well, since then I've got an Autocheck report, and the car scored really good with no reported problems apart one accident in 2003 (suspect is front left wing, where the side moulding is missing, but the panel gaps look nice).

Moreover, the car had only one owner, the municipality of Quincy, MA - was auctioned recently and a the dealer bought it.

Also, the odometer shows only 87000 miles (again verified), and the interior is by far the most beautiful I've seen on any car (I prefer velour): http://www.samsautogroupinc.com/vehicleimageall.aspx?cmb=0|211127315|431076

What I also know, is that the car has the longer final drive ratio, which I'm happy about as I'm planning to do a lot of cruising.

Another plus that I have a close family friend living in the nearby, so I can trust him to test drive the car and buy it before forwarding to me.

What else could I say, I fell in love with this car, so if it drives well, I will take it.
The only modification it probably needs is to remove the plastic wheel covers and add those fancy police-like chrome caps.

I have plenty of rust issues with my '99 Mondeo V6, so I'm prepared to fight it, give it protective coating every fall, etc..

Edit: Due to the punitive registration tax here, I could not look for newer cars as it may cost in excess of 5-6000 USD. Checking all what is available in Southern states, most cars are overpriced with lots of mileage, none of them looks this nice...

Hey, I'm from MA! That might explain the undercarriage of the car then, Quincy is right on the ocean. If this car makes you happy, that's what it's all about. Trust your good feeling about this car, that can be a good sign!

Thanks I really want it to be good. Winters can be also wet and humid here and often salt is used against road ice, so I will need to pay attention to the rust issue anyway as I'm hoping the car will serve me for many years to come.

At the end of the day with a 13 year old car I have to compromise one way or another... and hey, it is also a P71!

Welcome. Get one from the southern U.S., like Alabama. Our cars see no snow, and a 40 yr old car looks like 5 underneath. If you want one for the long haul, don't get a car from the rust belt (MA).

Welcome! If you can stretch for an '03 plus, the chassis improvements are worth it IMO. '02 minus cars are still very good. Look for a car from the Southwest to avoid rust. Older PI's do not tell idles hours which can add significantly to the mileage. I might consider a Base or LX for that reason. They can be improved to police spec quite easily.

Hi, another welcome from our side of the pond !
Maybe you wanna take a look here in Europe:
www.mobile.de >Ford>Mercury>Grand
or:
www.mobile.de >Ford>Crown
Some nice Panthers available and no hassle with the import procedures.
Found my 2003 MGM with only 35 Kmls here some 3 years ago for a more than decent price.

Good luck !