Bro, they’re getting scarce. That is the main factor behind their price increase. (Not to say there aren’t other factors). There is a driving force behind every market change; things don’t “just are priceier than they used to be” for no reason.
Now I go on craigslist and type in Crown Victoria, you know what pops up? A $50 parts car, one decent looking base model, a junk car removal ad, and a bunch of rim ads.
If we go by the definition of “rare”, actually, yes they’re becoming rare. Especially in good shape. How many 93-97 CVPI’s do you see left? Boxes? Just because there was a 100,000 of them on the road before doesn’t mean anything.. they almost don’t exist anymore.. making them rare. Now, let’s be absolutely clear: rarity does not equal valuable, but these cars do have value to them, regardless of rarity. And yes, we’re still a ways off from ‘98+ body style being as hard to find as an aero or box.
And being plain Jane doesn’t affect their value much either; an MGM or even a LX Sport is only a couple half notches higher on the “vanilla” scale.. these cars, regardless of trim level, just are simply not modern and have very little to offer in the amenities category. Even the coveted Marauder lacks the sophisticated technology that new Camry’s are rolling off of dealer lots with. But don’t you see? That’s what people want! People are tired of every single thing needing to do a hundred computer processes just to do one function.. they’re tired of having to “talk to the car nice” or it refuses to start (exaggerating for emphasis) .. they want to get their hands on something a little less complex, a little more simple, a little more back to basics.. enter the panther.
Finally, I’m OK with agreeing to disagree about the quality of cars when initially offered for sale. Most “clean” ones I see are just dolled up pigs..not to say every one is. And yes, panthers are still staying in service a lot longer than usual, cops know this is the end of the line for these things and it seems ones with some seniority have convinced departments to keep them in service just a littttttle bit longer.
Hate to disagree again, but I will.
Bro, they're not getting scarce. Perhaps in frozen Canada, or the rust belt East Coast and the humid gulf where they are inexorably rotting away, and the service fleets have already been depleted, but out here in the dry temperate West where I live, they are just as plentiful, just as decent, just as fresh as they've ever been since I started buying and selling them five years ago. We've got no shortage of cars. The last Las Vegas live auction I followed had a dozen on the blocks.
Yes, they are getting scarce, especially compared to just a year or two ago.
The auction I listed above a couple of years ago was almost all Crown Vics, now it's mostly Exploders & two Crown Vics. I'll bet next year that same sale will be down to one or no Vics. Also a Craigslist search in my southern state a used to reveal an endless choice of Panthers to choose from. Now if there are any, they're high mileage, clapped out, junk with the occasional, rare low mileage gem usually demanding a premium price. This will not get better even if the used car bubble burst, the supply of Panthers is beginning to wither away.
_________________________ 2004 Ford CVPI 130k miles 1993 Chevy Caprice 5.0 V8 150k miles 2003 Ford CVPI 110k miles 2007 Ford CVPI 100k miles 1989 C1500 185k miles
Copyright 2000-2015 by Crownvic.net and Steve Spaulding. All Rights Reserved.
The photographs, graphics and data contained in this Web site are the properties of the contributors, or Crownvic.net and may not be used without expressed written consent. Crownvic.net is not affiliated with the Ford motor company.