Used cop cars on most-wanted list

So, you want to own a used police car.

You're not alone. More and more private citizens are getting a steal of deal by purchasing late-model former law enforcement vehicles. For a relative pittance, a casehardened Caprice, Crown Victoria or Grand Marquis could be in your driveway.

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Then the fun begins.

Impress your friends with the Corvette LT-1 running gear that will peel your ears off at 145 miles per hour. Assist your fellow motorists with your service-issue push bars and floodlight. Say goodbye to high maintenance bills thanks to inexpensive, readily available, quick-change parts.

Sorry, though. Sirens aren't part of the package.

And remember that despite your new Bluesmobile's pedigree, you are buying a used car. So the caveat "buyer beware" still applies.

A real muscle car
Paul Duchene is a national automotive writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and many national newspapers. Duchene test-drives new luxury cars for a living, but when he goes out at night, he takes his 1989 Caprice squad car with 266,000 miles on it. He bought it a year ago for $800.

"They are just built way better," he says. "The springs are heavy duty, it's got big roll bars, big brakes, a transmission cooler, a super-durable interior, lifetime hoses that never wear out. It's a contrast to all the things I drive that are worth $40,000 in that it is worth nothing and it's as fast as they are."

Duchene's admiration for the aging Chevy continues as he surveys its police-package interior: "I can lock all the doors from one power switch. I can pop the trunk from inside. I've got two overhead lights, neither of which comes on when I open the door. I've got a super-accurate odometer that goes up to 1 million miles but no trip odometer. And I don't have a clock. Plus, it still has the spotlights and the little stubby radio antennas and the push bars on the front.

"It's the ultimate un-car and you don't have to worry about it getting stolen."

Easy care, long-lasting construction
Another reason civilian drivers love former police cars: They are mission-critical to law enforcement, so automakers design them for quick and easy maintenance.

"Putting in a heater fan, which is one of the nightmares in modern cars and would take you eight to 12 hours of work, I can do in 15 minutes. You go under the hood, six bolts and pulls straight out. It's a working dog," Duchene says.

Plus, the parts are cheaper. A new civilian-model heater control unit costs around $500; the police version runs just $36. Even better, you could probably pick one up at any wrecking yard for lunch change. Thanks to the sheer number of Chevrolet Caprice, Ford Crown Victoria or Mercury Grand Marquis models that were sold to law enforcement agencies, most scrap parts come from police vehicles.

Neither did the miles on his cruiser worry Duchene. These babies are designed to go 500,000 miles plus, but law enforcement agencies routinely "roll", or put out to pasture, their cars at about 100,000 miles.

Duchene knows one owner who got 650,000 miles on one car, original engine.