-2003 P71 Crown Victoria-

[1972coronet]

I'm going to check out a 2003 P71 Crown Victoria tomorrow . It's listed as having 127,000 miles ; it looks quite nice judging by its photos : black with white roof and all-four doors (no agency marques) ; tan interior with carpeting ( unusual for any standard police car ) ; Certified 140 speedometer ; centre-mount trunk-release , etc. , etc. 

Asking price is $2,500 (that's comfortably-within my budget) . 

Any potential issues with that specific model / year I should pay attention to ? Naturally , I'll examine all the usual items ( trans fluid level , colour , and odour ; brake fluid level , colour , and odour ; hoses / coolant ; overflow-and-or-expansion tank , etc. , etc.) .

It's been a dream of mine for more than 40 years to own a retired police car (ever since watching The Blues Brothers , really) , so I hope that all goes well . I'm not expecting a well-cared-for creampuff ( the presence of carpeting bothers me to an extent , as I'd MUCH prefer the typical black mats ) , but am wondering about other items to look for as far as potential "stay-away !" wear items .

Thanks ! 

[webestang]

Not sure how to check but there is a thing called "Idle Hours" that Crown Vic guys always want to know on their cop vics. I think one idle hour is equal to 25-30 miles of driving. 

I would for sure check the tension pulley for the s-belt. Also check the ignition coils for cracks. 

I belong to this site for Vics (mine is a non-cop 96), LOTS of info here........   https://www.crownvic.net/

Edited April 13, 2021 by webestang

[Tom Geiger]

Ask if seller has the history of the car, these fleet vehicles often have had excellent service histories and you may get that record along with it. 
 

A Vic with that mileage is almost new. My brother in law drove for an airport limo company and said some of their cars had 300,000 miles plus.  I drove my civie Vic over 200,000 before I got rid of it.

[jefropas]

You might wanna check for a cracked intake manifold, that's about the only problem we had over the years, also with the possible front end being whacked too many times. May need some suspension goodies...

Jeff

[1972coronet]

15 hours ago, jefropas said:

You might wanna check for a cracked intake manifold, that's about the only problem we had over the years,

Funny you should mention the intake manifold --- used to deliver boxes-upon-boxes of those plastic road apples to all of the L.A. City and L.A. County police garages . IIRC , the part number dated to a 1998 update ( F8AZ -- ) , which were improved vs. the original , c.1991 ( F0AZ or F2AZ -- prefix )  design / construction . Thankfully my example is equipped with the alminium intake ( not sure if it's a factory upgrade by c.2004 , or if it was replaced under a TSB or Recall ) .

The only issues that the car has :

1.) Brake lights don't illuminate ; turn signals / running lights work as expected . Likely the brake switch .

2.) Climate control blend door is either stuck or broken ( heater blows hot ; defogger works quickly -- but when switched to the 'Vent' or A/C setting , the air still goes-through the defroster vents and floor vents . Blows nice and cold , just to the incorrect deflectors ) .

Runs much , MUCH better than I'd anticipated : a surprisingly smooth ride for a P71 ; steering is spot-on ; brakes are great ; 4R75W trans shifts perfectly ; speedometer is spot-on .

Thanks much , one and all , for your input . 

[Rodent]

37 minutes ago, 1972coronet said:

2.) Climate control blend door is either stuck or broken ( heater blows hot ; defogger works quickly -- but when switched to the 'Vent' or A/C setting , the air still goes-through the defroster vents and floor vents . Blows nice and cold , just to the incorrect deflectors ) .

This could be ugly. The temp control is a motor, but the blend doors are vacuum. You could get lucky with a loose vacuum hose or the easier to get to vacuum actuator is bad. Or you could be looking at 4-5 hours flatrate to replace the "other" actuator or replacing the case. I don't believe that the doors themselves are serviceable unless Dorman makes something. 

Sounds like a city or county unit since it has both F/R doors in white. 

[1972coronet]

5 hours ago, Rodent said:

Sounds like a city or county unit since it has both F/R doors in white.

There's the adhesive-remains of "IUSD" on the forward-edge of the roof . Combining that acronym with tan interior = desert-region unit . I'm thinking that the 'IUSD' stands for 'Indio Union School District' , eg. a unit assigned to the Indio schools . Judging by its condition and its relatively-low-miles , my assumption stands to reason. Still somewhat mystified by the presence of carpeting vs. black rubber-vinyl mats...

As far as the blend door , etc. , is concerned : if it's going to cost too much , I'll simply deal with it as it is . The A/C blows cold enough ; and since cold air sinks , the defroster vents will provide de facto cooling . Besides , the heater / defogger blow hot , so I'm good there , too . I'd rather put the money towards other items anyhow .

[1972coronet]

[niteowl7710]

3 hours ago, 1972coronet said:

There's the adhesive-remains of "IUSD" on the forward-edge of the roof . Combining that acronym with tan interior = desert-region unit . I'm thinking that the 'IUSD' stands for 'Indio Union School District' , eg. a unit assigned to the Indio schools . Judging by its condition and its relatively-low-miles , my assumption stands to reason. Still somewhat mystified by the presence of carpeting vs. black rubber-vinyl mats...

As far as the blend door , etc. , is concerned : if it's going to cost too much , I'll simply deal with it as it is . The A/C blows cold enough ; and since cold air sinks , the defroster vents will provide de facto cooling . Besides , the heater / defogger blow hot , so I'm good there , too . I'd rather put the money towards other items anyhow .

Indio Schools are part of the Desert Sands Unified School District.  Remember the "U" in California stands for Unified.

That being said I believe you have a former Inglewood Unified School District unit.

 

[1972coronet]

5 hours ago, niteowl7710 said:

Indio Schools are part of the Desert Sands Unified School District.  Remember the "U" in California stands for Unified.

That being said I believe you have a former Inglewood Unified School District unit.

That's exactly the livery my P71 originally had !

Thanks much for the clarification of the acronym , and for the correct 'Unified' nomenclature .

[iamsuperdan]

Can honestly say I've never seen a Ford interceptor (or any other cop car) with anything but a dark grey or dark blue interior.

 

I find it interesting/odd that a school division requires their own police force. 

[Rodent]

What is the two letter "INT" trim code from the driver's door decal?

 

Just noticed: HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN!

Edited April 16, 2021 by Rodent

[1972coronet]

6 hours ago, iamsuperdan said:

Can honestly say I've never seen a Ford interceptor (or any other cop car) with anything but a dark grey or dark blue interior.

 

I find it interesting/odd that a school division requires their own police force. 

I , too , was perplexed by the tan interior , especially as late as 2004 . 

Los Angeles' Inglewood suburb ( adjacent to LAX Airport ) and other high crime cities have employed police / Sheriff's Dept. sectors since the early 1990's .

[1972coronet]

4 hours ago, Rodent said:

What is the two letter "INT" trim code from the driver's door decal?

 

Just noticed: HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN!

I'm going to peruse its codes soon here . Is the decal you're referring to included in the build date / V.I.N. door sticker ? 

Thanks much for the birthday wishes ! 

[Rodent]

56 minutes ago, 1972coronet said:

I'm going to peruse its codes soon here . Is the decal you're referring to included in the build date / V.I.N. door sticker ? 

Thanks much for the birthday wishes ! 

You are welcome, go out and celebrate.

Codes are on the vehicle certification label. I don't remember if it is on the door or the B pillar. The "INT" code is two letters, one is the type of seats installed, the other is the color.

[niteowl7710]

17 hours ago, iamsuperdan said:

I find it interesting/odd that a school division requires their own police force. 

Inglewood's School District has over 11,000 students, making it a small city of it's own so to speak when it's in session. You guys have SROs up there, which is how most school districts down here handle it as well. But larger districts find it easier to maintain their own force than trying to get officers from the surrounding city. LA Unified School District Police is one of the largest departments in the entire State of California with over 400 officers serving a student population exceeding 600k.

11 hours ago, 1972coronet said:

I , too , was perplexed by the tan interior , especially as late as 2004 . 

Los Angeles' Inglewood suburb ( adjacent to LAX Airport ) and other high crime cities have employed police / Sheriff's Dept. sectors since the early 1990's .

I believe the beige interiors were offered up until 2005. Inglewood itself had it's own department from the late 20s until the early 90s, then became a LASO Contract, and in 2008 they reincorporated the department which still continues to serve the city.

[webestang]

Looks like a nice buy. Good luck with her. 

[mk11]

On 4/15/2021 at 9:22 PM, 1972coronet said:

 Still somewhat mystified by the presence of carpeting vs. black rubber-vinyl mats...

Possibly units assigned to higher ranks or non-regular street duty had the carpets...

 

[MarvinGardens]

Also be aware those 4R70-platform transmissions DO NOT like heat, and will fail if not cooled properly. IF you get it, service the trans with fresh MERC V fluid and filter; look at the old fluid and mag plug in the deep pan. If it is BLACK and fuzzy, your trans is on its' last leg, and 4R70s aren't really cheap. If it looks ok, do the JMod as it will save the transmissions life (and add a little fun to your driving experience (take this from someone who has had to replace 2 4R70s in CVPIs due to them being burned up). I ended up with a fresh 4R70, installed new solenoids, added a Jmodded valve body, (the CVPIs already have the deep pan and filter) installed a 30,000GVW aux trans cooler, and a temp gauge to my latest CVPI and so far-so good.

Edited April 18, 2021 by MarvinGardens

[1972coronet]

7 minutes ago, MarvinGardens said:

Also be aware those 4R70-platform transmissions DO NOT like heat, and will fail if not cooled properly. IF you get it, service the trans with fresh MERC V fluid and filter; look at the old fluid and mag plug in the deep pan. If it is BLACK and fuzzy, your trans is on its' last leg, and 4R70s aren't really cheap. If it looks ok, do the JMod as it will save the transmissions life (and add a little fun to your driving experience (take this from someone who has had to replace 2 4R70s in CVPIs due to them being burned up). I ended up with a fresh 4R70, installed new solenoids, added a Jmodded valve body, (the CVPIs already have the deep pan and filter) installed a 30,000GVW aux trans cooler, and a temp gauge to my latest CVPI and so far-so good.

It's a 2004 ; it has the 4R75 . Trans fluid looked clean (nice , red colour ) , felt like it's supposed to , and didn't smell burnt . Its shifts are spot-on , regardless of RPMs .

Thanks much for the info , and for the advice .

[MarvinGardens]

That is why I say 4R70-platform. That encompasses 4R70W, 4R70E, 4R75, 4R80, and 4R100 transmissions (as the 4R was based off the AODE architecture and has changed a bit over the years). 

Yours will be post-2001 and will no longer have one of the stiffener plates in the valve body-to-trans plate. I forgot to mention; when I did my JMod, it was to a Superior brand 'Tuff Plate', which is almost twice as thick as a stock separator plate. That kit also comes with a little dimple 'foot' to keep one of the accumulator plates from hitting the separator plate and slowly dimpling it (allowing fluid flow-by that will wreak havoc on overdrive-downshift in the 4R).

[1972coronet]

13 hours ago, MarvinGardens said:

That is why I say 4R70-platform. That encompasses 4R70W, 4R70E, 4R75, 4R80, and 4R100 transmissions (as the 4R was based off the AODE architecture and has changed a bit over the years). 

Yours will be post-2001 and will no longer have one of the stiffener plates in the valve body-to-trans plate. I forgot to mention; when I did my JMod, it was to a Superior brand 'Tuff Plate', which is almost twice as thick as a stock separator plate. That kit also comes with a little dimple 'foot' to keep one of the accumulator plates from hitting the separator plate and slowly dimpling it (allowing fluid flow-by that will wreak havoc on overdrive-downshift in the 4R).

Ah ! Okay , the later iterations of the AOD [ et al. ] are all in the same family ( similar , I'd imagine , to the 700-R4 -come- 4L_0E  family ) . 

Thus far , the transmission is working perfectly . Hopefully , a rebuild is a few years down the road... Never have been much of a fan of stock-shifting automatics ( I'm only familiar with Torqueflites )  , so I'll keep the separator plate replacement / valvebody replacement in mind . 

Thanks .