And i'm mixed on it. I've never been a fan of compact or midsoze vehicles for police use simply from a safety standpoint. However, these seem pretty rugged, and have some pretty nice features. It did take some getting used to the AWD though, as well as operator room, as i'm used to a Tahoe. They(the Taurus) accelerate very quickly and handle well at high speed. I don't know if I would say they are better than Crown Vics but i think they are better than Chargers.

A buddy of mine works for a dept that has some of the New Chevy Caprice PPVs and said they aren't happy with them at all. I'd still rather keep my Tahoe

I'm not a fan.....

The AWD did do extremely well this winter and the damn things handle like they're on rails. It's the climbing down into them and the interior that I dislike. I have around 65k on "my" (issued) Vic. If history is an indicator I'm good for another 70+.

We're, likely, going to the "Explorers". They handle the same, still AWD and more room.

George

you need one of these with a 440 in it.

That's back when cop cars could haul ass.

Love that movie.

George. Good morning. All things considered i'm not a fan of any of the "midsize" vehicles. I absolutely hate the Impalas. None of them, from the Ford to the Charger and from what i've seen even the new Explorer have a 'quality' level of operator room in them. This is our first Taurus, and as it's a general fleet car, I doub't i'll drive it much. Everyone on my shift has take home cars.

When Ford decided to do away with the Crown Vics we started buying Tahoes, both 2wd and 4wd. And as far as I'm concerned they are THE patrol vehicle, they handle well , have adequate ground clearance and plenty of power.

my uncle (retired Fed ) use to tell a story of when he was on a pursuit, he was driving some kind of chevy, when Joaquin Jackson driving a dodge with a 440 passed him like he was standing still.

Some of the bigger Troopers I know told me they can't fit in the passenger side seat with the computer and radio equipment.

Pat. I don't doubt that. But i don't know any vehicle that that is possible to do comfortably

Neighboring department is having oil burning problems with their new Ford Interceptors. They think it may be in the turbos. They have also had two rear end problems and Ford did not have the part nor the tool to fix it. The two cars received new rear ends under warranty.

Our shop mechanics don't feel the Interceptor will be as rugged and reliable as the CVPI's.

My department has switched to the Chargers and they have worked well so far. Will be interesting to see how they hold up. My 2011 Crown Vic(purchased in 2012) has 35,000 miles so I'm good to go for a few more years.

We have tried to talk the "brass" into Tahoe's as well but our budget will not allow it. Too bad because I agree these are great vehicles.

We got into a pursuit once when i worked for another dept. it ended up on the interstate, we were soung about a buck ten, and out of nowhere I see these headlights coming behind me, walks past me like i was going backeards, and them turns on his Emergency Lights. [bleep] thing was a Dodge Viper. Afyer the fact i found out it was confiscated, and had been sold at auction, only to be donated back to that dept. the dept took up a fund rasier to have a light package and paint job done on it. And used it for highway enforcement

I think all cops should be driving the new Fiat 500L. Life for the oppressors SHOULD be uncomfortable. lol

I know you dislike "us" and would enjoy the suffering, but where would I put my dog....

Duhh...Passenger seat.

I remember the old Dodge 440's. Texas DPS had to put Super Coolers on them because they would overheat in the Texas sun...

Favorite was the Chrysler Newport back then though. Mine had a 360 Premium w/ Quadrajet in it. It would run...:D

They like the Explorers , or the crown Vic's with out the partition walls so they can slide the seats back.

well George, I like dogs, even cop dogs, so in your case, how about an Escalade?

I'm thinking them Smart Car's should be standard issue.

Even that is to much car for some of them.

The local county and HPD uses a lot of Chargers and Crown Vic's, during the winter they are close to useless aside from the plowed highway.

A few of the guys park at the local fire hall because the cars they are issued won't make it up to their houses.

Those and the occasional Suburban are the only thing that our Sheriff's Department buys these days. They are flooded with Homeland Security dollars, and these units cost our county $80K+ each with all the communications equipment. They are mostly driven by young deputies making about $10-$12 per hour who are waiting to be admitted to the academy so that they can get certified and go somewhere else.

They don't pay that much for them. I know that for a fact. They go with the low bid automaker for government vehicles.

You and I would pay that much, but the government doesn't. You would be shocked at the price they pay.

I had one of those. My first patrol car. 1974 Grand Fury Police Interceptor. 440CI, Humongous 4bbl carb, and itty, bitty drum brakes all the way around.

Top speed (clocked on radar by a State Trooper as I was going to a sniper call at a local high school) was 147mph.

If you floored it from the standing start, it would upshift to second at about 65mph, second to third around 95mph, then bury the speedometer needle in the dash.
There was so much unburned fuel in the system when you floored it, that there were two black smoke ropes coming from the exhaust pipes until you got above 95 when it started to burn most of the fuel being delivered.

Ed

My thinking is the vendors know who has grant money or other govbucks and raise up a little to get their share. I know that when our fire department got it they were not as concerned with cost as when it was all department funds.

The explorers are easier to get in and out of, but they're still suck for comfort. The rattle like a tin can full of marbles after about 10K miles and don't have any more ground clearance than a C-Vic. There's just no perfect option.

Why do the troopers need to go 100+ miles an hour. With all the tech now, can't they just get the camera feed from the drones and follow the perp at safe speeds and distance? Then call air strike bombs to take care of situation.

Vendors for LE are a VERY competitive bunch. While they don't like to leave money on the table, low bid wins the day because most government entities (not volunteer FDs!) have to play buy the purchasing rules and even five bucks too high can lose a bid.

Our local VFD has the ability to raise funds independent of the county and the ability to spend it as they wish. When it comes time to spend money that is passed through the county through Fire District taxes, they have to play by the county rules for spending and that means low bid, three+ bids, and and increasingly tighter purchasing oversight.



Ed

The bids are announced at the county commission meetings at which the winning bids are approved.

Y'all need some county commissioners with some brains.

The county bought me a brand new F-150 4x4 SuperCrew for my Wildlife Services Dept. there. It had decent options, but wasn't loaded. Cloth seats, elect. windows, etc...

Total cost: Under $13k.

From bidding out government vehicles before I know that the federal government puts out a request each year to the domestic automakers for considerations of low bids for government vehicles. These go directly to the manufacturer like Ford or GM. After they consider the bids from the auto makers, they award it to the lowest that meets the criteria. Once that is awarded, not only the feds can use it, but any government agency is allowed to purchase the vehicles at the same cost. States, counties, schools.... all qualify.

Might put a bug in the ears of your commissioners and perhaps have them call over to Otero County and find out how easy it is to save big bucks. The sheriff's dept. probably could have had 3 brand new vehicles for what they paid for that one.

It's your tax money.

I dont know about cars, but not all government entities have to take the lowest bid. In fact, they can be forced to take the highest bid.

If a native Indian woman owns a company that bids on a government project, she can be as much as 15% higher than the highest bid and the gov. will be forced to take her bid. All because of Affirmative Action and other programs like it.

I'm not the expert on this. I quoting my brother, who is an expert on government contracts.

That is correct mostly. Affirmative action. Consideration is given to minorities and women business owners.

With vehicles though, even the dealer doesn't get paid anything but a "courtesy delivery fee".

that's how it was with bridgestone tire, we got a delivery fee, but were able to charge for mount, balance, disposal.

Up top, Romney family style.