My current Ford obsession, a 2000 P71 Crown Victoria. I'm the 3rd owner since being decommissioned by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. This was never a patrol car and was optioned more as a comfortable cruiser with beige mohair interior, power bench seat, cruise control, and other amenities that you would not find in your typical cruiser. While being optioned for comfort on the inside, the performance boxes were also checked, 3:55 limited slip (the tallest gears available), dual exhaust and the heavy duty rear sway bar. The exterior is Amazon Green, with only the rear door side mouldings installed to accommodate for the DEC shield and lettering.

After being decomissioned in 2010 with only 60 thousand miles this P71 has been driven to 145 thousand miles, previously being used to commute to Brooklyn from Eastern Long Island, a 50 mile trip each way.

Modifications since the decommissioning have been tasteful and strictly for driver comfort considering the previous owner likely spent 3 hours a day commuting. The factory radio has been replaced with a quality Pioneer touch screen double DIN radio with bluetooth and backup camera capabilities. The speakers were also upgraded to Infiniti component speakers to match the radio. For the cold mornings a Viper remote start system has been installed to warm the 4.6 liter V8 up while you make your morning coffe.

The ride is as you would expect, floaty with just enough stiffness to reassure you that you are firmly planted on the road, making off ramps a fun challenge keeping yourself centered in the vast bench seat. While it may not win many drag races the 200hp V8 makes the right rumble when you put your foot in it. The traditional throttle cable setup keeps throttle response quick and snappy, as long as the transmission doesn't decide to upshift into overdrive at these wrong moment.

As a poor car enthusiast with a 9-5 job where being absent due to automotive misfortune is frowned upon, this $1200 Crown Vic is the perfect mix of fun, reliability and comfort to get me through every day life. With an astounding 23mpg highway I see many long distance road trips in this fine automobile.

Join In

Comments (2)

  • It's impossible not to want a Crown Victoria.

      1 year ago
2