Comments on: Why are police departments still using the Crown Victoria?

By: Happy Tinfoil Cat

Happy Tinfoil Cat — Sun, 16 May 2010 14:49:32 +0000

They should replace the gas tank with a type used in racing. Not only would it not gush out, it would also prevent sloshing during maneuvers.

By: maninchair

maninchair — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:31:43 +0000

Oh, and rear axles do NOT protect gas tanks. Rear axles shred gas tanks into tiny pieces just like a baseball bat with nails through it.

By: maninchair

maninchair — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:27:42 +0000

Aside from the obvious facts stated previously about vehicle use to tragedy ratio there are other good reasons to use a crown vic. No one else makes one. The chargers are a high maintenance car with little interior space and horrible blind spots among their many faults. Impalas don't hold up to abuse well at all. And with Ford talking about discontinuing the crown vic law enforcement officials in my state are wordering what to do other than buy suv's- and oh boy what an expense that is. I'm a mechanic. I've seen all of these vehicles up close and in the field. We'll miss crown victorias when they're gone.

By: Bo

Bo — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 01:08:53 +0000

I cant understand the peoples frustration when an officer gets hurt in these type of incidents but this is just an article to bash an American car. 21 similar incidents in 30 years with thousands of the same cars used every day? Come on. when a Crown Vic or any other type of car is on the side of the highway and gets hit by a car traveling that fast, no car is going to withstand that kind of hit very well. A fire just may happen? Anyway These big 5000 pound cars will do better than any other car out their. Crown Victoria’s are one of the best quality cars every built. They can go well of 200k miles on original motors and transmissions. After they are cop cars they then become taxi cabs and then are beat into the ground for years. You will see crown vics as taxi cabs that are well over 15 years old. Anyway, This article does point out some terrible incidents but your overall argument is weak.

By: Thor

Thor — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:41:45 +0000

Would be 1000 times more effecient if they used a base engine and chassis and built them up custom for divisions needs

I see why they want American, too bad they couldn’t beef up v6 accords cause they last forever and are just as fast almost stock, but would
Save gas and
Be just as safe, although would cost more to fix from accidents.

Would be cool to see a late 80′s chevy celebrity with a supercharger scoop, roll cage awd and bolted on Bumper crap like in mad max

Muhahaha

By: South Florida cop

South Florida cop — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:47:31 +0000

Still not much in the local media about this. They are probably afraid of Ford.

Thanks for having the guts to speak the truth!

By: genewitch

genewitch — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:24:42 +0000

21 incidents in 30 years isn’t that bad, Carlos. Yes it sucks that sometimes they catch on fire. But i have friends that are police that have had the cars catch on fire from going 120MPH, too.

If you can find statistics on a car that has as much space, comfort, and handling capability as a Crown Victoria for about the same price (IE not a lincoln, or a mercury grand marquis) that has, and had as many on the road in continuous use as the crown vic, that had less “vehicle caused deaths” — i’d love to hear about it.

The Chevy Caprice was the old standby, but GM decided to stop making luxury sedans. Oh well.

Every time i see a police vehicle that isn’t a crown vic (especially those dodges); i can tell they’re not going to last.

And to answer “why does ford still make them” – that’s simple… Because the police use them.

and RE: wikipedia article about ford pinto… Fight Club’s main character is one of those cost analysis guys.

By: Carlos Miller

Carlos Miller — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 04:05:45 +0000

I wasn’t defending the Pintos. Far from it. Just stating the facts.

You would think Ford would have learned its lesson but obviously it hasn’t. I personally hope they go bankrupt and never see another business day.

Here is what Wikipedia said about the Pinto:

Ford was aware of this design flaw but allegedly refused to pay what was characterized as the minimal expense of a redesign. Instead, it was argued, Ford decided it would be cheaper to pay off possible lawsuits for resulting deaths. Mother Jones magazine obtained the cost-benefit analysis that it said Ford had used to compare the cost of an $11 ($57 today, allowing for inflation) repair against the cost of paying off potential law suits, in what became known as the Ford Pinto memo.

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:56:08 +0000

Hey I don’t have anything against the Pinto. I want one myself, I even have the fuzzy dice for the mirror. But you would think that by the turn of the century they wouldn’t have exploding cars anymore.
I also totally agree with Rick. Tax raises aren’t going to kill anybody, and it could save many lives, just by trading in some of these old models.