Would you buy an ex police car or ex taxi?

[Al...]

My last car was a series 2 el xr8..I'd say it was a detectives car as it was dark blue, never had a problem at all

[XA-Coupe]

lol at some of the replies.
Police cars... unless it was an officer's car, NO WAY would I get one !!!! The things I have seen done to police cars would make anyone with any mechanical sympathy cry... don't think for a moment HWP cars are any better. Sure, some people get good cars but no way I would take a chance. The cars are a tool and most police couldn't care a toss about it.
As for a taxi, you get what you pay for, if you pay bugger all then you can't complain if it is a dog.

[Abacus]

Re buying a taxi....

I was a cabbie for 7 years.

Would I buy one? If it was a personally owned and operated by an owner/driver who was meticulous with his cleaning and maintenance, maybe....but gee, it would have to be cheap.

And as for a base cab - no frigging way!!!

Remember, it's not just the body and drivetrain that gets a beating, the high kms mean all the fiddly things, like air-con, instruments, dashboard, centre console, roof and door trims, demisters, door actuators and of course seats will have seen at least 800,000kms before you buy it. And that stuff is expensive to put right.

For the $2,500 or so I'd be prepared to spend on a good AU cab, I think I'd sooner buy a nice and tidy private-use EL.

[normxb]

Originally Posted by Abacus

Re buying a taxi....I was a cabbie for 7 years.
Would I buy one? If it was a personally owned and operated by an owner/driver who was meticulous with his cleaning and maintenance, maybe....but gee, it would have to be cheap.
And as for a base cab - no frigging way!!!.

As above ....Depending who owned the Cab .

(Going back a few years) My Bro-in-Law decided to get back into Cab's in Canberra . He bought a used '87 XF S-Pack (Private car 35,000 k's), installed "Dedicated Gas" and ran the first motor to 700,000+ k's then replaced it (just to make sure , but there was nothing wrong with it) . Second motor was up to 600,000 k's when he sold it and was in "Perfect" condition . Only accident , hit a 'roo front left guard .

Every Saturday mid-day he pulled it into his garage and gave it a Full Service and checked it "end to end" , Brake rotors , shocks , wheel bearings etc were changed at regular intervals and any squeak's , noises , etc were located & fixed ,because he spent 12-14 hours a day in the car & hated "a noisy office" . He always said " Preventative maintainence was better than his Business sitting on the side of the street , it doesn't earn you money there ".

He had 2 part-time drivers so the car ran 24/7 , everything was running warm all the time . A low K's "Old Grandpa car" driven down the street once a week (all cold starts) wears out a lot quicker than one on the go all the time .

A Cab like that would be worth the money , BUT very rare . I reckon it was in better condition than some cars that had done 100,000 k's , this one did over 1.3 million k's .

That's the worry with my XB , 134,000 k's in 33 yrs , oil seals , valve stem rubbers and the like may be "like new" but how hard are they now ?

[LTDHO]

Originally Posted by XA-Coupe

lol at some of the replies.
Police cars... unless it was an officer's car, NO WAY would I get one !!!! The things I have seen done to police cars would make anyone with any mechanical sympathy cry... don't think for a moment HWP cars are any better. Sure, some people get good cars but no way I would take a chance. The cars are a tool and most police couldn't care a toss about it.
As for a taxi, you get what you pay for, if you pay bugger all then you can't complain if it is a dog.

I hear the same from other officers too.

I always laugh when people (mostly holden owners) who say they bought an interceptor. I think, 'ok so you have bought a car that's been thrash and only maintained to kept on the road'. As XA said, the car is a tool only, not a pride and joy. If these cars last, then you are lucky or have put a heap of money into it.

[OzJavelin]

Originally Posted by AUIII XR8 MAN

It's no different they buying any other used car.

Yep ... I've seen the way most Telstra employees treat their salary sacrifice and "T" cars ... not much better than taxi's and cop cars ... 'cos they aren't theirs. Same thing with Govt vehicles. And these Govt and big business fleets are where the majority of newer second-hand vehicles come from.

It all depends upon how many drivers the vehicle had, and how those drivers treated it. Even under the Telstra salary sacrifice scheme were the vehicle MUST be serviced and maintained, most people were lazy and would delay servicing, repairs, etc if it meant any small inconvenience to them ..

Like most things in life buying any cars is a lottery. Out of a cop car or taxi, personally I'd go the cop car 'cos it sounds like most at least have some sought of factory warranty?

[Interceptor]

wouldnt have a problem buying a ex HWP car, it'd probably feel right at home with me driving it!

[XR6_661]

My old man had an ex-police AU Forte....Had the optional V8 which was tweaked a little. Apprently it was an WA highway pursuit vehicle.

Was a great car, had tickford racing suspension, mod chip...240kph speedo haha. The car hauled! I guess it's all luck of the draw really.

Don't the police get rid of the cars at 40,000km?

[TwistedEL]

I have a scanner and they read out their odometers sometimes, there are a few kicking around Perth metro with more than 50k

[Lightning Strike GT]

One of my first cars was an ex South Aussie EX police HWP car I got in 1988
Baby Blue 1985 VK 5.0 litre executive with the funny speedo - the VK dash had square instruments but this had a round speedo in 2kmh increments 14 X 7 steel wheels, power outlet under the glove box ,a pull switch on the grille the front door armrests had the ash trays in them as well, big 4 barrel quadrajet carby, 80 litre fuel tank and a bag of breath testing straws in the boot behind the spare wheel for good measure
Great car went like a trojan and it is a pity I sold it
I would buy another one

[XR8-260]

I wouldn't mind an ex-police XR8. I think I saw one for about 16K - it had probably been thrashed though.

[TURBOTAXI]

Quite telling that of the 19 people who have done it before - 17 would do it again.

For the people who say they wouldnt do it it seems that very few have ever owned one of these cars.

[flappist]

I've never owned a fully sik VL turbo and I am fairly sure I never will either but I do seem to have read on other fora that some who have owned them reckon they are great and will do it again.

19 out of more than 20,000 members have admitted owning a taxi/cop car.

I wonder if the reason why anyone would buy one is they are cheap and I wonder just WHY they are cheap?

Still, to each their own. If you think they are good value go for it......

[Aeron]

If I could find a BF XR8 Ex-HWP car (6speed auto) at the right price I'd have it.

[TURBOTAXI]

Originally Posted by flappist

I've never owned a fully sik VL turbo and I am fairly sure I never will either but I do seem to have read on other fora that some who have owned them reckon they are great and will do it again.

19 out of more than 20,000 members have admitted owning a taxi/cop car.

I wonder if the reason why anyone would buy one is they are cheap and I wonder just WHY they are cheap?

Still, to each their own. If you think they are good value go for it......

I have never owned a VL Turbo, but an older mate of mine he was (40 then would be 50 now) has one he bought near new. After driving it I knew I wanted a turbo car. He got 300+ thousand k's out of the first engine. This is the car he overtook me in (up a hill) whilst towing a trailer with a 250kg motorcycle and many of my other worldly possessions. I was in a 351 C and top loader equipt XT falcon.

Only 1000 people give or take have veiwed the thread.

I think they are cheap because of past models that have been sold to the masses that had not protection mechanisms built in that probably were shagged.

I am sure buying taxis or HWP cars are like any other purchase - you might get a lemon, or something that goes 5 k's before collapsing in a heap.

I do think they are good value, and I am going for it, I agree thst it is a case of each to their own.

[NZ XD]

Speaking from experience, I would buy a ex-traffic car (NZ Police) as they are usually driven by one or two diiferent cops and usually treated alot nicer, also depending on what part of the country, as for the front line cop cars, no way would i get one, they are usually well flogged, hitting gutters, other cars and alsorts, the interiors are well used with vomit, **** and so on. But at the end of the day its what you want to pay.

[Bluehoon]

Originally Posted by Aeron

If I could find a BF XR8 Ex-HWP car (6speed auto) at the right price I'd have it.

Aeron, what enticed you to make that decision... :eclipsee_

[I FluXx I]

Somebody I know (not me) got to ride in a unmarked VZ just recently. He said the cop thrashed the car. He would slam the auto down to 1st and put his foot right down, brake really hard and treat the interior like crap.

And every taxi Iv ever been in is absolute junk. The outside of the car is always in really bad condition and when driving the car never seems right. Theres always these noises coming from the engine. Last time I was in a AU series III taxi the gearbox was screwed. The guy was yelling and screaming at it and he was shifting it from 1st to drive while going 80-90km/h.

[Bluehoon]

Earlier this year, had to go to Lismore, got into a AUIII Taxi. Thing looked new, not a mark, scratch, smoothest quietest car. Not a stonechip on front bar... Eat off the back seat scenario... Even quarters and roof was cleaned...

650000kms, 2nd auto, 1st diff...

I would buy it 2nd hand....

there's always the exceptions to the general rule......

[Brent]

I've no doubt that there are good examples of ex-cop cars and ex-taxis out there, but geez, surely its a bit more of a high risk play isn't it? The law of averages would almost certainly say that a taxi or police car would have, on balance, been given a harder life than a well looked after privately owned vehicle.

In this context, I think some people miss the point between a car that's driven enthusiastically, as opposed to being abused. I drive mt GT enthusiastically at times, but I followed proper engine run-in process; I wait till the engine is fully warmed up each day before redlining it; I use top quality oil; I service it more than required; I dont bump the wheels over gutters; I don't drive the shockers through the bonnet by going flat stick over speed humps; I wash it; I polish it; I clean the interior. And yes, I did this to my old ED XR6 as well.

So, how may taxis or cop cars have received that sort of treatment? Sweet FA. Quite the contrary I'd expect. No, doesn't mean that you can't find a reasonable one, but personally, I reckon its a real lottery. Good luck. At the end of the day guys, you get what you pay for...........

[JC]

My current AU1 XR8 is ex police. Some of the benefits are:

Cop speedo (2 km/h increments)
Stealth switch for interior lights
Car has been run in just the way i drive it!

[Envi XR8]

I voted for the cop car only.

My reason is that many years ago I looked at an AU at a dealership for 23k, and was comparing it to an AU 'D' car coming up for auction. At that time, they were selling at auction with about 50000ks on them for about 16k. The guy at the dealership asked me for details of the other car and as soon as I said it was a cop car, he laughed and said "it's been thrashed" After this he was not interested in dealing with me. He called me an idiot for wanting to buy an Ex-cop car. While he was giving me a verballing, I checked the log book on his car, and found that it was a Hertz Rental. Talked about thrashed. Rentals get cained harder than cop cars. When I showed him this, he decided to go down the road of less kays. Funny thing was he never mentioned the cop thing again, even when he was following me out of the yard trying to get me to come back : . In my mind the comparsion was, buy a std ex-rental with no nice bits that was probably thrashed for it's 37000 kms, or the cop car with the nice bits that had probably been thrashed with 50000 kms for 7 grand less. Not much of a comparsion really.

I don't put much value in the arguement that if it is a cop car it has to have been thrashed. ANY car could have been thrashed at ANY time whether Grandpa or Mad Max used to own it. I look at it this way, at least if the cops have thrashed it, and it has lasted, then that equates to me to be a very good reliabilty test for the car. There are benefits too, they come with electric windows, LSD and Sports suspension as standard, and at auction they are cheap. The only down side I found while researching all the angles of buying one is that insurance companies will only insure for market value, not agreed value, because they claim they can not track the history of the car.

I have owned an Ex-cop car, an XB that was an SA car, from the days when the cars were tickled more. It hammered even in it's worn-out state. The car was bashed around a little underneath, but then is it better to have the touch parking dents from grandpa, where you can see them? I didn't think so.

I would even buy an ex-taxi, but only on the grounds that the car was going to be used for motorsport only, and that I was buying the shell, and would replace / remove everything else.


my worthless 2c worth, Cheers Envi.

[ltd]

I ticked no for either, especially when I see the amount of cop cars at the dealership getting new diffs, auto's and engines fitted. One XR6T inparticular has had a new engine fitted at 7000klm. A mate of mine is a cop at Auburn and he has also weighed into the debate proffering his advice of the cop cars mounting gutters, median strips, being thrashed to within an inch of their lives and the general abuse that highway and non highway cars have suffered. He was in an SS that went over a gutter and tore the auto off. Three weeks later and that car was back on the road albeit no one wants to drive it.
As for Ex taxi's, it is a lottery but the mechanics who work on them are the worst.
When asked my opinion of buying an ex taxi I always remember seeing an EF having a new head gasket fitted and then the head being reinstalled with a rattle gun. Taxi's tend to be serviced by the lowest bidder and ergo tend to have some serious problems

[Bossxr8]

The thing about HWP cars is that they sit around idling for long periods of time, which can't be good for them. And when they finally get called into action they are absolutely hammered up to speed. Sure the engine might be warmed up but what about the gearbox and diff. Does the auto get warmed up when its in Park?

[Bluehoon]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

The thing about HWP cars is that they sit around idling for long periods of time, which can't be good for them. And when they finally get called into action they are absolutely hammered up to speed. Sure the engine might be warmed up but what about the gearbox and diff. Does the auto get warmed up when its in Park?

Yes auto would, as fluid is going through hot radiator... Plus engine bay heat....

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Bluehoon

Yes auto would, as fluid is going through hot radiator... Plus engine bay heat....

But is that enough to warm the fluid to operating temp.

[Bluehoon]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

But is that enough to warm the fluid to operating temp.

Never tested and have no idea.. Given the heat from the turbo's and boss's it would be a big help...

only one way to fnd out for certainty but...

plus colder fluid (not cold), is better for uto...

Thing is, most ex taxis have more to a story to them. They are bought from fleet auctions after being previously flogged by who knows who for 40,000kms, converted to gas, usually leaving the standard internals (i thought you needed the stronger internals from the Egas/xr6t for gas), thrashed around the city then sold off usually when the car is no longer allowed to be used as a taxi (6 years in Sydney for standard sedan, 9 years for wheelchair, large seating capacity taxis). From that you don't have warranty. With the cop car there usually auctioned at 40,000 km so you normally have balance of new car waranty, where problem diffs and gearboxes can be changed over.

[xt3valve]

I bought a ex fedral police car. I know it isnt a traffic cop car but its still police. I couldnt be happier with it. It only had 26000 k on it, had lowred suspention with king springs. It was just like a new car. V8 too. Dont know why though. Didnt think police had v8.

[TURBOTAXI]

My ex police car (XR6T) Picked it up today

My AU Turbo Ex Taxi - had it for 3 years in March