No 56k: Surplus Cop Car Shopping; 56K gets cuffed and stuffed.

Option! :p
Where is the indicator stalk?
 
AiR said:
Option! :p
Where is the indicator stalk?
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On its normal place, you can see it, left side of steering wheel, there is no wiper stalk because you use wipers by rotating indicator stalk counterclockwice.
like that (stupid) mercedes multifunction-stalk
 
speedometer said:
On its normal place, you can see it, left side of steering wheel, there is no wiper stalk because you use wipers by rotating indicator stalk counterclockwice.
like that (stupid) mercedes multifunction-stalk
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The stalk on my Grand Prix does turn signals, wipers in two modes and speed adjustment, washer fluid, cruise control and toggles high beams. Lots of features but straight forward to use.
 
It's the NOZ Y0.
 
Spectre said:
Not an exotic, but case in point:
IMG_3139.JPG

.
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LMAO @ Myself, I scrolled by kinda fast and thought the quoted pic was a Caliber! "Caliber police car?" o_O :p

Glad to see you won the auction, and of course it goes without saying that I hope your mom get's well soon. :)
 
narf said:
Almost - it's Bleiersatz, lead replacement. Turns unleaded petrol into leaded petrol without, well, putting lead in it.
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That's it.
 
Behold!
 

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So you held CrazyJeeper hostage at gunpoint and forced him to drive you to the police station?
 
No, I just said he could drive the cop car and he was eager to go.
 
Yes, driving a CVPI doing 75 in the left lane of 635 is way more fun than it should be.
 
So you want to get a good deal on a surplus police car.

Part I:

1. Look in your nearest big city newspaper or do a Google search to find out when their next police or surplus equipment auction is. You can also call the police department non-emergency number and ask for this information. Usually the day of the auction will also be the only day where you will be allowed to inspect what you?d be bidding on, but ask in case this is different where you are.

2. It?s likely to be a while before the next such auction occurs. In the meantime, watch your local large city Craigslist. There?s almost always going to be surplussed Crown Vics and other police vehicles listed for sale there. Note the prices and conditions of such vehicles.

3. If the auction has an earlier inspection date, go and look over the auction lots on that day. Inspect the vehicle as you would any other used car; you won?t be allowed to drive it or start it, but you can check fluids, etc., etc. Take notes of what you find on each lot that interests you.

4. On the appointed day, go to the auction. Bring only enough money to pay any entry or registration fees; do not bring money to bid on anything. Do not bring your credit cards; this being your first government auction, you really need to concentrate on watching and not get caught up in bidding fever. Dress and prepare appropriately for a long stand/walk outside in the prevailing weather as these events are typically held partially or totally outdoors.

5. After taking care of your paperwork and entering the auction area proper, look around. You will probably find a scene like this:
bid-police-auctions-800X800.jpg


If you haven't before, start inspecting the vehicles offered up for auction.

6. Note that you are now surrounded by dozens if not hundreds (possibly thousands, at some really large city auctions) of other people, all interested in getting a surplus vehicle. Some are dealers, backed with (for all practical intents and purposes) bottomless wallets. Others are people just like you, average Joes ? but they read some of the myriad of books about how to make moneyget rich quick off government surplus and police auctions. Now they?re itching to put their newfound 'knowledge' into action.

7. As the auction actually begins, make sure that your bidder card or ?bidder number? is safely ensconced in a deep pocket or such so that you won?t make an accidental bid. Look around and notice what?s going across the block, who?s bidding on the lots, and the prices the lots are going for.

Once you?ve done this, you?ll notice that the dealers will get many of the good cars and that average Joes are bidding even the bad cars up into near-retail pricing territory. Those cars the average Joe isn?t buying are pretty obviously useful only for scrap ? and there are scrap dealers there bidding against you for those cars.

In addition, many big city departments will skimp on maintenance, especially in tighter budget years, so the average quality of the fleet vehicles suffers. You should research ahead of time to find out what that fleet?s regular maintenance interval was, so that you can determine how bad the situation might be; if it's infrequent, even 'good' cars at the auction might actually be ticking time bombs waiting to happen - and if that's the case, guess how bad the 'bad' ones are?

It?s not impossible to get a great deal at an auction like this, but it?s difficult. As you?re looking for a better deal and not a crap shoot, you?ll want to avoid this type of big city live public auction.

In part II (posted later), I shall offer suggestions on where and how you should be looking if you want to get a deal.
 
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Wow, major respect for finding such a deal on a killer car. I wish your mum the best of luck with her treatment and I can't wait to find out the secret to bidding on a surplus police car!!
 
...waiting for Part II...
 
Sorry, guys, been busy with family and work stuff. I will see about putting up the next section later tonight.
 
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