robk812

Hello all,

I am brand new to the forum and had a few questions. I currently have a 95 Crown Vic Police that I am selling off because its pretty much been run into the ground by previous owner. I love the car and I am looking at picking up a newer model with less miles.
There is a great dealer about 3 hours away so I want to be a little more informed before I make the trip. They have a lot of different years and models of P71 Interceptors to choose from and after having searched and read through the forums I am still confused on the best choice to make. They all range from $4,000 to $5,500 pretty much so cost isn't a huge factor. The questions I have are mainly generated from things I have read here at the forum.
I have the option to get an 03 Florida Highway Patrol Interceptor with 67,000 miles for $5,500 and this is currently my first choice but I read on an earlier post that these can be prone to rack and pinion problems, any comments or info on this? Or an 03 in black with 91,000 for $4,995? Good deals? Fair prices?
Another choice is an 02 Interceptor with around 72,000 miles on it for about $500 less. Is this the better choice?
Basically what it boils down to is I can choose from 99 to 04 models with varying mileage but really wanted to know if any year was a better choice than the others as I believe that the model year plays a significant factor due to model changes vs just mileage. They are all Florida issue cars so no winter damage or issues. The 04's seem to have the most mileage of all the others and I don't know what the reason for this is but all the ones from that year are in the 100,000 plus range.
I am really confused guys and any help or guidance you can give me will be truly appreciated as I am looking to make this decision in the next week or so. Thanks in advance for any help, info or tips you can share.

Stick462

IF my chose buy a 2003 up better suppior handling/ better brakes /2004 up more horse power .1998 to 2002 215 horse power /2003 235 hp and 2004 up 250 hp

Nathan in MN

Actually, the 215 horsepower rating goes through 2000. In 2001, they got the PI (Performance Improved) cylinder heads, camshafts, and intake manifold, which bumped the horsepower to 239. Note: all of these figures are assuming dual exhaust, which of course the police cars would all have, anyway.

__________________

1989 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
2bbl Carbureted 351W V8, ported and polished E7TE heads, Edelbrock cam
AOD Transmission with B&M Shift Kit
3.55:1 Positraction Rear Axle
Visit My Car Domain Account Here Updated 1/27/07!

AMDfan

IMO 2004s were the best years. 2003 has the newer suspension but they were still working the bugs out of it. 2005 has the throttle-by-wire and antenna on the back 1/4.

I really like the wheel covers of the 2003-2005 MYs too.