Buying ex-police from the auctions with factory warranty, Nothing to worry about?

[buggo]

Gday gents,

I'm in the market for a new car, have been browsing carsales etc and checked out the cars on offer at the auctions on the weekend.

So the biggest risk with the auctions is lack of test drive, not knowing if it's about to let go, and only have a sentence on each component. eg engine: serviceable for age.

But if it has the remainder of factory warranty still left, do I have anything to be concerned about. If the zf gearbox has had it can I just drive into a dealer, get it fixed and leave without costing a cent?

The car I'm looking at is a FG XR6 T, and for an equivalent price of private sales I can get a car with warranty, younger, less kms, brembos and well maintained. At the expense of no test drive, hard life, a few scruffs in the interior and no interior options. All can be fixed and upgraded but with time and money.

I have two cars on the shortlist ready to buy. Same colour, but one is 2008, 110,000km, but seems well looked after, a few options aswell.
Or 2010 with 40,000 less, good brakes, warranty.
Both similar price (depending if the auction stays average with previous ones)

I'm leaning towards to 2010 one.

[flappist]

Simple really......there is a reason why they are cheap.

Yes they are maintaned but they also have spent squillions of hours just idling and have been hammered from cold on many occasions.

[rst2000]

Originally Posted by flappist

Simple really......there is a reason why they are cheap.

Yes they are maintained but they also have spent squillions of hours just idling and have been hammered from cold on many occasions.

yeah what he said....

[Boza]

dunno bout cop cars but have bought a few ex govt cars from auctions and never had a problem with them but theese were just ex govt hacks so dunno bout the cop cars, have heard good and bad things bout ex cop cars I worked at a place that had a few ex cop cars turned into rep mobiles and they were ok

[FTe342]

PM sbutler as he bought one about 6 mths ago although I don't think it came from an auction

[The Yeti]

I got one that way a few years ago now, it was a VY Commodore, and I justified it to myself as you did.

Ive purchased used cars from dealers with nothing more than the 3month 5000km warranty and found that that was just pointless, but the new car warranty was far more comprehencive.

With that in mind I went harmed with cash and got the Commodore for the Mrs at a very competitve price (sold it earlier this year and only lost 3k) I visibly checked over the cars for signs of major accidents and picked the one I figured was the best for us.

it worked out really well, it needed brakes all round (ware and tare so not covered by warranty) but other than that under warranty I have the AC compressor replaced and the power steering rack and some other small repairs and it was a really good family car.

I would go through the exersize again if I was in the market for somthing like that again

things like the diff or transmission, if they fail becasue there is a fault with the component warranty wont be a problem if it fails becasue it was thrashed (and lets face it they get thrashed) then it will be classed as driver error and you will pay

But what I found is the main drive line points are listed on the car as in engine OK trans OK etc some had faults listed like slight engine miss and so on so just choose carfully.

[poppa smurf]

is there really any difference buying a govy car than a standard motorists vehicle

every used vehicle is a "pig in a poke".......govy or private.....some are thrashed others are looked after.....which one is which??????

it wouldn't bother me

[flappist]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

is there really any difference buying a govy car than a standard motorists vehicle

every used vehicle is a "pig in a poke".......govy or private.....some are thrashed others are looked after.....which one is which??????

it wouldn't bother me

Except it is an XR6T with brembos which means it was an exclusive highway patrol vehicle. They are ALL operated the same way.....

[JC]

Originally Posted by flappist

Except it is an XR6T with brembos which means it was an exclusive highway patrol vehicle. They are ALL operated the same way.....

Which just means they have been run in nicely, ready for an easier life as a civvie!

Buy the ex-cop car, get a full warranty inspection by NRMA or similar, take it to Ford and get the warrantable items fixed. Then put the difference into upgrades, and you have a car that should last you for years. Been there, done that, and there are still plenty of ex-police, ex-govt, ex-sales rep cars on the roads today. If fleets buy most new cars, where do you think the cars at used car dealers come from, and for that matter the cars for most private sales - the auctions and/or used car dealers!

[buggo]

Originally Posted by JC

Which just means they have been run in nicely, ready for an easier life as a civvie!

Buy the ex-cop car, get a full warranty inspection by NRMA or similar, take it to Ford and get the warrantable items fixed. Then put the difference into upgrades, and you have a car that should last you for years. Been there, done that, and there are still plenty of ex-police, ex-govt, ex-sales rep cars on the roads today. If fleets buy most new cars, where do you think the cars at used car dealers come from, and for that matter the cars for most private sales - the auctions and/or used car dealers!

Yeah this is pretty much spot on with what I'll be doing. First thing will be to get it fully checked over by someone like the NRMA. Have a list of all faults warrantable or not and have them fixed by Ford.
Then have the paint professionally detailed to get it looking the best it can, then fix/ replace any interior pieces that need doing.

I figure once this is done, I'll have a mechanically sound, great looking and comfortable 2 year old stock turbo. And then start fiddling with extras from then.

[poppa smurf]

maybe .....but if you bought the same vehicle fitted with aftermarket accessories privately would that make that vehicle more worthy of purchase

I think not

nobody knows the history of any used vehicle with the exception of the used vehicle salesman

as we all know all used vehicles in sales-yards were driven very carefully in their previous life

the main difference, as I see it is maintenance, govy cars are USUALLY serviced on time and correctly

I know a few folks who have purchased ex fleet, including police vehicles, and have had very good runs

I would purchase one with confidence the same as from a used vehicle lot

the only problem as i see it is the inability to "test drive" at auction

[05_ENFORCER]

The best thing about an auction is you can set your price knowing that there may be problems with your purchase, if you are the winning bidder, GREAT, hopefully you have done your research and will be out in front.


.

[EgoFalcon]

Bought mine at auctions! (wasn't ex copper though). Got XR50 Turbo for $30k with 540000k's on it. Hasnt been single thing gone wrong with it.

If has warranty, Ford can't say no.

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by EgoFalcon

Bought mine at auctions! (wasn't ex copper though). Got XR50 Turbo for $30k with 540000k's on it. Hasnt been single thing gone wrong with it.

If has warranty, Ford can't say no.

A 1 year old car with 540,000k's. The previous owner must have been a very fast driver, and the car capable of mach 3.

[buggo]

Originally Posted by flappist

Simple really......there is a reason why they are cheap.

Yes they are maintaned but they also have spent squillions of hours just idling and have been hammered from cold on many occasions.

Yeah exactly I understand the risk involved with it.
But at the same time youtube doesn't really boost my consumer confidence if buying private, sometimes this site for that matter.
At least with one I know for a fact it's been regular serviced and kept up to scratch, and has warranty.
It's a gamble buying anything from anywhere. I guess thats's just part of the second hand game.

Originally Posted by The Yeti

I got one that way a few years ago now, it was a VY Commodore, and I justified it to myself as you did.

Ive purchased used cars from dealers with nothing more than the 3month 5000km warranty and found that that was just pointless, but the new car warranty was far more comprehencive.

With that in mind I went harmed with cash and got the Commodore for the Mrs at a very competitve price (sold it earlier this year and only lost 3k) I visibly checked over the cars for signs of major accidents and picked the one I figured was the best for us.

it worked out really well, it needed brakes all round (ware and tare so not covered by warranty) but other than that under warranty I have the AC compressor replaced and the power steering rack and some other small repairs and it was a really good family car.

I would go through the exersize again if I was in the market for somthing like that again

things like the diff or transmission, if they fail becasue there is a fault with the component warranty wont be a problem if it fails becasue it was thrashed (and lets face it they get thrashed) then it will be classed as driver error and you will pay

But what I found is the main drive line points are listed on the car as in engine OK trans OK etc some had faults listed like slight engine miss and so on so just choose carfully.

I went to look at this particular car yesterday and went over every panel, seat, wheel etc and while not 100% perfect by any means it was still a lot better than my car overall and I consider mine in farily good nick.
The tyres were newish, the brakes had plenty of meat left (which is good because I don't want to have to fork out $1000+ for new front pads and rotors straight away) and overall in pretty good shape. From a visual perspective.

And saying you'd do it again is only a good thing, this will be my biggest spend until I buy a house so I'll have this for a good few years.

[GYRKIN GT]

Some advice you may like to take on board.

When considering an ex Highway vehicle, if at all possible, try to find one that was used at a country LAC.

Highway Patrol vehicles used solely in the metro areas cop an absolute flogging in a completely congested environment. You come from the Central Coast and even though it's less populated than Sydney, I'd probably steer clear of a vehicle that was used there. The cars just cop an absolute flogging in short bursts all the time and from any number of different drivers.

If you can find a vehicle that's been used in a country area you will be far more likely to have less problems. For example, going back a few years, there were only two Highway officers attached to Parkes and there were two vehicles. Therefore, one driver for each vehicle. Because of the size and nature of the LAC, the vehicles racked the kilometres up real fast. The vehicles were always serviced on time and they remained in service for a relatively short time before heading off to the auctions. That's the sort of highway car I would have no hesitation in buying. Compare that to one from the city with many drivers, stop/start and really hard driving. No thanks.

Anyhow, good luck with your purchase.

[RAPID_BA]

Be very careful with ex-Police cars....please...

I know a guy used to be involved with trading the Police fleet and getting new cars. The amount of Police seen councelled for abuse to the cars did his head in.

He saw a police car do 80,000km without an oil change from brand new. When the mechanic place lifted the car on the hoist they said slop come out of the motor. Basically quoted to replace the motor. The car was an Aurion 18 months old and I was offered it for $7500... Said no. They traded it with a fresh oil change and the dealer notified of its history (they dont want bad blood). The dealer said "so what" purchased it at $7500 and sold it for high teens within a week to a sucker...

Not only that but the way they are driven.. You would think they let a wild dog in the car to chew the interior up. The general rule is....

1 police km = 10 private km.

[buggo]

How can I find out who/ where owned it? There were no books on the glovebox. Is this something the auction place can tell me over the phone?

[flappist]

Originally Posted by buggo

How can I find out who/ where owned it? There were no books on the glovebox. Is this something the auction place can tell me over the phone?

It really does not matter. It is a HP car which means it has spent many many hours parked just idling running the aircon and disco.
If a normal car has 40,000km on the odometer this means the engine has been running for somewhere between 600 and 900 hours.

A police car can easily be running 100 hours per week but only do 1000 km on the odometer so your 40,000 km car may have done the same number of revolutions (and therefore had the same amout of wear as a 150,000km car).

Also there is no "warm it up on a cold morning". Get in and get going and if the first job is lights ands sirens (and often even if it is not) then the right pedal cops a flogging.

For this reason a 40,000 km HP car cannot be compared to a 40,000 km "normal" car and also th reason why Taxi engines last longer in km on the odometer than "normal" cars.

This is why they are cheaper.

Now if you don't care about that then by all means grab a "bargain".
Just be aware that you may have future issues and the warranty only lasts for 3 years, 2 of which have already expired. Remember fixing broken FGs out of warranty can be rather expensive.

Your choice. Forewarned is forearmed.........

[RAPID_BA]

Originally Posted by flappist

It really does not matter. It is a HP car which means it has spent many many hours parked just idling running the aircon and disco.
If a normal car has 40,000km on the odometer this means the engine has been running for somewhere between 600 and 900 hours.

A police car can easily be running 100 hours per week but only do 1000 km on the odometer so your 40,000 km car may have done the same number of revolutions (and therefore had the same amout of wear as a 150,000km car).

Also there is no "warm it up on a cold morning". Get in and get going and if the first job is lights ands sirens (and often even if it is not) then the right pedal cops a flogging.

For this reason a 40,000 km HP car cannot be compared to a 40,000 km "normal" car and also th reason why Taxi engines last longer in km on the odometer than "normal" cars.

This is why they are cheaper.

Now if you don't care about that then by all means grab a "bargain".
Just be aware that you may have future issues and the warranty only lasts for 3 years, 2 of which have already expired. Remember fixing broken FGs out of warranty can be rather expensive.

Your choice. Forewarned is forearmed.........

This is the truth..

[MrEL]

Originally Posted by flappist

It really does not matter. It is a HP car which means it has spent many many hours parked just idling running the aircon and disco.
If a normal car has 40,000km on the odometer this means the engine has been running for somewhere between 600 and 900 hours.

A police car can easily be running 100 hours per week but only do 1000 km on the odometer so your 40,000 km car may have done the same number of revolutions (and therefore had the same amout of wear as a 150,000km car).

Also there is no "warm it up on a cold morning". Get in and get going and if the first job is lights ands sirens (and often even if it is not) then the right pedal cops a flogging.

For this reason a 40,000 km HP car cannot be compared to a 40,000 km "normal" car and also th reason why Taxi engines last longer in km on the odometer than "normal" cars.

This is why they are cheaper.

Now if you don't care about that then by all means grab a "bargain".
Just be aware that you may have future issues and the warranty only lasts for 3 years, 2 of which have already expired. Remember fixing broken FGs out of warranty can be rather expensive.

Your choice. Forewarned is forearmed.........

You have flawed and controdicted your argument within this post.
You say that a motor idling for many hours in a ex highway car running the aircon and disco lights is bad but further down the post say that taxi motors last longer then normal cars. Doesnt a taxi sit around for many hours idling running the airconditioning?
Cold highway patrol cars dont exist. They dont sit there overnight doing nothing. They come in from a 12 hour shift and get changed over to the other driver. Seeing as though it takes about 3 hours for a car to cool off enough to be considered cold they are not stationary that long.
I would happily buy a XR6T that you KNOW has had a hard time and has been maintained with only a limited amount of drivers that are actually qualified to drive them instead of an XR6T that has been driven by who knows , lent to the mate to run down the shop and been flogged , been flogged from cold and serviced and maintained when the owner could afford it or it was convienient.
The reason highway cars are cheap is because cars with 40000kms on them when 12 months old is not a selling point. Also the stigma that is created about them by numpties that dont know the actual truth , just what they want to believe dont make them desirable.
Im happy for people to think highway cars are big piles of poo to be avoided like a bad dose of the pox. It leaves more affordable , modern performance cars out there for smart people like me who actually know the truth to buy!

[flappist]

Originally Posted by MrEL

You have flawed and controdicted your argument within this post.
You say that a motor idling for many hours in a ex highway car running the aircon and disco lights is bad but further down the post say that taxi motors last longer then normal cars. Doesnt a taxi sit around for many hours idling running the airconditioning?
Cold highway patrol cars dont exist. They dont sit there overnight doing nothing. They come in from a 12 hour shift and get changed over to the other driver. Seeing as though it takes about 3 hours for a car to cool off enough to be considered cold they are not stationary that long.
I would happily buy a XR6T that you KNOW has had a hard time and has been maintained with only a limited amount of drivers that are actually qualified to drive them instead of an XR6T that has been driven by who knows , lent to the mate to run down the shop and been flogged , been flogged from cold and serviced and maintained when the owner could afford it or it was convienient.
The reason highway cars are cheap is because cars with 40000kms on them when 12 months old is not a selling point. Also the stigma that is created about them by numpties that dont know the actual truth , just what they want to believe dont make them desirable.
Im happy for people to think highway cars are big piles of poo to be avoided like a bad dose of the pox. It leaves more affordable , modern performance cars out there for smart people like me who actually know the truth to buy!

No actually taxis are always driving about, this is why they do hundreds of thousands of km per year. They last longer because they do usually do not stop very often. They very seldom sit and idle because that wastes fuel and costs money. I suspect you may be familiar with the concept of cheapest possible regardless of anything else.

Cold highway patrol cars don't exist? Guess again.

Maybe in the middle of Sydney but in the rest of Australia they spend enough time stopped. One lives up the road from me.

Now you may think you are a bit of a guru on the operation of HP cars but rather than guess and assume I have actually had many long conversations with people who drive them daily and strangely enough all of them both would not buy one themselves and warned me against it. One of my best mates drives one and before joining the job was a motor mechanic for 10 years. The concept of "well maintained" is also a bit amusing.

But still it comes down to why they are cheap.

But hey, there is another solution. If you are worried about who has previously driven the car then BUY A NEW ONE. Ford would be very happy with the sale.......

[GYRKIN GT]

Originally Posted by buggo

How can I find out who/ where owned it? There were no books on the glovebox. Is this something the auction place can tell me over the phone?

I'm assuming the auction house is Pickles? Pickles, at least some years ago, did have the vehicle's history and deployment history. However, as I said, that was some time back and I'm not conversant with Pickles current level of vehicle information. Furthermore, providing Pickles still does possess detailed info, it's also going to depend on the Pickles' employee you end up talking to and if that person is willing to help you out. Personally, I wouldn't do it over the phone. I'd take the time to go and have a look at the cars, work out the ones you would likely bid on and go to the office to ask some questions. Hopefully, you'll find someone who is willing to help you.

Hulk's comments about knowing someone's aunty's, uncle's, brother's, mate's, sister's boyfriend who knew................. Take it with a grain of salt. Got to have two?

Flappist certainly raises valid points re sitting idling etc. Especially true for metro cars, much less so for country LAC vehicles.

[The Yeti]

Ours was a GD car ours was at Cabramatta (was un detailed when we got it and couldt still read that through the faded paint on the roof)

took it home, buffed it, detailed it, removed the 30,000 breath test tubes in the bottoms of the 1/4s in the boot, had the holes repaired in the center consol and fixed some other trim items. new FE2 discs and rotors, painted the rims black fitted factory hubcaps, tinted the windows and drove it as my wifes family car for 110,000km between 2005 and 2012 Paid 10k n change for it sold it for 7,250.00I sort of think in May this year aside from a set of tyres and another set of pads all round (+ Regular servicing in accordance with the log book) that is all we ever spent on the car.

the only work I new the car needed when I sold it was the drivers seat swab needed re triming (car had done 150,000km so fairs ware & tare) and the diff mounts were OK but would need replacing in the next 12 months. I sold it too my ex Sister inlaw (needed a car when she split with my wifes brother) we were friends before she met him and hope to be in the future also my 2yo neice will be rideing in it quite often so I wouldnt sell her a bomb, since shes owned it, shes had a service done and replaced the radiator as it was seeping between the tank and the core (quite common) its now done 165,000km and thats realy its total service history since I did its 50,000km service back in 2005

As a further note, we orginaly purchased this car as a stop gap measure after my wife got T boned in her AU III Fairmont (my old company car) in 2005. in 2007 we planed on selling it and her taking over my BA Fairmont, and we figured as the BA spent more time at Power ford than it did in my Drive way, and the comperable vintage Commodore had been no trouble at all she kept the Commodore until she took over my Territory.

Like I said before if somthing were to happen to the Territory tomorrow I would do the same (god I hope nothing does though she really likes her territory, its almost un natural how much she loves that car)

[mcnews]

You could also extend the Ford factory warranty to another three years for about $1500-$1800 depending on model. God knows it has paid for itself and plenty more on our 2007 Territory.

[Shonky.]

I would get a private car over an ex police one

4 pot Brembos are not very dear aftermarket and if the cop car has rooted rotors as they often do you will be replacing half of it anyway.

Not much else appeal for the cop car (chaser appeal? - does nothing for me but some kids seem to love it)

As per Flappists comments the cops go from zero to hero immediately with no warm up of any fluids. Plus donut stains on the seats

Private car I reckon

[DJR-351]

My brother bought a low mileage ex HWP XD in 1980 or 81', and apart from a shed load of holes throughout the car that needed fixing, it ran beautifully......he still has it today....

[GT-E]

For similar money, you could buy my car....
My mate is a HWP copper and I would never consider an ex hwp car, neither would he. As other have mentioned, they are flogged, over gutters, medium strips and high speed.
While you may not know the history of a 2nd hand car, you can bet it will not be as used and abused as an ex highway car.

[GT014]

Wouldn't touch one with a bar of soap.

(positives)
- Mechanically Maintained - If something goes wrong, they are fixed straight away.

(negatives)

- I would guarantee that they have some under carriage damage or repaired damage as a decent percentage get damaged as a result of pursuits (getting bottomed out over speed humps, clipping gutters etc) or come to grief and get repaired.

- The amount of hours they spend running day in and day out (pretty much all day every day between 7am-11pm)

- Amount of times spent Idling from a stand still to flooring it when catching up to a speeding motorist or on way to a job.

- Interior Wear and Tear. Have a good look at the seats, where the firearms rub against the side bolsters, not to mention the scratched door panels.


Go Private, it wont be worth the hassle in the long run saving a few $$$.

[LMW]

when i used to live on the coast i dont think i ever seen them turbos being driven sedately. always being hammered. sure sounded good though lol. i would steer clear of them. i would see what orix has at gosford or newcastle. dad got his BA there did 280 000km on it (had 105k when bought) just general stuff had to be done to it. 1000+km a week. i got mine the have put 100k on it an all ive done is replace a wheel bearing. real easy to deal with plus 2 year 40000km warranty. my 2 cents