Police using new (08) Fords as undercover units

[Furious1Auto]

I turned on the news a few minutes ago, saw 2 undercover Taurus' -- one black Limited, one tan (SEL maybe?), at least 3-4 Expys -- 2 white EB, one black Limited.

Of course theres the usual 20 billion Crown Vics at the scene of the crime

 

Well, it looks like police are using new Ford vehicles as undercover units.

I thought this was interesting though, that the police had brand new Taurus' as units, as others have said, maybe Taurus could replace CV w/ Taurus as cop cars/taxis.

Make a RWD version with a V-8 and it will replace the Crown Vic!

[NickF1011]

Make a RWD version with a V-8 and it will replace the Crown Vic!

 

RWD Taurus =

 

There will be a RWD replacement for the Panthers eventually....probably not until after the Panthers are already discontinued though.

 

(EDIT - THREE random attachments now instead of one?!?!?! Get this fixed, Robert!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Edited September 14, 2007 by NickF1011

[Traveler]

I think Ford should just kill the Vic completely and move the Mercury into fleets. Retail sales aren't that great for Mercury either and it seems like it would be better to dedicate the line solely for two cars rather than rolling Vics down an assembly line for the sake of fleet sales. If the price was right, police would buy a GMPI just as quick as a CVPI.

[NickF1011]

I think Ford should just kill the Vic completely and move the Mercury into fleets. Retail sales aren't that great for Mercury either and it seems like it would be better to dedicate the line solely for two cars rather than rolling Vics down an assembly line for the sake of fleet sales. If the price was right, police would buy a GMPI just as quick as a CVPI.

 

If anything, I'd see them axing the GM before the CV. After all, Mercury is the lost brand with no future product in the pipeline. May as well trim them down first.

[Furious1Auto]

RWD Taurus =

 

There will be a RWD replacement for the Panthers eventually....probably not until after the Panthers are already discontinued though.

 

(EDIT - THREE random attachments now instead of one?!?!?! Get this fixed, Robert!!!!!!!!!!!!)

If there is a gap in the availability of a full size RWD V-8 than they will lose the majority market share holding with municipalities to the Charger. As of right now the Charger is deemed impractical by many cities because of the interior size of the rear seat. But if the Crown Vic was discontinued before was ready with a suitable replacement, then the Charger is the next best option!

Edited September 15, 2007 by Furious1Auto

[NickF1011]

If there is a gap in the availability of a full size RWD V-8 than they will lose the majority market share holing with municipalities to the Charger. As of right now the Charger is deemed impractical by many cities because of the interior size of the rear seat. But if the Crown Vic was discontinued before was ready with a suitable replacement, then the Charger is the next best option!

 

They'd lose out on some....but it's not like departments replace their entire fleets over a span of 2-3 years usually. If there was a new promised RWD Ford sedan on the way, some municipalities may even be convinced to hold off on purchasing new fleets to wait for the new one.

[RichardJensen]

Ford replacing the panther! A once in a generation experience. Similar to, but slightly more frequent than, Halley's Comet.

 

Stay tuned for other once-in a generation moves, such as the E-Series (1961, 1975, 1991, ???) and the Ranger (1984, 1994, ???).

 

Ford fullsize platforms: 1966, 1979, 1991, 2003...

 

Actually, I'm just guessing on the 1966-1979 thing.

[LincolnFan]

Ford replacing the panther! A once in a generation experience. Similar to, but slightly more frequent than, Halley's Comet.

 

More like a once in a lifetime, it would take a fucking miracle for such thing to happen.

[Traveler]

If anything, I'd see them axing the GM before the CV. After all, Mercury is the lost brand with no future product in the pipeline. May as well trim them down first.

 

One reason I was advocating the Police Interceptor move to Mercury is because (1) its a relatively easy move and (2) because it would allow Ford to close the door gradually on the Panther platform and Mercury at the same time. Switching the police package over to Mercury isn't going to hurt the Grand Marquis' sales any more than what they already are. Next they can discontinue the Town Car and continue to build the Grand Marquis for livery and limo usage. The Grand Marquis would be the last Panther to make the grand exit. Keep the Panther in production for a year into production of the replacement for a proper transition and then phase in a new Ford police interceptor while pulling the plug on the last of the BOF Interceptors...and perhaps Mercury if that is Ford's true intent. I don't think I would immediately produce a fleet model for the next generation RWD sedan. I think I'd allow the general public the opportunity to NOT see these cars patrolling the streets and highways for a period of time.

Edited September 15, 2007 by Traveler

[armadamaster]

One reason I was advocating the Police Interceptor move to Mercury is because (1) its a relatively easy move and (2) because it would allow Ford to close the door gradually on the Panther platform and Mercury at the same time. Switching the police package over to Mercury isn't going to hurt the Grand Marquis' sales any more than what they already are. Next they can discontinue the Town Car and continue to build the Grand Marquis for livery and limo usage. The Grand Marquis would be the last Panther to make the grand exit. Keep the Panther in production for a year into production of the replacement for a proper transition and then phase in a new Ford police interceptor while pulling the plug on the last of the BOF Interceptors...and perhaps Mercury if that is Ford's true intent. I don't think I would immediately produce a fleet model for the next generation RWD sedan. I think I'd allow the general public the opportunity to NOT see these cars patrolling the streets and highways for a period of time.

 

Blasphemy!

[Furious1Auto]

More like a once in a lifetime, it would take a fucking miracle for such thing to happen.

The E-series has gotten a new suit, and is scheduled for a total redesign in 2010. That is unless it's demand drops in the mean time do to the future sales of the Transit in the US, this could cause ford to reconsider the investment!

Edited September 15, 2007 by Furious1Auto

[LincolnFan]

The E-series has gotten a new suit, and is scheduled for a total redesign in 2010. That is unless it's demand drops in the mean time do to the future sales of the Transit in the US, this could cause ford to reconsider the investment!

 

I was talking about the panthers, the Transit is really awesome. I think it will catch on, I remember when I was finishing the deal on my Focus the salesman said (when I asked him about the transit) that they sold out, around here, Japanese vans rule and this is the Transit's first year in our market.

[NickF1011]

The E-series has gotten a new suit, and is scheduled for a total redesign in 2010. That is unless it's demand drops in the mean time do to the future sales of the Transit in the US, this could cause ford to reconsider the investment!

 

Well, one place the Transit will have little impact on the E-series is in the sale of chassis cabs. That market alone should be enough to keep the E-series viable for some time.

[Furious1Auto]

Well, one place the Transit will have little impact on the E-series is in the sale of chassis cabs. That market alone should be enough to keep the E-series viable for some time.

probably at 1 shift! that means that if OHAP doesn't get it there will be layoffs. Cutaways and strip chassis only account for 1/4 th of our production!

Edited September 16, 2007 by Furious1Auto

[J-150]

Same here. State police also use F-150s.

 

 

In Ontario, the OPP (state police) have been trading in their Suburbans on crewcab Superduties with a fiberglass cap.

[RichardJensen]

probably at 1 shift! that means that if OHAP doesnt get it there will be layoffs. Cutaways and strip chassis only account for 1/4 th of our production!

Really?

 

I figured it was way more than that.

[LincolnFan]

probably at 1 shift! that means that if OHAP doesnt get it there will be layoffs. Cutaways and strip chassis only account for 1/4 th of our production!

 

>_> Ouch I didn't knew you worked in a E-series plant.

[Roadrunner]

The Crown Vic is built for purpose moreso than looks. Its chiefly a police car nowadays and there are proabably quite a few advantages of carrying over that sheetmetal.

 

Wait a minute -- the LTD was a consumer vehicle moreso back in the Eighties. That's my understanding.

 

It all went downhill with the rise of the SUV. Think about it: If you had a fullsize car, you could put a hitch on that sucker and tow some good heavy stuff. The image fit best if you had a Country Squire.

 

To say that the car is simply a utilitarian police vehicle versus a consumer car is a concession that, yeah, they should make it fleet-only. Push consumers into the other offerings.

 

Armada Master, what do you say the Crown Vic is meant as?

[Traveler]

When the Panther debuted in 1979, the Ford was simply an "LTD" and there was no Crown Victoria. I'm not sure exactly when, but they didn't start tacking on the Crown Victoria until later into the eighties. There were quite a lot LTD police cars back in the day. I was 7 years old when my parents bought a '79 LTD in midnight blue. I couldn't tell you how many times we'd get waved at by the police who were also using LTDs in the same blue.

 

All the years have gone by and I had forgotten how awkward it feels to have that happen. Because I drive a '05 Vic, mine has the black radio mast antenna. When I sold the Cobra, I took off my high-mount back window external cell antenna and put it on the Vic, so I have two antennas on my car. On top of that, there is a State Trooper driving around in an almost identical car to mine...at least in appearance and because of the HPP suspension, it doesn't have the typical droop tail of most Panthers. It looks official and I get waved at by police officers, deputies, troopers, fire, rescue, etc. It can work to your advantage. I got clocked doing about 23 miles over the limit one day when I was in a hurry. I simply through up my hand in a friendly gesture and kept my foot in it. As we met, he waved back and never even touched his brake. I was sweating that one!

 

The Explorer and the subsequent flood of other SUVs are what destroyed the rear wheel drive sedan market for consumers. The Taurus opened the door back in the late 80s for more refinement in FWD sedans, but after all the SUVs started hitting the road, one by one you saw GM abandon the Caprice and Roadmaster in favor of pushing out more 4 door Tahoes and Yukons.

[armadamaster]

Wait a minute -- the LTD was a consumer vehicle moreso back in the Eighties. That's my understanding.

 

It all went downhill with the rise of the SUV. Think about it: If you had a fullsize car, you could put a hitch on that sucker and tow some good heavy stuff. The image fit best if you had a Country Squire.

 

To say that the car is simply a utilitarian police vehicle versus a consumer car is a concession that, yeah, they should make it fleet-only. Push consumers into the other offerings.

 

Armada Master, what do you say the Crown Vic is meant as?

 

A retail car first and foremost. The police packaging is an add on, not the other way around.

 

The Explorer and the subsequent flood of other SUVs are what destroyed the rear wheel drive sedan market for consumers. The Taurus opened the door back in the late 80s for more refinement in FWD sedans, but after all the SUVs started hitting the road, one by one you saw GM abandon the Caprice and Roadmaster in favor of pushing out more 4 door Tahoes and Yukons.

 

The virtual abandonment of RWD in the 1980's and trying to force people into mediocre FWD alternatives is what has crippled the fullsize RWD market more than anything. GM's was nothing but RWD cars til the mid-late 1980's when all of a sudden you went from your choice of B/G bodies for every GM brand to the Caprice and Camaro. A clumsy Taurus inspired exterior restyle for 1991 brought the Caprice back on the radar and Ford followed suit and improved upon it with the 1992 Crown Vic. What have the RWD sedan market gotten since then? A discontinued B-body, a partially facelifted Panther, and finally an all new offering from Chrysler in the form of the LXs.

 

Not to mention I remember automakers running people out of large cars back then with the "bad gas mileage" sales gimmack to force them into FWD cars which at the time where NO better on gas short of a Cavalier/Escort. People that didn't make the switch to FWD sedans in the late 80's or did and got burned chose to cram themselves into minivans, fullsize extended cab pickups, and Explorers. Then in the late 1990's upgraded to fullsize SUVs and the ones that stayed in their pickups went to 4 door 1/2 tons around the turn of the century (2000). The Camcord buyers that bought into them in the early 1990's, stayed in them and have to this day. Not to mention have bred a whole new generation of Camcord buyers since then.

 

I do agree we are seeing the finest FWD domestic offerings to date, and that's great. Still by no means suggest that they are sufficient to eradicate or inherit the fullsize RWD sedan market.

 

Ultimately the bulk of what I see in middle class families' driveways are the uber compact foreign car (Civic/Crapolla/etc.) and the ridiculously large domestic SUV or fullsize extended cab/4 door pickup truck.

[rmc523]

When the Panther debuted in 1979, the Ford was simply an "LTD" and there was no Crown Victoria. I'm not sure exactly when, but they didn't start tacking on the Crown Victoria until later into the eighties. There were quite a lot LTD police cars back in the day. I was 7 years old when my parents bought a '79 LTD in midnight blue. I couldn't tell you how many times we'd get waved at by the police who were also using LTDs in the same blue.

 

All the years have gone by and I had forgotten how awkward it feels to have that happen. Because I drive a '05 Vic, mine has the black radio mast antenna. When I sold the Cobra, I took off my high-mount back window external cell antenna and put it on the Vic, so I have two antennas on my car. On top of that, there is a State Trooper driving around in an almost identical car to mine...at least in appearance and because of the HPP suspension, it doesn't have the typical droop tail of most Panthers. It looks official and I get waved at by police officers, deputies, troopers, fire, rescue, etc. It can work to your advantage. I got clocked doing about 23 miles over the limit one day when I was in a hurry. I simply through up my hand in a friendly gesture and kept my foot in it. As we met, he waved back and never even touched his brake. I was sweating that one!

 

The Explorer and the subsequent flood of other SUVs are what destroyed the rear wheel drive sedan market for consumers. The Taurus opened the door back in the late 80s for more refinement in FWD sedans, but after all the SUVs started hitting the road, one by one you saw GM abandon the Caprice and Roadmaster in favor of pushing out more 4 door Tahoes and Yukons.

 

Your story about the cop is funny. Wouldnt we all love to be able to do that past every cop?

[RichardJensen]

Crown Victoria was the top trim on the LTD until the Fox LTD was launched in '82. At that point the panther became the LTD Crown Victoria regardless of trim. Around about the '91 update, the 'LTD' part was dropped.

 

Also, I had to chuckle at this, "trying to force people into mediocre FWD alternatives."

 

Nobody was forcing anybody into anything. People gladly, willingly, eagerly bought front wheel drive vehicles from Honda and Toyota that got better gas mileage and were more reliable, and safer by far in snow than the antiquated poorly sprung live axle RWD sedans from GM, Ford, and Chrysler. There was no 'forcing' of anything.

Edited September 16, 2007 by RichardJensen

[suv_guy_19]

Crown Victoria was the top trim on the LTD until the Fox LTD was launched in '82. At that point the panther became the LTD Crown Victoria regardless of trim. Around about the '91 update, the 'LTD' part was dropped.

 

Also, I had to chuckle at this, "trying to force people into mediocre FWD alternatives."

 

Nobody was forcing anybody into anything. People gladly, willingly, eagerly bought front wheel drive vehicles from Honda and Toyota that got better gas mileage and were more reliable, and safer by far in snow than the antiquated poorly sprung live axle RWD sedans from GM, Ford, and Chrysler. There was no 'forcing' of anything.

 

 

What I find funny, is the fact that you hear about mediocrity from the people that hate change and progress, as well as the people who think that not enough change or progress has happened.

[Furious1Auto]

>_> Ouch I didn't knew you worked in a E-series plant.

It is what it is, it has been steady for decades! I would rather see the E-series lose business to another Ford product, than to another competitor!

[StevenCaylor]

The first LTD was released back in 1965 as the top model of the Galaxie 500. When I was growing up, we had a 429 69 2-door LTD with the Brougham option. It was a beautiful car with dark green metallic paint and a white vinyl top. IIRC, the LTD Brougham didn't become a separate model until 1970.