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Can civilians purchase the Explorer Police Interceptor?


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8 hours ago, probowler said:

I'll wait why you try to come up with a good reason why a civilian shouldn't be able to purchase this;  take your time.

 

Because they don't have to...selling the PIU to Police Departments is one thing, having it sit on a lot with a retail salesperson trying to expln the advantage of ballistic doors to gramma who is cross-shopping a Telluride makes zero sense. To buy a "fleet vehicle" you must have a fleet account.

 

You will have to wait just like P71_Crown Vic did and get one used that was run through an auction with a shit ton of miles on it. Then you can complain that Ford should honor a warranty because the other years were included too.

Edited by twintornados
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2 hours ago, twintornados said:

 

Because they don't have to...selling the PIU to Police Departments is one thing, having it sit on a lot with a retail salesperson trying to expln the advantage of ballistic doors to gramma who is cross-shopping a Telluride makes zero sense. To buy a "fleet vehicle" you must have a fleet account.

 

 

Or don't do that and make it custom order-only. 

 

Don't really care for a beatup stripper cop car, so option 2 is out. 

 

Let's also just dump the explorer and swap it with a Bronco. Just gimme the cop motor, all the performance upgrades. Bullet proof door and glass, and make it a 2020 Limited spec, most expensive stereo possible. Sub, interior lighting, factory winch and CB. 360 Degree cameras. Fuck it, just all the options 

 

Oh yeah... That would be perfect! ?  :peelout:

Edited by probowler
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  • 9 months later...

My apologies for the long post on an older thread, but this topic is especially close to my heart.

 

One thing to keep in mind about selling these vehicles as a dealer, when government agencies buy these things, it's not just "I'll place the order and they get here when they're built".  Most government purchases are done by a bidding process - generally the lowest cost that meets the specified requirements wins.  It's a bit of the opposite of how cars are sold at dealerships to consumers - where they want to get a customer to buy into value added services to sustain their business.  They start with an MSRP and add on what they can to get the most bang out of their salesperson hourly buck.

 

As stated above in other post(s), they can be found with "used" (but still <100miles) if there was an issue with the vehicle that caused it to be rejected - I see them come up every once in a while if they got damaged in transport and repaired.  Can't sell it "new" if it's already been to a body shop... but the dealership will still want to recoup their costs.  But also expect an end-user to pay exactly what the sticker's MSRP is, if you're not a government who's good for a few hundred units per decade plus a potential maintenance contract, they have no incentive to make you feel good about yourself for saving a few bucks.

 

They do get sold new and used to civilians, it does happen.  One thing I see a lot on Youtube or various forums that irks me though is people doing stupid things with them.  Putting police lights on or a siren is illegal in most states in the USA, and IIRC it's even illegal for the word POLICE to be on the exterior even on the "POLICE INTERCEPTOR" badge in NY.  Just because the owner's manual or the window sticker says "Police Interceptor" isn't some kind of legal grant to be a cop.  It also doesn't make laws go away, quite the opposite in fact - it makes one subject to more laws and to be able to answer the OP's question will require some analysis in the state that the vehicle is to be sold in.  Let's start with the paint

 

In California where I live, the color is regulated... CVC 40800 "...if the officer while on duty uses a motor vehicle, it shall be a distinctive color specified by the commissioner...", and those are defined by California Code of Regulations Title 13, Division 2, Chapter 5, Article 5. "Color of Traffic Law Enforcement Vehicles":

"...Each motor vehicle shall have a distinctive exterior finish, exclusive of wheels and trim, as follows:
(a) Vehicles Except Motorcycles.
Vehicles, except motorcycles, shall be painted:
(1) Entirely white; or
(2) White, except that an area not less than and including the front door panels shall be black; or
(3) Black, except that an area not less than and including the front door panels shall be white; or
(4) Any other color, with any color front door panels.
(5) The indicia or name of governmental entity operating the vehicle shall be displayed in sharp contrast to the background on the front door panels and shall be of such size, shape, and color as to be readily legible during daylight hours from a distance of 50 feet..."

 

So (a)(4) would seem to enable agencies to use anything - but what an civilian would worry about is either not looking like a cop or the post-service state of the paint, which is covered under CVC 27604-27606:

 

"...CVC 27604. (a) When a motor vehicle, painted, as required by Section 40800, and formerly used in the enforcement of the provisions of Division 10 (commencing with Section 20000) or 11 (commencing with Section 21000), is sold to any person and is used for purposes other than law enforcement, the vehicle shall be painted or partially painted by the seller or agency formerly using such vehicle so that it will no longer resemble a vehicle complying with Section 40800 and any insignia or other marking of the vehicle identifying it as a traffic law enforcement vehicle shall be removed by the seller or agency formerly using such vehicle before it shall be operated on any street or highway, other than to have the vehicle moved to be painted or to a place of storage.

(b) This section shall not apply to former law enforcement vehicles, without insignia, which are painted one solid color, or which are used exclusively for movie or television production and display signs stating “movie car” prominently on the doors, or which are motorcycles, as defined in Section 400, without insignia..."

 

CVC 27605 basically just drives the point home so I won't repeat it here.

 

What this means is that agencies have the option of buying vehicles with a solid color and using them for enforcement if they are marked for that use, and selling them afterwards by only removing the insignia (they don't have to paint white doors black, or black doors white).  Civilians need to stick with solid color vehicles if the vehicle being offered for sale is a black and white - it's probably not okay no matter where it is in the USA.

 

CVC 27606 is best paraphrased as "don't put on a police lightbar or something that looks like a police lightbar (i.e. the currently popular full width LED lightbar) on a vehicle".

 

And this is a good segway into the actual vehicle sold by a dealer to a civilian.  In many places it is illegal to sell a vehicle equipped with emergency lights of certain colors to the general public (even from the factory).  If the vehicle has those options, they'd need to be removed before the vehicle could be sold.  Someone brought up the ballistic panels - saying it's not illegal for civilians to own.  This is correct, as long as it comes with the required caveat - it's not illegal for non-felons to own in most states.  This would require an understanding of local laws and would require the dealer doing a criminal background check before a vehicle sale - probably something they don't do a lot.  Any deactivated rear door handles would probably need to be re-activated before retail sale (only takes a few minutes).

 

The bottom line is that if a dealer wants to sell a FPIU to a civilian because the original agency didn't want it, they really need to have a savvy sales department who wants to do the due diligence - but ordering one from the plant is probably going to be discouraged as they already can't build enough fast enough for agencies (and probably a plethora of other justifications that FoMoCo doesn't want to talk about publically, like messing up EPA fleet-wide emissions numbers for a brand).

 

 

I'll mention here that I see people complain about "cop antennas" a lot online...  first the only thing that makes a through-roof DMR antenna a "cop antenna" is that it is being run by a law enforcement agency licensed to be on a specific band, and second remember that radios and antennas are regulated by the FCC not states and certainly not local law enforcement.  Land mobile radio is often really close in frequency to HAM bands for practical reasons, and the off-the-shelf antennas usually have a limited style library.  I've seen what some people call "police style antennas" on irrigation boxes on the side of the road - because they run on the same frequency that city uses for public works... and they bought them in bulk.  Hell I ran a Cellular/WiFi/GPS antenna on my Toyota pickup for about a decade before it became "cool" for Police Departments to upload their dashcam footage wirelessly and track where their officers were and move to tablets as MDTs - I think we can agree that cellular modems, WiFi, and GPS are not LEO exclusive technologies - the antenna I used then was advertised for RVs and busses, but most people can't see the roofs of those to compare.  My local PD just started using the same part number I used on that truck in their latest round of vehicle upfitting.  It's kind of like a clipboard or a nice pen - it's only a "police equipment" if it's an officer holding it and filling out a ticket...

 

 

Personally, I like my 2015 FPIU - but I also understand the gravity of driving it.  Even the civilian Explorer will have people stabbing their brakes or checking their speed, as it is the modern road-face of authority.  Toss on an aftermarket grille guard to keep deer out of the plastics and retain the black steel wheels because the final ratio is set up for more available torque with smaller tires and poverty hub-caps (the dorky chrome lug-nut-only covers), and people will look at you very carefully.  Put on an industry standard NMO antenna mount for a CB radio and a GMRS radio (licensed LMR), and a GPS antenna with WiFi and Cellular integrated (for a non-Sync/non-proprietary mobile access point for tablets), and one has to have a certain expectation that most people aren't going to bother themselves with understanding what they are seeing - and in this day and age everyone will jump to the conclusion that requires the least amount of effort or thought (not every German Shepard is a working dog, but that's the easiest thought most people have when they see one).

 

With that in mind, if someone has a habit of taking everything on the road personally or intends to use their new FPIU as a traffic clearance device or get-out-of-jail-free-card for speeding - that person probably shouldn't have that vehicle.  I kinda think a dealer looking to sell a FPIU should take a moment to feel the customer out to see if they can act like an adult.  Even though I'm not a cop, I comprehend that I drive a retired cop car, so I treat it with the respect I treat that whole profession.  I'm not stupid enough to give in to the thought that I'd have any right to chase someone or a reason have an external opinion of what anyone else is doing so long as it doesn't directly negatively impact me - and if a horn toot or a high beam flash doesn't do it, life's too short to get worked up by BS.  Sure I'll call someone in with a handsfree if they are that bad, and turn in any dash cam footage, but if they chose to drive like crap - it's just my job to not participate in their wreck.  My insurance would drop me like a hot potato if they got any whiff that I was out there serving vigilante justice like Batman or the Green Hornet...

 

It's not all fun and games either - since George Floyd in Milwaukee this past year, there are people who are actively out to hurt police.  When someone runs up to a door to ambush someone who's sitting in something that looks close enough to a cop car, they don't stop to analyze the outfit of the person in it before they mag-dump into the side window.  I've had people try to run me off the road and have had a gun pulled on me on the freeway.  I didn't do anything in any of those cases other than drive the speed limit and use my turn signal religiously, but that guy with a gun looked like he was in a rage - you can't reason with someone who is blinded by rage.

 

Regarding WHY a civilian/person would want one of these, aside from a couple of nagging issues and a bunch of holes to plug from the previous agency, in general it's what I wanted.  I.e., a good $10K 4-door platform with AWD and a solid big NA engine, a transmission I don't argue with when I get into the curvy roads, brakes that are IMHO properly sized for the vehicle while loaded, and it's easy to modify without having to reverse engineer a whole CAN-bus platform (as they have a harness plug for the most commonly desired signals).  There's also the bigger alternator for a better aftermarket stereo than Ford offers that I can specify myself, as well as factory wiring points to tie it into, and the bulk of the most annoying electronic features turned off, cloth seats (I hate leather), and vinyl floors for hose-out cleaning (I have young kids) - and a full flat cargo floor with a full sized spare that I can get to easily from inside rather than a 3rd row of seats in the rear crumple zone (who the heck puts people they like in those 3rd row seats knowing how badly the back caves in a during a crash!?!?!).  Pretty much all common practical stuff.

 

That said, I'd love to get my hands on a 2022 or 2023 FPIU Hybrid as a next vehicle, they are pretty awesome - I just don't want to have the first few model years as they work out kinks (*cough*... carbon monoxide exhaust leaks, broken toe links, burned up PTUs, leaking chain-driven water pumps, EPAS next to the cats overheating the control board, etc...).  I'd love to see Ford try the FPIU with a turbo inline 6 with hybrid with a 6-speed and AWD, but that'll probably never happen.  We can dream though.

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Edited by tim292stro
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2 hours ago, tim292stro said:

 

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Not even going to try to address everything except to cover a few relevant points. 

 

The Explorer Police Interceptor Utility vehicles are designed and extensively engineered specifically to meet the needs, demands and specifications of law enforcement by government and related agencies. The bid and contract process varies from state to state and also involves substantial incentives available only to qualified Ford fleet accounts that are eligible to purchase these vehicles. Police Interceptor orders require a valid Ford Fleet FIN number which is also used to determine the eligible fleet incentives available to the Ford Fleet account holder.  

 

There is a longstanding process to address vehicles that have been damaged in transit regardless of whether the vehicle was ordered for stock, retail, fleet, etc. Minor damage is noted on the Bill of Lading and a claim is filed with photos through Ford against the car carrier firm that hauled the vehicle. In specific cases the dealership is also required to submit a repair estimate.  

 

Other damage is categorized according to the following.

 

Vehicle Damaged 
The vehicle was damaged and may require inspection by a third party insurance provider. The carrier name displays in parenthesis. 

 

U.S. & Canada 

 

Vehicle Damaged - Category A 
AMRO has determined the damage is repairable and the disclosable damage does not exceed the limit identified in the "Warranty and Policy Manual". In accordance with Ford Motor Company policy, the unit can be sold as new and it will be forwarded to the ship-to location. Dealers/Fleets will receive a copy of the AMRO estimate from DVO.

 

Vehicle Damaged - Category B 
AMRO has determined the unit is repairable, however, it cannot be sold as new and it will not be forwarded to the ship-to location. The unit will be sold at auction. It is recommended that Dealers/Fleets reorder the vehicle and request expedited action. 

 

Vehicle Damaged - Category C & D 
AMRO has determined that the damage is un-repairable, the unit cannot be sold, and it will not be forwarded to the ship-to location. The damage has been severe and the unit will be scrapped. It is recommended that Dealers/Fleets reorder the vehicle and request expedited action. 

 

Vehicle Damaged - Category F 
AMRO has determined the damage is repairable, however the disclosable damage exceeds the limit identified in the "Warranty and Policy Manual". In accordance with Ford Motor Company policy, the unit cannot be sold as new and it will not be forwarded to the ship-to location. The unit will be sold at auction. It is recommended that Dealers/Fleets reorder the vehicle and request expedited action.

 

Vehicles with normal in-transit damage are repaired by the dealership which is reimbursed through the normal claims process.

 

The whole fleet ordering, scheduling and sale process is involved, time consuming and competitive for Dealers vying for the business. 

 

Hope this helps answer at least some of the points of your post.     

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

For me I'd just like to get the column mounted shifter...I find the fake '4 on the floor' wannabe shifter on the console idiotic, regardless how many designs have them.  Post next mid cycle refresh going to see what it would take to get the column mounted shifter in something like a Limited...I'm sure it'll be painful... :(

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