Purchasing a vehicle

[RogueIce]

That sums it up. Over here in Taxi World, we have a running joke that Ford makes the worst cabs except for everybody else. I guide a two-ton missile for a living, and I can drop a Prius in my trunk.

Well the Crown Vic has/had some major USPs (front seats big enough for a laptop mount, ladder-frame Mad Max-rated construction).

I swear if I had the money I would get a CVPI from somewhere and rebuild the fuck out of it. Even after police/taxi use I know people who still use them for years afterwards. Built Ford Tough indeed.

(Though if I had like a billion dollars I'd try to buy the design off Ford and update it as much as possible while still retaining the overall size, shape and look. I don't care what anyone says, those are some sexy cars)

[Venator]

That sums it up. Over here in Taxi World, we have a running joke that Ford makes the worst cabs except for everybody else. I guide a two-ton missile for a living, and I can drop a Prius in my trunk.

Well the Crown Vic has/had some major USPs (front seats big enough for a laptop mount, ladder-frame Mad Max-rated construction).

I swear if I had the money I would get a CVPI from somewhere and rebuild the fuck out of it. Even after police/taxi use I know people who still use them for years afterwards. Built Ford Tough indeed.

(Though if I had like a billion dollars I'd try to buy the design off Ford and update it as much as possible while still retaining the overall size, shape and look. I don't care what anyone says, those are some sexy cars)

Police auctions for ex-interceptors... they're not that hard of a find considering how many departments still use them or are in the process of phasing out... side benefit of never being cut off or tailgated again. RS can probably attest to where you can get ex-taxis (and if you'd want to).

[Raw Shark]

Police auctions for ex-interceptors... they're not that hard of a find considering how many departments still use them or are in the process of phasing out... side benefit of never being cut off or tailgated again. RS can probably attest to where you can get ex-taxis (and if you'd want to).

You rang?

The cops do an auction every couple of months. You have to sign up in advance, but it's not exactly difficult if you're not in a hurry. They dump the cars after 100,000 miles or the first major collision. You basically just have to send a kid down there with a couple of grand and a day to kill and you've got one with the full highway interceptor don't-fuck-with-me package on it.

[RogueIce]

Police auctions for ex-interceptors... they're not that hard of a find considering how many departments still use them or are in the process of phasing out... side benefit of never being cut off or tailgated again. RS can probably attest to where you can get ex-taxis (and if you'd want to).

You rang?

The cops do an auction every couple of months. You have to sign up in advance, but it's not exactly difficult if you're not in a hurry. They dump the cars after 100,000 miles or the first major collision. You basically just have to send a kid down there with a couple of grand and a day to kill and you've got one with the full highway interceptor don't-fuck-with-me package on it.

Oh, I know how to get one, I just don't foresee having the spare cash in the near future. And as time goes on they're just gonna get rarer. Which will make me sad. But we'll see.

Just out of curiosity, what about ex-taxis?

[Raw Shark]

Oh, I know how to get one, I just don't foresee having the spare cash in the near future. And as time goes on they're just gonna get rarer. Which will make me sad. But we'll see.

You and me both. It's the end of an era.

Just out of curiosity, what about ex-taxis?

Practically no such thing. We drive 'em into the ground and then they go out into the graveyard behind the shop to have the marrow sucked out of their bones.

[Thanas]

Here is one vehicle which you can get somewhat cheap, has high quality and is resilient as hell - BMW 5er. Mine has 22 years on it by now, got it when it was 8 years old and it still does 140-150mph on the Autobahn if needed. Once a BMW hits 12 years without major problem it will still serve you for a ton. I had to replace a couple of broken valves a few times, but only in the last three years. Other than that it runs steadily.

Over here you can get such vehicles for 2-4k depending on the version and IMO that is great value.

[Aether]

I been busy, so I just now jump back into the thread.

I opted for a used Tacoma X-Runner off of Craigslist. I bought my previous car off of Craigslist and got a pretty good deal. It was 2.5 years old, so it had a warranty left, and I can certainly appreciate the first owner taking the depreciation hit. He also had is slightly modded which forced him to take some $$ off the KBB excellent price. He had aftermarket wheels put on and they had terrible curb rash. On top of that, private party sales here do not require sales tax to be collected.

In both cases, to help protect myself I asked the owners if I could take their car to my mechanic and have them check it out. I also insist on vehicles with maintenance records. Autocheck and CarFax are ok, but they are not the bible. If the owner is ok with having my mechanic check it out (a good first sign they are not trying to pull a fast one), then I will usually haggle $100 to $300 off unless something comes back.

The problem that I had this time around is that I couldn't care less about amenities. Point A to Point B. I don't live far from work and if I am going to travel for leisure purposes, I have a car that is fully loaded. And apparently, no dealer has "bare bones" anymore. If you go to the manufacture websites and build your own and then send off quotes, the dealers are going to push what they have on the lots. They will have add ons where the dealerships make their money. The hell I am going to haggle over a god damn spoiler, a $400 piece of plastic that serves no aero dynamic purpose.