No, I meant the 4.6 L body style that ran until 97, then the bigger 98's on up. The ford felt like a more stable car to me compared to the last 96 caprice I drove. Not speed or some g number on concrete test, it just felt like the caprice was easier to lose the back end on in urban full throttle-brake-turn-full throttle get-the-body rolling driving.

Both the old caprice and new chargers shame the CV in the speed department. Given the choice with all three keys in the office I'll take the big ford.

Just my opinion, not a sales pitch!

 

Ford had a big problem with the steering assist/traction control when at high speed. Floated around too much. Maybe the extra power from the LT1 made the chevy feel lighter in the rear? If I remember right, the caprice beat the vic by 2 minutes on the MSP drive track, the first police tahoe (lowered 4", 2wd) beat it by 2 body lengths. Then you have the gas tank explosion hazard and then the safety shut-off problem. For GM, apparently a 65,000+ vehicle market wasn't enouph to keep GM happy, but look at them now. I heard through the grapevine that Chrysler even offered to buy the tooling from GM to get into the police market, but GM refused. Just a little trivia for the guys, if you like the Ford, you like the Ford. The only 2 issues I can remember about the caprice were the brakes were a little light, and when you got to a 1/4 tank, you better be looking for a gas station or park on a level surface.

 

Brake fade has a been a problem in every fleet car I have driven with the exception of the charger. You jab the brakes in it and you better be buckled up! Regardless of how it has been punished!

Down side is the trunk space is non existent, back seat compartment is cramped and our service guys say the brakes are so efficient they get changed 2-3 times as often as CVs.

Killing the caprice model line was a mistake for GM, between them and ford they owned the fleet market.

 

Yup, use to be you could drop off a whole family at McDonald's after getting them a wrecker, now you you have to call a cab.

 

hey Don!

just my two cents: you can never out run the radio. with the sections of officers deployed in my state (ny), speeding just won't help. so it is monitored by the sergeant, then called off near a village or town. liability etc.

recently we had a 18 y o run from a normal traffic stop. 90 mile + through several towns and villages, till SP called it off at a village border. village police took it up and boxed the teen on a dead end road.

for some magical reason, the village PD sergeant decided to protect the teen (who had been doing slow muddy circles in a corn field) from the river beyond the treed hedgerow in the pitch dark. the teen never knew it was there, just saw the cop car with lights coming at him. into the river, 40 county sherrif deputies, three scuba teams from three seperate agencies, state guys and local cops all watching him sink into the river. nothing done, kid died.

pursuit makes idiots insane. that's all. if the police had to pay for the costs of property damage, you would not go over 20 mph.
no one could help in Binghamton, no one could help in Philly. it is just not a tactical purpose here. No NY state or Fed statute to support it, period.

there is no difference between fire and police- the attitude is called "tradition- that's the way we have always done it".
Homeland security specialist heidi

 

Assuming only speeders run, you'd have a point. Some have a no pursuit policy for the most part, case-by-case for us. But a lot of things could or should be let go, some shouldn't and some definitely can't be. You try to get a plate if you can, then back off and let them go if it's getting dangerous. Stolen cars won't be chased far if they start to get out of hand. Not gonna use lethal force to protect property. But, we have tons of drive-by's and robberies around here that will get chased. There's no arguement in saying you can't outrun the radio, because there's no point in calling ahead if you can't pursue, since he'll probably run from the next guy too. The arguement in this thread though, was for an off duty being stopped and although justice was served, some still can't be satisfied.

 

Ain't that a shame... NOT! First of all, did the kid forget how to roll down a window or open a door? Secondly, if more people that think they can run from the PD instead of complying with their orders knew that they were not going to be coddled and could quite possibly die, maybe they wouldn't run in the first place.

There SHOULD be a no pursuit policy... right after they pass law that makes deadly force possible for almost any circumstance. Again, if people knew they might die, maybe they wouldn't be so inclined to thumb their nose at the PD and refuse to do as they're told to do.

You're right. But there'd be a point in calling ahead if you could launch a rocket at the car!

chaikwa.

 

honestly...what kind of EDIT cop would ticket his bro? sloppy. that would never happen in the fire dept. dude, we(fire dept.)ever cover for the cops. its called a brotherhood. give the guys the risk their frickin life everyday a break.

 

Sounds like the Polizei.... blow your whistle and shoot at anybody that doesn't hit the deck...

Raise the driving age to 18 and hold them to their responsibilities like an adult. Part of the problem the sre the courts again. I've seen bonds higher on warrants for driving suspended than for flee/elude. Where's the incentive to stop? It almost pays to run.

 

There's a few rickety fire depts around I'd be skepticle about that with. Not pointing fingers at yours though. But, wouldn't you take care of business if somebody endangered you on the job or embarrassed your agency? If it were me, and he got me up to speed like that with people watching, flashing isn't gonna cut it, we're gonna talk. The public may not see if a ticket is written or not, but they'll see the reckless driver being talked to. I'm sure the guy coming off suspension for who-knows-what, put him over the edge.

 

Works for me!

chaikwa.

 

We have our abundance of turds, make no mistake about it.





Tim

 

Oldmike
"Those were quick cars and I loved the digital speedo. Found them to be real light in the rear and not near as forgiving in the handling department as the Ford CV".
Mike,there are ways around "the pucker factor"...Front brakes,improved,suspension,way improved and it really helps if you adopt the Cale Yarborough style of vehicle operation.In days of old,you could tell Cale was driving because he had elbows out of both sides of the car!
LAPD tried freeway interceptors with some 1965 Oldsmobiles.They had full roll-cages,400ci engines,etc.They would carry the mail,but alas prudence won out.

 

i think this all falls back to the collapse of America on the "lack of personal accountability"

if he had bona ride reason - he shoulda/coulda been ok.

if he was just late for work - then he's basically public endangerment.

and i don't understand the brotherhood of 'protect a fellow cop or FF at any cost to the public perception of our incompetence'

here's where that leads you:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_corruption

all this makes me think of is Governor Palin's Brother in Law telling Palin's Sister "your sister may be governor, but if you divorce me, i can shoot your dad with no consequences"

it just befuddles me what organized group of otherwise respectable men would join forces and say "lets respect this most esteemed brother of ours"

i saw a lady Cop in the local Wal-mart parking lot for an hour or so, with her boyfriend and his kids. figured, what would the dispatcher tell me, if i did call in, that she was on lunch?
just let it go. maybe she was on lunch, maybe she won't


i'm not arguing for or against, just saying...it's a messed up world

 

LT1 vs Crown Vic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZDtVLa9--o