Good first car?

[Blayer]

I was thinking about buying a 1998-2003 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor as a first car on a ~$3500 budget. I has to be a Police Interceptor as far as I'm concerned because of the added horsepower. Brisk acceleration is pretty much a requirement. I can get one cheap too at an auction.

I was just wondering if this is a good first car for a teen. The gas mileage worried me at first, but 23-25 MPG on the highway is plenty since 95% of my ride to school is one the highway. Reliability is a question too, and speed. My dad bluffs that his '99 Honda Accord V6 would be faster than a Crown Vic, and I'd like to show him otherwise.

Another thing: Would riding this car 300+ miles home be a stupid idea. I want a black Crown Vic, and these are really rare, since in my county, white Crown Victorias are more common (except in Neptune Beach, where they are black).

[Johnny Mullet]

Good first car for a teen?

It's big, lots of power, lots of room for friends, and cool. What more does a teen need?

They are actually pretty reliable cars for being a Ford.

[Blayer]

Thanks.

I guess it's a given that they're reliable since cops use them. No sense in cops driving unreliable slow cars.

[way2old]

Your Dad's car just might be faster. The Crown Vics have a fuel cutoff around 122 to 128 mph. I think the Accord will run over 130. The engines are pretty much bullet proof on the CV. Transmission and rear axles are suspect.

[rhandwor]

Watch where you buy the vehicle. Stay away from the snow belt where the use a lot of salt on the road. If buying in the south stay away from coastal areas as salt from the ocean causes a lot of problems. Buy as low a mileage as you can find don't worry alot about the color. Black is a lot harder to keep clean.
A lead foot will cost you a lot of money in extra gas and traffic tickets.

[Johnny Mullet]

There are actually a lot you can do with these cars and they have a large following. You can find all kinds of performance and cosmetic upgrades for the Crown Vic by browsing around the net.

[danielsatur]

I would by the mother car!
2nd generation Towncars are cheap too.

MCGIVER