Welcome to the Crown Vics ETC blog!

On April 6, 2000, I purchased a 1998 Ford Crown Victoria LX HPP with 23,490 miles. I decided to start a little website for it featuring a running log of my experiences with the car. Vic 1.0 was retired in 2015 due to rust and electrical issues. Vic 2.0 was a 2006 P71 in Blue Pearl that belonged to my boyfriend. It was a Ford demo and never saw actual police use. It was damaged in September of 2018 with well over 186,000 miles. It was replaced by Vic 3.0 in October 2018, a 2008 P71 in Silver Birch with 120,971 miles. To read posts prior to 2010, click a link at right, or go to Crown Vics, ETC.

Friday, December 28, 2018

Finally... Introducing Vic 3.0!!

I can't put it off any longer.  Must move on from the past... 

I am finally announcing the departure of Vic 2.0, and the arrival of Vic 3.0.   

 
In September 2018, 2.0 was involved in an ooopsie that didn’t involve me.  I wasn’t even in the state at the time.  All I am going to say on the matter is I came home that night, and found the car basically totaled in the driveway.  I am not going to share all the sordid, anger inducing details, and will just end with this:  like 1.0, 2.0 ended up at Taxi Guy’s shop.  Last I heard, we plans on repairing it and making it his Florida car.  I hope that does occur, because it deserves to hit 200,000 miles someday…

And so I am on to Vic 3.0.  It was one of two that my boyfriend (aka: Mystery Mechanic) had on the road for shakedown runs before possible sales.  It is a 2008 P71 in silver with black interior.  Yup, just as I was getting used to the “bling factor” of Blue Pearl, I am back to silver, this time Silver Birch (1.0 was Silver Frost).  Gone is the stress of trying to keep dirt and dust from showing every second of the day! 

As for the black velour interior… well, I am getting used to it, but I swore I would NEVER have a black interior.  I dislike them intensely in daily drivers.  Dust shows up on all the plastic, carpets show sand and dust, and it gets HOT inside in summer.  It is also so darn DULL.  There is NOTHING to break the depressing monotony of fields of black… I am sensitive to colors and light in my immediate environment, I guess…One GOOD thing about black:  coffee stains don't show up!

Now, 3.0 was an actual police vehicle, whereas 2.0 was a Ford demo and never saw actual, regular police use.  So there are some imperfections.  The rear deck needs to be put back properly, the power locks sound like they may quit over the winter, and it needs a windshield BAD.  It also sat for years before being sold off, so the underside has some surface rust we need to watch.  But it drives great, and other than a noisy starter in cold, I am more and more confident it won’t quit on me. 

That is one thing about loosing 2.0 that was killing me.  Between MM and I, we put about 170,000 miles on that car, so we knew everything about it… what had been replaced  and what was due to be replaced.  The car was by far the most reliable daily driver he had ever owned.  Now, I am with a car I have to always wonder about.  BUT, it is better than NO car at all!

The first thing I needed were better hubcaps.  I hate running them as it is, but if I have to, they better be nice.  We got some nice ones and I put them on.  I may put the “poverty caps” on for winter, though.  

MM had an NOS cassette/CD/AM-FM unit, so for the very first time I have a car with a CD player... Yup, I am ALWAYS up to the minute with trends!

The front grille was also not up to my standards.  But I didn’t want to put a brand new one in before winter, so I put in a used one I found in the basement… I think it was the original from 2.0 before MM replaced it.  It still isn’t perfect, but is a lot better for now.  I did score an NOS one that may go on in spring.  It also needs clearer headlights.  It passes inspection, and I don’t want to mess up the NOS ones I picked up for 2.0 a while ago.  Maybe I am afraid if I DO put the nice parts on it, something will happen and THIS car will also get ruined!


When I registered 3.0, it had 120,971 miles on it.  It now has about 122,500.  Need to get the front snow tires put on (needed to get a second set of rims with TPS sensors on them).  

Vic 3.0 Railfanning
 
3.0 visits Maine for the first time