2007 Ford Crown Vic Police Interceptor
Discussion
Hiya,
I'm new to this forum so please be gentle.
I'm starting this thread to share my experiences of buying a car in the US and then bringing it back to the UK. Please feel free to offer me any advice in the process.
Next summer (2016) I've signed up to do a 'banger' car rally across Europe to Monte Carlo. Getting a 20 year old Japanese car, whilst sensible, is not my style. Anyways, I was in Boston recently for work and to cut a long story short I bought a 2007 Ford Crown Vic Police Interceptor for $600 for the road trip. The reason for the low price - it's done 300K miles, most as a taxi! Everything works including the aircon so things are looking good.
Currently the vehicle is between Massachusetts and Felixstowe. The pickup from MA and shipping has cost me $1200 so, so far I've spent $1800 (£1200). I know that when it arrives I have to pay 10% duty and 20% VAT so that will be another £120. Other expected expenses to come are:
W
I'm new to this forum so please be gentle.
I'm starting this thread to share my experiences of buying a car in the US and then bringing it back to the UK. Please feel free to offer me any advice in the process.
Next summer (2016) I've signed up to do a 'banger' car rally across Europe to Monte Carlo. Getting a 20 year old Japanese car, whilst sensible, is not my style. Anyways, I was in Boston recently for work and to cut a long story short I bought a 2007 Ford Crown Vic Police Interceptor for $600 for the road trip. The reason for the low price - it's done 300K miles, most as a taxi! Everything works including the aircon so things are looking good.
Currently the vehicle is between Massachusetts and Felixstowe. The pickup from MA and shipping has cost me $1200 so, so far I've spent $1800 (£1200). I know that when it arrives I have to pay 10% duty and 20% VAT so that will be another £120. Other expected expenses to come are:
- Transport from Felixstowe to Warwickshire.
- Changes to make the car road legal plus the IVA test.
- MOT
- Road tax.
W
Headlights are fine, set them as low as you can within the MOT beam tester, lose the orange front lights at least until IVA'd, you can buy 'euro' spec rear lamps which help convert to orange rear indicators (you need extra bulb holders), ask if you need help with the wiring, it's pretty easy with these old fashioned cars, stick a rear fog under the rear bumper, make sure it stays lit on main and dip beam and it is hight enough of the floor, Crown Vics are right on the min limit hanging it underneath!
If it is a cop car make sure the rear doors open from the inside as it is an IVA fail if they don't. The glass is fine on these, make sure all wiring is bound up and well attached, the plastic loom covers under the bonnet degrade badle and you may need to sort it.
Anything else you need ask away, I have 'done' about 7 of these and three incoming in the new year!
If it is a cop car make sure the rear doors open from the inside as it is an IVA fail if they don't. The glass is fine on these, make sure all wiring is bound up and well attached, the plastic loom covers under the bonnet degrade badle and you may need to sort it.
Anything else you need ask away, I have 'done' about 7 of these and three incoming in the new year!
Good choice, congrats and welcome to the 'owners club'. 
To be frank, for the amount of money and time you invest for bringing the car across the pond and register it, you should have gone for a lower mileage car. Boston is also part of the rustbelt (mine is also a rustbelt car) and it can cause havoc in parts such as starter and the alternator.
My advice is that before shipping the car, put as many parts into the trunk as possible. Fuel pump could be wise to change (see link below) as well as other cheap parts, perhaps bushings and stuff like that. Also transmission fluid could be difficult to get over here, and you might want to flush it.
For the registration: '98 model year cars had rear amber turning lights, that can be bought as spare part as well.
This could be an interesting read: http://www.crownvic.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?...
At the end, it is an excellent car in its unique, old-school way. I wouldn't want anything else as a daily driver.
To be frank, for the amount of money and time you invest for bringing the car across the pond and register it, you should have gone for a lower mileage car. Boston is also part of the rustbelt (mine is also a rustbelt car) and it can cause havoc in parts such as starter and the alternator.
My advice is that before shipping the car, put as many parts into the trunk as possible. Fuel pump could be wise to change (see link below) as well as other cheap parts, perhaps bushings and stuff like that. Also transmission fluid could be difficult to get over here, and you might want to flush it.
For the registration: '98 model year cars had rear amber turning lights, that can be bought as spare part as well.
This could be an interesting read: http://www.crownvic.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?...
At the end, it is an excellent car in its unique, old-school way. I wouldn't want anything else as a daily driver.
Edited by optimal909 on Wednesday 6th January 11:44
Thanks for all the advice so far. Keep it coming.
So the latest update is that the car arrived last week at my home and it starts first time, every time :-D
My cost so far are:
Car £400
Collection from the vendor and shipping to Felixstowe: £800
Import duties and VAT: £400
Port Charges:£350
Port Storage costs:£30
Delivery from port to my place: £270
So that's £2250 so far.
Ordered Forms from the DVLA to register her.
The next job is to get her through the IVA... I've ordered new rear lamps with amber indicators from the US for $80 delivered. Any other parts I will get next month when I 'have' to go to Boston for some client meetings.
So the latest update is that the car arrived last week at my home and it starts first time, every time :-D
My cost so far are:
Car £400
Collection from the vendor and shipping to Felixstowe: £800
Import duties and VAT: £400
Port Charges:£350
Port Storage costs:£30
Delivery from port to my place: £270
So that's £2250 so far.
Ordered Forms from the DVLA to register her.
The next job is to get her through the IVA... I've ordered new rear lamps with amber indicators from the US for $80 delivered. Any other parts I will get next month when I 'have' to go to Boston for some client meetings.
By an amazing coincidence (just searched the forums for Crown Vic and this thread appeared at the top of the list), I took delivery of one yesterday!
It's a P71, but converted to NYC taxi use. Not driven it yet, as there are a couple of little jobs I want to carry out.
I was really looking for a Checker, but they don't seem to be easy to get hold of over here. When the CV came up, I jumped at the chance. Then, two days later I got a call from a guy who can get this...
Now I'm in a quandry!
It's a P71, but converted to NYC taxi use. Not driven it yet, as there are a couple of little jobs I want to carry out.
I was really looking for a Checker, but they don't seem to be easy to get hold of over here. When the CV came up, I jumped at the chance. Then, two days later I got a call from a guy who can get this...
Now I'm in a quandry!
Sell the Vic to me and buy the Checker 
Out of interest how much did it cost?
I bought a Mercury Grand Marquis, a year 2000, about 3 years ago in lovely condition. Only 32k miles.
£3k it cost me, had it 9 months then sold it for £4.5k to fund the deposit on a Mustang GT.
Kind of wish I had not sold it. Great car, simple to work on and a lovely driver.
Saw it for sale again last year but somebody had added chrome wheel arches and other horrible bling.
Such a shame as it was a perfect original car.
Out of interest how much did it cost?
I bought a Mercury Grand Marquis, a year 2000, about 3 years ago in lovely condition. Only 32k miles.
£3k it cost me, had it 9 months then sold it for £4.5k to fund the deposit on a Mustang GT.
Kind of wish I had not sold it. Great car, simple to work on and a lovely driver.
Saw it for sale again last year but somebody had added chrome wheel arches and other horrible bling.
Such a shame as it was a perfect original car.
Edited by croyde on Friday 22 June 14:55
Loving the NYC taxi!
I really don’t know what to look for in a CV. I really want one with the push bars and would prefer a black and white but not essential. I know you can’t buy them with the light bars so I will look at adding one later.
They seem to range in price in the US from $500-2500. Mileage’s from 60k-130k. Obviously, I presume, a lower mileage one would be better.
I don’t know where’s best to look in the US.
Would probably be easier to find one over here already but they seem to go for crazy money.
Any help is much appreciated.
I really don’t know what to look for in a CV. I really want one with the push bars and would prefer a black and white but not essential. I know you can’t buy them with the light bars so I will look at adding one later.
They seem to range in price in the US from $500-2500. Mileage’s from 60k-130k. Obviously, I presume, a lower mileage one would be better.
I don’t know where’s best to look in the US.
Would probably be easier to find one over here already but they seem to go for crazy money.
Any help is much appreciated.
Ewanph said:
Loving the NYC taxi!
I really don’t know what to look for in a CV. I really want one with the push bars and would prefer a black and white but not essential. I know you can’t buy them with the light bars so I will look at adding one later.
They seem to range in price in the US from $500-2500. Mileage’s from 60k-130k. Obviously, I presume, a lower mileage one would be better.
I don’t know where’s best to look in the US.
Would probably be easier to find one over here already but they seem to go for crazy money.
Any help is much appreciated.
You can buy them in any spec, gutted out or right of the lot with bars, lights, ballistic doors etc but they are getting rare now, most forces have gone over to Chargers, just as cool and with better motorsI really don’t know what to look for in a CV. I really want one with the push bars and would prefer a black and white but not essential. I know you can’t buy them with the light bars so I will look at adding one later.
They seem to range in price in the US from $500-2500. Mileage’s from 60k-130k. Obviously, I presume, a lower mileage one would be better.
I don’t know where’s best to look in the US.
Would probably be easier to find one over here already but they seem to go for crazy money.
Any help is much appreciated.
croyde said:
Sell the Vic to me and buy the Checker
Out of interest how much did it cost?
I bought a Mercury Grand Marquis, a year 2000, about 3 years ago in lovely condition. Only 32k miles.
£3k it cost me, had it 9 months then sold it for £4.5k to fund the deposit on a Mustang GT.
Kind of wish I had not sold it. Great car, simple to work on and a lovely driver.
Saw it for sale again last year but somebody had added chrome wheel arches and other horrible bling.
Such a shame as it was a perfect original car.
I paid £8000. Out of interest how much did it cost?
I bought a Mercury Grand Marquis, a year 2000, about 3 years ago in lovely condition. Only 32k miles.
£3k it cost me, had it 9 months then sold it for £4.5k to fund the deposit on a Mustang GT.
Kind of wish I had not sold it. Great car, simple to work on and a lovely driver.
Saw it for sale again last year but somebody had added chrome wheel arches and other horrible bling.
Such a shame as it was a perfect original car.
Edited by croyde on Friday 22 June 14:55
I'll tidy it up and use 'as is' for the summer.
If the Checker arrives over here I'll probably sell the cab, so if you're serious I'll come back to this thread.
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