Seeking opinions on Ford Taurus ex cop cars versus a 2010 Lincoln Towncar

[deathsled]

Seeking opinions on the reliability of a Ford Taurus  ex-cop car (they look sleek) versus the last of the Lincoln Towncars. I understand the water pumps go bad on the 3.5 or 3.7 police interceptor packages but otherwise reliable. Plus people are less likely to play games with you on the highway.

[gt350shelb]

water pumps are the biggest problem i have seen  usually over 100 k miles .  they are not that bad to replace if you have the tools ans a lift .   always replace timing chain at same time and you wont have any issues . have seen the chain stretch 3/4 of an inch (this will cause timing related  check engine lights) 

[deathsled]

Thank you for your information and observations. How are the 1,2,3 spark plugs to change? The engine looks transversely mounted and backed up against the firewall. I did my own plugs and coils on my 2001 Lincoln without too much drama. I was surprised how deep down the bore those plugs were located in the head. But it worked.

[gt350shelb]

 you need to pull the intake but  once ever 100k miles  is worth the  1/2 hour of time .

[5566]

Haven't driven a Town Car, but a lot of wheel time in CVPI and Taurus PI.  D3 platform has it all over the Panther platform in all aspects of performance and handling, especially off the line and mid-range acceleration.  Almost all Taurus PI where AWD.  Some early PTU issues.  Town Car would be a lot more "comfortable" and have a little more room, but that's about it.

[deathsled]

I am weighing the options. Thank you all for your input.

[gt350shelb]

ptu  problems are due to  mis matched tires  all 4 tires must be same diameter . or within 1000 miles the ptu will exit  the vehicle . many of the  police depts have a long learning curve on this around here .

[5566]

Our PTU issues were leaks resulting in failure, usually between 50k and 75k, some before 25k mi. We purchased "factory" replacement tires (Goodyear Eagle RSA if I remember correctly) on contract.  Tires were provided to Department and non-Department repair facilities.  No puncture repairs, only replacement.  My wife's 2016 Escape had a leaking PTU repaired while still on the original tires.  The issue seemed more prevalent on 2013-2015s.   

[gt350shelb]

 usually ptu leaks are because they are over heating ..... newer models and police package  (some  are water cooled )  much less  of an issue lately.   but our sales dept put  1 new tire on an awd  used edge  1200 miles later the ptu locked up .  then then bought 4 tires and a ptu  for that customer . 

[deathsled]

Given all of the foregoing, I am leaning toward Lincoln Towncar again.  I know the car better, having put in a front end myself (hardest job I ever did in my life backbreaking work), new spark plugs and coils without screwing it up, springs in the back to replace the failed airbags and so on.  Rear wheel drive is all I have ever driven.  Better stick to what I know.  I had to look up ptu and its meaning.  I get it now but I think I will avoid any ex cop car...Though they do look formidable on the road and would have that "gotcha" factor as amusing as that might be.  But then again, it could be targeted for a shooting these days which is a sad sign of the times.  Towncar is more sedate, comfortable and low on the radar.  Nobody wants them for the common misperception that they eat a lot of gas.  I get 27 all day long on the highway to Toronto at speeds of 75 mph...(legal in parts of Michigan I might add).

[5566]

I agree with gt350shelb.  PTU's were an issue years ago, but not so much in the later models (2015-2019). We switched to all Explorer (which didn't seem to have the issue as much) around 2015 so I'm not sure.  I wouldn't let the PTU be the deciding factor.  I loved the CVPI and didn't think I'd like the Taurus.  But, other than room, the Taurus was better in every respect, particularly in bad weather. (we had 3.7s, not EcoBoosts) It was easy to end up going faster than you should in the rain as it was that stable.  I think the Town Car is just a different car.  Much more comfortable (I would expect) and more room.  My bigger concern on a Town Car would be the electronic accessories rather than the body/suspension/drivetrain.

[deathsled]

I agree with gt350shelb.  PTU's were an issue years ago, but not so much in the later models (2015-2019). We switched to all Explorer (which didn't seem to have the issue as much) around 2015 so I'm not sure.  I wouldn't let the PTU be the deciding factor.  I loved the CVPI and didn't think I'd like the Taurus.  But, other than room, the Taurus was better in every respect, particularly in bad weather. (we had 3.7s, not EcoBoosts) It was easy to end up going faster than you should in the rain as it was that stable.  I think the Town Car is just a different car.  Much more comfortable (I would expect) and more room.  My bigger concern on a Town Car would be the electronic accessories rather than the body/suspension/drivetrain.

[Side-Oilers]

I've owned two former police cars and had fun in them both (a cross country speed run, for example, and we never got pulled over.)

That one was a CHP captain's car, with low miles, cloth upholstery, no push bar or bad guy cage, and hadn't been thrashed (until we got our hands on it.) 
Sold it later to Dan Aykroyd. True.

The other was a L.A. Sheriff car that'd seen a pretty hard life, but not as hard as some. It creaked, rattled, burned oil, and smelled like a combination of body odor, stale coffee, and piss.  I took it to the self-serve car wash and power-washed the entire interior for about 30 minutes.  That helped a little.

Richard, your point about not wanting to look like a cop these days is sadly true in more than a few areas.

I'd take a Town Car hands-down, for my daily. My favorites were the old square ones from the '80s. $29.95/day from Budget and you were riding like a king.   

Put a supercharger on a newer one like you're considering, and you'd probably have a pretty fun luxury machine.