So I think the OP has been answered - you don’t pay to replace bumpers and spotlight when dumping a car that you don’t want.
There was a case a couple of decades ago where a guy bid on a police car, but when he picked it up the lights, etc had been removed. He bought them for use in movies, and argued (successfully as I recall) that a key part of the value was the light bar that was on the car at the time of the auction.
Finally - I loved those land yachts. I drove my grandmother’s Lincoln Town Car once she gave up her keys. Massive V8, silent cab, smooth ride. Yes, only got about 20 MPG - but it made LA commuting almost tolerable.
I know it depends on the department and town. As far as I know we have never sold our police cars. When they come in New they go to patrol. After several years and a lot of miles they either get a paint job and become detective cars or they get used as cars for traffic details like road construction. After many more years like that the ones that have some useful life will go to DPW or one of the other departments. Of course along the way a significant number are wrecked and canabalized.
Much cheaper to not remove it than to remove it. That’s all the reason you need. Also if they sell a car the owner is then responsible to make sure it doesn’t impersonate a cop car. So they can arrest the guy and take the car back and sell it again. Win win win.
People are dumb-asses when it comes to that kind of thing. About 20 years ago, I had a gigantic top of the line white 1987 Ford LTD Crown Victoria- wire wheels, vinyl top, air adjustable suspension, etc… that I’d got at an estate sale.
Invariably on the highway, people would slow down in front of me and toe the speed limit very carefully because I looked like a cop in the rear view mirror. Drove me crazy; I usually wanted to drive faster!
And yes, it was a very comfortable car- smooth ride, lots of space, big V8, etc…
On the plus side, it has a cop motor, a 440-cubic-inch plant. It’s got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. It’s a model made before catalytic converters so it’ll run good on regular gas
I would say that it is because people who want police cars want them to look like that, and also it’s just easier for them not to decommission them too much.
I had a 1978 Plymouth Gran Fury that had been used by the state police. It was an ugly gold color and had either been for a supervisor or just used as an unmarked patrol car. With the high-performance 440 package (including a very frustrating Thermoquad carb), it would definitely get out of its own way.
It also had some interesting options. There was a handle under the steering column that would let you set the idle speed by holding the accelerator cable in the chosen position. Instead of a standard dome light, there was a huge two-lamp unit above the dash that almost blinded you. There was a searchlight in the pillar. It had wheel covers, but they were very plain. You could also see some brackets near the radiator where the lights had been mounted. The whole package just screamed “COP CAR!” and everybody would pull to the side as I went to pass them.
On the other hand, when they removed the fender-mounted aerial from the rear deck next to the trunk, they covered the hole with a disc of plain black rubber. They just glued it to the metal with some epoxy. That part looked like crap. I often thought I should just buy a cheap whip antenna and stick that on to fill the hole.
It’s not always a matter of obeying a sign, though:
On non-statutory roads (i.e., prima facie roads), the general rule of thumb is “up to nine, and you’re fine.” Because we use the 85% percentile rule, our speed limits would never increase if everyone blindly followed signs (we now have 75 mph segments).
And pretty much, only assholes worry about seeing cops (people illegally occupying the left lane, for example).
If you came to more of the meetings, you’d know it’s a big, black…A. You can pick any font you like (we are anarchists after all) No comic sans though.
