Metro Atlanta Crown Victoria replacements

[MTS2000des]

Originally Posted by rapidcharger

I wonder why the police don't drive Lexus and BMWs and Mercedes.
When you think about it, they love to spend money on expensive radio systems so why wouldn't they want to spend money on expensive cars too? Interceptor, interschmeptor. A 600hp Maybach would outperform any Ford or Chevy and keep us safe from all the terrorist and molestors.. More room for prisoners in the back seat too.

Seriously? Expensive cars? Crown Vics and Impala's are hardly "expensive", they are fleet vehicles, and Crown Vics give such an impressive ROI, they're cheap to maintain and hold up well. Ever wonder why there are so many on the road?

Mercedes, Bimmers and other prick mobiles may go "zoom zoom" but they are hardly AFFORDABLE to own as a fleet vehicle, at least in this part of the world.

You think your taxes are high now? If your local po-po drove benzes and had to take them to RBM of Atlanta for every oil change, you'd really be crying.

[CapStar362]

haha MTS , werd

[lep]

I notice in my trips to Germany that the typical Yellow taxi is model of Mercedes considered a "luxury" auto in the USA and is also seen as a police vehicle. I've not seen the Crown Vic in EU though.

I guess it is all relevant to what are "fleet cars".

[rapidcharger]

Originally Posted by MTS2000des

Seriously? Expensive cars? Crown Vics and Impala's are hardly "expensive", they are fleet vehicles, and Crown Vics give such an impressive ROI, they're cheap to maintain and hold up well. Ever wonder why there are so many on the road?

Mercedes, Bimmers and other prick mobiles may go "zoom zoom" but they are hardly AFFORDABLE to own as a fleet vehicle, at least in this part of the world.

You think your taxes are high now? If your local po-po drove benzes and had to take them to RBM of Atlanta for every oil change, you'd really be crying.

My point was they government loves to spend money on expensive toys like unnecessary radio infrastructure in rural areas with small populations with no tax base, no money, and hardly any public workers, so why not waste some money on some luxury cars instead of some reasonably priced and proven cars like they always do? Mercedes and BMW and Lexus should recruit the motorola salesmen to convince the public agencies that they need to order these luxury cars instead to keep us safe from all threats, both foreign and domestic. Those American jalopies are 1950's cold war era technology, afterall. It won't be cheaper but hey, how can you put a price on all the lives that will be saved by those leather seats and real wood grain dash boards?

[Casey]

Deployed...

[MTS2000des]

Originally Posted by rapidcharger

My point was they government loves to spend money on expensive toys like unnecessary radio infrastructure in rural areas with small populations with no tax base, no money, and hardly any public workers, so why not waste some money on some luxury cars instead of some reasonably priced and proven cars like they always do? Mercedes and BMW and Lexus should recruit the motorola salesmen to convince the public agencies that they need to order these luxury cars instead to keep us safe from all threats, both foreign and domestic. Those American jalopies are 1950's cold war era technology, afterall. It won't be cheaper but hey, how can you put a price on all the lives that will be saved by those leather seats and real wood grain dash boards?

Truth is most Mercedes and BMW's today are crap compared to what they were. Unreliable, expensive to maintain and own (insurance is high). Why bother? The new Caprices are less than $30K and have kick butt performance, fuel economy, are designed for public safety, and are much cheaper to own and maintain as the years go by.

Comparing radios to cars is like comparing apples to oranges.

[rapidcharger]

Unreliable and expensive to maintain. Hmmm.
What does that remind me of?
West Palm Beach, Fl - City decides against OpenSky
Las Vegas drops Harris OpenSky sytem

It doesn't have to be better. If they wanted better, they'd be driving toyota camrys
I was under the impression the goal was to spend as much money possible.

[MTS2000des]

Originally Posted by rapidcharger

Unreliable and expensive to maintain. Hmmm.
What does that remind me of?
West Palm Beach, Fl - City decides against OpenSky
Las Vegas drops Harris OpenSky sytem

It doesn't have to be better. If they wanted better, they'd be driving toyota camrys
I was under the impression the goal was to spend as much money possible.

The Camry is not practical as a fleet vehicle, nor are any imports as the cost of replacement parts is high. They are also not designed for installation of radios, lighting equipment, cages, etc. They also perform poorly in crashes, something that public safety officers are often involved in. The larger mid size and traditional full sized domestic cars hold up better in this type of use.

Camry's and Accords are great cars for consumers, but poor choice for fleet vehicles.

There is a reason why corporate entities also choose domestic cars like the Impala and Fords for large fleets, all the same reasons govt's do. Cheaper to own and maintain in the long run.

[kg4icg]

Up here in Virginia, the Taurus Interceptors are on the prowl, being used by the State Police. They look good in Blue and Gray.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

[rapidcharger]

Originally Posted by MTS2000des

The Camry is not practical as a fleet vehicle, nor are any imports as the cost of replacement parts is high. They are also not designed for installation of radios, lighting equipment, cages, etc. They also perform poorly in crashes, something that public safety officers are often involved in. The larger mid size and traditional full sized domestic cars hold up better in this type of use.

Camry's and Accords are great cars for consumers, but poor choice for fleet vehicles.

There is a reason why corporate entities also choose domestic cars like the Impala and Fords for large fleets, all the same reasons govt's do. Cheaper to own and maintain in the long run.

Looks like SLC, UT managed to get it all crammed in there, eh?

As for parts, the Camry is made in the USA and has the 3rd highest domestic parts content of any car, topped only by two sedans that aren't police cars. It's been called America's most American Car!

As for crash safety, Camry rated higher than Taurus, better than Charger and much much better than Impala according to the IIHS Crash-Test Data. Camry is safer. And you can mount push bars on them too of course for minor stuff.

They are cheaper to own and cheaper to maintain and more reliable if you stack up the recalls amongst all the cars. I guess you don't remember the exploding Crown Vics that caused so many agencies in our area to shift to Chevy. Don't even get me started on Dodge.

As for "corporate entities" choosing chevy and ford... well they also choose toyota. According to Automotive Fleet Magazine, according to the latest statistics they sold nearly as many camrys as chargers to fleet buyers and more camrys than taurus and crown vic COMBINED!

Speaking of being more economical, Camry has much better fuel economy according the EPA. That saves a lot of money over guzzlers. And it's available in a hybrid model. Saving fuel doesn't just save dollars and save the planet, it also saves jobs that are being cut due to fuel costs rising.

But hey, who needs facts when we have conjecture.

[MTS2000des]

What does what Salt Lake City use have to do with METRO ATLANTA replacement PD cars?

Aside, all your banter about "fleet vehicles" don't apply to this thread, the fact is more gov't and corporate (NOT RENTAL FLEETS) are domestic because they are cheaper to maintain, cheaper to insure, and cheaper to procure. Your statements about Toyota parts being sourced domestically is moot, the real issue is COST. Fact is, parts for Japanese and Korean cars is indeed HIGHER than domestic models. Feel free to visit any Auto Zone, Rock Auto, etc and do comparison on typical fleet replacement items for similar year/make/models and you'll start to see what I mean.

My statement about the difficulty of outfitting emergency vehicles using Japanese cars comes from personal experience not conjecture. Can you buy ready made consoles, radio mounts, dash plates, computer mounts, lighting and other ancillary equipment for these cars as cheaply and off the counter like you can for domestic cars? No, you can't- go check out Galls.com to start. Custom installs=custom parts=custom prices. That's tax money that you would loudly complain about being wasted. I'm glad Salt Lake city can afford luxury cars, with the big church with all their billions running the town, they could afford Maybachs or Aston Martins. For the rest of us in the dirty south, these aren't an option.

Getting them serviced is also a factor. Many large agencies have their own motor pools and their techs are trained on Fords and Chevy's, retooling, and retraining can cost big money. Wonder why a trip to your Toyota dealer always results in a case of hemmorhoids? Being a Toyota Certified dealer is more expensive than being a Motorola Authorized repair center. Ask anyone who owns such a place and they will tell you.

Recalls? There are just as many safety recalls on Toyotas, Hondas and Nissans as there are Ford, Chevy or Dodge. Let's not forget Toyota is "moving forward" at a high rate of speed alright. Still haven't found why their cars take off out of control? Oh that's right, it takes a toilet shim to fix that right up. Just what I want our officers in, uncontrolled cars.

[rapidcharger]

Regarding the "many large agencies" servicing their own fleet, well many small agencies don't.
And new cars have a warranty.

Looks like they're meeting the needs of this officer. Had they gone with the larger gas guzzlers, they may have been cheaper initially but the savings in fuel means he gets to keep his job.

[MTS2000des]

Originally Posted by rapidcharger

Regarding the "many large agencies" servicing their own fleet, well many small agencies don't.
And new cars have a warranty.

Looks like they're meeting the needs of this officer. Had they gone with the larger gas guzzlers, they may have been cheaper initially but the savings in fuel means he gets to keep his job.