police package Impalas

[Guest TurboSedan]

what sort of 'special' things did these cars get? in terms of suspension, drivetrain, interior options etc. i was looking at a police package 2001 Impala today for a minute and i really liked it. i think i'm gonna go check it out later today and possibly test drive it and get some pics.

 

it's white with blue interior, not sure on miles. 3800 Series II engine. only other things i noticed was certified speedo, bucket seats, lockable center console (oringinal?), vinyl rear seat and a button on the dash for surveilance mode whaterver that means. advertised for $5200. it was pretty clean as far as i could tell.

 

the RPO code for the police package W-body Impala is 9C1 right?

[White93z34]

"survaliance mode" is being able to kill all the lights at once including reverse and brake lights, and dimming the dash lights as low as possable

[intern8tion9l]

in surveillance mode KITT can also warn michael of possible danger

[Supreme Cutlass]

DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!!!!

[Guest TurboSedan]

well i went and test drove it.

 

good:

 

- runs great. engine purrrs quietly

- transmission shifts great

- extremely clean underneath and underhood. i couldn't believe how nice it looked underneath

- everything seemed to work fine

- no body damage at all & paint looks good

- tinted windows

 

bad:

 

- front struts are shot. they make a clunking noise when shifting from 'R' to 'D' or when you punch the gas. could be the motor and/or trans mount i guess

- transmission fluid was not bright red. more like turning light brown it didn't smell burnt and it wasn't low though

- all four interior door panels have some scuffing/ripped vinyl. not too bad really. otherwise interior is very clean.

- missing the body mouldings that run underneath the doors on both sides. i don't know if that's because it was a cop car or what.

 

all in all i'd have to say i liked it alot. has 106,xxx miles. definately needs new struts as it felt pretty floaty. engine runs great and shifts perfectly despite the fluid not looking very clean. COLD AC. i did notice that the SERV MODE button cut the lights to the radio and dimmed the cluster but they didn't affect the headlights or brake lights. the center console looks to be a cheapo aftermarket. has brand new snow tires on it with cheesy chrome 15" rims the stock steelies and small police caps would look way better. it did have 9C1 on the SPID label. big rear sway bar and underhood braces. the struts don't bother me but the transmission fluid...yeah...that's a big risk. too big of a risk really. oh well. NADA value is $6375 and it's advertised at $5200.

 

 

[sl3196]

Hell josh my fluid looked pretty bad when i first changed it on the gtp and its still going. Might just be due for a change.

[bluegp]

That price sounds a little high considering the police cars are usually a little more beat up than their civilian counterparts. I got my 2001 9C1 with 109K miles last October for $3200. Before I bought it, I had a dealer check the VIN - I found out the transmission was replaced under warranty 10K miles prior. Mine still needs struts & axle shafts. From what I've read on different forums, the axle shafts can be the cause of vibrations if worn out or if these cars are lowered. I also need one of the rocker panel moldings you mentioned. Every one I've come across in the junkyard is either missing them or they are smashed. The one you looked at had 15" wheels? - I didn't know they'd fit.

 

As for available equipment, off the top of my head: tubular rear control arms, bigger sway bars, strut tower brace, higher rate springs, supposed stiffer struts, heavy duty rims, supposed HD tranny (according to factory literature, but is listed as MX0 on SPID), 3.29 final drive ratio, 125 amp alternator, power steering cooler, rubber floor covering (option), bucket seats with internal steel plate (to thwart stabbing attempts) and vinyl sides/back/headrests, front/rear seating materials (vinyl/cloth) optioned separately, 140 MPH "certified" speedo, auxiliary dome light, full-size spare (option), 100 amp power feed & ground stud in trunk, package shelf lamps (option), trunk lid warning lamps (option), inoperative rear door handles/switches (option), and various options for wiring, flasher relays, roof holes, and 2-tone paint.

 

If you need blue interior pieces, they are somewhat uncommon. I had a tough time, but managed to find most of what I needed at a junkyard. Check this out: http://www.w-body.com/forum/index.php/topic,36268.0.html

[Guest TurboSedan]

cool thanks! the one i'm looking at has a vinyl rear seat but cloth front bucket seats. the front seats are the same color/pattern as yours. kinda sucks it's half vinyl half cloth but whatever. it has blue carpet. also has the same holes in the upper part of the B-pillar trim that yours used to have. same door panels as yours (wish they looked that nice). the rear doors DO open from the inside lol. my old 9C1 could only be opened from the outside so i had to check. no A-pillar spotlights. i didn't actually check the wheels so they might be 16". they are ugly aftermarket. yuck. if i were to get it i'd be hunting down police style steelies to replace them. i don't think this one has the thick rubber strips on the sides of the car like yours does.

 

i did run a carfax on it and it came back totally clean. the 2nd owner owned the car since 49,xxx miles. last reported mileage was 50,xxx. looks like it came from the Billings, Montana area. i'm probably gonna talk to my bank tomarrow to see if i can get pre approved, then see how low they will go. i need a car BAD since my Cutlass will probably be out of commission for another month right now i'm depending on my brother's car.

[Crazy K]

nice, I always thought it would be nice to have one of those too.

[sl3196]

Good luck with it josh. I wanna ride when you get it!

[digitaloutsider]

The "clunk" is most likely either the motor mount OR the POS rubber things that go between the cradle mounts. My Regal has the same thing due to the aformentioned cradle bushings.

[jeremy]

That price sounds a little high considering the police cars are usually a little more beat up than their civilian counterparts. I got my 2001 9C1 with 109K miles last October for $3200.

 

didn't you get yours from eBay though??? police edition luminas on eBay always seem to go for less then they do in local sales around here....probably the same for Impalas too...

 

....I am not a big fan of the Impalas, but it doesn't sound like a bad deal

[Grand Moff Joseph]

what do y'all mean by a certified speedo?

[GutlessSupreme]

As in they guarantee it's accurate up to 140.

[Guest TurboSedan]

i don't think this one has the thick rubber strips on the sides of the car like yours does.

 

 

i drove by it again tonight and it does have those black strips. i'm not sure what i was thinking. the rims are also 16" fwiw.

 

i was just looking on ebay and the 9C1 Impalas are going pretty cheap there. but that's ebay for ya. i'm not going to buy a car that's 1000 miles away. not really sure what to offer for this one.

 

Dan have you seen this one yet? it's over on the corner of Brooks and 2nd. i have to admit i don't really like the thought of buying from such a small dealer like that. you'll hate the wheels lol.

[sl3196]

Haven't seen it. Must be at that new dealer next to family auto eh?

[Guest TurboSedan]

well i didn't get it. i'm not going to be ready to apply for another loan until July 5th (payday). i want to be able to show the bank a good recent paycheck stub when i turn in my loan application but i'm also waiting because i'll have my current loan paid off next week. been working overtime this week and putting all of my tips onto my loan. i've put about $330 on my loan principal since Tuesday! only have like $350 left to go now and it'll be paid off

 

i'm getting excited to get a new car! i REALLY want an Impala or a Regal. i'm kinda bummed that i missed out on that 9C1 but there were a few things i didn't like about it so no big deal. there's no shortage of the types of cars i'll be looking for so i'm sure i'll find something good.

[91GPSTE]

$5200 is way too much for a 9C1 unless it's in damn near perfect condition. Hell you could get a decent civillian model for that much money. In fact, for $5200 you could get a 2003 Crown Vic. I wouldn't buy a used 9C1 Impala to begin with. Too many things to worry about. If the tranny fluid looks brown, I would stay away from it as the tranny is on it's way out. If you change it, that may as well kill the tranny completely. Be prepared to do a complete suspension overhaul and CV axels because I haven't seen a single 9C1 without suspension problems. Cops beat the shit out of them and by the time they are done, there is not much left. Buying a used FWD cop car is only asking for trouble.

[Guest TurboSedan]

$5200 is way too much for a 9C1 unless it's in damn near perfect condition. Hell you could get a decent civillian model for that much money. In fact, for $5200 you could get a 2003 Crown Vic. I wouldn't buy a used 9C1 Impala to begin with. Too many things to worry about. If the tranny fluid looks brown, I would stay away from it as the tranny is on it's way out. If you change it, that may as well kill the tranny completely. Be prepared to do a complete suspension overhaul and CV axels because I haven't seen a single 9C1 without suspension problems. Cops beat the shit out of them and by the time they are done, there is not much left. Buying a used FWD cop car is only asking for trouble.

 

well, like i said there were some things i did not like about it. no way would i buy a Crown Vic though, even if it was an '03 i would have no problem at all buying a 9C1. i've already owned 3 of them (granted they were older RWD) but they do seem to be built to last. i myself would much rather have a 9C1 over a base civilian 3400 Impala. obviously i'm not going to go out and buy a car that needs work and i'm not going to buy a car without looking over everything.

 

i wouldn't say $5200 was way too much considering it was their advertised price. it booked for $6375 and i probably could have gotten it for around $2000 less than book value. i know the 9C1s go for cheaper on ebay (like anything else) but i'll be buying locally.

[Euro]

$5200 isnt expensive for a car like this. thats right around where you'd pay for it anywhere

 

 

and $5200 wouldn't get you a nice impala around here, unless you consider nice with over 100k miles and beat to shit

[91GPSTE]

Is blue book value for a 9C1 or civillian model?

[Euro]

im pretty sure civilian, i cant remember there being an option on kbb for a police package

[91GPSTE]

You can't compare civillian to a vomit comet. Cop cars are always worth much less.

[Euro]

lol vomit comet?

[bluegp]

Be prepared to do a complete suspension overhaul and CV axels because I haven't seen a single 9C1 without suspension problems. Cops beat the shit out of them and by the time they are done, there is not much left.

 

Yeah, mine needs new struts, strut mounts, and axle shafts. With over 100K miles though, the struts & mounts would need replaced anyway.

 

As for the cops beating on them, I was parked down by a local factory where there is multiple train lines (my younger son always wants to go down there to look for trains). A Sharon cop (Impala) came flying down through there over a few sets of tracks and if he wasn't airborne, he was real close to being. It was funny that he had a big grin on his face.