if you get a civilian vic or marquis, with the 2.73 rearend ratio, 27mpg highway is easy to obtain if you dont drive like a maniac.
I got around 21mpg around town if i remember correctly, commuting, stop and go traffic.....
steering feel is non existent in the 2002 and earlier with recirc. ball steering. I autocrossed my marquis a few times, I could lock it into 1st gear and wouldnt hit redline on the courses I ran it on. Only big changes being 17x8 mustang wheels with 245 width tires, and the 21mm sport rear sway bar, once the car would turn in it could easily be rotated with a little more throttle. braking enough to not plow thru the corner was key. For what it was I was pretty impressed.
Epic car for traveling, the cavernous trunk was awesome. Only downside I would say is that you cant fold down the rear seat like on every new car these days.
I need to make a classifieds post I still have a bunch of parts leftover from that car I need to sell.
N Sperlo wrote:
93EXCivic wrote:
But they get better gas mileage. If you do get a P71, get a later one. One thing we always had trouble with in my buddy's P71 was getting pulled over. We got pulled over all the time (not even doing anything illegal) and got searched. 4 times in one night once.
Yes, lets delve into this. I feel like I'm missing some pertinent information.
There were four of us just cruising around Northern Alabama. None of us had been drinking and we were doing the speed limit. The only exterior modifications to the car was a CB radio antenna. The cops pulled us over because we looked suspicious. At least 3 of the 4 cops were cool.
Let's see...4 guys cruising around Northern Alabama. So that made the population of that area 9. Yeah, you probably looked suspicious to both Jed and Ned. 
98 P71 pcm, pair of "gnx code" P71 springs (rear), 21mm rear "HPP" sway with energy suspension poly bushings, energy suspension rear end links with poly bushings, tall P71 center caps, ford explorer collared lugnuts (to mount caps, same thread as panther platform, smaller nut size, 1/3 price of P71 lugnuts on rockauto.), Haynes manual............thats all I can think of at the moment I will check the garage again tonight....
I'm mainly looking for suspension stuff and a 03+ zip tube and MAF. I heard the 04 is the one I really want.
Got pulled over in Georgia for "tinted windows"...think the Texas plates may have been a factor.
Went to visit a friend who was in the middle of all the East Texas wildfires this summer...policeman jumped out and moved a roadblock and waved us through!
Some questions I had thought up:
concerning a 03+, I know the front brakes are the same if not identical to the 05+ mustang, if htat's the case, can you use the S197 mustang big brake kits? Also, I've seen some mustang wheels on panther cars, but isn't there some sort of difference between the backspacing or something?
I still want one something fierce.
Naw, there's some mis-info out there on P71 brakes (that I just schooled on last week). The S197 Mustang brakes don't match up to the P71's, though they (Mustang) brakes do bolt-on to the P71. Honestly though, the stock brakes just need a pad and fluid upgrade to handle hours of HPDE's, so I don't think anything fancier is really worthwhile...
My girlfriend needs a first car soon and I have been looking into P71 to foot the bill. (girl is 24 and has a grad degree, so not as much new driver concern with the V8)
I saw a posting saying 21-27mpg for civilian versions, but what is real world for the ex-cop versions?
No cruise control? what about A/C? Do you have to scratch install a radio, or do they have one?
How is insurance (relatively)?
Need something for a everyday car that has some cargo capacity that wont break the bank. (my miata daily has let us down a bit on the carrying friends and cargo front)
Competing ideas are a civic hatch or something else cheap with space.
Main goals are decent space (we get by with an impreza we are borrowing for right now), inexpensive, and cheap to operate. The P71 is a tradeoff giving up fuel economy and I kinda want to know how badly.
Not looking for another toy, but for something I only have to gas up and change oil on.
Okay, a few points. 1, get a highway car. They're treated better and have cruise. 2. They all have A/C and a factory AM/FM. The plug is in there for all standard Ford radios, so that killer CD/whatever from a GrandMa will drop right in. The radio stack is 1.5 DIN, so I was able to put in a killer head unit (AUX in, bla bla bla) AND an HD Radio tuner under it for cheap (thanks Crutchfield!). Insurance is the cheapest car, period (my agent and I are pretty close and we looked it up). As for gas mileage, I averaged 26-27 highway and 20 in town, but that was with big tires and a ton of mods. Swap in the civvie 2.73 rear diff, tuner, and drive like an old lady she'll do 24/30 all day long (with 6 people, 8 bodies, and A/C that'll freeze your nibbly bits). As an FYI, an AMC V8 fits in the trunk WITH the trans attached!!!! 
So what are the rear gears for the cop versions?
Depends. They changed in some years and there's optional ones. IIRC, mine was a 3.55 but other common ones are 3.31's and 3.27's.
Insurance on mine was very inexpensive, about the same as a 94 Chevy G20 van I had at the same time.
Mustang wheels...
Crown vics up to 2002 are about 0 offset. SN95 Mustangs (I think) are around +20 offset. Common solution is mustang hubcentric spacers (same hub bore) to get the offset right. At least an inch all around, get wider spacers for the rear if you don't want them to look as sunken in. I actually ran 1.5" front 2" rear and it was nice and flush. I had 99 cobra wheels.
2003 and up vics are a higher offset, I am pretty sure SN197 wheels are a direct bolt on with no adapters??? Maybe someone with a newer car can confirm
03+ P71's and S197 Mustang's have identical offset and whatnot.
Really, there's no reason to get anything older than the 03.
Why don't I have one of these yet?
Thanks for all the info! Both for myself and for anyone else who comes looking for it.
http://neworleans.craigslist.org/ctd/2806728828.html
$1500, and you get the light bar and push bar! Also, they're famous!
Seriously, I drove a civilian car twice for an hour each time. It was the owner's shiny pride and joy, from the condition of it. It looked late, but I don't know the exact year.
I hated it for steering feel that was slightly inferior to an E350 U-Haul box truck I've rented. It was very comfy.
Failboat mentioned steering feel. Is steering feel about the same for all models after 2002? Is it better on the P71 than the civilian models? I like the idea of the Crown Vic, but I didn't enjoy driving it. I'm thinking about giving it a second chance if there is a year that would be more enjoyable.
In reply to mmosbey:
Dollars to donuts you were in a 2002 or older. They have recirculating-ball steering, and have crappy feel. The 03+ ones have a rack and pinion that is very nice. The actual P71 VIN code cars will have a HD PS cooler and maybe a different ratio.
Find an 03 or newer, LOOK at the VIN for "P71", then drive.
i also own a miata, for when i need some steering feel.
I own a Miata with a manual steering rack, so most cars are going to have less steering feel than what I'm used to. 
i get in the miata and say to myself "damn, this thing handles amazing."
the next day i get in the 5.4 P71 and say "damn, this thing has some torque."
