Why would anyone want to look like they are driving a cop car | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Why would anyone want to look like they are driving a cop car

Machine090767

Well-Known Member
Joined
January 29, 2016
Messages
490
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64
City, State
Minnesota
Year, Model & Trim Level
2014 Explorer XLT
Why would anyone want to look like they are driving a cop car? I get enough people thinking my regular black Explorer is a cop vehicle and slowing down to ridiculous speeds. My theory on why most get the PI is they have an Inferiority complex and low self esteem. It wouldn't surprise me if some of you have added "cop lights" and a siren and have tried to pull people over.
 



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Why would anyone want to look like they are driving a cop car? I get enough people thinking my regular black Explorer is a cop vehicle and slowing down to ridiculous speeds. My theory on why most get the PI is they have an Inferiority complex and low self esteem. It wouldn't surprise me if some of you have added "cop lights" and a siren and have tried to pull people over.
I like mine because it was cheap (comparatively) it runs and drives great, AWD is excellent in New England, and it's a nice looking rig. I can assure you mine will never have lights, sirens, dash cameras, wal mart fog lights laptop mounts and antennas, nor will it be pulling people over or sitting in parking lots at night with just the ambers on. That stuff does piss me off as well.
 






Why would anyone want to look like they are driving a cop car? I get enough people thinking my regular black Explorer is a cop vehicle and slowing down to ridiculous speeds. My theory on why most get the PI is they have an Inferiority complex and low self esteem. It wouldn't surprise me if some of you have added "cop lights" and a siren and have tried to pull people over.

For me I think it would be a logical choice for converting to a camping wagon with the utilitarian interior to begin with. Why pay for seats you are going to remove and store?
And maybe I want to buy custom wheels and tires. Why pay for the sport wheels and goodies when I just want the ecoboost.
 






mine will never have [..] dash cameras[..] nor will it be [..] sitting in parking lots at night with just the ambers on. That stuff does piss me off as well.
I really don't see anything wrong with either of these two things.
 






I think some see the PIU as an economy version of a Sport. High performance engine, suspension, cooling, etc. and a roomier cargo area. My buddy is the lieutenant in charge of vehicles, etc. for my department. He can get me a PIU for way less than I could buy a Sport and if I bought a clean, used PIU it would be WAY less.

I'm putting steelies on mine because of the durability and I don't particularly like the custom wheels the previous owner installed. However, to minimize the cop look I am putting polished stainless trim rings on the steelies which no cop car, marked or unmarked, I've ever seen has.
 






I think some see the PIU as an economy version of a Sport. High performance engine, suspension, cooling, etc. and a roomier cargo area. My buddy is the lieutenant in charge of vehicles, etc. for my department. He can get me a PIU for way less than I could buy a Sport and if I bought a clean, used PIU it would be WAY less.

I'm putting steelies on mine because of the durability and I don't particularly like the custom wheels the previous owner installed. However, to minimize the cop look I am putting polished stainless trim rings on the steelies which no cop car, marked or unmarked, I've ever seen has.

Sadly the 18" trim rings do not fit. The vendor said they would fit PIU rims, I even sent him a picture and he assured me they'd fit ... but they don't. The PIU steelies do look good and I like the overall look much more than the Ultra Motorsports rims that came with it.
 






Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but my after hours job is as a stripper and I like to play the part. The ladies (and even the guys) seem to go wild when I pull up in a "cop car", turn on the lights and music, and "get to work", if you know what I mean. Sure beats the 2003 Taurus I used to pull up in and has way more room for all of the "toys" I bring along...
 












Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but my after hours job is as a stripper and I like to play the part. The ladies (and even the guys) seem to go wild when I pull up in a "cop car", turn on the lights and music, and "get to work", if you know what I mean. Sure beats the 2003 Taurus I used to pull up in and has way more room for all of the "toys" I bring along...
:pics:
 






Why would anyone want to look like they are driving a cop car? I get enough people thinking my regular black Explorer is a cop vehicle and slowing down to ridiculous speeds. My theory on why most get the PI is they have an Inferiority complex and low self esteem. It wouldn't surprise me if some of you have added "cop lights" and a siren and have tried to pull people over.

I've arrested / cited my share of "super wannabes" who cross the line and become violators by adding unauthorized equipment to their cars or act in a manner constituting impersonation of a peace officer. It was WAY more prevalent in the days of the Crown Vic / Police Interceptors. Folks would buy them cheap at a PD auction and stick on extra antennas (inc. magnet mounted dummy ones), bolt a radio control head and speaker (usually non-functioning) under the dash, etc. Most would not cross the line by adding a siren or emergency internal lights although some did. SOME of these folks used their disguised lookalikes simply to enable parking in bus stops, red zones, etc.

Others wanted to look like Starsky and Hutch patrolling the 'hood in plainclothes to aggravate / intimidate the locals. Historically, some used fake cop cars to pull people over and exploit them. Drug dealers and gangs would buy them and get raid jackets and baseball hats for the DEA, FBI, etc. and pull phony raids on each other to steal dope and money and one biker gang used it in an attempt to egress from raids (didn't work). Lookalike cop cars draw all sorts of attention from real cops in my jurisdiction. If we have PC to pull them over, we usually do. Some lookalikes are driven by private security folks and we give them a pass if they don't cause any trouble. Now that fewer Vic based Interceptors are in the fleets, the use of cheap auction cars by wannabes is waning.

My instinct is that the Explorer based PIUs are not nearly as abused this way. The PIUs, even at auction, are not nearly as cheap as the Vics were. My impression is that most buy a PIU because it is a lot of performance bang for the buck, way less than buying a Sport, etc. Some have gone out of the way to make their PIU look like a standard Exp by adding roof rails, non-steelie wheels, the third row seat, center console and shifter, etc. There will always be that element of folks who want the world to THINK they're cops but it's a significant minority plus in this day and age it's really not a good idea to let certain elements think you're LE. My wife insists that I no longer wear dept. T-shirts or caps, etc. when in public, driving a car that screams "COP" is definitely a no-no and I'm continuing to keep my XLT looking like a family SUV.

My two cents.
 






Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but my after hours job is as a stripper and I like to play the part. The ladies (and even the guys) seem to go wild when I pull up in a "cop car", turn on the lights and music, and "get to work", if you know what I mean. Sure beats the 2003 Taurus I used to pull up in and has way more room for all of the "toys" I bring along...

Well that escalated quickly!!!
 












I'd have to thinks it would be getting the Ecoboost 3.5 on the cheap. Just saying.
 












Sarge, I don't wanna question your skills, but how do you kill someone with a piece of gum?

You need to watch AnchorMan to find out!
 






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