Good first car?

I was thinking about buying a 1998-2003 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor as a first car on a ~$3500 budget. I has to be a Police Interceptor as far as I'm concerned because of the added horsepower. Brisk acceleration is pretty much a requirement. I can get one cheap too at an auction.

I was just wondering if this is a good first car for a teen. The gas mileage worried me at first, but 23-25 MPG on the highway is plenty since 95% of my ride to school is one the highway. Reliability is a question too, and speed. My dad bluffs that his '99 Honda Accord V6 would be faster than a Crown Vic, and I'd like to show him otherwise.

Another thing: Would riding this car 300+ miles home be a stupid idea. I want a black Crown Vic, and these are really rare, since in my county, white Crown Victorias are more common (except in Neptune Beach, where they are black).

Good first car for a teen?

It's big, lots of power, lots of room for friends, and cool. What more does a teen need?

They are actually pretty reliable cars for being a Ford.

Thanks.

I guess it's a given that they're reliable since cops use them. No sense in cops driving unreliable slow cars.

Your Dad's car just might be faster. The Crown Vics have a fuel cutoff around 122 to 128 mph. I think the Accord will run over 130. The engines are pretty much bullet proof on the CV. Transmission and rear axles are suspect.

Watch where you buy the vehicle. Stay away from the snow belt where the use a lot of salt on the road. If buying in the south stay away from coastal areas as salt from the ocean causes a lot of problems. Buy as low a mileage as you can find don't worry alot about the color. Black is a lot harder to keep clean.
A lead foot will cost you a lot of money in extra gas and traffic tickets.

There are actually a lot you can do with these cars and they have a large following. You can find all kinds of performance and cosmetic upgrades for the Crown Vic by browsing around the net.

I would by the mother car!
2nd generation Towncars are cheap too.

MCGIVER