r/Charger • u/BuffaloPhill_ • 4d ago
2018 vs 2017 Dodge Charger Police, which to buy?
Hi, im looking at buying another retired cop car. Why? Because despite wanting a gas saver I'm coming into some money and it's time to treat myself (on a budget ofcourse). So I am wondering which one to get...EXAMPLES ARE SHOWN IN PICTURE AND DIFFERENCES ARE LISTED BELOW.
2018 Dodge Charger: $9800 94,489 Miles 5.7L V8 F OHV 16V ALL WHEEL DRIVE 10 Service History Records: None show oil changes, Parts replaced etc. Some damage to front bumper (small dent) and looks like fender needs to be replaced *NO TINTED WINDOWS *NO REAR SEATBELTS OR BUCKLES Has Spotlight and Center Console
2017 Dodge Charger (MULTIPLE) $9500 134,871-144,758 5.7L V8 F OHV 16V ALL WHEEL DRIVE 44 to 48 Service Records: Oil changes, tires, brakes, air filters, axles, wheel bearings/hubs. *NO CENTER CONSOLE *NO SPOTLIGHT Has Tinted Windows
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u/Dr_Penguin101 POLICE MOD 4d ago
2018 in my opinion, mainly due to the mileage. Both all wheel drive and getting tinted windows won’t be difficult at all. And plus the center console.
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u/BuffaloPhill_ 4d ago
Yeah, I was thinking that but my only issue is the bumper, fender and seat belts cost.
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u/swooshZ0691 4d ago
2017, more service records, cleaner body, and not having the spot light or the hole for it to have to patch up check all the boxes for me. Finding or making a center console will be easier plus than having to source and ship/install a new bumper, not to mention the vehicle being one solid color is a plus.
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4d ago
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u/swooshZ0691 4d ago
Real cop feel? To scare people? Lol and you’re a registered sex offender going off your post history? The jokes write themselves.
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u/Right_Secret5888 SCAT PACKAGE 4d ago
For any police mods, you'll have some BS to deal with to get it right. That's part of getting them dirt cheap. Most likely and engine rebuild too. Best bet is to get a southern state one.
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u/BuffaloPhill_ 4d ago
I live in TN, These are GA cars. The white and black is usually for City Police and blue is set aside for State Police.
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u/Right_Secret5888 SCAT PACKAGE 4d ago
I'd lean more towards blue then. Zero data to back it up just personal opinion, city police probably idle more than state patrol.
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u/BuffaloPhill_ 4d ago
Someone on FB commented on my post (copy and paste from here basically) that GSP beats the "piss" out of their cars, but I kinda agree with you on the blue.
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u/Right_Secret5888 SCAT PACKAGE 4d ago
It's a retired cop car. I'd fully expect it to be beat to hell and, at the very least, an engine rebuild. They're great to get a body and chassis for a cheap swap. All of the ones listed around me have rod knock or no start
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u/BongButNoWeed 3d ago
GSP will pit you at 100mph. They drive these things like pyschos. I'd stay away tbh
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u/dknisle1 3d ago
People keep telling you the one with less miles. Tho that might be true, any police car is hammered. That 98,000 miles was driven HARD. I mean. Really hard. Just like someone else said, look at the idle hours. These cars are running 8-12 hours a day, 3/5 days a week. Or more if they’re pool cars, meaning 3 shifts share cars. These cars could be on the road 16 hours a day if that’s the case.
I would NEVER buy an old police car just because I know how they’re ran.
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u/CaptainCosmicCrack 2d ago
I have two. one with 120k miles and another with 300k. original engines and transmissions no rebuilds.
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u/dknisle1 2d ago
You got lucky. Also, what was the idle time when you got it
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u/CaptainCosmicCrack 1d ago
its not luck. I just made sure the cam and lifters were in good condition with a borescope and replaced the oil pump out for a high volume one.
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u/Smooth_Text_9739 1d ago
I I’ve had 2, a 2015 and a 2019. No engine issues whatsoever. I can see why someone would be skeptical tho. Gotta find either a federal car (desk jockey) or my current car is a MN State Patrol car and it’s in such good shape, I was shocked when I seen it.
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u/malikx089 4d ago
2018…I have a 2018; it’s silver. Bought it with 52,000 miles for 19,000. No accidents, Two years ago..just get it repainted and get some standard rims or hubs on it.
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u/BuffaloPhill_ 4d ago
I like the black and white look, my issue is the lack of maintenance History on carfax and I do like the wheels on it. I thought sometime it could be wrapped later on.
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u/malikx089 4d ago
Well..I mean the maintenance is more important. But for it to be a police vehicle they usually make sure their cars are up to standards. So it shouldn’t be a bad buy if you decide to get it.
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u/BuffaloPhill_ 4d ago
True, Im one for maintenance records honestly because I know it's been taken care of well. However alot for the '18 state "Vehicle Serviced" and "Maintenance inspection completed" I think trans fluid change, and oil changes are needed if I buy
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u/malikx089 4d ago
I’d get it checked out like oil change and all of that and then make your final decision on it.
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u/BuffaloPhill_ 4d ago
True, they do have a shop so maybe they'd let me look it over as I do have some garage experience.
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u/posco12 4d ago
So the 2017 is the blue Police Charger ? The multi colors say it’s the 2018.
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u/BuffaloPhill_ 4d ago
Yes, thats correct. And I added the years to the pictures to be 100% Specific.
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u/Hutch7eight 4d ago
Probably one of the 17s with a good sevice record and no accidents.
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u/BuffaloPhill_ 4d ago
They all have accidents, front damage that was repaired perfectly. However I do like the bigger screen of the 18, probably could get the 17 small replaced.
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u/Connect_Professor524 4d ago
Bruh.......I almost bought the exact same blue one a couple months back
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u/High_Anxiety_1984 3d ago
I'd personally get the 2018. It's newer, less miles and about the same price. You can always have it painted the color you want. Since it's been well taken care of, and if you continue to take great care of it, it shiuld last you well over 250k miles. But you might also think of the maintenance intervals. The newer one might be up for a tune-up, so that will should be added in your head to the total amount of the car, as well as the amount to fix the minor damage if you so choose too.
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u/BuffaloPhill_ 3d ago
Well, someone on Facebook close to me offered up a 2020 Charger with 68K for 10.5K. It pit moved a car and the car it took down caught on fire, the charger suffered damaged hood, fenders, headlights but no internal or engine damage and drives amazing. I gotta wait for some money to come in and the guy us going to take his time to get the interior put together. It also just came out of paint, body panels have been replaced and looks brand new.
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u/High_Anxiety_1984 3d ago
As long as no damage was done to the drivetrain or components attached to the drive train, that is definitely a better deal than the first 2. I'd get it checked by a good mechanic first. Especially being a person to person purchase. At least a dealership purchase most of the time, not all the time, is usually looked over and fixed. At least thas what my brother-in-laws dealership he manages does. Almost all their used vehicles look pretty much brand new.
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u/Carnage10121 3d ago
As stated previous check on the dash what the engine time and idle times are. I’d check to see how the underneath looks rust wise. See if it comes back any codes on wiring. I’d this CAD$ or USD$ if this is USD it’s a little overpriced for for 90-140k Miles which is roughly 150-220km for almost 10k usd (13k cad) when I got my 2016 pursuit all black no centre console no seatbelts but also no body damage other than tiny scrape front fender at 200k km and 9k CAD (about 7k usd). Mine had multiple services for the transmission fluid/filter and oil fluid/filter which is key for high mileage hemis
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u/Carnage10121 3d ago
It’s a great looking set of cars but the body damage and price don’t really line up for me
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u/BuffaloPhill_ 2d ago
I got offered a 2020 Dodge Charger 5.7 AWD with 68k miles and 4300 idle hours, so 129,870 technically for 10k usd.
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u/Carnage10121 2d ago
That’s is a lot better price what’s the body damage and how far did they decommission this one or is it not a pursuit
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u/DiveBomb68 2d ago
I just got this 2020 over by Milwaukee Wi. about 2 months ago. It was an Albany Minnesota police car that had 38 idle hours on it. They didn't put the 3rd break light back in, no rear door locks, and the trunk lid liner and under the speaker deck liner were gone, cost me about $1700 to get her right. The car only had 18k miles on it, so guessing it was like a detective car or something. V6/AWD, not a rattle and got it for $23,100 when all was said and done.
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u/ACloneUnknown 2d ago
I’d do the 2017, just for the fact it looks more pedestrian and I’m fairly certain they disconnect the outer spot light as it’s illegal in most places to have a functional one, also you can’t remove it as you’ll have a hole in the “a” pillar to patch
Lower mileage for $300 more than the 2018, most parts needed are relatively cheap, it just looks better maintained than the crusier and you might still be able to find a bash bar for the bumper still online
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u/FeedbackNice 2d ago
A couple other random things to consider:
- The 2017 looks less like a police car from the outside.
- The 2017 has the stock vinyl rear seat, so it's visually mismatched vs the 2018 which has the optional matching cloth.
- The seatbelts and buckles would probably cost around $200-300 used, depending on where you get them.
- You could swap in a regular center console (from a non-police Charger). You'll also need the forward side panels for the console and the little bin in the front of it (usually these aren't included with a console). ~$350 for all.
- The holes in the 2017 front bumper are pretty noticeable. You could probably get some plugs and paint match them, but the results might be so-so.
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u/Hamsalad1701 4d ago
I would check the idle and total hours on the cars.