New Caprice - Discussion forums

I live near Chicago and there are always several Caprice PPVs for sale between 3 dealerships and some private owners. I have been giving them a long hard look. I really enjoy all the upgrades and things you can do. If I buy one I probably won't do a DOD delete right away but I do plan on learning to tune or hook up with a tuner to start out.

Hello Noumenon,

I purchased my PPV specifically to get deeper into tuning and tuning philosophies for GM vehicles. At the risk of agitating my fellow forum members, my PPV was intended as a "throw-away" car as I could get it a lot cheaper than a current generation Camaro or Corvette while still reaping the same opportunities to tune.

I purchased my car in Chicago and drove it back to Florida. The car has been a joy to work on and I've unexpectedly grown to really love owning and driving it. I've posted several small mods already here. I've become a fan of it.

Having said that, if you purchase one from auction or a dealership/reseller who did, be prepared to address things like a/c leaks, suspension and brakes, etc. The other option is to buy from a forum member who's already sorted the car out.

Best of luck.

Thank you for the advice, Silversled. I am somewhat aware of what old police cars can be like because I've had family members buy old Chargers and Crown Vics. I know nothing will really prepare me for how much wear can be on these vehicles. I also realize these are quite a bit more rare with less of an aftermarket with the exception of the powertrain. The thought of playing with interior stuff and crawling around scrap yards seems like an excellent time waster even if it may not be fruitful.

I grew up with old midsize GMs and thought the perfect street car would be something that runs high 12s/low 13s with an overdrive automatic. Seems like going faster than that, especially with 4000lb cars, means breaking lots of stuff pretty often. I have seen that it doesn't take much to get where I want with a PPV or maybe farther. It really does seem like a good jumping point to learn about tuning even if I don't do much more than the DOD delete, new cam and headers/exhaust. I'm glad there are people and speed shops in my area that are experienced with this stuff as well as this very informative board.