Non owner with some questions

General topics relative to the Caprice and associated vehicles. For items not fitting into other sub-sections in addition to general chat.
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harrisons13
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2016 10:21 pm
Location: Long Beach CA

Non owner with some questions

Post by harrisons13 »

Hey, as I mentioned awhile ago when I joined I'm looking into getting one in the next couple years. A local department near me has a good number of 2014 and up Caprices as well as 2012-2013 models (Orange County Sheriff), and the LAX airport has from what I remember at least 30 Caprices with the 6.0. That being said. I currently have a 96 Roadmaster wagon which needs repairs here and there. What's reliability like on these? And what's a good argument for getting one? I know they are somewhat rare and look really cool and are very underrated, roomy and powerful... But what do you guys think makes these cars so great? The main reason I want one is because in my opinion they are a good replacement for my BBody, and I checked one out recently that is still for sale on craigslist LA and fell in love.
1993 LDM Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon- Sold

1996 LDM Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon- Riviera wheels, tow pkg.
CrashTestDummy
Posts: 2300
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2015 2:31 pm
Location: Pearland, Texas

Re: Non owner with some questions

Post by CrashTestDummy »

They're solid vehicles with decent handling and performance. Since they're pretty stripped with respect to options, they're also pretty cheap. I think you get a lot of bang for your buck, as long as you don't need 42 cup holders and a video monitor in every corner. Our '12 was about half what similar-year used sedans were, and we bought from a reseller, not an auction.

There's fewer doodads to fail and leave you stranded on the side of the road because your heads up display won't turn on. But since it's a car that shares many parts with other GMs, with a little research and trial-and-error, you can mix your own custom version that performs and has options similar to other high-performance cars out there.

But as you said, they are kind of rare. With Holden production ceasing, it'll be getting harder and harder to find replacement parts sooner than later. We're stocking up on replacement parts, and replacing parts that are broken/worn now before they become NLA.
Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas
2012 Caprice 9C1
1992 B4C 1LE Camaro
2018 Tahoe PPV (her car)
1995 DGGM Impala SS
1985 Firebird - 310 LS1 C Prepared autocross car.
1980 Bluebird Wanderlodge
And some others
Do YOU have my SPID?
thirdgenfarmer
Posts: 67
Joined: Sat Apr 29, 2017 11:47 am

Re: Non owner with some questions

Post by thirdgenfarmer »

I'd have to mirror what 'Dummy said - this vehicle was perfect for what I wanted. I wanted power, RWD, and 4 doors - no frills needed. I had considered the SS or G8 but honestly couldn't afford the SS and didn't see the point in the G8 (would have been around $5k more in my area) as the main difference would have been "luxury" items that weren't that high on my priorities list.

It has been a great car to me in the 10 months I've owned my '11. Just regular service items so far (80k miles), many mechanical items are shared with other vehicles so won't totally disappear.

People on this forum make me anxious about DOD lifter failure - but I can't tell if it is just bias as it sometimes seems like it is suggested that they all fail.
2011 9c1

"It's got a cop motor, a 364-cubic-inch plant. It's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks..."
CrashTestDummy
Posts: 2300
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2015 2:31 pm
Location: Pearland, Texas

Re: Non owner with some questions

Post by CrashTestDummy »

I don't think it's a fact that they all fail, but a biased population. You probably won't hear much from those who haven't had a DOD failure, since there's nothing out of the ordinary to report, or nothing bad happens. I'd bet the failure rate is probably in the 20-30% range, if that, because GM (Holden) would have to weigh the cost of servicing such a failure to what was gained in their CAFE ratings. DOD is VERY popular across just about all models of GM vehicles, so it has to be working, even if at only somewhat. AFAIK, the DOD on our Tahoe has not yet failed, and it's not over 100K miles.

Maybe it's caused by how the vehicles are treated? I mean, long idle times on the side of a hot highway with the A/C going, then matting it to chase down a speeder can't be a good thing. Whereas, a vehicle that doesn't spend a lot of time idling may be more conducive to a long engine life.

Our '12 had a failure at about 60K miles, and was serviced under warranty for the department the car was assigned to. It's been fine so far, although I, too, feel that it can be a ticking time-bomb. I figure I'll run it as-is until I have time to tear into it, or it fails, where I'll probably try to upgrade to a 6.2 or 7.0L. :mrgreen:
Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas
2012 Caprice 9C1
1992 B4C 1LE Camaro
2018 Tahoe PPV (her car)
1995 DGGM Impala SS
1985 Firebird - 310 LS1 C Prepared autocross car.
1980 Bluebird Wanderlodge
And some others
Do YOU have my SPID?
harrisons13
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2016 10:21 pm
Location: Long Beach CA

Re: Non owner with some questions

Post by harrisons13 »

Thanks for answering! I never got a straight answer about these and all those things are good to know! I have quite an obsession with big RWD cars, especially cop cars and I feel the Caprice PPV would be good to get when I'm ready for something else!
1993 LDM Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon- Sold

1996 LDM Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon- Riviera wheels, tow pkg.
CrashTestDummy
Posts: 2300
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2015 2:31 pm
Location: Pearland, Texas

Re: Non owner with some questions

Post by CrashTestDummy »

If you are looking at the retired LAX vehicles, really look them over. I'm not certain if it's kind of 'standard' for airport police and support vehicles, but the last few I've seen posted for sale looked like they were 'rode hard and put up wet'.

PDs seem to take better care of their vehicles, maybe it's because they can be just about anywhere if they break, and there are some places you don't want to be walking when in uniform, whereas if an airport vehicle breaks, you're usually still on the airport property.
Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas
2012 Caprice 9C1
1992 B4C 1LE Camaro
2018 Tahoe PPV (her car)
1995 DGGM Impala SS
1985 Firebird - 310 LS1 C Prepared autocross car.
1980 Bluebird Wanderlodge
And some others
Do YOU have my SPID?
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