2018 FPIU for $12k, no maintenance history, 125k miles

[Unixsystem]

I just had my 2010 CVPI stolen and am now suddenly (and urgently) in need of a new vehicle and a police Explorer seems like the logical option. The same dealer I got my CVPI from has a 2018 FPIU 3.7L with 125k miles that's fully "civilianized" for $12k including decent quality tires. Only issue is that there's no maintenance history for the vehicle and I'm concerned about dropping this much on a vehicle not knowing if the water pump has been replaced yet. The dealer claims that water pumps shouldn't be an issue until 175k but plenty of other places online seem very adamant that you need to preemptively replace them around 100k and I'm not sure what to do.

1) Is a good condition 2018 3.7L with 125k miles for $12k a decent deal in general (keeping in mind that I need a new car now and don't really have the time to shop around properly?
2) Is the water pump issue a major concern on a 2018 model?

I'll include a couple photos if that helps steer any advice. I'm sure that if I waited and shopped around I could find a better deal but I'm completely without transportation right now so I basically just need to know if it's an acceptable price or a total ripoff. Thanks for your time in advance.

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum.
I believe the 3.7 has the same internal water pump as the 3.5, so yes, it would be a concern like it would be on all others with those engines.
Do you know who did the "civilianization" of the vehicle? A previous owner or a police department? It seems it still has the steering column shifter.
What kind of shape is the driver's seat in? If you decide to purchase it make sure you check/change the PTU fluid. The dealer should be able to run an OASIS report on the VIN to see if any warranty work had been done on it.

Peter

 

[Unixsystem]

The dealership specialized is buying government vehicles from auction and then cleaning them up. Unfortunately due to the holiday weekend I'm not able to go test drive it until Tuesday so all I have to go off of for now are the photos, the interior seems fine and honestly if it's a bit beat up I don't care all that much. I'm much more concerned about the engine - ideally I'd like any car I buy to get another 75-100k minimum with routine maintenance and it seems like that water pump is gonna be the Achille's heel.

 

[LuckyRabbit]

I just picked one up 15’ with 100k won at auction directly from the city PD for about $6k, was a detective car so it didn’t have spot lights or anything, had a nicer interior and didn’t have the hiding something seat covers, also had normal vehicle idle hours


The ones without push bars or exterior lights tend to be undercover cars and are often much nicer condition wise


Personally I’d buy direct from the department

Here are a few

2017 Ford Explorer AWD SUV

V6 3.7 L Gasoline Engine, 2017 US EPA Label, Automatic Transmission, Air Conditioner, Power Windows, Power Locks, Rear View Camera, Pro-gard Brush guard

eu.ironplanet.com

2015 Ford Explorer AWD Police Interceptor sport SUV White

Used Ford Explorer SUV in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States for sale. null

eu.ironplanet.com

2015 Ford Explorer Police Interceptor sport SUV (Grey)

Used Ford Explorer SUV in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States for sale. null

eu.ironplanet.com

2013 Ford Taurus Police Interceptor AWD Sedan

V6 3.5 L Gasoline Engine, Air Conditioner, Power Windows, Power Locks

eu.ironplanet.com

Per the water pump, just keep a eye out for any coolant drip front right side of the engine, if it needs to be done based on my research it’s about 5hrs and $300 in parts if you’re somewhat handy

 

[richey]

You can tell a lot based on the engine bay. If you look where the valve covers meet the heads you can sometimes tell if the RTV looks like it's original or if someone's had to reapply it. From the videos I've seen the valve covers come off to do the water pump so if it looks all original then it's a pretty good indicator that it is OE. I'd also look for oil seeping around the variable timing solenoids on the valve covers. If they are it's not a big deal but you'll want to address it at some point. My guess is even if they were weeping that a dealership would have pressure washed it off beforehand.

My PIU had 132k miles, 14k hours, and I think it has the original pump, but for 4k I didn't really care if I'd end up doing any major work. for 14k hours it sure runs nice.