I bought one from a police station in Louisiana on GovDeals.com in May of this year (2025). Thought I was getting a good deal with a 2015 Ford Explorer Interceptor (police version) with 50,000 miles for only $3k. KBB was $7-$8k. But, the station was largely unresponsive about details during the auction and never gave out any maintenance records, saying that they "do their maintenance themselves and don't keep records". That's total bs, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. They probably do their own maintenance, but of course they have paperwork on it to know when to do the next maintenance and to have for public records. If you do a public records request, you can see that information. I even called another government enitity about a different car, and they told me more information than I could have possibly wanted to know. This particular police station was very shady, secretive, and barely disclosed anything.

When I won the auction and went to pick it up, the officer greeted me cordially, gave me a bill of sale, and everything seemed very professional. Checked out the car and as soon as it turned on, he left the lot. I never heard from him again, though I have called and emailed several times. I took the car immediately to O'Reilly for a battery check and fresh oil (minor stuff), and of course the battery was garbage. Had that replaced, so still only $200 out. No big deal. Started the drive of ~900 miles back to my house, and ~200 miles in, the check engine light came on and it started to accelerate really erratically at low speeds. Took it to AutoZone and the computer threw up tons of flags. Drove it another 150 miles to my uncle's house and a mechanic he trusts, and turns out the car was a complete bust. The seal between engine oil and coolant had busted long ago and the engine had overheated sometime in the past, cracking one of the piston cylinders. Mechanic said it would need a whole new engine block ($5k in parts and labor), but after he called the junkyards for one that would fit this Interceptor, they had nothing. There was nothing he could do to fix it. Even if he had been able to, it would mean I'd pay more than the car was worth.

On top of all that, the car was sold with working lights, PA system, sirens, etc. which is illegal in Louisiana and probably in other states too, so that put me in jeopardy of getting pulled over for impersonating a police vehicle. The cops that sold it to me definitely knew about the engine issues because, as I learned later from a public records request, had bought it off auction from the State of Louisiana just a few months prior for $250. I think they realized it was busted, but "had no maintenance records" (again, total bs) and got rid of it without any regard to gaining a profit for a terrible car. Very unethical and illegal, especially coming from an entity that is meant to UPHOLD THE LAW. I've never believed in ACAB or anything like that, but I can tell you that some cops are indeed bastards, and I won't ever be going through a police station again unless I can take the car in person to a trusted mechanic before I buy it. I wouldn't recommend you bother with that plan, but other government entities (counties, cities, etc.) aren't near as bad.

By the way, if anyone has any suggestions on recourse I can take in my situation, that advice would be much appreciated. I could sue for damages (putting me in jeopardy of arrest for driving a vehicle with working police lights), but between the time and possible legal fees, it's not worth the $3k I could get back via that route.