Hear from Our Customers
You get a vehicle that was maintained every 3,000 miles whether it needed it or not. That’s the reality of government fleet schedules. These Ford Interceptors weren’t babied, but they were serviced religiously.
The Ford Police Interceptor Utility comes with reinforced suspensions, upgraded cooling systems, and engines built to handle extended idle times and high-speed pursuits. That’s not marketing talk. It’s how these vehicles were spec’d from the factory.
Most of the Ford Explorer Police Interceptors and Crown Victoria models we sell come from municipal fleets in the tri-state area. You’re not getting a mystery vehicle from three states away. You’re getting a cop car that patrolled streets you know, maintained by departments that keep records.
When you buy a used police car from us, you’re getting a vehicle that cost taxpayers $35,000 to $45,000 new, and you’re paying a fraction of that. The depreciation hit already happened. What you’re left with is a performance vehicle at a price that makes sense.
State Surplus Auto Sales was started by Carmen Yannuzzi, a law enforcement officer with over 25 years on the job. He watched quality vehicles get auctioned off for no reason other than fleet rotation, and he knew they’d make reliable options for people who didn’t have $40,000 to drop on a new SUV.
We’ve been doing this for over 15 years, serving buyers throughout Valley Stream, Hempstead, Lynbrook, and the surrounding Nassau County area. We don’t sell regular used cars. We sell retired police vehicles exclusively, which means we know these platforms inside and out.
You won’t get pushed into financing you don’t want. We offer zero percent interest financing to everyone, regardless of credit score, because we’d rather make the deal work than lose a customer over rate games.
You start by looking at what’s in stock. We update inventory regularly, and most of our Ford Police Interceptor Utility models and Crown Vic Interceptors sell within a few weeks of hitting the lot. If you see something you want, don’t wait a month to decide.
Come in and inspect the vehicle yourself. You’ll see the typical signs of fleet use—spotlight holes, console mounts, maybe some wear on the driver’s seat. We don’t hide that. These were working vehicles. What matters is what’s under the hood and how the vehicle was maintained, and we’ll show you the service records.
Once you’ve picked your vehicle, we handle financing on-site. Zero percent interest, no credit check drama, no games. You’re approved. We process the paperwork, register the vehicle, and you drive it off the lot the same day in most cases.
If you’re coming from Valley Stream or anywhere in Nassau County, the drive to our Newark location takes about 40 minutes. People make the trip because the savings are worth it, and because we’re one of the few dealers in the area that specialize exclusively in police interceptors and government vehicles.
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We carry Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors, Ford Explorer Police Interceptors, and Ford Police Interceptor Utility models. The Crown Vics are getting harder to find since production ended in 2011, but when we get them, they move fast. These are the body-on-frame V8 sedans that dominated law enforcement for decades.
The Ford Explorer Police Interceptor is the newer platform—unibody SUV with available EcoBoost V6 engines. Some of these come with the 3.0L twin-turbo EcoBoost making 400 horsepower. That’s the same engine in the Explorer ST, and it’s quick. Others have the 3.3L hybrid powertrain, which is slower but gets better fuel economy if that matters to you.
Valley Stream buyers tend to go for the Explorer models because they want the space and the AWD. It’s practical for families, but it’s also got the performance if you want it. You’re not sacrificing one for the other.
Every vehicle we sell has been through a basic inspection. We’re not certified mechanics doing 200-point checks, but we make sure it runs, stops, and doesn’t have any glaring issues. If something’s wrong, we tell you. We’ve been in business too long to play games with disclosure.
You’ll also get the vehicle history and fleet records when available. Some departments keep better records than others, but we pass along whatever documentation came with the vehicle. You’re not buying blind.
They’re reliable if you understand what you’re buying. Yes, these vehicles saw heavy use. They idled for hours at crime scenes, they hit potholes at speed, and they racked up miles quickly. But they were also maintained on strict schedules that most civilian owners would never follow.
Police departments service their vehicles every 3,000 to 5,000 miles like clockwork. Oil changes, fluid checks, brake inspections—it all happened on schedule because fleet managers don’t mess around. A broken-down patrol car is a liability, so maintenance was non-negotiable.
The Ford Interceptor platform was specifically built for this kind of use. Upgraded cooling systems, reinforced components, heavy-duty alternators—these aren’t civilian vehicles with a badge slapped on. They’re purpose-built for extended idle time and high-stress driving. That’s why taxi companies and fleet operators buy them in bulk when they hit auction.
The Crown Victoria Police Interceptor is a body-on-frame V8 sedan that was the standard patrol car from the late ’90s until 2011. It’s rear-wheel drive, simple to work on, and parts are cheap. It’s also getting older, so you’re looking at higher mileage and more wear just based on age.
The Ford Police Interceptor Utility is the newer platform—it’s based on the Explorer, so it’s a unibody SUV with AWD. It’s more modern, more comfortable, and it has better technology. Engine options include a 3.3L hybrid, a 3.0L EcoBoost V6, and a 3.7L V6, depending on the year and spec.
The Crown Vic is the choice if you want something cheap to maintain and you don’t care about modern features. The Interceptor Utility is the choice if you want more space, better fuel economy, and a vehicle that doesn’t look as obviously like a retired cop car. Both are reliable. It just depends on what you need and what you’re willing to spend.
Yes. We offer zero percent interest financing to everyone, regardless of credit score. No credit, bad credit, doesn’t matter. You’re approved.
We’re not a bank, and we’re not running your credit through a dozen lenders to see who bites. We finance in-house, which means we set the terms and we make it simple. You’re not paying interest, and you’re not getting hit with fees that double the cost of the vehicle.
This isn’t a gimmick. It’s how we’ve done business for 15 years. We’d rather sell the vehicle and get paid over time than lose a sale because someone’s credit score isn’t perfect. If you can make the payments, we’ll work with you.
No, they’re sold as-is. These are used vehicles with high mileage and fleet history, so there’s no manufacturer warranty left, and we don’t offer one ourselves.
What we do offer is transparency. We’ll show you the service records, let you inspect the vehicle, and answer any questions you have about its history. If there’s an issue we know about, we’ll tell you. We’re not hiding problems to make a sale.
You’re buying a vehicle that’s priced thousands below market value specifically because it’s a retired police car. The trade-off for that savings is that you’re taking on the risk. If that doesn’t work for you, that’s fine. But most of our customers understand the deal and are comfortable with it because the price reflects the reality.
It depends on the model, year, and mileage. A Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor typically runs between $3,000 and $8,000 depending on condition and miles. A Ford Police Interceptor Utility or Explorer model usually falls between $10,000 and $20,000.
That’s significantly less than you’d pay for a comparable civilian SUV with similar mileage. A used Explorer with 80,000 miles at a regular dealership might cost $25,000 or more. You’re getting the same platform, same drivetrain, and often better components because of the police package, but you’re paying less because of the fleet history.
The savings come from the fact that these vehicles depreciate faster than civilian models. Buyers see “former police vehicle” and assume it’s beat to hell, so demand is lower and prices reflect that. But if you know what you’re looking at, you’re getting a solid vehicle at a price that makes sense.
Most insurance companies will cover a retired police vehicle without issue, but some have restrictions or charge higher rates. It depends on the insurer and how they classify the vehicle.
The Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor sometimes gets flagged because it’s older and because some insurers lump all modified vehicles into a higher-risk category. The newer Ford Police Interceptor Utility models tend to have fewer issues because they’re just Explorers with a different package code.
Before you buy, call your insurance company and ask. Give them the VIN if you have it, and get a quote in writing. That way you know exactly what you’re paying before you commit. If your current insurer won’t cover it or wants to charge you double, shop around. There are plenty of companies that insure former fleet vehicles without hassle.
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