We really dig ex-cop cars here at BangShift…in fact, all three of us have at least one in our history: Buford T. Justice, Brian’s Caprice, is a real-deal 9C1 car, and another ex-cop Chevy’s chassis lives under Chad’s ’56 Chevy wagon. As for myself, I’ve had two AHB-code Mopars in my background, one Dodge, one Plymouth. If you want good parts on the cheap, it’s really the only way to go. Ask any of the Ford guys who hunt auctions for a decent P71 Crown Victoria, or fans of the Dodge Polara/Plymouth Fury legends just what a cop car can do for you. A couple of thousand bucks goes a long way when hunting for ex-cruisers, but sometimes laying out the dough can be better in the long run, so for this Would You Rather challenge, we are breaking out two choices that are big on power, big on good useable parts, but are on opposite ends of the price scale.

We opted to skip the Crown Vic for this one, but we don’t think you’ll mind this time. In the red corner, representing General Motors by way of Holden, it’s a 2011 Chevrolet Caprice PPV, and in the blue corner, the bright star from an otherwise dismal marriage between an American and a German, it’s a 2008 Dodge Charger Hemi Pursuit. Both of these cars are retired from active service and are up for the taking, so take a look at both and see which one makes more sense to you!

1. 2011 Chevrolet Caprice PPV

When GM decided to give the Holden-based sedan a reprieve in the U.S. after sending Pontiac to the dumpster, many cheered…and then promptly felt shut down when the company made it clear that they were not selling the first Caprice since 1996 to the public. The Caprice PPV was a straight-to-fleet car that came with two engines: a plenty-adequate 3.6L V6, or a 6.0L V8. And no, we aren’t going to waste your time with a V6 version…come on now. If the Caprice is anything like the Pontiac GTO, G8 and the Chevrolet SS, it’s an entertaining riot to rip around, a car that actually feels sportier than it’s size lets on. If Regular Car Reviews is to be believed, the transmission is stuck in street racer mode and has enough power to rearrange your internal organs. Neither is quite correct, but they truth isn’t far off. With 30K on the clock, this Caprice is barely broken in and is ready for it’s new life as a civillian…maybe. That pushbar looks deadly serious up front, doesn’t it? LS engine magic, Holden chassis tuning, hose-off interior and styling that would make even the most aggressive driver think twice…it’d be hard to say no to it, except you’re looking at about $17K for the car. Compared to a little over $50K for a Chevy SS, that’s a deal, but for a used cop car?

2. 2008 Dodge Charger Hemi Pursuit

It’s almost ten years old, has over 130,000 miles on the clock, and doesn’t have the badass pushbar on the front, but this Dodge Charger still deserves your attention for a couple of reasons. One, the price: this car, right now, is on a no-reserve auction and as of press time, was sitting under $2,000 as you see it. Two is sitting underhood: the 5.7L Hemi V8 is no dog bone-stock, and if you need to know what can be done to wake that beast up, go read up on our Angry Grandpa Chrysler 300C project to see how you can get into the twelves with simple bolt-ons and a cleaned-up set of stock heads. Downsides? Besides nine years of duty use, there are the typical Mopar LX issues: torsion struts (bite the bullet, buy SRT units and you’ll be ok), tie rod ends (just buy stock in Moog) and more than likely, a trip to the dealership so that they can install your new, under-warranty fuel tank, free of charge. Besides…without that pushbar, the Charger is still the most pissed-off looking four-door sedan ever unleashed. Make that Hemi bark and ignore the moronic dash-mounted column shifter, and you’re good to go.