It was the police cruiser that finally caught up to the legend of the 440-powered Mopars of the musclecar era, one that rode on a legacy of boxy Chevrolets that came beforehand. The 1990s Chevrolet Caprice police cruiser might have looked like a bar of soap with a chrome grille, but the 9C1 was a solid effort, a full-frame bruiser that had some guts back when even the pony cars were trying to find some of their own. It was also one of the first cars that you could identify by it’s headlight patterns…prior to, you just hoped that the square shape in your rearview with square headlights and marker lights wasn’t a Dodge Diplomat. But the B-body Caprices were simple to spot: low rounded nose, inboard marker lights, and it’s quickly gaining on your ass. Not good.
Then there’s the issue of the 9C1’s kissing cousin, the Impala SS, or “How Jon Moss sold Caprices”. The Impala SS was a badass car for the time: hunkered down, “Corvette engine”, handling and all, it was a polished up cop car in a tracksuit, and it turned the Orca Chevy into an object of desire. Ok, so the LT1 was only making 260 horsepower…the Camaro was still hovering around the 275 horse mark at the time. It was still a hoot to put that big boat into motion and even better when you tried to make one dance.
Got fond memories of the 1990s and want to score a Caprice before it hits the demo derby market? Ok, budget builder, here’s the shot: $1,600 takes the Chevy home. A few bucks at the coin-op car wash and a few more bucks for some interior cleaning supplies and you’ll have a decent daily. From then on, it’s all on you. We’d see if Maaco could offer up a deal on a re-skim of black paint and shove the rest of the cash towards engine goodies ourselves…or maybe give the Three Pedals guys a call. They seem to know what they’re doing with these big cars and six-speeds…
Craigslist Link: 1996 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1
The only issue is they rust from underneath! I’ve had two 9C1’s that looked perfect on the outside but eventually turned to Swiss cheese on the floor pans, truck, rad support, and lastly the frame.
Jack it up before you buy it that rear axle is pushed forward and probably has suspension/ frame damage ..