2011s still have the long wheelbase option available.
Since 2008 Ford has only offered the Crown Vic to fleet sales - including police and taxi liveries.
Sometime in 2011 Ford is closing the Windsor, Ontario plant that assembles the Crown Vics, thus ending the Crown Victoria model.
As far as if it's a good car, all I can say is it's my favorite car, so I'm a little biased.
It's a V8 first of all, which makes the nearly four thousand pound car get up and move pretty quick. It's essentially a mustang engine, so many performance upgrades are available.
Also, it's a body on frame design as well. Meaning there is a frame that holds the axle, transmission and engine together, and the body literally sits on top of the frame. Most cars today are unibody, meaning the frame and body are integrated into one shell. In an accident for example between a Vic and a unibody car, the unibody car might be totaled. The Vic might have to get some new plastic. The frame makes it strong and able to handle a lot of abuse.
If you do a lot of your own work on cars, the Vic is very maintenance friendly. Plenty of space to get to things, and most of the important stuff isn't buried and impossible to remove easily. The fundamentals of the Vic are very simple (since they are very old) and it's easy to do a lot of things.
It's a pretty big car, inside and outside. The trunk is huge. You could literally put 6 or 7 full size suitcases in there. Or like 4 kegs. It's almost like driving a couch. I also think it looks pretty slick.
On the other hand, there are a lot of reasons not to drive a Vic. For one, it's a V8. Such a large engine will obviously use a lot more fuel. Also, it's heavy. It weighs nearly 4000 pounds, and this hurts your fuel economy as well. As a contrast, a Honda Civic weighs about 2600 pounds. The weight partly comes from the body on frame design and the rear wheel drive. That's why newer, more fuel efficient cars are unibody and front wheel drive - it saves weight.
Being rear wheel drive, it can get a little difficult to drive in snow or slippery conditions. A front wheel drive car has the advantage of the weight of the engine over the drive wheels to help with traction. With rear wheel drive, the only thing over the drive wheels is a trunk. This is why you see pickups with sandbags in their beds during the winter.
Also, it's safety is questionable. A unibody car will more easily crumple and absorb the impact energy from an accident. Like running into a wall of pillows. A stiff frame will probably absorb much less, allowing more energy into the passengers. Like running into a wall of wood. Just look at the crash test ratings for the Crown Vics. They are not fantastic.
Additionally, there are problems with fire. The fuel tank is located between the rear axle and the backseat. In high-speed rear end collisions the rear axle will compress the fuel tank. The tank will rupture and engulf the car in fire. It became such an issue Ford offered fire suppression equipment as an option on the Crown Vics.
All that being said, I love big American cars. Over any fancy or expensive car, I would certainly choose a Crown Vic.