(Editor’s note: This being the traditional deadline week for filing federal income taxes — yes, we realize that deadline has been extended this year because of the pandemic — nonetheless we’re focusing the Pick of the Day selections to vehicles being advertised for sale for four figures. The thought is that you might be getting enough of a refund to buy one of these cars, or after paying Uncle Sam, you might have enough left over to consider one of our suggestions.)
A decent collector car or truck for less than $10,000 can be hard to find these days, but consider this: For just $6,900, you could have your very own firetruck. A nice one, too.
The Pick of the Day is a 1982 Ford 8000 firetruck looks to my untrained eye to be a pumper, with ladders and hoses on the sides and room for the crew. Quite picturesque, really, and your kids or grandkids would think you were the coolest guy (or gal) in town.
The firetruck “runs and drives excellent,” according to the Mundelein, Illinois, dealer advertising the truck on ClassicCars.com. Although the title of the ad calls it simply a “1982 Ford truck,” it is obviously much more than that.
The diesel-powered vehicle has just 48,000 miles on its odometer, and its air horn and auxiliary lights are in working order, the ad notes. It’s set up to be used in parades and events, with custom side-facing seating platforms up top for waving at the crowds.
Fire-apparatus collecting is a small but active segment of the collector car hobby, with clubs and groups dedicated to the care and preservation of antique pieces of fire-fighting vehicles, going back to when they were drawn by horses and pumped by hand.
One such group that I stumbled on is the Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America, familiarly known as the SPAAMFA, a nationwide club with local chapters that conducts shows and gatherings.
The club has a colorful and comprehensive website that should be checked out by anyone with the slightest interest in antique motor fire apparatus.
In Phoenix, we have a museum of firefighting vehicles and gear, which is imaginatively called the Hall of Flame.
While in the larger scheme of things this nearly 40-year-old firetruck would hardly be considered an antique, it’s still a charming old thing and for this low price, well worth exploring for anyone with the passion and storage space for such an imposing vehicle.
Besides its collector value, the firetruck could be a usable piece of equipment, possibly recommissioned for a small community’s fire department. Who knows, it could be back in action roaring up Main Street, sirens blaring, lights flashing, heading for wherever it’s needed.
To view this vehicle on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
This is more correctly called a fire ENGINE. The pumps designate that.
The units that have extendable ladders are referred to as Trucks. My local Fire Chief corrected me when I was doing a walk through with my Grandson.