This 1991 Spartan Fire Pumper Will Make Your Pre-school Fireman Career Dreams Come True

My four-year-old grandson Aryeh wants to be a firefighter when he grows up. He’s got a full fire chief’s outfit and his ears perk up whenever he hears a siren. That’s probably due to the influence of Fireman Sam cartoons and the fact there was a fire in one of the buildings in the apartment complex where he lived until just recently.

There are worse things he could do when he gets older. For example, scouring auction listings of oddball vehicles he can’t really afford — like his grandfather.

That’s how I came across this listing on GovDeals.com, a “liquidity services marketplace” where government entities in the U.S. and Canada dispose of their surplus equipment.

The city of Lansing, Michigan is selling a 1991 Spartan PF-125-100 Fire Pumper made by the Quality Mfg company. The ad says it was “still in working condition at the time it was decommissioned from service,” which must be fireman talk for “ran when parked.”

You don’t have to worry much about rust because the chassis is said to be made of stainless steel and, by the 1990s, I’m pretty sure firetrucks bodies were being made out of aluminum.

Mileage isn’t listed but working hours on the clock are 5,774. It has a Detroit Diesel 6V92TA engine and an HT741 Allison transmission. If you want to put out some fires, or just have a very large garden that needs watering, it has a two-stage pump with 1,250 GPM capacity, which will empty out the 1,000-gallon water tank in less than a minute.

Even if you’re not into firefighting gear, this has possibilities. Paint it in your alma mater’s school colors and use it for tailgating at football games. It has a cab big enough your friends and a tank that will hold 1,000 gallons of beer.

As I write this, the auction has another two and a half days to go with a current high bid of $2,700. Unfortunately for Aryeh, I’m already somewhat committed to restoring my own private barn find Lotus and, in any case, I have no place to store something this large.

If you dreamt of being a fireman when you grew up and have some place to store a very big toy, $2,700 is small change for something that will get you attention at any car show you attend. If you miss out on the ’91 Spartan, here are the rest of the firetrucks listed on the site. Prices range from $75,000 for a 2001 Pierce down to $350 for an FMC Ford-based firetruck that runs but doesn’t pump.

Makes more sense to me than just another ’57 Chevy.

[Images: govdeals.com]