Buying a vehicle far from home, then driving it back without ever seeing it first, takes nerve. One Southern California man did exactly that with a retired police truck, a 2014 Ford F-150 he won at auction in Colorado.
The buyer posts as @MarkBrenner and won the truck in an online auction. He flew from Los Angeles to Denver, picked up a battery for safety and went to meet the truck. He says it had a 5.0-liter V8, four-wheel drive, about 44,000 miles and a good Carfax record.
First Look At The Police Truck
He was nervous, because an earlier auction truck in Las Vegas had more problems than listed and he turned it down for a refund. This time, the black-and-white pickup still wore its spotlight and push bar.
Then came a small surprise. He thought the white doors were a vinyl wrap, but the door jambs told a different story.
“Oh, they sprayed over the factory paint. I thought it was a wrap.”
He also learned it had served a community college campus police department, which he thinks explains the low miles. The rear door was damaged, as the listing showed, and he found a small dent and a minor exhaust leak. The coolant was low, but the oil looked clean. Better still, the police truck came with a full tank of gas.
No Radio And A Storm
There was one catch for a 14 or 15 hour drive. The radio did not work.
“It’ll be a long drive home with no radio.”
After topping off the coolant, he headed west through the Colorado mountains in shorts and a T-shirt, while snow fell around Vail. Soon he noticed the radiator fans running at full blast in cold air. Later that night, a severe storm hit. He says the wind pushed him around on the highway and he could barely see three car lengths ahead. The old halogen headlights did not help, so he used the spotlight to light the road.
“Freaking spotlight coming in clutch right now, dude.”
Fuel Numbers And A Fix
After about 461 miles, he still had a quarter tank left. He refilled with about 24 gallons, and he works out roughly 19 mpg on the highway. He also enjoyed Utah’s 80 mph highway limit, a lot faster than the roads he is used to in California. Meanwhile, the fan problem went away after he added coolant and bled air from the system.
From there, he crossed Utah, clipped a corner of Arizona and rolled into Las Vegas after about 800 miles. In his words, the plan carried real risk.
“this might be a bad idea because I don’t know the truck at all and it’s a very long drive”
What To Know Before Flying Out For An Auction Truck
A one-way trip home in a stranger’s vehicle can go well, but it pays to prepare. Here is what we would keep in mind:
- Read the vehicle history and every listing photo before you bid.
- Know the auction’s rules for refusing a vehicle that does not match its description.
- Bring a battery or jump pack, coolant and a basic tool kit.
- Check fluids, tires and lights before the first highway mile.
- Watch the weather on your route, and stop if visibility gets dangerous.
Where The Police Truck Stands Now
He reports that nothing major went wrong on the drive. The driver’s seat is worn from a duty belt, and the steering wheel is tired. Next, he plans to replace the damaged door, remove the old decals, tint the windows and eventually wrap the police truck in a new color before finishing the trip to California.
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