The world of government auctions opens a door to unique possibilities for everyday citizens. That’s true for private businesses and true for families too. In this episode of the Municibid Podcast, Ken and Tatiana Johnson share how their auction win led to an unforgettable journey that involved travel, exploration, and making personal connections with their sellers - the dedicated members of Cranberry Township fire department.
The Personal Touch of Government Auctions
From the thrill of the bid to the satisfaction of repurposing government vehicles, auctions offer a chance to turn ordinary into extraordinary. Ambulances can become work trucks, traffic lights can become home decor. The versatility was an added bonus, but Ken’s love for vehicles was an obvious reason to check out online government auctions. Now that he’s started, he hasn’t stopped.
“I am a car nut. I have a lot of cars. As Tati said, that’s probably one of my favorite things to do, is buy a random car and drive it home and take the kids. My first project car, the first vehicle that I owned was a 1975 Ford F-100, which was my dad’s. He and I actually did some work on it together.”
“I’m a member of just about every car auction site that I can find. And Municibid was probably one of the more obscure ones that I had found. And I was regularly seeing some pretty good deals going across, but they were a long ways away. So I was, I guess, kind of waiting for a special one to pop up on there, which ended up being this one in particular that we purchased.” - Ken Johnson
The particular purchase in question was a 2001 Chevy 3500 in the form of a fire truck and courtesy of the Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Department. During the COVID lockdowns, he and his family bought a boat bigger than what they already owned. However, with a bigger boat, he needed a bigger truck for towing it. He quickly realized that buying a diesel truck during the lockdowns was going to be difficult financially. Ideally, Ken wanted an inexpensive diesel truck that was dependable and could tow. Luckily, through Municibid he found just that.
“It was everything that I was looking for. It was crew cab, it was a diesel, it was super low miles. And it was through a fire department, which I kind of had a theory that a fire department would probably take a little bit better care of their vehicles compared to some other auctions. I kind of feel like firefighters have a little bit more pride in their equipment.” - Ken Johnson
After getting some quick responses that made him even more comfortable about the potential buy, Ken went home with a fire truck. He took off the vinyl, decals, and other relevant things he wouldn’t be needing or prevented him from operating legally on the road. According to him, with the truck being 22 years old, and mostly indoors, “Converting it just kind of took a little elbow grease and a little time on our end to kind of get it ready.”
Aside from their extraordinary purchase, what Ken and his daughter Tatiana also enjoyed, even more so, was getting a tour of the fire department after going to pick up their win.
“That was my favorite part.”
“We met this really nice older guy there, and he said that he would show us a tour around. So we met a lot of the people, and that day they were having little kids go there to check out the place, so they had fun little things up. And we also got t-shirts, which we’re wearing. And they had a piece of the Twin Towers because a lot of fire people were there, and it was out in the front, and they had this one big stone brick of what was on it, like, pictures and stuff.” - Tatiana Johnson
Her father was in complete agreement that the tour was his favorite part too. They experienced a 9/11 memorial, and Tatina got to sit in a 100 year old fire truck, along with some other vehicles.
“Tati got to sit in every fire truck that was in there, which I was jealous about. So, yeah, it was really cool. That was, like, a super special. And probably the most memorable part of the entire trip was our tour around the firehouse.” - Ken Johnson
Assessing Reliability and Care in Auction Items
Ken’s bidding strategy focuses on one key part of the process - the source of the item.
“I felt very confident that the vehicle was maintained. It was on a government maintenance program. I used to be in the military, and the government tells you when to change oil, and there are strict rules and guidelines for how to maintain that. And then the fact that it was at a fire department. I know firefighters, some of my friends are firefighters. When they’re not out chasing fires, they’re washing their vehicles…there’s a pride in ownership there.” - Ken Johnson
The Joy of Repurposing Auction Wins
From fire truck to family-friendly vehicle, the Johnsons’ experience illustrates a lively DIY culture among government auction bidders. With the variety of items that end up for sale, what civilians can do with those items is limited only by the civilians themselves. Government auctions sell vehicles, landscaping equipment, electronics, and so much more. In the end, you can transform your business, your home, and your family, all for the better.
