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1988 Mitsubishi Fire Truck Sold for Unexpected Sum, Price Doubled in Eight Minutes

Is it fire season already? It might as well just be. Another fire truck was sold for a price nobody would’ve expected even one day ago. Here’s how this no reserve 1988 Mitsubishi Fuso Canter bidding went. We might have a thing or two to learn from it.
1988 Mitsubishi Fuso Canter 7 photos
Photo: sdoucet on Bring a Trailer
1988 Mitsubishi Fuso Canter Fire Truck1988 Mitsubishi Fuso Canter Fire Truck1988 Mitsubishi Fuso Canter Fire Truck1988 Mitsubishi Fuso Canter Fire Truck1988 Mitsubishi Fuso Canter Fire Truck1988 Mitsubishi Fuso Canter Fire Truck
This right-hand drive Mitsubishi hides a potent 3.6-liter diesel engine under the hood, and it’s ready to help when an urgent situation arises. With its five-speed manual transmission, almost 8,000 miles on the odometer, sirens, lights, a speaker, and enough pumps and hoses to keep a small fire under control, the Fuso Canter truck sold for an incredible $47,000.

Up until the last day of the auction, there were no interesting bids. Buyers weren’t ready to go all-out. While the clock was ticking and the end was nearing, three buyers started competing for the fire truck. It all started with a bid of $13,900 that sparked a 21-minute battle which ended with a happy seller and a total price increase of $33,100.

The 1988 Mitsubishi Fuso Canter may be red with gold accents, but this vehicle doesn’t have a water tank on board. This converted Mitsubishi Fuso FE also doesn’t come with air conditioning. It’s just a pump fire truck that activated an intense and unexpected bidding session on BaT. The seller sure is happy, and watchers got a good show, but how on Earth would someone justify paying this much for such a vehicle? Also, let’s not forget that recently a fully-fledged fire truck, this 1992 E-One Titan ARFF, sold for $80,000.

Fortunately, that’s not our concern. After all, that’s the beauty of auctions: everyone is free to try and get what they want, like, or love. We can’t put ourselves between mankind and its transportation preferences. What we can do is ask ourselves why this went down as it did, but we can’t be unhappy for someone that just got themselves a new, fiery vehicle. Also, don’t forget it’s a JDM we’re talking about here. You know that’s hot right now.

In the end, who knows, maybe the new owner will use it for family activities or parade Santa Claus in the local community. Or, even better, the fire truck can be used for gaining some parking perks in the city. You sure won’t get fined for blocking a fire hydrant.

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About the author: Florin Amariei
Florin Amariei profile photo

Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one.
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