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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, April 20, 2006

Surplus vehicles will go on the block

By Rick Daysog
Advertiser Staff Writer

For sale: A 1995 Yale forklift with a missing part on its steering component. Or a 1988 International dump truck with a missing windshield wiper arm and transmission-slippage problems.

If you can drive a car with right-side steering and are willing to get a leaking fuel tank fixed, there's also a 1992 Jeep Wrangler for sale.

These are some of the 70 items that the the Board of Water Supply is auctioning off to the public tomorrow at its Pearl City Manana yard.

For years, the Board of Water Supply auctioned its aging or excess vehicles and equipment as part of the city's annual surplus vehicle auction.

But last year, the Board of Water Supply didn't participate in the city auction, so tomorrow's sale is one of the board's largest in recent years, said Joe Teipel, who is conducting the auction.

"For the regular consumer, there are sport utility vehicles and sedans, and contractors might be interested in the utility trucks. People in construction or development may want to look at the dump trucks," he said.

According to the Board of Water Supply, the cars and equipment carry a fair market value of about $76,000, but Teipel said he expects the auction will generate more than $100,000 in gross sales.

Teipel said the 70 items originally cost the city about $1.5 million when bought new. He said that many of the items remain in relatively good working order despite their 10 to 20 years of use. Proceeds from tomorrow's auction will go back to the city, he said.

Teipel said he expects more than 100 people for the auction, including used-car dealers, contractors and construction people as well as the general public.

The cars and equipment are being offered "as is," meaning that there are no warranties. Buyers also must pay the full amount in cash or check at time of the sale. The auction starts at 10 a.m., but members of the public can inspect the vehicles and equipment an hour earlier, Teipel said.

For more information, call the Board of Water Supply at 748-5861.

Reach Rick Daysog at rdaysog@honoluluadvertiser.com.