CRYSTAL

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MEET THE FLEET

1989 Sutphen Fire Engine

The blue fire truck that almost got away—won with five seconds left on the auction clock for just $4,550.

SEE CRYSTAL IN ACTION

How I Found a Blue Fire Truck

By November 2021, we already owned two fire trucks. There was Jocelyn, our original red 1990 Ford C8000 that we'd purchased for $5,000, and Goldie Haan, the enormous lime-green fire truck that Jeffrey and Rebekah had just driven nearly 3,000 miles across the country from New Jersey.

You would think two fire trucks would be enough. Apparently not! LOL.

I was still spending time looking at fire trucks for sale, mostly because I was curious about what they were worth. I would browse eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and various government auction websites, just looking to see what was available. And one day, something very unusual caught my attention.

A BLUE FIRE TRUCK!

Now, I've lived in California almost my entire life, and I honestly don't remember ever seeing a blue fire truck here. Red? Of course. Yellow? Sure. White? I've seen those too. But BLUE? That was something different!

It was a 1989 Sutphen fire engine that had previously served at Crystal Mountain in Washington state. It covered a ski resort and the logo on the door is a ski resort chair lift! That's pretty cool.

The truck was being sold on eBay by a company called Bidadoo, which specializes in selling heavy equipment and machinery through online auctions. When I first discovered the listing, the current bid was only around $2,500.

I couldn't believe it. Here was this beautiful, metallic-blue fire truck, and nobody seemed particularly interested in buying it! I figured there was no way it would sell for that little. My guess was that the final price would be somewhere around $7,000 or $8,000. But I kept watching. And the more I looked at it, the more I wanted it. After all, how often do you get the chance to buy a BLUE fire truck?

The Video That Probably Scared Away the Other Buyers

One thing about buying vehicles through an online auction is that you really need to pay attention to the photographs, descriptions, and videos. You can't just drive over and inspect something when it's sitting hundreds of miles away in Washington state.

Fortunately, Bidadoo had posted a video showing the fire truck running and driving. The operator started the engine, drove it forward, stopped, and then backed it up. Everything seemed fine. Except for one thing.

THE BRAKES SOUNDED TERRIBLE!

Every time the truck moved or stopped, there were some really nasty grinding and grabbing noises. If you didn't know much about trucks, you might have watched that video and thought the fire truck had some very expensive mechanical problems.

But I've spent over 30 years in the auto parts business. I've seen what happens when vehicles sit outside for long periods without being driven. Brake drums and rotors can develop surface rust, especially in wet climates like Washington state. When you finally start driving again, that rust can make the brakes noisy until the surfaces clean themselves up.

And that's exactly what I suspected was happening with this truck. My guess was that Crystal had been sitting unused for quite a while. I wondered whether that awful brake noise was frightening away potential buyers. Still, I wasn't about to spend thousands of dollars based on a guess. So I decided to do a little investigating.

One Phone Call That Changed Everything

I called Bidadoo and asked if I could speak directly with the person who had driven the fire truck in the auction video. I didn't want to talk to somebody who was simply reading the auction description. I wanted to speak to the guy who had actually started it, driven it, and tested it. Fortunately, they connected me with him.

We spent about ten minutes on the phone discussing the truck. I asked how the engine ran, how the transmission shifted, whether it drove straight, and whether he noticed any serious mechanical problems. He told me the truck ran and drove great. As far as he could tell, there weren't any significant mechanical issues.

He gave me what seemed like a very honest assessment. That conversation made me feel a whole lot better. I was pretty sure the terrible brake noises were simply from the truck sitting unused. And if I was right, this might turn out to be one heck of a bargain!

I made up my mind. I was going to try to buy that blue fire truck!

The Last Five Seconds of the Auction

If you've ever bought anything on eBay, you know how crazy the final minutes of an auction can get. An item might sit at the same price for days, and then suddenly everybody starts bidding against each other right before the auction ends. That's exactly what happened with Crystal.

For most of the auction, the price stayed surprisingly low. But during the final hour, the bids started climbing. I had already bid up to $4,000, but somebody else kept bidding against me.

Now, one important thing about this auction was that it had a fixed ending time. Some auction websites extend the clock whenever somebody places a bid in the final seconds. Not this one. When the clock reached zero, the auction was over.

So I decided to try a little last-second bidding strategy. With approximately five seconds remaining, I entered a maximum bid of $5,000. Then I waited. Five seconds. Four. Three. Two. One. SOLD! I WON IT!

Apparently, the other bidder had entered a maximum bid of $4,500, and my $5,000 bid was enough to beat him by the next bidding increment. He didn't have enough time to react and bid again.

I couldn't believe it. I had just purchased a beautiful, metallic-blue 1989 Sutphen fire truck for $4,550! I was expecting it to sell for nearly twice that much, but I got lucky and got it for a price I couldn't pass up. Once again, we had found ourselves an incredible fire truck bargain.

Now there was just one little problem. How in the world was I going to get it from Washington to California?

Finding Someone to Bring Crystal Home

Crystal was located at Bidadoo's facility in Kent, Washington. That's a long way from Santa Rosa!

After hearing about Jeffrey and Rebekah's nine-day adventure bringing Goldie Haan home from New Jersey, I wasn't particularly interested in sending them off on another multi state fire truck expedition. This time, I wanted somebody else to do the driving.

I connected with a guy named Eric who does transports and was willing to drive Crystal down from Washington. And here's the amazing part. He agreed to do it for just $700! Now, if you've ever paid to transport a large commercial truck, you know that $700 is an incredible price for a trip like that.

Fortunately, the timing worked out perfectly. Eric was traveling with another driver who had a separate truck headed toward Southern California. That meant Eric could drive Crystal to Santa Rosa, drop her off, and then continue south with the other driver. He didn't need me to buy him an airline ticket home. Everything lined up!

The pickup was scheduled for November 16, 2021. As I recall, Eric stopped at a friend's shop in northern Oregon to give Crystal a quick inspection before continuing south. And unlike Goldie Haan's adventure across the country, Crystal's trip was pretty uneventful. No overheating. No blown transmission lines. No midnight roadside rescues. She made it to Santa Rosa without any reported mechanical problems!

When Eric arrived, Jeffrey and I were both working, so Rebekah was there to receive the truck. Imagine having a giant blue fire truck delivered to your house! Jeffrey couldn't wait to get home and take her for a drive. And I couldn't wait for my next day off so I could see her in person!

November 25, 2021 — Two Fire Trucks, Two Best Friends

On November 25, 2021, I finally got to see Crystal in person. I drove up to Santa Rosa to spend the day with Jeffrey. This was my first time seeing our new blue fire truck, and only the second time I'd seen Goldie Haan. Remember, the first time I saw Goldie was around 1 a.m. at a gas station in Modesto, after helping Jeffrey repair her broken transmission line! So this was also my first chance to really see Goldie in the daylight.

And now we had both trucks sitting there together. Goldie Haan, the giant lime-green Hahn from New Jersey. And Crystal, the beautiful metallic-blue Sutphen from Washington. What a sight!

Naturally, we had to take them both out for a drive. Jeffrey climbed into Goldie, and I climbed into Crystal. We drove around Santa Rosa, stopped at a gas station, and filled both trucks with diesel. Those are the pictures of Goldie and Crystal together at the gas station.

Then we decided to have a little fun and found a long road with no houses for a mile. We turned on all the warning lights and emergency lights. And then, at the same time, we hit the big sirens!

HOLY COW! One fire truck siren is loud. But TWO fire truck sirens going off together? LOOOOUUUUDDDD!!!

LOL! We were having an absolute blast! Of course, we couldn't leave the kids out. We took Jeffrey's daughters for rides and let everybody enjoy the trucks.

There we were, two grown men driving around in our own fire trucks, grinning like little boys. I don't think either of us ever imagined we'd be doing something like this when we were kids. But here we were. And it was every bit as much fun as we'd imagined!

Why Crystal Was More Than Just Another Toy

Although we were having a great time with the fire trucks, there was also a practical reason I wanted to own fully functioning fire engines.

Remember our Bellevue property in Santa Rosa? By the time we purchased it in June 2021, one of the old houses had already been badly damaged by fire. Then, just a few weeks after buying the property, Jeffrey and I accidentally started another fire while mowing the dry grass. The fire that nearly destroyed a 60-year-old wooden barn. We were extremely fortunate that the Santa Rosa Fire Department arrived in time to save it.

So the property had already experienced two fires in 2021. And we still had a tremendous amount of cleanup and demolition work ahead of us. At the time, we didn't even have a functioning well and pressurized water system at Bellevue.

Having a fire truck with its own water tank and working pump seemed like a pretty good idea. We could use it to water the fields, help control dust, and have a supply of water available while we worked on the property. And as it turned out, we were going to need it sooner than expected.

January 2022 — Another Fire at Bellevue

Unfortunately, our problems with the abandoned houses weren't over. In January 2022, the second house on the Bellevue property caught fire. Once again, the fire department had to respond.

That made three separate fires at Bellevue in approximately one year.

One house had burned before we purchased the property. We'd accidentally started a grass fire in June 2021. And now the second house had burned in January 2022.

At that point, both old houses were severely damaged. We knew they had to come down. But removing two burned-out buildings is no small job. There were piles of debris, damaged framing, old roofing materials, and plenty of other things that needed to be cleaned up. So we started planning the demolition.

July 4, 2022 — Demolition Day

On July 4, 2022, Jeffrey and I got to work tearing down the two burned-out houses. We bought an excavator and a skid steer and began demolishing what was left of the structures. It was a big job, but we made good progress. By the time we were finished, the old houses were reduced to piles of rubble.

We figured that was the end of it. After all, the second house had burned six months earlier. Surely there couldn't still be anything burning inside that old debris. Right? Well, apparently we were wrong!

The following day, Jeffrey was working at Bellevue when he noticed something unbelievable. Smoke was coming out of the rubble! I still have a hard time believing this part of the story. The house had burned six months earlier. We'd just demolished it. And now, somehow, there was smoke coming from the debris again!

The theory is that there may have been some old material that was still smoldering and buried in the remains of the house that started burning again after the demolition disturbed it and exposed it to fresh air. Whatever the exact cause, Jeffrey could see that something in the rubble was burning.

Fortunately, he had a few buckets of water available. He used them to put out the small fire. But after everything we'd already experienced at Bellevue, he wasn't taking any chances. He jumped into his vehicle, drove home, and picked up Crystal. Crystal already had a full tank of water. He drove her back to Bellevue and used the fire truck's pump and water supply to thoroughly soak the entire rubble pile.

THE FIRE THAT CAME BACK

He emptied the whole tank onto the debris! Now THAT'S what I call putting a fire truck to good use!

We'd originally thought about buying a fire truck because of the fires at Bellevue. And here was Crystal, doing exactly what we'd hoped a working fire truck could do—providing a large supply of water when we needed it. This was before we had a functioning pressurized well system on the property.

I remember thinking that day how glad I was we'd bought these old fire trucks. They weren't just fun toys anymore. Crystal had actually helped us deal with a real problem.

Could Fire Truck Bros Become a Business?

That experience at Bellevue gave me another idea. What if we could offer the use of our fire trucks to demolition companies or property owners who needed a large supply of water on-site?

Think about it. If you're tearing down an old building, there's going to be dust, debris, and potentially materials that need to be kept wet. A functioning fire truck could be useful for water supply and dust suppression. We could bring a truck to a job site, operate the pump, and provide water throughout the day.

I even started thinking about charging something like $1,000 for an eight-hour day. Of course, operating a commercial service like that would require the proper insurance, approvals, and arrangements. But the idea was interesting. We had already demonstrated at Bellevue how useful a fire truck could be during demolition and cleanup work. And I thought it might be another opportunity for Fire Truck Bros.

Whether that ever becomes a bigger part of our business remains to be seen. But it was one of the first times I started thinking about using our fire trucks for something beyond family fun and community events.

Labor Day 2022 — Crystal Visits Hayward

During 2022, I also spent some time driving Crystal around Hayward and Dublin. I wanted to get comfortable operating her and get the historical vehicle registration and insurance taken care of.

On Labor Day, September 5, 2022, I had Crystal with me in Hayward. We decided to have a little fun testing her water pressure. There's a picture of Steph using Crystal's water pressure to wash down the parking lot. Now, that's one way to clean a parking lot! Why use an ordinary pressure washer when you have an entire fire truck sitting there? LOL!

After spending some time with Crystal in the East Bay, I eventually brought her back to Bellevue in Santa Rosa. Jeffrey continued using her around the property, including watering the fields when needed. And, of course, he found plenty of opportunities to take the kids for rides.

October 30, 2022 — Crystal's First Trunk-or-Treat

One of my favorite memories with Crystal happened on Sunday, October 30, 2022. Our church in Livermore was holding its annual Trunk-or-Treat event. We'd already brought Jocelyn, our red fire truck, to the event the previous year.

But this time, I had an idea. What if we brought TWO fire trucks? Not just two ordinary fire trucks, either. We could have Jocelyn, the traditional bright-red fire engine. And right beside her, Crystal, our very unusual metallic-blue Sutphen. How cool would that be?

There was just one problem. Crystal was in Santa Rosa. Livermore is a long way from Santa Rosa, especially when you're driving a big old fire truck that burns a lot of diesel. And after the event, we'd have to drive her all the way back! But Jeffrey and I decided it would be worth it.

So he drove Crystal down from Santa Rosa, and I brought Jocelyn. We parked both trucks at the church for the event. And let me tell you, the kids loved them! Families gathered around the trucks. Children climbed up to see the cabs. Parents took pictures. There were Halloween costumes, candy buckets, smiling faces, and excited kids everywhere.

Seeing those two fire trucks parked together was something special. One red. One blue. And two best buddies getting to enjoy something we'd dreamed about since we were little boys. It was a great evening. But we weren't finished having fun yet!

Two Fire Trucks at Chili's!

After the Trunk-or-Treat ended, Jeffrey and I decided to go out for dinner. So we climbed into our fire trucks and drove over to Chili's. And, of course, we were still wearing our full firefighter gear!

Just imagine the sight. Two grown men showing up at Chili's in two enormous fire trucks, dressed in firefighter uniforms. LOL! We had a great time.

I know it cost a fair amount of money in diesel just to bring Crystal all the way down from Santa Rosa for one evening. And then Jeffrey had to drive her all the way home again afterward. But you know what? I didn't care. It was worth every penny.

The kids had a great time, the parents enjoyed seeing the trucks, and Jeffrey and I got to spend another evening having fun with our fire trucks. Sometimes the best memories aren't the cheapest ones. They're the ones you look back on years later and laugh about. And that night was definitely one of them!

Crystal's Life in Santa Rosa

After the Halloween event, Crystal returned to Santa Rosa. Over the years, Jeffrey has continued enjoying her with his family. He's driven her around town, taken the kids for rides, and occasionally driven her to church on Sundays. He has also used her as a water truck at Bellevue, including watering the fields.

I can only imagine what the neighbors must think when they see Jeffrey driving around in one of our fire trucks. But the kids absolutely love it. Jeffrey has three daughters, and they get to grow up with something most children can only dream about. Their dad doesn't just have a toy fire truck. He has REAL fire trucks! And sometimes he even takes them for a ride. He's definitely become the cool dad in the neighborhood.

Although I think Jeffrey and I might be having even more fun with the trucks than the kids!

December 2024 — Crystal's First Christmas Toy Drive

In December 2024, Crystal participated in her first Christmas toy drive.

By this time, I'd already been using Jocelyn for holiday toy donations for several years.

What started in December 2021 with me buying a truckload of toys and delivering them to a Livermore fire station had grown into something much bigger.

Every year, I try to make the donations a little larger.

We're not just talking about a few toys anymore.

We're talking about toys, bicycles, sporting equipment, food, candy, gift cards, and all kinds of presents for children and families.

In December 2024, I used Crystal to help deliver donations for the holiday toy drives.

And we weren't talking about one little box of presents.

We delivered two full fire truck loads of donations!

Our holiday donation deliveries have included the Bayfair Mall event in San Leandro, where local radio station 106.1 KMEL broadcasts live and encourages people to come down and donate, along with a separate delivery to the fire station in Newark the following day.

It's a wonderful feeling to pull up in a fire truck filled with Christmas presents.

The truck gets plenty of attention, of course.

But the best part is knowing those donations are going to help make Christmas a little brighter for families and children who need them.

Crystal has only participated in that one Christmas toy drive so far.

But I certainly hope she'll be part of more in the future.

How Crystal Got Her Name

People sometimes ask how we came up with the name Crystal.

Unlike Jocelyn, whose name came from the way she jostled me around on the road, or Goldie Haan, whose name is a play on the Hahn manufacturer, Crystal's name came from her history.

Before retiring, our blue Sutphen served at Crystal Mountain in Washington state, at a ski resort. The door logo is a ski resort chair lift. Of course we had to leave those on the doors! So the name seemed obvious.

Crystal!

It was simple, memorable, and connected her to the place where she'd spent her working years.

And with that beautiful metallic-blue paint, I think the name fits her perfectly.

The Blue Fire Truck That Joined the Family

When I first saw Crystal on eBay, I was really only looking because I was curious about fire truck prices.

I never expected to buy another one so soon after Jocelyn and Goldie Haan.

But then I saw that beautiful blue Sutphen.

I watched the auction video, heard those terrible brakes, and wondered whether other buyers were being scared away by something that might not be a serious problem at all.

I called the auction company, talked to the man who had driven her, and decided to take a chance.

Five seconds before the auction ended, I placed my final bid.

And for just $4,550, Crystal became our third fire truck.

Since then, she's given us some unforgettable memories.

Two best friends driving fire trucks together in Santa Rosa.

Two enormous sirens blasting at the same time.

Kids enjoying rides in a real fire truck.

A very useful day providing water at Bellevue. A Labor Day parking lot wash in Hayward. An unforgettable Halloween trunk or treat night with Jocelyn, followed by dinner at Chili's in our firefighter gear. And a Christmas toy drive with truckloads of gifts for families in need. Not bad for a fire truck I found while browsing eBay!

And the best part? Crystal's story isn't finished. There are plenty more adventures, family memories, and opportunities to make children smile still to come. Our beautiful blue fire truck has already given us more enjoyment than I ever imagined. And I can't wait to see what we do with her next!