County auctions vehicles

More than 100 bargain hunters showed up for Columbia County's annual surplus-vehicle auction Saturday.

Held at the county's fleet center on County Camp Road, 40 items were auctioned off for a total of $60,620 - $54,920 for the county, $4,900 for Grovetown and $800 for Harlem.

"This is a great way for a lot of people to recover some of their tax dollars," said Clayton Galloway, the county fleet manager. "They know they're going to find a good deal, and they know the vehicles have been taken care of."

Ted Johnson, owner of Horizon Security, an Augusta security and private investigation firm, is a veteran of surplus-vehicle auctions.

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"I come here every year looking for retired (police) cruisers to use as company vehicles," Johnson said. "They're inexpensive to buy and usually cost very little to fix up. Plus, it gives my employees a more official looking vehicle to drive while doing their job."

Harlem resident David Pascoe and his 16-year-old son, Derek, experienced their first auction Saturday. Derek recently received his driver's license and is looking for an affordable truck.

"We've looked in the paper and some used-car lots, but we wanted to give this a try," Derek said.

"I'm hoping we can find something for around $800," David said during his search. "It looks like we might have some options here that could work out for us."

Results from this year's Columbia County Annual Vehicle Auction, including how much each vehicle sold for:

1996 Ford Crown Victoria ($1,100), 1992 Ford F-150 truck ($1,250), 1985 Dodge Ram ($650), 1994 Ford Aerostar van ($800), 1997 Ford Taurus ($1,600), 1988 Chevrolet Silverado truck ($2,100), 1992 Ford F-150 truck ($1,400), 1991 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer ($1,900), 1996 Ford Crown Victoria ($1,700), 1996 Ford Crown Victoria ($1,700), 1998 Ford Crown Victoria ($3,050), 1996 Ford Crown Victoria ($2,000), 1998 Ford Crown Victoria ($4,250), 1992 Ford F-150 truck ($1,650), 1992 Ford Ranger truck ($1,500), 1994 Ford Crown Victoria ($1,300), 1998 Ford Crown Victoria ($3,400), 1993 Pontiac Grand Am ($1,600), 1998 Ford Crown Victoria ($3,500), 1997 Ford Crown Victoria ($1,350), 1994 Ford Crown Victoria ($1,250), 1994 Ford F-250 ($2,750), 1985 Ford F-350 4WD truck ($675), 1991 Ford F-250 truck ($1,600), 1986 Chevrolet 4x4 ($1,000), 1992 Ford F-700 dump truck ($3,900), 1981 Chevrolet truck ($175), 1989 Ford F-700 dump truck ($2,200), 1986 Chevrolet C-70 dump truck ($2,850), 1989 Ford Ranger truck ($1,000), 1989 Ford Ranger truck ($1,000), 1999 Ford Crown Victoria ($450), 1998 Ford Crown Victoria ($1,350), 2000 Ford Crown Victoria ($850), 1984 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer ($100), EZ-Go golf cart ($650), Gravely mower ($500), Murray 16-HP riding mower ($175), pressure washer ($50), scrap iron ($10), utility bed for Ford truck ($100), boom ax ($25), cement mixer ($150) and air compressor ($10).