Chip

iTrader: (3)

Last night while at the halfway house meet down in Essex Mike (he's a mobile mechanic) got a phonecall saying a mate of his had broken down and could he go and help out.

So we drove into shoreditch to find a broken down fire engine

Starter motor had failed, when it came out it was in pieces, we managed to get it back together at about 2am or something but it had obviously shorted out as the collapsed bearing went through it and they kept trying to start it, so it was just getting hot instead of turning over.
So mike has just been on a bit of a mission to fetch one this morning and is apparently on his way over there now as he happened to know someone who brakes things like fire engines.

Properly random way to end an evening.

Didnt manage to get any decent pictures on my shitty iphone, but you can just about get the idea.

Their meant to be leaving on the modball rally at 9am so I guess they're going to be trailing behind a bit, but hopefully if they drive in shifts they can catch back up by the end of the day.

As firemen rescue pussycats from trees, they decided to rebrand it as a "pussy rescue". lol

Fiddy

My mate has a couple of fire engines. has a company called 'blazing squad', they do hen nights, kids parties etc. they take some maintaining, and the MPG is ridiculous.

Chip

iTrader: (3)

First thing I said when I saw it was "bet that would be popular for hen nights"

10MPG on a run these lads reckoned.

Amusingly they got let through the M6 toll for free as apparently fire engines dont pay, so at least that offset a little cost on the way down

Chip

iTrader: (3)

He just got it running, they're off to try and catch their ferry now, they should have left the blue lights and siren working on it

Spiky

iTrader: (1)

quite cool really

PeterRST

iTrader: (1)

Doesn't look that old either. Over here they usually don't replace them until they're 40 years old...

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Yeah, ideal passion wagon

Mike won the prize for most unusual vehicle on the modball last year while tearing across europe at 140mph in his Focus RS powered connect van last year, so a couple of the other lads decided to go one better this year, lol

Chip

iTrader: (3)

K reg, so 1992/1993, to me it still looks basically the same as the ones in use at the moment, it doesnt look like a historic one or whatever, I would definately mistake it for a real one at a glance.

Fiddy

Aye chip, about 8-10 MPG. my pal has been saying for a while im going to have to take one of them for a drive at some point, reckons there a rite laugh to drive.

He has painted one pink for the hen nights, the others are for kids parties etc

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Should think he makes reasonable money from that given how cheap they are, IIRC they only paid 3K for this one and its only done 30K miles (all careful motorway miles im sure )

LOL @ the pink one

Fiddy

Aye, he makes a good living out of it. initially he started with two fire engines and two limo's. but the fire engines were constantly booked out, he was having to turn people away, but the limo's were not getting many bookings so he sold the limo's, and bought another couple of fire engines. i suppose limo companys are two a penny, but fire engines on the other hand are not.

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Good little niche market until people get bored of it because a few other people do the same I guess, I suspect it wouldnt take many fire engines to flood the market (pun not intended ) and hence the novelty to wear off.

Fiddy

Aye, good point. but as far as i know, he is one of the only one's round here who does fire engines. last weekend, he had a big hen party to take to leeds and back, they wanted three engines, he made a killing. even kids partys are a good £200+ per engine, he takes them for a drive for 15 minutes, they get a plastic fire mans hat each, and a certificate to say they have been in a fire engine, which he prints out off his computer, so he's making good money. if he has say four kids partys on a saturday or sunday afternoon, your looking at £800+ there, plus that leaves him free to do hen partys on the friday and saturday nights, so its not unheard of for him to make £1500 in a weekend.

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Sounds like a good living to me mate, even if he has to pay a few drivers 50 quid for an hour or twos work out of that

Nice touch with the kids hats etc

Fiddy

Aye mate, once he has paid his drivers and the extortinate amount they use in deisel, it soon eats into the money, but still, he only really works weekends, so he gets plenty of time off, he's not rich by any stretch of the imagination, but he's comfortable.

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Sounds like quite a good lifestyle, wish I had thought of it first and had his commitment to doing it
Bet he gets endless bj's off the pissed up hens he is dropping home too

Fiddy

Your not far off the mark mate, he said there is endless opportunities at the end of the night, when the 'ladies' are a bit worse for wear. although, he said you get some rite mingers that are that wasted, pissing themselves etc isnt unheard of. but i suppose, you have to take the rough with the smooth.

Chip

iTrader: (3)

He should put a CCTV camera in the back, probably find some germans to sell the footage to if the birds are literally pissing themselves

PeterRST

iTrader: (1)

You have PM...

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Rsmat

iTrader: (2)

i bet there a load of fun!!

S1

FPMSL!

kosman

ex wifes farjar used to have a fire engine,he was a geordie though.

cossiegreg1

ive seen them kicking about fiddy, look a right laugh

Tank Mike

Haha, It was pritty random! Sorry for keeping you out so late mate. But i doupt you ever be kept put later for the same reason again.

All i kept thinking looking at it was, I really really want one. I have no use for it or space to put it but it would just be great.

P.s. The blue lights and sirens are still connected- BUT FOR SHOW USE ONLY

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Lol, I know what you mean, I was jealous and wanted it to, although likewise I have no use for it whatsoever, I guess its just something all little boys want, a fire engine to play with.

Id want to fill the back up with beer though