The small town of Wasilla listed the 1999 Ford Expedition
with 74,188 miles on eBay Monday with a minimum bid of
$10,000. The listing's photo shows the tan SUV with a
cardboard cutout of Palin in the driver's seat.
A 1999
Ford Expedition in excellent condition at that mileage has a
Kelly Blue Book value of $2,318 in the Wasilla area. But
city officials are hoping Palin's role in history will bring
out fans willing to pay a lot more.
"We put it out there to get a better return on taxpayer
dollars by listing it as her car than just selling it
'as-is,'" Public Works Director Archie Giddings said
Wednesday. "It may have some value to somebody ... knowing
who had it originally."
No bids had been submitted as of Wednesday afternoon. The
listing expires Nov. 27 at midnight Alaska Standard Time.
Palin drove the vehicle during her second term as mayor,
which ended in October 2002. The cardboard cutout of her
used for the eBay photo was borrowed from the local Chamber
of Commerce, which has the life-size image on display for
visitors, Giddings said.
After her stint as mayor, Palin went on to become
Alaska's governor and Republican presidential nominee John
McCain's running mate in 2008. She resigned as governor in
2009, about halfway through her first term.
Palin's mayoral vehicle was used by other city workers
after she left office. Like other old city vehicles that
become surplus, any money earned from the sale of the
Expedition would go toward replenishing the city's vehicle
replacement fund, Giddings said.
According to the eBay listing, the SUV is in storage and
needs new brakes, wheel seals and an idle air control valve.
The listing says the vehicle is being sold "as-is," with no
warranty.
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Online:
eBay listing:
http://is.gd/UDZtrw