# Check These Bad Boys Out



## HoustonKid (Dec 29, 2005)

They were parked at the Shop Off-Road in League City. I guess the Houston Airport System needs some serious off road capability. Houston Airport System was written on the side of one of them and since the tags are all sequential, I am guessing that is who they all belong to. The one on the far right had the writing on the door as well as Airport Public Safety on the front windshield. 

My guess would be some nice Homeland Security grant paid for them. They are bad a**.


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## swifty (May 13, 2005)

Nope, they will be used to help haul the DPS Yellowfin boat, I mean the highway patrol yellowfin boat, I mean what a waste of friggn money toys for the boys. :rotfl:


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## blackmagic (May 13, 2011)

Too bad they dont have Rockstar rims


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## C.Hern5972 (Jul 17, 2009)

and the new turbine helicopter...


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

So that is what they look like. I was told about them Friday. They look bada$$, and what I was told is they are going to be used for the employees. 

That is a load of money sitting there in that pic.


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## C.Hern5972 (Jul 17, 2009)

WHY??? What do they need them for


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## iridered2003 (Dec 12, 2005)

still wont go passed the axles


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## Bily Lovec (Sep 26, 2005)

driving thru high water would be my guess, they sure as heck will suck in the mud


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## HoustonKid (Dec 29, 2005)

blackmagic said:


> Too bad they dont have Rockstar rims


No, but they are Moto Metal.


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## HoustonKid (Dec 29, 2005)

FireEater said:


> what I was told is they are going to be used for the employees.


To get them to the airport when it floods around here?


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

C.Hern5972 said:


> WHY??? What do they need them for


For hot chicks I assume. 



iridered2003 said:


> still wont go passed the axles


Old lame excuse never had any sense to it.

To get the larger tires on to get through more mud/terrain/ect.... you need to raise them. True that once the axle is stuck, they are stuck. But it can still get through more muck than a stock truck.

Besides, they are bada$$, and I doubt they will ever see off roading. The only off roading my Durango sees is pulling my boat off the ramp and an occasional beach run.

Been building and driving them since the early '80s and I can tell you that off roading does tear them up and that I do not have the money to be spending on repairs as when I was young with no bills or cares in life. lol!


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## Jolly Roger (May 21, 2004)

My guess is they are goverment spec vehicals without the armor.

They should have got some Gurkhas.


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## iridered2003 (Dec 12, 2005)

FireEater said:


> For hot chicks I assume.
> 
> Old lame excuse never had any sense to it.
> 
> ...


i wouldn't take a durango offroad myself:rotfl::rotfl:


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

Har Har hardee Har. 


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## osobrujo (Jan 13, 2005)

Nice, until they try a high speed chase, and roll it on the first turn.


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## trodery (Sep 13, 2006)

What a waste of taxpayer dollars!!!


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## owens33 (May 2, 2007)

gigantic waste of taxpayer money. and yep, once the axles are down, you're stuck. maybe they can hook it up the that 38 fountain w/trip 300's hangin' at galv yacht basin and cruise up and down west beach. 
rancher friend o' mine says, "2 wd gets stuck at the gate, 4wd gets stuck way down in the pasture. "bout right", and yeah, i use my 4wd. mostly at the boat ramp, beach and icy bridges.


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## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

What a waste of my money. Kids in charge I assume.....


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## fishNwithfish (Aug 17, 2011)

What size and brand lift are these? Thats what i want my avalanche to look like


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## Calmday (Jul 7, 2005)

trodery said:


> What a waste of taxpayer dollars!!!


Yep just more idiots in charge of the check book.


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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

That would be way cooler on an escalade ESV. 

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## blackmagic (May 13, 2011)

Bay Bass said:


> That would be way cooler on an escalade ESV.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk


 Real funny!!:biggrin:NOT!


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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

Yeah escalades suck now what the hell happened to 4 wheel drive? All this all wheel traction blah blah feel good idiot features. 

Navigator 4x4 would be cool!

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## blackmagic (May 13, 2011)

Bay Bass said:


> Yeah escalades suck now what the hell happened to 4 wheel drive? All this all wheel traction blah blah feel good idiot features.
> 
> Navigator 4x4 would be cool!
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk


 Dude a Tahoe lifted looks way better then the ones you said lifted!!:dance:


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## TXXpress (May 23, 2004)

I give one of those trucks 15 minutes in a tough situation before it's totaled out with Barny Fife at IAH behind the wheel. Waste of $$$$ is an understatement.


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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

blackmagic said:


> Dude a Tahoe lifted looks way better then the ones you said lifted!!:dance:


Dude we are not talking about looks here. I would love a luxoed out suv swinging 40 inch tires. I like those air conditioned seats. 

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## blackmagic (May 13, 2011)

Bay Bass said:


> Dude we are not talking about looks here. I would love a luxoed out suv swinging 40 inch tires. I like those air conditioned seats.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk


 Whatever...:dance: NEXT!!!:cheers::texasflag


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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

Plus Ford is way better than Chevy anyway. 

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## blackmagic (May 13, 2011)

Bay Bass said:


> Plus Ford is way better than Chevy anyway.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk


 No duh, but who brought up ford in this conversation?Ford doesnt make a good looking SUV when its lifted..IMO


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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

Navigator = nice Ford Expedition = Better than Chevy. 

Just get a lift like this on a Gator! It would look good!

http://image.fourwheeler.com/f/9549889%2Bw750%2Bst0/129_0712_02_z%2B2006_ford_expedition%2Bfront_view_beach.jpg

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## blackmagic (May 13, 2011)

Bay Bass said:


> Navigator = nice Ford Expedition = Better than Chevy.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk


Tahoe looks better then any SUV out there but Ford makes the best motors/everything else.


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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

Check out that expedition!

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## blackmagic (May 13, 2011)

The King Ranch Expedition is the only Ford SUV that looks better then a Tahoe IMO!


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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

King Ranch is cool but it really isn't my style. I like a black lariat with black interior. But a navigator would be way unique with a lift like this. 

Tahoes are kinda slabbey ghetto looking to me. I'd rather have a suburban, but I'd really rather have the extended navigator. Probably my next truck really. See if I can lift I 12 or so inches. 

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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

That's freakin pitiful.


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## blackmagic (May 13, 2011)

whats wrong with the King Ranch?, the leather looks awesome!


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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

Nothing I just can't pull off the country boy truck. Wish I could cause I like them. 

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## blackmagic (May 13, 2011)

They arent country boy....how about this one?i know it not an SUV but still......:dance:


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## boom! (Jul 10, 2004)

Glad to see a 2cooler get some of that work!


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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

It looks great! I'd just rather have a totallt black truck and black leather interior. I like those rockstar wheels. 

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## super-Fish-ial (Apr 3, 2006)

*Back on the original subject....*

I think what makes me even more concerned than the actual vehicles is that someone in a "management role" actually signed off on these vehicles thinking it was a good idea and was acceptable to spend taxpayers money in that fashion.

Poor poor judgement.


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## metal man (Mar 30, 2006)

I hope Wayne Doltrafino isn't on here. " Your Tax dollars paid for these extreme off road vehicles while you were standing in line getting groped by a TSA agent, find out why at 6."


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## ElmerFudd (Feb 10, 2006)




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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

ElmerFudd said:


>


Hhahahaha that truck needs some off road tires.


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## mstrelectricman (Jul 10, 2009)

Wow...the guberment wasting taxpayer dollars? Whoda thunk it?


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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

They really look like they were designed by somebody who really cared a whole lot more about the image than capability.. If they need some badass 4x4's, fine...... That ain't them, though.


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## trodery (Sep 13, 2006)

dwilliams35 said:


> They really look like they were designed by somebody who really cared a whole lot more about the image than capability.. If they need some badass 4x4's, fine...... That ain't them, though.


I agree Don! No doubt they look cool but really, what useful purpose do they serve? I factory steel wheel would have also been much more cost effective than the custom wheels.

You people need to remember, this is OUR (yours and mine) money that is being wasted away on somebody's ego! Next thing you know the coroner's office is going to be driving around in Hummer's so they can look like CSI Miami!

Does anybody really think this is an acceptable expenditure of our tax dollars?


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## JuanGrande (May 29, 2010)

trodery said:


> Does anybody really think this is an acceptable expenditure of our tax dollars?


I certainly don't! What a blatant waste of OUR taxpayer dollars! Everyone who sees this should be furious.


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## Shaky (May 21, 2004)

super-Fish-ial said:


> I think what makes me even more concerned than the actual vehicles is that someone in a "management role" actually signed off on these vehicles thinking it was a good idea and was acceptable to spend taxpayers money in that fashion.
> 
> Poor poor judgement.


Probably had excess money in the budget and decided to spend it instead of lose it.

Doesnt make any sense at all.


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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

Shaky said:


> Probably had excess money in the budget and decided to spend it instead of lose it.
> 
> Doesnt make any sense at all.


Ding ding ding!!! This is why government is wildly more innefficent than private enterprise. They will buy a couple of 4x4s so they don't get a budget cut next year.


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## fangard (Apr 18, 2008)

swifty said:


> Nope, they will be used to help haul the DPS Yellowfin boat, I mean the highway patrol yellowfin boat, I mean what a waste of friggn money toys for the boys. :rotfl:


Was watching TV the other night and saw a DPS boat, with divers locating and pulling cars out of the Rio Grande. They recovered over 3500#'s of dope out of 4 or 5 cars they located with sonar.


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## HoustonKid (Dec 29, 2005)

boomgoon said:


> Glad to see a 2cooler get some of that work!


Yes it is awesome a 2Cooler got the bid.


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## swifty (May 13, 2005)

fangard said:


> Was watching TV the other night and saw a DPS boat, with divers locating and pulling cars out of the Rio Grande. They recovered over 3500#'s of dope out of 4 or 5 cars they located with sonar.


Good deal!  Wonder how much dope they'll pull out with those "dope" looking 4x4s.


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

boomgoon said:


> Glad to see a 2cooler get some of that work!


If you are implying that a 2cooler works at the shop, then it would be nice if he would chime in on the reality of these trucks.

Way to many wild accusations flying around this thread, when none of us know a thing about them or what they will be used for, or most importantly, what actual money was used to build them.

It is like this thread is located right next to the water cooler.

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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

for Airport POPOs............Columbia!!


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## boom! (Jul 10, 2004)

FireEater said:


> If you are implying that a 2cooler works at the shop, then it would be nice if he would chime in on the reality of these trucks.
> 
> Way to many wild accusations flying around this thread, when none of us know a thing about them or what they will be used for, or most importantly, what actual money was used to build them.
> 
> ...


Why, it's not like he gets paid for life with a pension or something. :rotfl:


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

boomgoon said:


> Why, it's not like he gets paid for life with a pension or something. :rotfl:


WTH are you talking about?

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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

FireEater said:


> If you are implying that a 2cooler works at the shop, then it would be nice if he would chime in on the reality of these trucks.
> 
> Way to many wild accusations flying around this thread, when none of us know a thing about them or what they will be used for, or most importantly, what actual money was used to build them.
> 
> ...


Well, the way they're built, unless they're trying to pick up 16 year old ******* girls or something, they're basically useless, at least if you compare it to something serious which they could have built for the same money..


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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

Those ghurkas are so cool I bet if they made a civillian model they would double their business. 

I would seriously save up for so long for one of those. 

I bet you could get seating like fat overstuffed lazyboy armchairs in that thing.

I would be willing to save 150k for one. 

9 miles per gallon ain't bad considering the awesomeness of the truck.


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## boom! (Jul 10, 2004)

FireEater said:


> WTH are you talking about?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone 4 using Tapatalk


The people spending our money like that. It is good to see one of us get some back.


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## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

Just saw a "tease" on KPRC-TV (Channel 2) about these trucks. They will have the story on the 10PM news Friday.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Nov 4, 2011)

Wonder why the economy sucks these days????????


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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

Did anyone ever uncover what the reasoning behind lifted suburbans with 40s was?


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## fwoodwader (Jul 18, 2008)

Bay Bass said:


> Did anyone ever uncover what the reasoning behind lifted suburbans with 40s was?


KPRC did...going to be on the news sometime this week.

Any bets a 2cooler might have dropped the dime on them? Or were we just ahead of the gang.


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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

Seriously, they better have a good reason or some people should get fired for this.


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## jamisjockey (Jul 30, 2009)

But....but....the terrerists! The terrerists win if you don't spend stupid amounts of taxpayer money!!!!!! You're all unpatriotic for questioning your governmental betters!!


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## HoustonKid (Dec 29, 2005)

This tread did not go the way I intended. I hope a fellow 2cooler does not lose business because some other 2cooler thought it would be a great idea to turn the media on to his business and these SUVs. 

If you like it or not, that money would be spent somewhere. If not supporting a local business, then blow on some crack head welfare non-productive member of our society. I would much rather see it spent with a productive member of our local community who employees local individuals and not someone who is going to smoke it in a crack pipe.


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## Mont (Nov 17, 1998)

> I hope a fellow 2cooler does not lose business because some other 2cooler thought it would be a great idea to turn the media on to his business and these SUVs.


There's a large media presence here. I can't count the times I have seen things posted here and shortly afterwards it winds up in a newspaper, magazine or on TV. The same goes for LEO's. I get some interesting phone calls and emails, to say the least.


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## swifty (May 13, 2005)

Mont said:


> There's a large media presence here. I can't count the times I have seen things posted here and shortly afterwards it winds up in a newspaper, magazine or on TV. The same goes for LEO's. *I get some interesting phone calls and emails, to say the least.*


Bet you do have to put up with some BS like that. Thank you Sir for providing this forum, just know we all appreciate what you do.


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## HarborHustler (Nov 30, 2011)

I used to work there.... they guy that owns it now hunts down government and public safety department contracts, the money that is paid for those is outrageous. once you start building trucks like that and realize that you used to pay over a 300% markup having a shop do it for you you will start buying more tools to do everything yourself. i have seen so many massive 4x4's come out of that place and go to government, police, fire, ect., a few before hurricane Ike i know for a fact that were massive trucks for the local government yet you never saw them helping the local people in need after that storm. waste of our money.... completely agreed!


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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

How much money on the work done and parts would you think? To me it looks like that stuff could have hit 35-40k per truck.


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## HarborHustler (Nov 30, 2011)

if i had to guess at least 10 grand a pop. when i was there we did a solid axle swap on a chevy hd, on 40's with rims, twin shocks all the way around with reservoirs, gears and lockers, bumpers, lights, roll bar, and custom steering for all around 27 grand. and a lot of that was custom work and not buying everything out for the independent front suspension like those are. that costs more. so the cost on those i would say are around 29-38 thou each. estimating, i dont know the current shop rates as its been a fat few minutes since i worked in that field.


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

HarborHustler said:


> i have seen so many massive 4x4's come out of that place and go to government, police, fire, ect., a few before hurricane Ike i know for a fact that were massive trucks for the local government yet you never saw them helping the local people in need after that storm. waste of our money.... completely agreed!


Here is ours that came from there. It does and has helped out us as well as the public. So not all are a waste of money. 









And now a question, Did you actually work or ride with any of the FD's, PD's or other Governmental agencies after Ike and confirm with your on eye that all or any of the "massive" vehicles you speak of were not used?

Or are you just another poster on the know it all bandwagon?

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## HarborHustler (Nov 30, 2011)

being that all those vehicles sat outside the shop with one in the last bay of the shop for around 3 months, then disappeared never to be seen again, then i would say yes. as well as yes i was here in the after math, helping with all i could. i never said the fire dept or any of the vehicles are not being used. just a few of the ungodly expensive machines seem to be no where in sight. I can see where money is well spent, and i agree that it is needed, but we dont have to outfit our police force with Ferraris now do we? That is a nice truck, and i am glad to see the fire department has made it useful! i always support our public servants and commend them on it, and i thank you for your contributions to the community. But there are bad apples everywhere, not all of em, but a few. i have even watched a league city FD truck haul tail down hwy96 lights n sirens goin just to turn em off when he got a block away from his house on his way home. and yes i saw the whole trip home too. i can only speak for me, but i never like to see wasted funds, and i guess if theres a news story we will see how this one turns out. but if these are for airport public safety, im not sure i really see a need for these trucks to be set up this way.


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

I agree, waste of money if indeed they were built for security. But no one knows yet, though we all will after tonight. lol

If all The Shop did was install lift kits on them, then that would be about $2500 a piece plus tires and rims. If those are 38", then they cost about $450 each with another $350 a rim. 

Labor for my IFS lift kit to install was right about $1200, so I do not see those being much higher as the lift kit is all bolt on also. 


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## FOUL HOOKED (Jan 3, 2006)

Steven Dean did a report on Channel 2 last night on them, but I missed it. I dont know why Airport would need a vehicle of that magnitude but earlier mentioned, I do need a ferrari because my 06 Crown Vic has one leg in the dirt. Dont worry, its going to auction and Im getting a Charger with a Hemi. Cant wait, gotta be better then my vic. I'd rather have one of those Suburbans though. I can make stops in one of those


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## jamisjockey (Jul 30, 2009)

HC said:


> This tread did not go the way I intended. I hope a fellow 2cooler does not lose business because some other 2cooler thought it would be a great idea to turn the media on to his business and these SUVs.
> 
> If you like it or not, that money would be spent somewhere. If not supporting a local business, then blow on some crack head welfare non-productive member of our society. I would much rather see it spent with a productive member of our local community who employees local individuals and not someone who is going to smoke it in a crack pipe.


Horse manure. That money is ours. We shouldn't be tolerant of it being confiscated and spent in ANY frivolous fashion. There is no justification for the airport system to have pimped 4x4's. If the need for modified vehicles is there, it certainly could have been accomplished without all the flashy ****.
And don't be mistaken: many local business are complicity in the fleecing of the government. Government contacts and expenditures are rife with waste, fraud and abuse.
By the way, this is the same airport that has laid off employees this year. There are broken and corroded runway lights at some of the smaller airports. Lights that arent being replaced because "there's no money for that." But hey, lets pimp the airport director's rides!!!!!
:headknock


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## jamisjockey (Jul 30, 2009)

FireEater said:


> Here is ours that came from there. It does and has helped out us as well as the public. So not all are a waste of money.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Fireeater: look at your fd truck and then at the airport ones. The fd truck has black painted rims and regular shocks. Wth does the airport need all that chrome for? So they can smash a $400 rim on an underwater rock after a hurricane?
If the need is there, fine. But your example only proves the point more. The fd truck is an example of rugged utility. The airport trucks are examples of bureaucratic excess run amok.


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## ComeFrom? (May 21, 2004)

I remember when I was your age. I used to spank my monkey a lot too. :spineyes:


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## HarborHustler (Nov 30, 2011)

well id love to find out the out come guys but.... im hittin the kemah channel for some reds tonight! 
and as for cost fire you may be right, i worked under the previous owner, and of course i picked high quality parts pricing, stainless braided brake lines, lockers, gears, rims, tires, lift, steering upgrade, possible body lift, lighting ect. i know the rims are a good chunk of change, and nitto mud grapplers arent exactly bargain shelf items. the shocks on there are pretty pricey and so forth. back when i did that work we left no stone unturned. it was a mean bad a** reliable machine and everything worked together. i dunno, i always liked turning out high end trucks lol. but i am a bargain kinda guy... even today i tend to fabricate my own stuff! i guess we will see. but for now IM FISHIN!


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## Ox Eye (Dec 17, 2007)

I struck up a conversation with a State Trooper buying some boots at Gander. We were winding the talk down outside by his vehicle when I noticed his tires. I told him I appreciate the job he does and that I would like for him to keep on doing it, but, with those tires, that not may be very long. The tread was so thin you could count the ply. He tells me he's been on the replace tires list for over a month. And he says the state it tight on money. 

I see why. Screwed up priorities.


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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

http://www.click2houston.com/news/H...ions/-/1735978/5020950/-/hvhh6az/-/index.html

If even half of this is accurate, somebody's got some splaining to do.


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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

dwilliams35 said:


> http://www.click2houston.com/news/H...ions/-/1735978/5020950/-/hvhh6az/-/index.html
> 
> If even half of this is accurate, somebody's got some splaining to do.


Well I'm glad this annoyed more than just me. This was out of control spending at its finest.


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

Two things so far.



> "Those are for high school kids with rich daddies," said a veteran of building customized off-road trucks, who was involved in upgrading the airport trucks.


Whoever said this, works for The Shop and is a plain idiot. Hopefully his idiotic self reads this and/or gets fired. Not only an idiotic statement, but bad for their business.

Secondly, at least no tax money was used. 


> Airport staffing and vehicle purchases are not paid by general fund tax dollars. The money comes from an "Enterprise Fund" that receives money from airport parking and from fees tacked onto each airline ticket.


They were great looking trucks, but apparently not for them. Looks like it all worked out and precautions are in place to keep something like that from happening again.


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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

FireEater said:


> Two things so far.
> 
> Whoever said this, works for The Shop and is a plain idiot. Hopefully his idiotic self reads this and/or gets fired. Not only an idiotic statement, but bad for their business.


Probably bad for business, but not all that inaccurate: that's a pretty good assessment of just who would more often than not buy something like that. As the article said, they weren't really set up for their "intended purposes", but just to look some punk's idea of "good": somebody wanted a toy and had a bunch of public money to pay for it.



FireEater said:


> Secondly, at least no tax money was used.


 It was public money, paid in accordance with a governmental ordinance. You can call it "no tax money" all you want to, the net effect is the same despite the semantics: it was a misuse of money which had been appropriated from the public by a governmental body. Somebody should be prosecuted. It looks like a tax, smells like a tax, walks like a tax.....



FireEater said:


> They were great looking trucks, but apparently not for them. Looks like it all worked out and precautions are in place to keep something like that from happening again.


 It "all worked out"????? Are you freakin' serious? Thirty grand to put a bunch of mall-crawler bling on the trucks, twenty grand to take it off. That's fifty grand of taxpayer money quite simply down the tubes for NO good reason. I also will remain skeptical that any mechanism is in place which will effectively "keep something like that from happening again"... Governmental bodies abhor restrictions, and will do anything to circumvent them. This is no different.


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

dwilliams35 said:


> but not all that inaccurate: that's a pretty good assessment of just who would more often than not buy something like that.


Not anymore than any other type of toy, be it a rice burner, sports car, or a hot rod.

All the guys I know around town with big trucks have paid for them out of their own pockets. Granted most of them are old like me, but I know a few youngsters also. lol



dwilliams35 said:


> It was public money, paid in accordance with a governmental ordinance. You can call it "no tax money" all you want to, the net effect is the same despite the semantics: it was a misuse of money which had been appropriated from the public by a governmental body. Somebody should be prosecuted. It looks like a tax, smells like a tax, walks like a tax.....


Still not tax money, but I see your point that it is still a misuse of funds.



dwilliams35 said:


> It "all worked out"????? Are you freakin' serious? Thirty grand to put a bunch of mall-crawler bling on the trucks, twenty grand to take it off. That's fifty grand of taxpayer money quite simply down the tubes for NO good reason. I also will remain skeptical that any mechanism is in place which will effectively "keep something like that from happening again"... Governmental bodies abhor restrictions, and will do anything to circumvent them. This is no different.


You just stated everything that has already happened. Did you not read the part of the article where there are precautions in place to keep what you just said from happening again?

So yes, it all worked out and one would think it will not happen again.


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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

FireEater said:


> You just stated everything that has already happened. Did you not read the part of the article where there are precautions in place to keep what you just said from happening again?
> 
> So yes, it all worked out and one would think it will not happen again.


 No one's in jail over it. Thus, it isn't "all worked out". To think that something like this won't happen again is naive in the extreme. This is the public sector we're talking about...


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## boom! (Jul 10, 2004)

This happens every day in every branch of government.


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

It is all worked out according to the article.



> Houston Airport System Director Mario Diaz told Local 2 Investigates that previous managers who no longer work at the airport made the decision to buy and outfit the trucks in that manner.
> "I don't see the need the same way. *They had the best intentions*, but I would disagree with them that we need these types of vehicles," said Diaz.





> Mayor Annise Parker's office said all future vehicle purchases must be approved by the airport director to make sure this does not happen again.


You're wanting more out of this than what has already happened. Seems that their decision is to now re-outfit them for the airport FD.

Plus again, to make sure it does not happen in the future. Though I do agree with you, it is the public sector, so the possibility is always there.

boomgoon is right, it happens everyday in Government. Heck the congressmen getting a pay check every week is a great example of wasteful spending.


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

HAHAHAHAH! I read the article but just now watch the video. I can see why I never watch the news.

Drama drama drama! That news guy is a schmuck.

"The way a teenager with a *rich daddy* would want it to look"

haha! Priceless news reporting right there folks!


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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

FireEater said:


> It is all worked out according to the article.
> 
> You're wanting more out of this than what has already happened. Seems that their decision is to now re-outfit them for the airport FD.
> 
> ...


So you're perfectly fine with fifty K of public money vaporized. For nothing but the ego of some "ex managers", and a subsequent attempt by their replacements to sweep their malfeasance under the rug, which happens to have gotten exposed..

Considering this "worked out" is a big part of what is wrong with this country: the entire concept of "use it or lose it" is probably responsible for half of our public budgets being utterly wasted: heaven forbid we should demand accountability rather than just a sincere "oopsie" and "no harm no foul".... Yes, it happens every day in government: THAT IS THE PROBLEM......

That's freakin' pathetic.

Sorry, I guess I just hold public servants to a higher standard than you do.


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## HoustonKid (Dec 29, 2005)

So who on here blew the whistle to channel 2? I know someone on here did so fess up and take your credit. Some will love you some won't. It was not me.


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## reeltimer (Feb 5, 2010)

Mont said:


> There's a large media presence here. I can't count the times I have seen things posted here and shortly afterwards it winds up in a newspaper, magazine or on TV. The same goes for LEO's. I get some interesting phone calls and emails, to say the least.


This was topic on the boat a few weeks ago.I notice that quite a few newsworthy items end up on 2cool and then magical appear in print or on the talking box.So Mont when is the 2cool TV coming?


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

dwilliams35 said:


> No one's in jail over it. Thus, it isn't "all worked out". To think that something like this won't happen again is naive in the extreme. This is the public sector we're talking about...


If I'm not mistaken, FireEater works in the public sector. It is not surprising that he might not comprehend how ALL of the funds in the public sector are in one way or another confiscated from the private sector through taxes and fees (with the exception of donations to different charities etc.)...to say it is "all worked out" is near insanity. $50k is pee'd away and that is "all worked out".


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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

Why on earth did they spend even more reverting them back? They should sell them and buy late 90s suburbans used.


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## Profish00 (May 21, 2004)

Google anything, 2cool pops up.


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## HarborHustler (Nov 30, 2011)

i was even looking at the 149 grand originally paid for them, "specially equipped"... i know what business i wanna get into! d*** thats a lot of scratch for a suburban police/offroad package or not!


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## boom! (Jul 10, 2004)

HarborHustler said:


> i was even looking at the 149 grand originally paid for them, "specially equipped"... i know what business i wanna get into! d*** thats a lot of scratch for a suburban police/offroad package or not!


Have you priced trucks recently?


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## trodery (Sep 13, 2006)

Heads should ROLL!!!


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

dwilliams35 said:


> So you're perfectly fine with fifty K of public money vaporized. For nothing but the ego of some "ex managers", and a subsequent attempt by their replacements to sweep their malfeasance under the rug, which happens to have gotten exposed..
> 
> Considering this "worked out" is a big part of what is wrong with this country: the entire concept of "use it or lose it" is probably responsible for half of our public budgets being utterly wasted: heaven forbid we should demand accountability rather than just a sincere "oopsie" and "no harm no foul".... Yes, it happens every day in government: THAT IS THE PROBLEM......
> 
> ...


Dude, the user title fits you well.

Yes, I do have a problem with it but I nor you can do nothing about it. Again, when I say it is worked out, it is from their standpoint.

Now you go ahead and contact the new Director and demand accountability for it since you seem to be pretty adamant about it. Then come back and post here to let us know how it worked out for you.

And yes, I have been down that road of reporting mismanagement of funds by the former fire chief. I went into the whistle blowers program, which did me no good. It was a federal offense on his behalf, the City did nothing about it, folks in Washington took no action, but the chief did. He remembered what I did plus other things we as Union members did to try and keep him in line.

As trodery said, "Heads should ROLL!!!" and they did, MINE. He eventually fired me and I was out for 9 months. Arbitrator put me back to work. City later settled my Federal Lawsuit against them for a pretty penny. Which by the way, before any of you jump, the Mayor set the price, not me. He took it upon himself to apologize and make it all right for me and my family.

The fire chief did not even bother to face me when I was terminated. He had the secretary give me the letter while he stayed behind his closed office door. He then "had" to leave the next day and that was the end of his career here. But the damage was done and I had to go through the motions to get back to work.

The reason he put on my termination letter for firing me, "Filing a complaint with the EEOC."

So, I am not that "freakin' pathetic" as I have been down that long road and it all started when I tried to hold a Government Employee, A Fire Chief, accountable for misappropriations of Tax Dollars.



jeffscout said:


> to say it is "all worked out" is near insanity. $50k is pee'd away and that is "all worked out".


Same for you, then contact them and tell them they have not worked it all out, because from what I read and quoted from the article they did work it out.



> Mary Case, the general manager at Intercontinental Airport, told Local 2 Investigates, "We're always looking at ways to gain efficiencies and so we're going to repurpose them and put them back into the fleet."





> She said the three vehicles will be moved into service as airport fire station vehicles, which should recoup some of the money. She said three vehicles that were set to be purchased in the upcoming budget year will no longer be needed for airport fire stations since these trucks will be used there.





> Houston City Council Member Ed Gonzalez said, "No one wants to be spending money (that way)" but he said he has confidence in the airport's current managers.





> Mayor Annise Parker's office said all future vehicle purchases must be approved by the airport director to make sure this does not happen again.


Now you two seriously did not read any of that from the article? Because the quotes above sure do seem as if they worked it all out. I can truthfully tell you that we have not nor will we ever hear this whole story, from what I have seen here at this department.

Things get swept away, pushed into a closet, wiped clean so to speak. They fixed it in their eyes, they worked it all out in their eyes. And I can guarantee you, in their eyes it is none of our business. 18 years on the Union Executive Board, neck deep in politics, I've seen it all and it can and will burn you out trying to hold them all accountable.

In the meantime, relax and enjoy Christmas.



HarborHustler said:


> i was even looking at the 149 grand originally paid for them, "specially equipped"... i know what business i wanna get into! d*** thats a lot of scratch for a suburban police/offroad package or not!


I'm pretty sure that was for all three. Most likely a package deal through a dealership just as we do. So that is about $50,000 a piece.


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## speckle-catcher (May 20, 2004)

FireEater said:


> Dude, the user title fits you well.
> 
> Yes, I do have a problem with it but I nor you can do nothing about it. Again, when I say it is worked out, it is from their standpoint.
> 
> ...


Too many words...not enough care.


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

Good thing it wasn't directed at you then, huh?


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## speckle-catcher (May 20, 2004)

if it was directed at a specific person, maybe you should learn to use the "private" message system.


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## HarborHustler (Nov 30, 2011)

actually i have, lol


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

Taxes....
How they spend our tax dollars...
I believe that is a huge driver behind this thread.

The only way I can think of right now that I don't mind how they spend my tax dollars is on veterans benefits. I am not a veteran, but I appreciate those who are. Probably more money should be spent that direction, and since the government is doing it I feel sure it could be done better.


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

speckle-catcher said:


> if it was directed at a specific person, maybe you should learn to use the "private" message system.


You quoted everything I posted and then said, "To many words, not enough care."

So I apologize If I took that as a post directed at me.

Sent from my iPhone 4 using Tapatalk


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## Teamgafftop13 (Mar 6, 2011)

16" lift with 40" Nitto Mud Grapplers.....should have gone with an independent suspension package....great tires tho, My buddy used to have these on his 2wd F150, never once got it stuck, and we put that truck through hell and back, even took it down to big shell past the 4x4 marker on PINS, probably some of the best mud tires out there next to Super Swampers.....so if these trucks are used for the right purpose, then they should be fine, im sure they can get through a lot rougher situations than most folks think.....agreed, still a waste of tax payers dollars, but they could still serve a valid purpose......Airport high water rescue is not a valid purpose..... heres a pic of My buddy's old F150 after taking it for a run down PINS (6" sky Jacker Lift Kit, and 36" Nitto Mud Grappler tires....the Fx4 sticker is a fake)


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## Bay Bass (Sep 4, 2011)

2wd on sand is hard. My truck doesn't like to turn.


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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

FireEater said:


> Dude, the user title fits you well.
> 
> Yes, I do have a problem with it but I nor you can do nothing about it. Again, when I say it is worked out, it is from their standpoint.
> 
> Now you go ahead and contact the new Director and demand accounta... blah blah blah.


You really just don't get it, do you? 50K of our money is vaporized because some bunch of punks wanted some mall crawlers in their parking lot. That will NEVER be worked out until it's paid back or somebody is in jail. Your little whinefest about your inability to make your whistleblower status stick, etc. has no bearing on the fact that ANYONE who considers this "worked out" is quite simply part of the problem, and not the solution. The second we as taxpayers accept this, along with their whiny little "no harm no foul" excuse, we have given up any hope of having even the slightest hint of accountability among our public servants. We've gotten into a self-entrenched bureaucracy among ALL levels and facets of government where it is simply considered an entitlement to have whatever the heck they want, and there's just a blank grant check out there to pay for it. If somebody says something, don't worry about it, that same blank check will pay for a bunch of lawyers and a huge settlement and nobody will bat an eye; no personal responsibility or accountability whatsoever.

We've got this little exercise in criminal governmental irresponsibility, we've got the DPS boats, and we've got a firefighter trying to tell us that it's not tax money because it doesn't say "tax" on it and to just shut up because "it's all worked out"....

Sorry, pal, I'm not going to be a good little subject and keep my mouth shut when people that work for me, paid with money that came directly out of my pocket, are acting like an irresponsible fourteen year old girl with daddy's credit card.

Will any of my complaints make a difference? I have no idea. Enough people complain, something occasionally happens. The only sure thing here is that if NOBODY complains, the problem just gets worse.

This system is screwed up. Badly.


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

dwilliams35 said:


> You really just don't get it, do you?


Pretty sure you don't either, but good luck. I agree with you on this subject, but you still only nit pick the tax dollar issue.

Guess what? A waste of money is a waste of money, no matter if you call it tax money or not.

I'm moving on, this brick wall has gotten to high for me.


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## jeffscout (Jun 22, 2004)

FireEater said:


> Guess what? A waste of money is a waste of money, no matter if you call it tax money or not.


Big difference.

You can personally pee all of your money away on cheap whiskey and women, cards and cocaine. It makes no difference to me if you decide to live in an auctioned FEMA trailer in San Leon and work odd jobs to make your monthly lot rent and spend the rest on scratch offs.

Where it becomes an issue is when I, and other taxpayers, have to subsidize your poor decisions through taxpayer "programs." My money is confiscated from me by a government entity (income tax, sales tax, property tax, "emergency services district" tax, drainage district, etc.) and then a bureaucrat decides how to spend my money. In this case, they wastefully bought a three vehicles for which they had no use...that is a waste of MY money.


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## Tennif Shoe (Aug 11, 2011)

why didn't they sell these trucks to a teen with a rich daddy and buy 4 or 5 more new trucks?


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## travis12 (May 21, 2004)

The tires, rims and Lift Kit are all up for auction.

http://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/all,tx/auction/view?auc=692020
http://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/all,tx/auction/view?auc=691284


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