It seems that everyone loves the Hummer – the sport utility vehicle made popular by California governor Arnold Schwartzenegger. In case you do not know, the Hummer started out as a military and government vehicle called the Humvee (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle). It was originally built by AM General and the coverage it received during Operation Desert Storm made civilians want to drive one. In 1995 AM General rolled out the first version of the Hummer, the H1.
One that was actually used by CNN during the war in Iraq sold Saturday at an auction for Fisher House Foundation for $1.25 million dollars. Called Warrior One, the Hummer was used by a CNN news team embedded with a Marine unit. The Hummer took heavy fire in April of 2003 and once back from Iraq, it was renovated by The Learning Channel and toured military bases and medical centers. Fisher House Foundation is a very worthy charity, which houses families of patients getting medical care at either a military hospital or VA facility. Just think of it as a Ronald McDonald House for the military.
Who shelled out the big bucks for this Hummer? Founder of Re/Max International, Inc., Dave Liniger won the Hummer. He had been in a bidding war with a businessman from North Dakota and Montana by the name of Dave Ressier, who told Liniger if he won the car, he would threw in an additional quarter of a million for the charity. Liniger has a large car collection, but wanted to add the Hummer because he was a Vietnam veteran and felt that Fisher House Foundation was a great way to help support the military. Fisher House Foundation chairman Ken Fisher told Liniger “God bless you. Thank you very much” as the crowd cheered when the bidding reached $1 million.
If you are thinking about purchasing a Hummer, you can get one for less than $1 million (although it will not be a war veteran). H1 Hummers, like Warrior One, usually go for $129,000 for the open top models and $140,000 for the hard top models. But you will have to buy a used one if you want an H1 – it was discontinued in 2006. However, there is the H2 Hummer and the H3 Hummers, which are currently being sold.