Rides for the dead on sale

Chad Bryan, Gleaner Writer

IT IS commonplace to see motor vehicles parked by the roadside with 'For Sale' signs on them. A pair of hearses is another matter entirely.

"Don't you laugh when the hearse goes by cause you might be next to die" is a line from the Hearse Song, a United States (US) children's song. The lyric comes to mind while journeying through Crescent District, Damhead, outside Spanish Town, as two hearses are parked along the main road.

These eerie limousine-like vehicles, belonging to Allen's Casket and Funeral Services located near to where the hearses are parked, are up for sale. Funeral director Christopher Allen explained that the vehicles were put up for sale after his business acquired more hearses and his garage is now unable to hold them.

The 1977 Victoria Cadillac is being sold for $200,000 and the 1977 Chevrolet Caprice is being sold for $300,000.

Allen said that both hearses needed some work but they are operational and still roadworthy. "The Cadillac wants some major body work but it will start and drive. The Caprice just wants a battery to start and drive and it needs to be licenced and insured," Allen said.

The Cadillac has been in its roadside spot since last year September and the Caprice from the earlier part of January this year.

There was a thought of scrapping both vehicles for parts, but Allen does not want to do this. "I don't want to scrap them yet. I'm not going to scrap the Caprice; it just needs a battery. I was thinking about scrapping the Cadillac, however," he said.

Both vehicles have V8 engines with automatic transmissions.

When Automotives spoke with him on Friday, Allen said he had just got a call from someone who runs a funeral home in Montego Bay, who wants to buy the Chevrolet. Earlier in the week, there was interest from someone who wanted to buy the Cadillac to restore as a vintage vehicle. "He said he would change the door and bonnett. He would go to America and buy some used doors off some cars," Allen said.

There has been sustained interest, although Allen said the initial cost may have put off potential buyers. At first, the Cadillac was going for $280,000 and the Chevrolet for $350,000.

He pointed out that hearses are not sold ready-made in Jamaica. They have to be brought in from the US, or a vehicle bought locally and then modified. He has done the latter with the vehicles he now uses for funerals, a Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Avalanche. Allen got into the funeral services businesses by initially making and supplying caskets in bulk. Then he acquired hearses for rental to funeral homes when they needed extra vehicles.

Now he has gone a step further to offer the "full package".

Hearses are handcrafted by companies that take the bodies of existing cars and customise them, making them longer and adding special- purpose parts in a process much like making a limousine. Hearse makers seemingly prefer to use luxury vehicles from companies such as Cadillac, Lincoln and Buick.

Allen pointed to generation changes, saying that the vehicles he has up for sale were getting older and people saying "where you going with that?".

"The younger generation now, they want chariot a draw and the dead a show. If you buy a hearse new for $7 million, a well-built 2013 Cadillac, the young people say no, them want chariot. Them no realise them family a drive in a fully loaded luxury vehicle, full air-conditioning. A man just get a box and glass and have a F150 a draw it with loudspeaker," he said.

Still, Allen said, "the older generation don't want that. You still have a lot of people stick to tradition, want a nice black or silver Caddy".