I talk a lot about colors of cars here, and that’s because I have always preferred colorful cars. I know white and silver are the most popular, but they’re always the last choice for me. Even when it comes to rental cars, I’d rather have a colorful one; this past weekend when I was back in Portland, I had my choice of two otherwise identical Nissan Sentras for a rental car – one white, the other electric blue. Guess which one I chose.
But today, I want to talk about fleet colors, those paint jobs you only see on vehicles owned by a specific agency and used for a specific purpose. Even after they’ve retired from that old job, such cars are instantly recognizable: ex-cop cars are usually black and white, former taxicabs are typically yellow, and old US Forest Service trucks are (or were) painted in Federal Standard 595, color chip 14260 – commonly known as Forest Service Green.
Regular readers know that I own such a truck, and I love it dearly, but it’s driving me nuts at the moment. It has developed a severe misfire/stuttering problem that’s just getting worse, to the point that it now won’t go much over 20 miles an hour. I’ve replaced the whole ignition system – plugs, wires, coil, module, pick-up coil, cap, rotor, everything – as well as the fuel pump, fuel filter, and pump relay. The next step is to tear apart the throttle body, replace all the gaskets, clean the injectors, and rebuild the fuel pressure regulator, to see if that helps. That’s Friday’s project for me.
So I thought, since I found two other ex-Forest Service trucks for sale this morning, that I should feature them, as a show of solidarity, or for good karma. If nothing else, it’s a good excuse to show off my favorite color for old fleet trucks. Let’s check them out.
1987 Dodge Ram 250 – $2,950
Engine/drivetrain: 360 cubic inch OHV V8, four-speed manual, RWD
Location: Salem, OR
Odometer reading: unknown
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Truck body styles tend to have long lifespans. The basic requirements for the design don’t change much, so the only reasons to upgrade are new regulations or fashion trends. Dodge kept this body style in production from 1972 until 1993, with only some minor changes. Lots of flashy stylish variants were offered over the years – Lil Red Express, Warlock, Power Wagon Macho Edition – but I always thought it looked most handsome as a plain-jane work truck. It’s an honest, no-nonsense shape that doesn’t need a lot of adornment.
This truck is a 3/4 ton model, powered by a 360 cubic inch V8 and a four-speed manual. For many years, all Forest Service trucks were manuals, I assume for durability and simplicity reasons; a box of gears and a dry-plate clutch are far less likely to leave you stranded in the boonies than even a simple automatic. This one is only two-wheel-drive, but honestly, I have found that I hardly ever put my truck in 4WD, unless I encounter mud or snow. It’s just not necessary for most stuff. The seller doesn’t give us the mileage, but they think the odometer has only rolled over once. It runs and drives well enough, anyway, and that’s more important than the actual mileage.
Not only are these old Forest Service trucks all green outside, they are all tan inside. I have no idea why. This one is modestly equipped, as befits a working truck, with a bench seat, rubber floors, and manual everything. I imagine that bench seat is tan vinyl under the cover, but we have no way of knowing what condition it’s in. The rest of it looks fine, though, so the cover might just be there to keep the vinyl from getting too hot.
It has some dings and dents outside, and the paint is faded in that blotchy, uneven way that this color always seems to fade, but it isn’t rusty. A lot of the bed space is taken up by three locking tool boxes. If that’s overkill for you, and you need more space for things, you could probably sell the tool boxes and recoup some cost.
1999 Chevrolet Tahoe – $2,500
Engine/drivetrain: 350 cubic inch OHV V8, four-speed automatic, 4WD
Location: Tacoma, WA
Odometer reading: 191,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
I get what the Forest Service used pickup trucks for: grounds and facilities maintenance, mostly, I imagine. I have a harder time understanding what use they might have for an SUV. But I’ve seen plenty of Blazers, Broncos, and Cherokees painted this color, so I suppose a Tahoe is just a newer version of those. Is it just a more comfy way for a park ranger to get around?
This Tahoe breaks the usual Forest Service truck “rules” in one regard: it has an automatic transmission. But Chevy never offered a four-door Tahoe with a manual, only the two-door, which went away after 1995. Its Vortec 350 V8 feeds a shift-on-the-fly 4WD system through GM’s good old 4L60-E automatic. The seller says it runs and drives great, and calls it “quick,” but my guess is they haven’t driven very many truly quick vehicles to compare it to. Hopefully they haven’t been running too many stoplight drag races with it; that’s hard on any car.
It’s definitely a step up from the typical pickups inside, with power windows, locks, and seats. And since it has a back seat, there’s plenty of space for the park ranger to put his pic-a-nic basket. It also has air conditioning, but the seller says it doesn’t work right now. It’s up to you to decide how important that is to fix. Otherwise, it’s all standard GM plastic and mouse fur; not fancy, but durable and comfortable.
I may be biased, but I do think the GMT400 bodystyle wears Forest Service Green particularly well. This one is dull and faded, like they all are, but it’s rust- and damage-free, except a couple of dents. The only problem the seller mentions is that the doors sag and are hard to open; this is a very common issue with a lot of GM cars. It just needs new hinge pins and bushings. They’re cheap and easy to replace.
Old trucks are cool, and while I agree with Matt that two-tone trucks look fantastic, I will always have a soft spot for old fleet trucks, and Forest Service Green will always be my favorite, followed closely by that yellow-green color you sometimes see on old brush fire trucks. If you agree and you want to join the elite ranks of former Forest Service truck ownership, here are two flavors to choose from. Which one is your favorite?
I hope the pickup’s AC is working, if not, I’d rather sweat it out in the Tahoe.
Given that there are three in my family, we could all fit in the front bench were we to load up the truck, and move to Bev-er-lee. Or, whatever I’d do with that stupid thing in my driveway–not much, given that I don’t haul much of anything any more if I can help it.
This was actually difficult- both of these are great but gotta go Dodge due to stick and it being a useful truck. The Tahoe is useful too, plus 4X4, & “supposed” police engine?
I love this green on these of course.
Still gotta stick w/ the truck.
This was hilarious in Tahoe ad:
“I believe because of the police engine in it like on Canyon Road after I dust them they will catch back up to me and look at me with a surprised look on their face ha ha ha”
D-250, that generation of Dodge trucks are some of my absolute favorites. 360, 4 speed and that green is just icing on the cake.
In this case, I’ll go with the Tahoe as it would be more useful to me and it’s cheaper.
Not a huge Dodge guy, but damned if that’s not a honest-to-god truck that would do most everything that trucks were put on this earth to do.
As an owner of a 92 D250 I cannot vote against this generation of Dodge.
Tahoe all day. It looks great and is an all around useful vehicle. It’d be an awesome base for a lovely camping vehicle, nothing crazy like making it an overlander, but something big, comfy, and capable of getting to a site a little further off the paved road than your standard cross over.
One of these remains on my automotive bucket list and I’d snap this one up in a heartbeat if I had the room.
Both!
If I had to choose, Tahoe (though even better if it were a Burb) would be more useful for me.
I do think the Dodge wears the green better, but I think replacing the alloys on the Taho with GM steelies from that era would help with that.
Side note: BOTH of these trucks are bargains. Damn you west-coasters with your rust-free vehicles! Both of these would be rot boxes and still listed for more money in the northeast.
I swear, I need to start an old truck import business.
Forest Service Green is great and all, but CalTrans Orange is a better fleet color, and I’ll fight anyone who says different.
https://images.app.goo.gl/GzHRX5bhVU25KmhJA
I imagine that a some point, some government beancounter realized that fleet colors cost extra and switched to just plain white for cost savings. My ex-USFWS 2002 Silverado was just plain white.
Yeah, today is definitely a “why not both?” day. But if I had to pick one, I’d go for the Tahoe, which is going to far more comfortable and easy to drive.
Got to be the Ram. It’s just a nice honest old truck.
I don’t like how close either of these are to me as both are intriguing. If the Dodge was 4wd it would win.
Seems like a see a shit ton of those old Tahoes around here including one of my neighbors. Obviously they stick around so probably a good deal. But I would go with the truck.
The Tahoe isn’t bad, just big for my needs. The Dodge pickup is appealing.
I think these are both solid trucks for their asking prices. If you need something to tow and carry some people you can go wrong with the Tahoe. My current vehicles have my human and doggo transport needs covered, so I’ll take the cool old green pickup. It has everything I would need in a truck and nothing that I don’t.
If I had any need for a fullsize SUV today would definitely be a both vote but since I don’t my vote went to the Dodge. It’s pretty much perfect for my idea of what a truck needs to be – simple, sturdy, and old enough not to be precious at all – 4WD would be a bonus but really not an issue at all as this truck isn’t taking me to the ski lodge.
That Chevy is a steal! agreed a both option would be great today.