Want to party in a Cockaboose? They cost more than a house — but, boy, are they sweet
March 18, 2019
THE STATE REPORT
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COLUMBIA, SC Got a spare 400 grand burning a hole in your pocket? Step right up. Your Cockaboose awaits!
A rare real estate opportunity has come up, and if you manage to round up enough pennies, you could be the proud new owner of not one but two of Columbia’s iconic Cockaboose tailgating cars at the University of South Carolina football stadium grounds.
Cockabooses No. 16 and No. 17 are for sale as a pair for $399,000. The two cars are unique because they are conjoined in a corner with more than 600 square feet of outdoor deck space set up between them. Each car has a bathroom, full-sized refrigerator and kitchen area.
Eight surface parking spaces — which come at a premium around Williams-Brice Stadium, sometimes selling for tens of thousands of dollars apiece — are included in the sales price. Plus, the cars come with five TVs, heating and air conditioning.
“They’re just iconic. No other university has anything like it, and an opportunity to own one doesn’t” come around often, said John Saunders, one of the co-owners of the Cockabooses for sale.
A third Cockaboose, car No. 21, also is listed for sale for $259,000 in a separate Craigslist posting by another owner.
It’s not often Cockabooses (Cockabeese?) go up for sale. Sometimes, they’re passed along within families for years.
On the rare occasions they do hit the market, the famous railroad tailgating cars typically don’t sell cheap. In 2006, for instance, Cockaboose No. 4, along with a Touchdown Zone parking space, was put on the market for $300,000, The State reported at the time.
For comparison, the median price of homes for sale in the Columbia area is $184,900, according to Zillow.
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Saunders’ family and three others jumped at the chance to purchase a pair of Cockabooses several years ago, Saunders said.
“It was something everybody aspired to. They were just so cool,” said Saunders, an international pilot who lives in Greenville. “We all just told each other as friends, hey, we need to do that one day.”
The four co-owning families are full of Gamecock grads and diehard fans, and their children are USC grads or current students, too.
Saunders was a student at USC when the first Cockabooses were installed just outside Williams-Brice Stadium in 1990. The first 20 cars, unfurnished, sold for $45,000 apiece; they sold out in two days, The State reported.
The allure of the Cockabooses was immediate and has endured. They are a unique icon in all of college football culture, and they’ve become a beloved tradition and symbol of USC football and tailgating. Even Darius Rucker, he of Hootie and Gamecock idolization, is sometimes seen tailgating at the Cockabooses.
After years of good times, some of the partner families’ situations have changed, and Saunders’ group thought it best to sell the cars and move on, Saunders said.
Since posting the cars for sale on Craigslist a little over a week ago, Saunders said he’s already received several bites, including from as far away as Dallas.
You can find Saunders’ listing for Cockabooses No. 16 and No. 17 at craigslist.org.
March 18, 2019
THE STATE REPORT
.mcclatchy-embed{position:relative;padding:40px 0 56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%}.mcclatchy-embed iframe{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%}
COLUMBIA, SC Got a spare 400 grand burning a hole in your pocket? Step right up. Your Cockaboose awaits!
A rare real estate opportunity has come up, and if you manage to round up enough pennies, you could be the proud new owner of not one but two of Columbia’s iconic Cockaboose tailgating cars at the University of South Carolina football stadium grounds.
Cockabooses No. 16 and No. 17 are for sale as a pair for $399,000. The two cars are unique because they are conjoined in a corner with more than 600 square feet of outdoor deck space set up between them. Each car has a bathroom, full-sized refrigerator and kitchen area.
Eight surface parking spaces — which come at a premium around Williams-Brice Stadium, sometimes selling for tens of thousands of dollars apiece — are included in the sales price. Plus, the cars come with five TVs, heating and air conditioning.
“They’re just iconic. No other university has anything like it, and an opportunity to own one doesn’t” come around often, said John Saunders, one of the co-owners of the Cockabooses for sale.
A third Cockaboose, car No. 21, also is listed for sale for $259,000 in a separate Craigslist posting by another owner.
It’s not often Cockabooses (Cockabeese?) go up for sale. Sometimes, they’re passed along within families for years.
On the rare occasions they do hit the market, the famous railroad tailgating cars typically don’t sell cheap. In 2006, for instance, Cockaboose No. 4, along with a Touchdown Zone parking space, was put on the market for $300,000, The State reported at the time.
For comparison, the median price of homes for sale in the Columbia area is $184,900, according to Zillow.
.mcclatchy-embed{position:relative;padding:40px 0 56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%}.mcclatchy-embed iframe{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%}
Saunders’ family and three others jumped at the chance to purchase a pair of Cockabooses several years ago, Saunders said.
“It was something everybody aspired to. They were just so cool,” said Saunders, an international pilot who lives in Greenville. “We all just told each other as friends, hey, we need to do that one day.”
The four co-owning families are full of Gamecock grads and diehard fans, and their children are USC grads or current students, too.
Saunders was a student at USC when the first Cockabooses were installed just outside Williams-Brice Stadium in 1990. The first 20 cars, unfurnished, sold for $45,000 apiece; they sold out in two days, The State reported.
The allure of the Cockabooses was immediate and has endured. They are a unique icon in all of college football culture, and they’ve become a beloved tradition and symbol of USC football and tailgating. Even Darius Rucker, he of Hootie and Gamecock idolization, is sometimes seen tailgating at the Cockabooses.
After years of good times, some of the partner families’ situations have changed, and Saunders’ group thought it best to sell the cars and move on, Saunders said.
Since posting the cars for sale on Craigslist a little over a week ago, Saunders said he’s already received several bites, including from as far away as Dallas.
You can find Saunders’ listing for Cockabooses No. 16 and No. 17 at craigslist.org.
