Buffett Turns Chauffeur For Charity

What won’t Warren Buffett, the 76-year-old market deity, do if it amuses him? Well for one thing, he will soon be seen by travelers at Omaha airport donning a chauffeur's cap and parking up his 2001 Lincoln Town Car at the arrivals area to pick up an individual known only as "Bill Zanker."

Actually, it's hardly a surreal state of affairs for the controller of Berkshire Hathaway -- the pick-up is part of a reward for the winning bidder of Buffett's latest charity auction on eBay. Zanker is paying $73,200 for the Lincoln, and proceeds of the sale will go to benefit Girls Inc., a New York-based foundation that provides educational and recreational programs for girls between 6 and 18 in inner cities.

As well as his status of "Sage of Omaha," Buffett is known for online auctions which have included a specially-made, inscribed DQ ukulele and lunch-dates with the billionaire. Last June a Palo Alto, Calif.-based investor named Yongping Duan paid $620,100 for the opportunity to chew the fat with the investment guru -- nearly double the $351,100 winning bid for the previous year's meal.

The latest auction winner takes home a Signature series Town Car with less than 14,000 miles on the odometer, a light beige interior and Buffett's "THRIFTY" license plate on the rear.

The extraodinarily frugal billionaire, had said the auction would be a good use for his roadster. "It's in great shape," he was quoted by The Associated Press as saying. "You couldn't have the money going to a better spot."

Really? If Bill Zanker was looking to make a good investment, he might have been better off stretching his budget to $93,690 for a Class “A” share of Berkshire Hathaway. According to Dave Luther, who gives appraisals at Duffy's Collectible Cars in Cedar Rapids, Indiana, the value of Buffett's car will likely decrease over the next 10 to 20 years.

http://www.forbes.com/2006/09/25/buffett-lincoln-ebay-cx_po_0925autofacescan03.html