It's a nice ride if you don't really need it

SPRINGVALE, Maine - Dan White is used to getting strange looks when he parks the family car: a hearse. But the Springvale man says the black wagon isn't a bad ride, when it's not your last.

White and his wife Gina bought the 1990 Chevrolet Caprice hearse two years ago on eBay. During its 16 years in service at a funeral home in Vermont, it shuttled roughly 15,000 people to their final resting places.

Since then, the vehicle licensed MORBID1 has been something of a soccer mom's car from the other side, ferrying groceries home and teens to the prom. It also earns its keep by giving rides to celebrating divorcees and birthday party guests.

To accommodate the living, White removed part of the back where coffins used to go and installed a minivan seat, DVD player and stereo system. The plush, blood-red upholstery is original.

Jim Parks of Sanford hired the Whites two years ago to drive him and his wife Judy around on her 60th birthday while the couple sipped champagne on their way to a restaurant.

"She was thrilled to have me think of doing something unusual," Parks said. "She would only suggest it, though, for someone with a good sense of humor."