When it comes to toilets, Butch Behn doesn’t know much. But he knows a deal when he sees one.

“It’s a toilet, what else do ya wanna know?”

He’s talking about the new self-cleaning automatic toilets installed at his own South Sound Speedway between Tenino and Grand Mound. After the city of Seattle’s plan to use the $1 million-apiece toilets failed, Behn bought all five on eBay for just $12,549.

At the press of a button, the 100-square-foot room cleans itself, flushes and opens for the user. A pre-recorded voice chimes on when the doors close, telling the user they have 10 minutes to use the facility, at which point the doors will open automatically and the toilet will flush again.

The voice still welcomes the user to the city of Seattle, a minor problem Behn wants to fix.

Seattle bought the toilets in 2004 and used them for four years in tourist areas such as Capitol Hill and Pike Place Market. Their plan to provide the free stations to the public failed when they were used for prostitution and drug dealing.

But that problem won’t bother Behn, who said the area around the toilets is too active and open for illegal use.

He said the toilets may be more of a novelty than a need for the race track. But he had no idea how much press and feedback he would get over them.

Behn’s son Nick said the 6.5-ton facilities may even be worth more in scrap metal than what they paid on eBay. Regardless, he said, there’s something luxurious about them.

“Everybody’s gotta take a dump in a million dollar toilet,” Nick said.

The find came via phone call from Behn’s friend, who alerted him to the eBay listing. Being an entrepreneur for most of his life, Behn said the toilets were just too cheap not to buy.

“Say what you want. They’re neat,” he said. “You got one?”

Andy Campbell: (360) 807-8208