by Joshua Rose
There are some negatives when it comes to buying a vehicle at a government car auction. But there is also a key positive which makes them very worthwhile for car buyers interested in saving quite a bit of money.
My own opinion is that buying at government car auctions will likely take some patience. So, they may not be an answer for someone who needs a car "yesterday". This isn't to say that you will not find what you are looking for immediately ... and get an outstanding price on it as well. But it's more likely to take some time. I usually advise people to plan for a one to three month process. Here's why:
The fact is, there aren't a whole lot of government auctions. It's not like driving around from Dealer to Dealer on a Saturday afternoon. Government auctions usually take place once a month (although there are some in large cities that take place more frequently). I've seen some auctions that only occur quarterly.
In addition, the selection is much more limited than what you may be used to. So, you may have to wait if there is a particular year, make and model you're looking for.
This is less true if you are simply looking for cheap transportation and are not insistent on a particular make or model. It's also quite easy to quickly find higher mileage vehicles or vehicles that will need some repair work that sell for a few hundred dollars.
But if you're looking for a low-mileage vehicle in good condition, while they certainly exist at these auctions, they're simply not in the numbers you'd see on a Dealer lot.
Also, while there are exceptions, a majority of the vehicles will be American cars. This is because these are primarily what government agencies use. The exceptions are usually "seized vehicles", often taken by the IRS or state and local municipalities for back taxes. Police departments also seize vehicles and these show up at auctions as well. But again, not in large numbers.
My own preference is to buy and then resell auction vehicles to make money. I'm not a "fixer-upper" so I'm only interested in low-mileage cars.
Usually, I'll eliminate about 85% of the cars just in looking over the pre-sale list. But there are always some nice ones to "cherry pick".
For example, here's just a few I spotted for an upcoming auction:
2003 Oldsmobile Alero with 17,492 miles
2000 Ford Taurus with 31,667 miles
2006 Chevrolet Tahoe with 23,220 miles
1998 Ford Windstar with 31,452 miles
2002 Kia Rio with 47,122 miles
2000 Mazda Protege with 13,112 miles
2000 Ford Focus with 35,438 miles
There's no question that buying at a government car auction offers perhaps the best prices available anywhere. But those interested in getting a bargain or two for themselves should also know that it may not happen immediately and plan accordingly.
There are some negatives when it comes to buying a vehicle at a government car auction. But there is also a key positive which makes them very worthwhile for car buyers interested in saving quite a bit of money.
My own opinion is that buying at government car auctions will likely take some patience. So, they may not be an answer for someone who needs a car "yesterday". This isn't to say that you will not find what you are looking for immediately ... and get an outstanding price on it as well. But it's more likely to take some time. I usually advise people to plan for a one to three month process. Here's why:
The fact is, there aren't a whole lot of government auctions. It's not like driving around from Dealer to Dealer on a Saturday afternoon. Government auctions usually take place once a month (although there are some in large cities that take place more frequently). I've seen some auctions that only occur quarterly.
In addition, the selection is much more limited than what you may be used to. So, you may have to wait if there is a particular year, make and model you're looking for.
This is less true if you are simply looking for cheap transportation and are not insistent on a particular make or model. It's also quite easy to quickly find higher mileage vehicles or vehicles that will need some repair work that sell for a few hundred dollars.
But if you're looking for a low-mileage vehicle in good condition, while they certainly exist at these auctions, they're simply not in the numbers you'd see on a Dealer lot.
Also, while there are exceptions, a majority of the vehicles will be American cars. This is because these are primarily what government agencies use. The exceptions are usually "seized vehicles", often taken by the IRS or state and local municipalities for back taxes. Police departments also seize vehicles and these show up at auctions as well. But again, not in large numbers.
My own preference is to buy and then resell auction vehicles to make money. I'm not a "fixer-upper" so I'm only interested in low-mileage cars.
Usually, I'll eliminate about 85% of the cars just in looking over the pre-sale list. But there are always some nice ones to "cherry pick".
For example, here's just a few I spotted for an upcoming auction:
2003 Oldsmobile Alero with 17,492 miles
2000 Ford Taurus with 31,667 miles
2006 Chevrolet Tahoe with 23,220 miles
1998 Ford Windstar with 31,452 miles
2002 Kia Rio with 47,122 miles
2000 Mazda Protege with 13,112 miles
2000 Ford Focus with 35,438 miles
There's no question that buying at a government car auction offers perhaps the best prices available anywhere. But those interested in getting a bargain or two for themselves should also know that it may not happen immediately and plan accordingly.
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