| Many people know that government car and vehicle | | | | What I was surprised to discover was the number of |
| auctions (includes police auctions) are a great place to | | | | newer cars in great shape. That is because most of |
| find highly discounted deals on cars and other vehicles. | | | | the payment defaults happen in the early stages of a |
| Want many don't realise is the wide variety of vehicle | | | | loan. For example, if the car is newer and someone |
| types and models available in great condition that are | | | | owes more then the car is worth, they are less |
| auctioned off at a fragment of what they are worth. | | | | motivated to make the payments. If the owner is |
| But can you actually by a vehicle in good shape for | | | | further into paying off the car (car is older) then they |
| less then $200? | | | | have more equity in the vehicle and are more likely to |
| First let me explain the reason as to why these cars | | | | continue payments. |
| are sold at such low prices. It's because the | | | | You can find useful information concerning upcoming |
| government works under a different set of rules then | | | | government and police auctions in your area by |
| businesses trying to buy and sell in order to profit. The | | | | browsing through legitimate government auction sites. |
| government generally has little to no direct costs | | | | They provide you with the details you'll need including |
| involved in obtaining these cars. In the odd case that it | | | | where the auctions are, dates, phones numbers, etc. |
| does have costs (i.e. paying back lenders, | | | | and in some cases provide listings of the upcoming |
| repossession costs, etc.) the government is not | | | | auctions. So how do you know if a government |
| concerned on making a margin such as a car | | | | auction site is legitimate? |
| dealership would be. They are simply trying to liquidate | | | | Because there are so many auction sites on the net I |
| their inventory of vehicles, to retrieve quick money and | | | | recommend that you check with a government |
| reduce vehicle storage costs. | | | | auction review site that specializes in providing free |
| So where do all these cars and vehicles come from? | | | | evaluations of these sites. They will differentiate |
| You're probably imagining a 'repo man' who is stealing | | | | between the sites that have updated and accurate |
| back a car that the owner defaulted payments on or | | | | information on auctions listings versus the sites that are |
| a drug bust in which vehicles were confiscated. | | | | misleading and uninformative. Unfortunately I estimate |
| Congratulations TV has educated you, but they also | | | | for every 1 good site there are probably 5 that are |
| come from other sources such as government | | | | scams. |
| surpluses. This is where government or government | | | | In summary, if you're looking to purchase a new car or |
| agency purchases a new vehicle to perform a project | | | | vehicle for either personal use or to resell them |
| of public service and then that vehicle is no longer | | | | attending a government auction is a given. Why buy |
| required. So when you consider the wide range of | | | | from a used dealership that may have bought the car |
| sources these vehicles are obtained from it's not | | | | from a government auction in the first place. |
| surprising that there is such a wide variety available at | | | | Surprisingly the majority of people are still not aware |
| these auctions. | | | | of these auctions because they are typically not |
| Government car auctions are held often in many | | | | advertised. |
| locations all across the country. They are sometimes | | | | In answer to the $200 dollar question, I have seen |
| held online but I would recommend attending an actual | | | | many winter beaters sell for as low as $200 but I |
| live government or police auction so that you can | | | | personally feel the best values are from the 2-5 year |
| inspect the vehicle before you decide if it's what you | | | | old cars and vehicles in great condition that sell for |
| want and that it's in the kind of shape you expect. | | | | $2,000-$6,500, depending on make and model. |