Police Car Auctions: How to Buy Seized Cars the Correct Way

Police car auctions grow day by day at an alarming rate mostly because police officers seize large numbers of vehicles from drivers all around the country on a daily basis. Seized cars may be taken back by the owner only if he pays the penalty fine within a certain period of time. It often happens that the cars remain in the police garages, as the vehicle owners don’t always have the cash to buy back their cars, meaning that the vehicles will stay in the ownership of the police.

Due to a large number of seized vehicles, police departments occasionally put the cars at auction so they can free up some space. Then is a really good opportunity for the public to buy a used vehicle at a much lower price than it would normally be sold at dealers and independent car sellers.

Pros and cons of police car auctions

When we think about buying a car from a police auction the first thought is that a drug dealer may have owned those cars or they were seized because of an even worse situation. That is a mistake, though. 90% of the vehicles impounded by cops are because of unpaid loans or debts.

Pros

Buying a car at a police car auction can get you an excellent deal. The prices are meager because the police want to remove those vehicles from their fleet as soon as they can so they don’t have to manage the cars anymore, but also to recover some of the money owed by the previous owners.

Cons

There are several disadvantages when buying a car at police auctions. One of them is that there are often way too many people at these events. You may not be able to buy the exact car that you originally wanted. The best deals will obviously be in demand and everyone who knows something about cars will all want to buy them. Try to select a few vehicles so that you can get your hands on at least one.

The other disadvantage is that because of the crowd, you will not be able to inspect the car as much as you’d want to and it is likely that the vehicle is not exactly in the best condition. Since the vehicle has been impounded for a lack of payment, it’s most likely that the previous owner didn’t have the budget to keep it in tip-top shape. However, keep in mind that you are buying these vehicles for a bargain price and your auto mechanic skills should easily make up for that.

Ways to buy a car from police auctions

Before taking any steps towards purchasing a vehicle you need to research all of the police car auctions and their locations. Keep in mind that there’s is a lot of different car auctions and you could always get a better deal at the next auction. Don’t be afraid to go take a look at a car auction first and learn how it works before making your final purchase. Like with pretty much any other situation in life, the experience will make you better with time. Regularly going to car auctions will definitely help learn the ins and outs of car bidding effectively and you’ll get the hang of it in no time.

There are generally two options for police car auctions: live auction or online auction. Both options are similar and open to the public. The auction starts with a starting bid price and the car will go to whoever wins the bidding. The main difference is that you don’t have to be physically present for online auctions.

Live auction

Police car auctions are pretty much the same as any other car auctions. The biggest advantage of this option is that you’ll have the opportunity to see and briefly inspect the vehicles before the auction takes place. You won’t have the chance to test drive the car before you buy it, though. As far as the time frame allows, use it well in order to check the vehicles that you are planning to buy. You should keep in mind that there is quite a lot of fuss around these kinds of auctions. So many people are present, and everyone wants to see and inspect the cars before anyone else. You will be given a numbered sign. and when the time comes to bid for the car of your choice, you’ll only have to pick up the sign and name your price. If no one else bids higher, the car will be yours.

Online auction

The difference between a live auction and an online auction is that you are not physically present at an online auction. The negative side is that you do not have the same opportunity to inspect the vehicle that you are buying. You will only have that opportunity to pop the hood when the car is finally delivered to you.

Transporting the newly purchased car to your home

Vehicles that are seized by police are usually in good enough condition for you to simply buy it and drive it home. But in some cases, the car you just bought may have been sitting in the car impound for long enough so the battery is dead and it just won’t start. If the car isn’t in a condition to be driven, you can always sell it right away to the car junkyard or hire a transportation service.

When buying a vehicle at a car auction, you must be ready to take the car out of the premise right after your hands on the keys. If you plan to drive the car back to your home, going to an auction by yourself is not the best idea. Someone else will have to come with you so that you can transport the two vehicles at the same time. Most people come with a designated driver to drive the newly purchased car back home after the auction.

Another option is to hire a transport company. Using a freight delivery service will save you time and do not expose yourself to additional stress. The major drawback is that you’ll have to make the arrangement with the transport company beforehand, without even knowing if you will actually buy a vehicle that day.

Before you go to the police car auctions, arrange everything with the company in advance like the precise location where to pick up the car and where to deliver it. This is an excellent option if the auction is at a considerable distance from your place of residence or if you are using an online car auction service.

In the end

Police car auctions are a good place to start looking if you are planning on getting your hands on a cheap car with reasonable work needing to be done. Mechanic skills will be a must to keep the overall repair costs as low as possible. If you are lucky enough, you could have little to no repair to perform as vehicles bought at car auctions are sometimes in really good shape. Not everyone expects their car to be impounded so some of them have kept their car perfectly maintained right until it’s been seized. Make sure to inspect it correctly before you buy it so you don’t have an unpleasant surprise when you take delivery of the said car and you could end up getting your hands on one of the best car deals you’ve seen since a long time!

Have a nice shopping and good luck!