Impound Cars - Police Auctions - Impound Auctions

Is it possible to get good car deals at police impound auctions?

Police auctions and impound sales can be a great place to find car bargains. The cars can range from junk vehicles abandoned by owners, to vehicles seized from lawbreakers. Vehicles of all types can be found at police auctions. Some are late-model luxury vehicles in perfect condition, some older models in not-so-great condition, some damaged or wrecked, and even motorcycles and RV's.

How do I find police auctions?
There are a number of types of police agencies that may hold vehicle auctions and sales in your area. It can be city or county police, sheriff, or state law enforcement, even federal law enforcement agencies such as the DEA, or FBI.

These agencies typically advertise upcoming auctions in local newspapers. If there are a number of local newspapers, the announcements will only be in one of those papers, not all. The announcements are usually made on a specific schedule, such as once a month on a Friday, as an example.

Some auction announcements may provide a fairly detailed list of what will be sold on a particular day. Others are less detailed, or provide no detail at all.

Some police and impound auctions are held directly by the involved agency, while others are conducted by professional auction companies under contract by the agency.

How do I participate in police auctions?
Find out the location of auctions in your area from newspaper ads, or by calling specific police department offices. Go early during the time specified as inspection period, before the auction starts. Typically, you'll have a few hours to look over the inventory for the day's sale.

Bring a used-car value guidebook with you such as those you can purchase in a bookstore. If you have an Apple iPhone, it's a great way to look up car values online while at the auction. You can also check CarFax reports online.

Some police auctions allow up-close inspections and start-up of vehicles. Others are not quite as liberal. In no case, will you be allowed to drive any vehicles. In this sense, impound auctions are a little bit of a gamble. You have to be able to accept the possibility of getting a dud, as a tradeoff for possibly getting lucky with a great deal.

Make sure you understand the rules and procedures of the auction. It can be confusing if you've never done it before. You can attend an auction or two just to get accustomed to the process, without bidding.

If you plan to bid, bring finances to pay for your winning bids. Some auctions may require that you prove your ability to pay before you are allowed to bid. Cash, cashiers check, or line-of-credit documents are acceptable in most cases. Most police auctions require pre-registration, which might require payment of a fee — maybe not. Some may charge a buyer's premium fee on top of the sale price — maybe not.

Remember, police impound auction sales are final and "as-is" which means you can't return your purchase or get a refund if you find problems later.

Summary
Police car auctions can be a source of good used vehicles at great prices, if you know what you're doing and have the stomach for a little excitement and risk.

For more, see the following related articles:    Damaged Cars - Salvage Cars,     Salvage Car Auctions,     and Repo Car Auctions.

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