Where to Find Car Auctions
Instant alerts that tell you where to find car auctions in your area are a powerful way to get an amazing car bargain.
All over the US, government and police car auctions are being held almost every single day. They are conducted by government agencies such as the U.S Marshals, state police, the General Services Administration (GSA) and others.
There are 2 ways to find car auctions in your area:
1 – The more time consuming option is to visit individual auction house sites in your area (like the Hartford FMC auction house or the Manheim Nevada auction house) and search for relevant car auctions.
The usa.gov site can also help find auctions by state, date or auction house. You can make a list of phone numbers for auction houses in your area and contact them to learn of the upcoming auctions.
2 – Most car buyers opt to search using car auction directories like GovernmentAuctions.com that gathers thousands of car auctions from different auction houses. Directory sites do the leg work for you so you can easily sort data and get a detailed description of each car.
Being aware of the huge saving potential of car auctions has gotten more consumers asking where to find car auctions. This causes some car auctions to be over crowded with bidders, while in other auctions bidders are buying cars for as low as $600. The key is to know of all car relevant car auctions as soon as they are scheduled.
Not all directories are the same, some feature auctions that others do not, so it is recommended to choose a large scale directory to increase your chances of attending these little known auctions.
How to Choose an Online Car Auctions Directory
- Number of car auctions listings – The more listings a directory has, the easier it becomes to locate relevant car auctions and close in on a car bargain. It’s important to make sure that these listings are up to date, and that auctions that have already taken place are removed, so you will not waste time browsing listings that aren’t relevant anymore.
- Detailed description of the auction – The better the directory, the more details you will receive about the car auction. A year, a model, a detailed description of the car and the distance from your zip code area. The ability to sort out all car auctions by any of these parameters can save you a lot of browsing time.
- Update frequency – While most directories have thousands of car auctions in their database, some put much more time and effort into updating it. Listings for car auctions that have already existed will not help you get a new car, so make sure to choose a directory that is daily updates with new car auctions.
- Free trial/money back guarantee – All of the leading directories have a strict “satisfaction guarantee” policy, so if you’re not happy with your membership, you don’t pay for it. Make sure this guarantee exists in your chosen directory.
Live Car Auctions VS. Online Car Auctions
While online auctions in general are becoming more and more popular with each passing year, they are still considered the less attractive option, when compared to live car auctions.
The main benefit of an online car auction is the ability to bid from the comfort of your own home. However, in most cases, the disadvantages of online car auctions outweigh this benefit.
Since the majority of car auctions are held for used cars, you are advised to physically inspect the car’s condition before making your bid. The description provided by online car auction directories might be lacking, and you can end up buying a car that requires a lot of work. That’s why it is important to check the car’s condition yourself, or bring a mechanic with you to the auction lot.
Read more: find car auctions in your area.