Obviously, police auctions are a secret that car dealerships don’t want you to know about. This is because not only is there one less potential customer looking to purchase a vehicle but there is also another bidder competing against him for the cars that are being auctioned.

So why does 90% of the general public buy from car dealerships? Well that’s a good question and I think it comes down to education. People are simply not aware or these government and police vehicle auctions. The government would be ridiculed is they spent money on advertising. Here is a list of advantages and disadvantages in buying at these auctions:

Advantages:

- They’re offered at much lower prices than anywhere else

- No matter where you live, there are typically many auctions held around your area

- Information regarding government and police auctions with vehicle listing detail is now available on the web

- There is usually a wide selection of vehicles that can be found at government auctions – sports cars, SUV’s, pick up trucks, motorcycles, jeeps, etc.

- no distribution channel (car dealership) to go through or to pay

- No commissioned salesperson to have to deal with

- Motivated seller who doesn’t have the resources or time to deal with inventory, therefore offering vehicles based on no reserve bidding

- Possible advantages to income taxes (establish a business name)

- Usually pay less car taxes

- Start your own business (i.e. Sell cars on the Internet)

Disadvantages:

- You’ll probably have to pay it all in cash (which for some is a blessing)

- No extended warranty beyond what the manufacturer offers. Most used dealerships give only 30 days

So if you don’t mind paying cash, or have access to credit, then it’s obvious that the pros far out-weigh the cons in favour of government and police auctions. Just as with a used car dealership it is a good idea to bring someone with you who can inspect and determine the vehicles condition.

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What is exactly seized property? This is property taken under state or federal “seizure laws”. These laws allow law enforcement agencies to seize property that was used or acquired from illegal activities, was improperly imported into the country, or didn’t have required taxes or duties paid.

For instance, if a drug dealer uses the money he made from drug trafficking to buy a car or truck, even a house, it can be confiscated under the “seizure law”. Jewelry, furniture, computer equipment, art all can be seized.

The numbers and types of seized property that is sold through government auctions is mind-boggling. You can buy cars and trucks, boats, antiques, jewelry, office equipment, even aircraft. And they can be had for mere pennies on the dollar.

Another source of these auction goods is merchandise that was seized by US Customs. The seizure can be for improper importation, or failure to pay import duties or taxes. The Customs agency will often seize entire cargo containers full of property. These are usually brand new goods originally intended for retail sale, that are now liquidated through a government auction.

Government auctions and police auctions are held individually by by each agency, from federal government agencies like US Customs, the FBI, IRS, and DEA, even your local city government and municipal sheriffs departments. Each agency is responsible for holding it’s own auctions, some online, some at specific locations.

So how do you find these seized property auction treasures? There are essentially two ways: first, you can look through listings, but you can spend countless hours as each agency holds it’s own auctions, and they can change daily, weekly, etc. Alternately, you can join a government auction membership site that puts all those listings together in one place. Membership sites vary, however, so before signing up make sure you check out reviews such as those found at Government Auction Site Reviews.

Seized property auctions are literally treasure troves of merchandise. With a little time spent looking, you can find those deals of a lifetime on virtually anything in the world!

Click here to learn What Happens After Foreclosure from Helping Foreclosures.

There have been many articles written about police and government auctions, but very seldom are there any specific examples given of the types of repossessed cars you can purchase at them. The government seldom advertises their auctions or the types of items that will be sold at them, so the only way to find out is by doing research on the Internet. The government wants to get rid of it’s inventory of foreclosed homes and repossessed cars, but they don’t want to spend any money on advertising.

Can you imagine if Best Buy said they had some great deals but never really publicized what they were, they probably won’t get half the business that they do. Well in the case with government auctions they still have quite a following with virtually no promotion (mostly word of mouth) and the reason for that is simple, they have the best deals, period. Think about it, no cost paid for the goods sold and they want to move that merchandise out of their inventory as fast as possible. Compare that to a retailer who has a cost associated with each item and needs to make a certain margin on each sale.

To illustrate my point here are a few samples of the repossessed vehicle auctions prices. My research consists of using the highest rated government car auctions site that has been evaluated and reviewed on my own site mentioned in the last paragraph. Keep in mind that these specific items may no longer be available by the time you read this, but you’ll still get an idea of the vehicle discounts that are available through government auctions. A sample of 5 vehicles among the thousands available are:

* 2005 Porche Boxster with 14K miles – $5,790

* Pontiac 2005 Grand Am GT 13.1K miles $5,140

* Lexus 2005 RX300 4×4 13.5K miles $6,450

* Subaru 2005 Forester S 14.1K miles $4,320

* 2005 Corvette with 13K miles – $4,600

So as you see the people that are attend the auctions are getting deals much better expected. There is usually a large variety of makes and models available to choose from. So how can they be sold so cheaply and where do they come from? Cars can be repossessed for a variety of reasons including unpaid debt and/or taxes, criminal involvement, etc. Chances are your car dealership is buying at least a portion of their vehicle inventory at a government auctions, and making a good margin on that purchase so here is your chance to cut out the middle-man and pocket your savings.

Going to a live on-site government auction rather then an online auction is a good idea because you will be given the opportunity to look over the vehicle before you bid on it. As I’ve mentioned in the past if you’re not mechanically inclined then bring someone to the auction who is. Also be careful to verify the quality and the history of the vehicle before you purchase. Given the fact that a small percentage of people are even aware that these auctions even exist, you’ll be able to find a vehicle of your choosing, perhaps even of higher social status then you intended for a much lower price then you expected.