a Successful Blueprint for Police Auctions

So you are at a point where no one really needs to sell you on the fact that police vehicle auctions are a good place to shop for bargains. Perhaps you just need a good strategy to follow in order to translate your efforts to some serious dollar savings. If you want to ensure that you achieve your goals at auction events, follow these 4 steps below.

Inspection of the Vehicle

Consider this a really great gift by the police’s auctioneers because it gives bidders the chance to take a really close look at these cars up close. Make sure that you use it!! The purpose here is to have a closer look at particularly the engine (for mechanical issues) and structural integrity of the car as you won’t be allowed to test-drive it.

The Vehicle Identification Number

What causes most people to land in the hot boiling water of trouble is because they overlook the basics of the industry. If you need an overview report on the auto’s history (on issues such as if it’s been stolen, damaged, etc), you can obtain this with the vehicles registration number at no cost. This report provides valuable insights into the cars’ history and can ultimately be a dealbreaker for you in deciding on whether to bid on a vehicle at police auctions or not

The Title of the Car

Granted the police department does do a little bit of work to confirm if there are any outstanding liens on the car. They generally don’t however do a very good job of it. Best to check this yourself as you do not want to sit with a financing house repossessing the car you just bought.

The Valuation

Going into the auction without a good reasonable estimate of the valuation of the car you’re interested in would be suicide. It’s very similar to running around in a bear infested forrest, completely covered in honey. If you don’t have a benchmark valuation handy for the car, the chances are very good that you will bid until you win. This strategy will lead you to buying the car at a price much more than what it’s worth. Therefore it’s imperative that you have a good ‘handle’ on the valuation so to stop you not bidding a cent more than its fair value.

With all of this information you will usually be perfectly prepped for a standard police vehicle auction. It’s not uncommon for people to get completely caught up with the events at the auction – very true in particular with live outcry auctions. The very best advice anyone can give is to stay relaxed and stick to your strategy. No one is more successful than the calm and collected bidder who normally walks away smiling in the sunset.