Are you aware that you will be allowed to attend many of the government and police auctions in your area? The police seize thousands of cars and other vehicles every month all across the country due to several different reasons. These vehicles are offered for much lower prices than you would generally pay by going through a car dealership.
In fact these auctions are a secret that car dealerships don't want you to know about. An educated consumer could pose as a potential threat to at least a portion of their business.
Yet almost all North Americans still continue to use car dealerships to purchase their vehicles every day. Why? Most people unfortunately aren't educated on police auctions. The government doesn't spend any money advertising so auction attendance is solely based on word of month. Following is a list of pros and cons when buying at these auctions:
Pros:
- Business model is much more conducive to lower prices
- Police auctions are held everywhere in US and Canada.
- Detailed previews on the Internet of the cars and vehicles that will be offered at upcoming auctions
- There is a large selection of vehicles that can be found at police auctions including: cars, jeeps, trucks, minivans, ATV's and more!
- No middleman for you to have to deal with or pay
- No pushy salesperson looking for a commission
- Motivated seller who is not equipped to handle inventory, everything must go
- Better income tax advantages (run as a business)
- Usually pay less car taxes
- Start your own business (i.e. Sell cars on the Internet)
Cons:
- Most sales are made in cash so credit is typically not offered
- No warranty period beyond manufacturer warrenty, although most used dealerships only provide 30 days or so
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.