Impounded Cars For Sale

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People love cars. And they’re always in search of great deals. Whether it be haggling with a dealership for new cars, or kicking the tires while talking down a used car salesman, people also love deals on cars. Some of the best car deals around can be found when authorities offer impounded cars for sale. This is normally done via an auction. And if you play your cards right, you can end up with a steal (pun intended.)

Where do these cars come from? Often the police impound cars that belong to criminals or that were used in committing a crime. Laws are in place to allow authorities to take all the possessions away from drug dealers, for example. That means a lot of cars, often very fancy cars, in the hands of the city or state who wants to sell them for a profit. Cars can also be taken for traffic tickets or even parking tickets. If the owner doesn’t claim the vehicle, or if the fines accumulate to a certain point, the car will be up for sale.

Sometimes the cars are sold straight to dealerships who either sell them on the lot or auction them. Or auto auctions might buy them and then sell them in turn to the highest bidder. It really makes no difference. At some point the car is up for sale to the highest bidder and can become a whale of a deal for a savvy person. But beware of some pitfalls of purchasing cars via auction. As the saying goes it’s ?buyer beware.?

The first thing to keep in mind is these cars are generally sold with no warranty. It’s a case of what you see is what you get. That is, in the auto industry, ?as is.? The seller can even engage in puffery in most states. That’s making non specific positive claims about the car such as ?it’s a great deal? or ?you’d be foolish not to want to drive home in this beauty.? There are even some tricky words involved in puffery such as ?clean? or ?in great condition.? These sound like specific descriptions or even promises of a well working auto. However, on closer examination they really don’t mean too much other than ?here’s a worm, grab the hook.?

The wise thing to do is go in with knowledge and expertise. Be ready to examine the cars closely. That means attending an auction with an automotive expert if you don’t know much about cars. Take advantage of the test drives most auctions offer. When it’s impounded cars for sale it can be a great deal. But remember that if it seems too good to be true it usually is.