Posts: 5,614
Threads: 2,835
Joined: May 2025
Reputation:
0
Now I know that people go to auctions and turn over cars as a job, or part time job.
But what auctions, and where?
I live in Southern California, Long Beach, and when I search for cars, it becomes obvious that I am looking at the same guy selling 5 cars, or has a history of sold cars.
Where do they get these apparently ALL FINE, RUNS GREAT, NO PROBLEM vehicles?
Police Auctions, you can't hear them run, but can assume they may have been working when towed in.
And what do these people in tend to do with a SMOG check, since it is the SELLERS responsibility to supply, and not leave the buyer hanging.
Just curious
Sorta been looking , in case I have to replace that Contour that I'm stepping through troubleshooting.
Posts: 13,419
Threads: 602
Joined: May 2025
Reputation:
0
People get them at auction, fix up the minor problems and sell them. They get them from dealer auctions or insurance auctions. Very rarely the police auctions.
Otherwise they get the cars off craigslist, fix them, and sell them. I fund my car habit this way, buy a cheap car that needs work. Fix it up slowly while driving it for 3 or 4 months. Sell and repeat.
Posts: 7,122
Threads: 727
Joined: May 2025
Reputation:
0
In this area, anyway, you have to be a dealer to get into the big auctions.
Anybody can buy rebuilders from junkyards to fix body damage. I've looked at a few of these on Craigslist. Scary to think that they were deemed roadworthy.
I tend to look for cars that are privately owned and are being sold because they're no longer needed or the owners bought a new car. The ads must be written with signs of literacy and intelligence. I never buy from dealers anymore.
Posts: 10,234
Threads: 213
Joined: May 2025
My brother and I used to go to a local auction and buy cars on my credit card, then clean/fix and sell them. You could only buy a few per year without a dealer license, so we tried to make them count. It was a little scary, to be honest, although we did well. Things have changed a lot since then. I think most of the cars on auction now come from out of state, many with bad histories. You have to be a dealer, but there are dealers all over who charge a small amount of money to accompany you to the auctions and bid for you. The last car I bought was a little more $ than a comparable auction car, but sold and driven only in my city. 70k miles later I believe pretty strongly it was worth the extra. kj.
Posts: 15,224
Threads: 204
Joined: Jan 2023
Reputation:
0
In NY, the law requires property to be held for certain periods of time before it can be disposed of. The greater the value of an iotem, the longer it must be held. I doubt any reasonable motor vehicles could be disposed of at auction until at least two years had passed. NOTHING is done to prep these seized vehicles for long term storage so in NY, you're really buying a pig in a poke.
A friend who works in in the auto trade told me that at reputable auctions, sellers MUST fully disclose the condition of the vehicles they offer for sale. If they fail to do so and you buy a lemon the dealer should have known about, the auction house will make good and then, go after the seller. As sellers do very well at these auctions, they operate above board so as not to be kicked out of a lucrative business..
