Save Money By Buying Impounded Cars

by Tony Mickens

Used Vehicles

First things first – the definition of “Impound” – To take temporary possession of, seize, confiscate. There are many reasons that property, for our purpose motor vehicles, can be impounded. They can be impounded as evidence in a criminal case. For instance if the car was stolen and then used in a hit and run accident or perhaps it got used in a robbery, the courts can maintain custody of the car as evidence in a criminal proceeding. The court may return the vehicle to the owner once a ruling was reached, barring legal reasons precluding the return of the property.

Cars can be impounded for vehicular violations such as getting pulled over for a warning like a tail light being burned out and the police officer discovers that the driver has a suspended license. It could also be impounded if it was stopped for erratic driving and it is determined that the driver is unfit to drive whether because of drugs, alcohol or any other mental impairment. The third reason a vehicle could be seized is failure to pay the finance company holding the title of the car. The term “impound” implies a temporary state, but sometimes the owner fails to pick up the vehicle in question.

When an owner fails to pick up an impounded vehicle, it usually goes to the impounded car auction. While the majority of Americans think that police impounded cars for sale are “junk” cars, the opposite is often the case. These impounded cars for sale can be in prime condition and relatively unused. They can come from government surplus, be abandoned by the owners, or by government seizure. While you may not find your dream car here, you can get some very good deals out of these kinds of auctions. The police are not as interested in making money as much as needing the space these impound cars are taking up.

Tips for buying impounded cars at auctions:

Bring valid identification
Arrive early
Check blue book for value of favorite cars while waiting for the auction to start
Bring Cash – all sales are final and they may not accept personal checks or credit cards.
If possible bring a laptop PC with wireless internet access so you can quickly check out carfax report on carfax.com
Get familiar with the auction rules and procedures of the auction.
Police auctions do not allow you to start the car and you are not allowed to test drive the car. All of the cars are sold as is. Whatever is in the car at the time of the sale belongs to the buyer. Sometimes you can get lucky and get tools, expensive items that have fallen behind or under the seat, and sometimes you get clothing (which you can always donate to Goodwill, or local homeless shelter) and trash.
The cars are clearly marked whether they are seized vehicles or tow-offs. If you are a mechanic, you can get some really good deals on the tow-offs. On the other hand, if you are not a mechanic guru, you should stick to the seized and impounded cars.
The best reason to purchase an impounded car is that you have the opportunity to pick up a good car at an excellent price. The biggest problem to buying an impounded car is that you run the risk of getting a car that won’t start because the engine is seized up on it.
To calculate the average rate that an impounded car goes for, call the local towing companies to find out how much they charge to tow for the local law enforcement. Add that figure plus some storage fees (somewhere around $30 per day), and that is what the starting price most vehicle will most likely be. After all, the police department does not want to take a loss on these cars if they don’t have to.
Finding where auctions are being held is as easy as typing “impounded car auctions” into your favorite search engine. For directions on how to get to the auction site, you can call for directions or get driving instructions from yahoo.maps or mapquest.