City Public Auto Auctions

Cities, as any other form of government, own a large number of property, vehicles and different goods. As with the federal, state and county administrations a City administration holds public auctions in order to sell any unwanted goods such as vehicles.

If you therefore actively pursue inexpensively priced auctions, city public auto auctions should key be a part of your strategy and will be a very effective ‘extra string to your bow’ as some might say.   

The red tape for finding city public auto auctions is not as rampant as you may encounter with larger government auctions. Cities are generally ‘streamlined’ in their procedure. These city auctions are not as frequent as some other auction types, but still occur fairly regularly – about 4 times a year. This depends entirely on the size of the city and their internal procedural and operational arrangements. The city auto auctions are usually taken care of by the relevant Finance, Asset Management or Procurement Departments of the city’s administration. You can easily establish this by contacting the city council and enquire with their call centre agents.     

Click here for bargain city car auctions in your area

Some cities have the auction process (or part thereof) automated online or even outsourced to third party online auctioneers. Other cities (particularly the smaller ones) still follow the old-fashioned route of live auctions at a designated city council warehouse.  On many occasions these online auctions can actually be very beneficial for you as the potential bidder. The auctions will tend to favour bidders that are resident in the relevant state or city. This is a great tip to keep in mind that may just give you that ‘extra edge’ needed to come out with the winning bid.  

Eligible participants in the car auctions are different from one city to the next. Cities such as Boston, Charlotte, Tulsa and Atlanta allow the public to partake (provided that the bidder is over a certain age – normally 16 or 18). Some cities only allow registered dealers at the auction, but this is rare.  

The costs of registering for the city public auto auction are minimal. This again varies from one city to another. In St. Paul, Minnesota a $5 bidding fee is payable to enter the auction, whereas with other cities such as Tulsa, Oklahoma no registration fee is payable. The point is that the cost is marginal compared to the potential saving you can make buying at the auction.   

Even though these vehicles are sold as, what is commonly known as, “As Is, Where Is”, it shouldn’t be a deterrent to get involved. It merely means that the city doesn’t provide a warranty of any sort on the vehicle and doesn’t vouch for its quality. A city public auction offers really good deals and may well be the place where you purchase your brand new car at a ridiculously low price.  

Looking for your local city car auction?      If this is you, I strongly recommend that you check out Gov-auction.   This is a membership site that is regularly updated with the latest city, state and federal auctions across the country. The cars are superior quality and the prices are giveaway. Click here to check it out now!