If the thought of buying police seized cars makes you think of bullet-riddled criminal cars with smashed windshields, crash damage, and failing tires, you’ve been watching too much TV. There are many reasons why the police seize other people’s property and they are not always related to some violent crimes against the law.
Rather, the majority of cars seized by police are the result of repossessions due to missed loan payments, fraud, break-ins, DWLS (driving while license suspended), or drunk driving incidents. That means these cars were running at the time the police seized them, which is good news for you.
what to expect
Police seized car auctions will require a nominal registration fee for bidders and each will receive a bidder number. You cannot participate in the bidding if you do not have one.
Police-seized property auctions attract a variety of people, from young immigrants to locals looking for a good bargain to experienced buyers and dealers. In recent years, cars seized by police have enjoyed a surge in buyer enthusiasm, so if you’re going to one, get there early, come prepared, and don’t get overwhelmed by the crowd.
Try to find out as much as possible before you bid. Get a Kelley Blue Book or some other used car price guide to help you compare trade-in values. Remember that you could be bidding against an experienced buyer and could be going over your budget if you’re not careful. The winning bid is not the final number you will shell out money for; you still have to pay a buyer’s premium that could range from 5% to 15% of the winning bid.
The units at the auctions seized by the police are a mix of some poor quality and some very good quality. Don’t expect everything to be in perfect condition just because they’ve been seized. Look for signs of wear or signs that they were driven at the time they were seized by police. A DWLS sign or sticker is a helpful indication.
Remember that cars seized by the police may have been sitting in a parking lot or storage area collecting dust for some time and may not have had any maintenance work during this period. They may look good, but it’s best to check the drives as thoroughly as possible. If you can’t find heads or tails, then bring someone who can.
Police seized cars are sold ‘as is’ and come with no warranty or guarantees. You can’t start them, so you can’t test them either. It is better to know what to look for than to regret it later.
Cars seized by police have a history, like most used cars, but you might want to know exactly why. Get a copy of its repair history and try to find out why it’s being auctioned, if you can.
Subscribe to CarFax and run the seized unit through it to check its history. You may want to know who its previous owner was or if there is more than one. You may also want to know if the seized unit was involved in any accidents so you can check for bodily harm, if any.
While you can get some pretty decent cars for a few hundred dollars, some really nice newer ones can hit five figures. However, these prices are 30-60% off their original price, still well below fair market value, and still a very good bargain.
