Buying a Car at a California Car Auction

Buying a car at an auction can be a great way to get the car you want at a bargain price. There are a number of California car auctions you can attend to find a great deal on your next car. California’s Office of Fleet Administration holds public auctions on the 3rd Wednesday of every month to dispose of state cars, vehicles, and equipment. The auctions are held in Davis, CA. Vehicles are sold “as is,” and there are no returns or refunds made. You can pay by cash, credit card, or cashier’s check, and you must pay in full before you can take possession of the car. You can visit the Office of Fleet Administration’s website at http://www.ofa.dgs.ca.gov/Auction/default.htm for more information and to see when the next auction is being held.

You can also visit the Southern California Auctioneers Association website at http://www.socalauctions.org/auction_listing.asp. Auctioneers list upcoming auctions for cars and other types of property. You can find auctions for government cars, cars repossessed by banks, finance companies, and credit unions, and occasionally private collections of cars. The type of auction, the location, and the auctioneer is listed, so you can contact the individual auctioneer for more information about a particular auction and the cars for sale.
If you live outside the Southern California area, visit the California State Auctioneers Association website at http://www.caauctioneers.org/auction_listing.asp to get information about upcoming auctions. This California car auction site provides information similar to the Southern California version, but it’s a statewide listing of upcoming auctions.

Contra Costa County Public Auction holds auctions every first and third Saturday of the month. They offer approximately 200 cars per auction. They offer a limited guarantee. The auction is open to the public, but you must either pay cash or have financing arranged ahead of time. You’ll need to put down at least 25% of the purchase price if you don’t have the entire amount available at the time of sale. Visit their website at http://www.cccpaa.com/index.htm for more information.

There are a number of other public and private California car auctions. To find an auction near you, check your local Yellow Pages under “Automobile Auctions” or “Auctioneers,” or watch for advertisements in your local newspaper. Or, call your local government office for information about local auctions. They can also give you contact information for state agencies and departments who hold periodic car auctions in California.
Before you buy a car at a California auction, make sure to check to see whether the car is on the “Gross Polluter” list – if it is, it could cost you hundreds of dollars to get the car re-titled in your name.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright © 2006