People have a love affair with automobiles. And they’re always in search of great deals. These two aspects combine for a general love of great deals on cars. Places with impounded cars for sale have some great bargains. They generally do that via auction. If you know what you’re doing you can find terrific deals there..

How do these autos come to be there for these auctions? Cars involved in crimes, or that belong to criminals, are often impounded. For example its the law that drug dealers’ possessions are confiscated and sold. That means a lot of cars, often very fancy cars, in the hands of the city or state who wants to sell them for a profit. Scoff laws also generate a lot of cars. If the owner doesn’t pay to reclaim the car, it’s offered for sale.

Dealerships often sell or in turn auction off cars they purchase at auctions. They might also be purchased and then re-auctioned for a higher amount. This isn’t important. There are some great deals when cars are auctioned, period. However, there are some things to consider. As the saying goes it’s “buyer beware.”

Cars bought at these places have no warranties. You buy the car that’s on the lot. That is, in the auto industry, “as is.” It’s not illegal to utilize puffery. When car dealers say “clean as a whistle” that’s puffery. They might even make claims like “it might as well be new.” The law says these aren’t warranties even though they sound like it. What they really come down to is “there’s a sucker, let’s make the deal.”

Have some information when you visit an auction. Take a good look at the cars. That means attending an auction with an automotive expert if you don’t know much about cars. Auctions offer test drives so use them. There may be bargains when there are impounded cars for sale. But many deals aren’t as good as they seem on first blush.