U.S. Government and GSA Public Auto Auctions
A good place to find great deals on used cars and trucks is at Government and GSA auctions. The GSA, or General Services Administration, is an agency of the federal government that is responsible for providing vehicles to all federal agencies. The GSA negotiates vehicle leases and puchases and sells them at public auction when the vehicle is no longer needed or the lease has expired.
Some of the benefits of purchasing from a GSA auction is that they are all American made vehicles. The vehicles are usually between 2 to 5 years old, although the specialized ones -- squad cars, buses, firetrucks, etc -- can be older. Also, they have generally been well maintained by the government, and tend to have low mileage.
In years past, you had to call or write to the GSA to find out which auction house was managing their auctions in your area. Contact the auction house to get the dates of upcoming auctions. You then had go early in the morning on the day of the auction to inspect and register to bid on the car/truck of your choice. Today, although they sometimes still have local auctions, the GSA usually auctions off these vehicles online.
Many of these online auction sites not only have just GSA vehicles, but also include vehicles from other agencies at all levels of government. You can find fleet, surplus, and seized vehicles all under the same virtual roof.
The fun part is actually bidding and winning. You can easily purchase vehicles for less than wholesale prices, saving thousands of dollars! In fact, I personally purchased a police edition Dodge Charger for about 45% of what it would have cost me at the used car dealership I had visited the day before! Admittedly, we had to drive a little more than three hours to go pick it up, but it was in excellent condition and came with maintenance records.
Have fun when looking for cars/trucks at Government and GSA auctions, but remember to bid with your head and not to get caught up in the moment. Know what you're looking for and set a firm price in your mind before bidding. If the bidding on the car you want suddenly starts to sky-rocket, take a moment to sit back and re-evaluate before committing to pay more than you really wanted to. Above all, if you missed the car you wanted, don't be disappointed. There are thousands of vehicles available through the Government and GSA auction site, it won't take long to find another vehicle that suits you.
If you are interested in purchasing a car or truck from Government and GSA auctions, I highly recommend both Gov-Auctions.org, and GovernmentAuctions.org. Good luck and have fun!
