A countries federal and state laws are enforced by the police department. This is their main responsibility. These enforcement doings also include their responsibility to confiscate and impound cars for a multitude of reasons. It goes without saying that they don’t hold these cars indefinitely, but disposes of them by way of police car auctions.
If you’re a retail consumer or car trader, this is a great opportunity to buy good cars at great prices. To truly make a success of police impound car auctions, you need to be familiar with the events that lead up to the actual auction. You may wonder why vehicles end up in the impound? These rules are different from state to state, but generally include the following:
1. The vehicle’s registration has expired for more than 6 months.
2. The owner of the vehicle was involved in a form of criminal activities.
3. The vehicle has parking issues in the form of unpaid tickets or being parked without a permit.
The laws are different from one place to the next, so the above reasons are not the same in all states. It is however a general guideline as to why vehicles get seized and impounded.
The police’s administration department will usually contact the registered ane legal (lien) holder as soon as it has been impounded. The car will remain in the impound yard for at least 30 days. On occassion the registered holder of the lien can seize the impounded car. The loan & finance agreement as well as the federal and state statutes on these issues will normally dictate the lien owner’s actions.
The regsitered and legal (lien) owners of the vehicle have a ‘small’ 30-day window of opportunity to act. Subsequent to this the police will apply for the right (at the courts) to sell the vehicles. This whole process takes quite a few days – normally between 40 and fifty days. The court approval sets the wheels in motion for the department to sell the car at a police impound car auction.
Prospective bidders will be notified in a number of ways including newspapers, online newsletters, government gazettes, etc. in general the auction administering agent will release a brochure of items available on the auction day.
One crucial element that potential buyers need to be aware of is the existince of outstanding legal claims or liens on the vehicle. The process till the auction doesn’t leave a lot of room for the police department to check for outstanding legal claims on the car. Therefore ensure to check this.
With sufficient research, you’ll be impressed with the bargains you can find at police auctions at car impounds.
