What is the difference between a government-run auction, police impound auction and a repo car auction?
In government auctions, buyers pay no fees or registration charges. Other auctions run by private auction houses may have a 5 percent fee tacked on to the top of your bid. This is the auction house’s income. Other than that, the biggest difference between the types is the source of the vehicles. Government auctions receive vehicles from agencies such as Homeland Security, the FBI, IRS, DEA and Border Patrol to name just a few. State, county and local governments also regularly auction surplus property. Police impound auctions are just what the name indicates. The cars here have been seized by police agencies as the spoils of illegal activity. A repo car auction often is held by a bank or finance agency that has repossessed property that the consumer could not pay for.
