Buying cars at Copart, IAAI, and other auctions
by Jim Stone
in Blog
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Almost daily, I get calls from people who won a bid on a car at auction asking if we can inspect the vehicle before they make the payment to the auction.  There's a time for inspecting and ...

the time is BEFORE you commit to the purchase.  In almost all cases, the auction facilities will not allow us to perform inspections on vehicles with winning bids.  The time to inspect is BEFORE you place a bid.  We can inspect at any location in the United States within 2 business days.  Most auctions have "preview days" where the inspection of the vehicle is limited to a single day of the week.  We have special access to all vehicles every day of the week.  Don't wait until you have committed to a purchase before you choose to inspect the vehicle.  The problem lies in the rules of the auction.  Once a bid has ben placed, you are legally obligated to follow through with the purchase of that vehicle despite what the inspection results may be.  

The problem lies in the rules of the auction.  Once a bid has ben placed, you are legally obligated to follow through with the purchase of that vehicle despite what the inspection results may be.  Copart, IAAI, TRA, and most of the others have this policy in place and most of them will not even allow a post-bid inspection. Those that do, will not negotiate a reduced price or let you back out of the purchase.  Once you place that bid, you're stuck with the car and all of its problems.

BEFORE you bid, call us or order the inspection online.  It's easy!  All you need is the lot or stock number and 2 business days between when you order and the auction date.  We can save you a LOT of headaches.

 

 Jim - CarInspector.US