If there is one thing car users would love about being in Missouri, it is the fact that it has one of the cheapest vehicle ownership costs in the country. In fact, it is less expensive than Montana and Texas.
The great thing is there is another way to spend even less on a vehicle just in case you wish to upgrade: join government auctions in Missouri.
Although car auctions are not entirely new in the United States, not many people know that many of these programs are actually government run or related. Perhaps it is because people assume that local and federal agencies do not engage in any kind of income-generating businesses.
Various government agencies acquire assets including a variety of vehicles, whether specially designed or not, to perform different tasks. Take, for example, light trucks called long-life vehicles of United States Postal Service (USPS). Police force, meanwhile, are able to obtain some vehicles through property seizure.
Either way, government offices can create surpluses of cars as new units come. In order to relieve the agencies from the burden of spending a lot of money for their maintenance while in inventory, they are disposed through auctions. The money raised can then be used to finance other government-related programs.
Why Buy in Government Auctions
The process of buying vehicles at government auctions is not entirely different from that of regular auction. However, you also cannot overlook the incentive in choosing the former.
Many people buy cars at government auctions since it is presumed the vehicles are in excellent condition. Governments allot a specific budget for their repairs, maintenance, and even retrofitting or upgrade. Moreover, the chances of being duped through falsified titles or undeclared conditions are low in government auctions.
Most of all, vehicles can be a lot cheaper, although the actual costs may be affected by many factors like the type of car and overall condition.
The government can afford to sell these vehicles starting at a very low bidding price because their main objective in participating is not really to generate the biggest profit but to dispose the asset while making the most out of it. Further, with so many vehicles to get rid of, the government lowers the bid to attract more participants.
How to Buy
If you are interested to join government auctions in Missouri, all you need to do is to check out the state’s official website, as well as that of General Services Administration (GSA). To include other auctions within the area, look for sites that offer cheap subscription to auction listings.
It is extremely essential that before you decide to join, you have read the terms and conditions of the auction. Keep in mind that these vehicles, even if they are from the government, are not guaranteed to be perfect, but they should be purchased in an as-is basis. Requirements may also be different depending on the auction, and some of them may be restricted to specific groups like dealers, although most are open to the public.
