Auto Auctions (copart or iaai) question

[Jean]

I got access to both, but it seems like iaai is more expensive and with less of a selection of older cars. Has anybody purchased a car from either one ?

I've been searching for the right donor car to buy for parts (engine/tranny), trying to save some $$$.

[Teaguer]

In my experience the IAAI seems to be the better deal if all you want is a parts donor car .
Since they have a bigger selection of wrecked or total loss cars .

But then again it really depends on what car and when they run them through .

I still favor the IAAI though .

[cheades]

Bought several from Copart, simple and fast transaction. Just be sure you have the money and are ready to buy within 2 days, I think they charge you after the second day a storage fee.

[smonkbmw]

like doing biz with copart. iaai has screwed up a few times on us. ive bought quite a few cars from both though. copart has a better selection usually, plus they dont take forever getting their cars ready for sale like iaai does.

[einstein57]

copart dogs the cars. Had a few with forklift holes in the past.

[Jean]

copart dogs the cars. Had a few with forklift holes in the past.

How do the handle cars that run ?

[smonkbmw]

How do the handle cars that run ?

they use any excuse to fork em out the gate pretty much. kinda sad really.

[einstein57]

they might be a little gent with the forks on newer cars but on an e30 the will lift it from any angle and cause more damage. If it was a car i wanted i'd have to have an inspector write "no forks" on the wndshield. That works about 10% of the time.

[Rigmaster]

they might be a little gent with the forks on newer cars but on an e30 the will lift it from any angle and cause more damage. If it was a car i wanted i'd have to have an inspector write "no forks" on the wndshield. That works about 10% of the time.

And it doesn't help at all for all the times they handle the car BEFORE you buy it.

I've bought several cars from the auctions with broken swaybar links, e-brake cables ripped off the trailing arms, rear mufflers completely knocked off the exhaust pipe, one even knocked a hole in the oil pan LOADING IT ON MY TRAILER- guy said that one of his forks was bent and "gosh I'm sorry 'bout that"......... All from loader forks. BUT, considering the number of cars those guys handle, they are REALLY good at moving them 99% of the time. it's just that the more times they move them, the greater chance they have of doing some damage.

Hell, it's a SALVAGE auction anyway- so most of those guys think that most of the cars are parts cars anyway.......what's a little more damage???


Bret

[Jean]

Got it, thanks for the info! I am just looking for a parts car to get the engine/tranny/rad and misc other things so body damage is ok :)

[einstein57]

I had a customer who decided to keep his totaled suzuki estem and when he went to pick it up the forklift puchured the lower half of the radiator and cracked his oil pan. Needless to say he no longer wanted the car.

[drift]

how much did u have to pay to get a membership ( mandatory?)

[smonkbmw]

need a business account/tax id number for copart i believe.

[Rigmaster]

need a business account/tax id number for copart i believe.

yep- true for Copart, but not all IAAI locations- some allow "public" buyers- depending on the state regulations.

Rules vary from state to state- you'll have to find out what the rules are for the states in which you want to buy.

FWIW, most of the auctions require an annual registration of ~$250-400 per buyer, some allow additional buyers on the "main" account for ~$100 each per year. THEN you have auction fees on each vehicle which generally range from ~$100-600, depending on the purchase price. I once bought a car for $50 and paid $100 in fees. These fees are paid by the buyer, the seller also pays fees (titlework, processing fees, selling fees, towing, storage, etc) so the auction companies are making money coming and going!!

And if you buy a car and get it home to find a bunch of stuff missing off the car- tough shit. Everything is sold as-is, and they state this in their terms.

If you do get an account, make sure to ASK about the rules regarding payment and removal of the vehicles. In general, they give you 2-3 days after the sale date to pay for the vehicle and 3-5 days to pick it up, or you WILL be paying penalty fees.



Bret

[drift]

so they have max price for the cars ($600) in general?