Over the past few years, smarter car traders go to auctions in Oakland, CA than anywhere else in the state. It doesn’t matter if you live in California or across the country; Oakland is definitely a place to check out. Not only are there a wide variety of auctions to choose from, but easy access and shipping transportation as well. If you haven’t looked into this area before, then you may not know what to expect or why it’s unique. Here is a closer look at auctions held in Oakland, why they are a great resource, and how you can get your car once you buy it – no matter where you live.
What Types of Auctions Are Available
When looking across the Oakland area, every type of auction can be found. The most publicized auctions lately have been held by the government. Since it is so easy to transport vehicles into the Oakland area, it has become a hot spot for Federal and state auctions. A number of local government auctions are held there as well. These auctions tend to be dominated by fleet vehicles, however seized and abandoned vehicles can be included as well. While the federal and state government auctions in this area are a great resource, the same is true elsewhere across the country. The local government auctions are the ones which really stand out. Smart car traders go to auctions in Oakland, CA for the local government auctions as well as non-government auctions.
The reason that local government auctions are so highly valued is because they have a disproportionately large number of seized and abandoned vehicles. Oakland consistently has one of the highest crime rates in the country in regards to stolen cars. From 2005 to 2007 there were 884 carjackings – during this same time, San Francisco (which is nearly twice as large) had barely over 300 carjackings. This is nearly 7 times the national average. When you look at auto theft as a whole, these numbers are much higher. In 2006, Oakland averaged nearly 24 cars stolen per day which led to a total of 8,821 cars stolen over the course of a year.
These are important numbers for people attending local government auctions. This is because when a car is recovered, the previous owner has the opportunity to reclaim it, although many don’t. When it goes unclaimed, the city will then add it to their auctions. This adds up to a lot of seized and abandoned cars at auction, especially once you consider the high number of cars that are recovered (nearly an 80% recovery rate).
Smart car traders go to auctions in Oakland, CA that are non-government related as well. Oakland is ranked as the 10th best city in the country for businesses. As a result, there are a lot more fleet vehicles owned by private businesses in Oakland than elsewhere in the area. Once these vehicles are rotated out of the fleet, the business will normally liquidate them by entering them in a public auction. Additionally, the sheer size of Oakland (nearly 56 square miles) means that a high number of cars are repossessed on a daily basis as well. When these two factors are combined, it leads to public car auctions that have huge inventory lists.
Even Out of State Smart Car Traders Go To Auctions in Oakland, CA
Oakland boasts some of the best shipping and transportation options in the country. This makes it an ideal spot for car buyers that are located outside of the area. If you live across the county, there are a variety of options in Oakland that you won’t find elsewhere. One of the best options that is often overlooked is the freight rail. While it is primarily used for shipping goods to and from the Port of Oakland, it is operated by Union Pacific Railroad and spans across the entire county. Shipping it via waterways is another solid option.
The Port of Oakland is the fourth busiest container port in the country and was the first built on the Pacific Coast. The new inter-modal freight rail facility integration has reduced congestion and decreased costs, which has caused a number of shippers to move all of their cargo through Oakland. This is particularly true if the final destination is not on the West Coast. There are cargo containers that are designed to fit only one car and take up minimal space, which means huge cost savings if you ship your cars out of the port to other areas of the country.
Oakland is also great if you are transporting your new car via normal ground transportation. Since it is the final city before crossing over to San Francisco, Oakland utilized multiple major highways. The best part is that they all run in different directions, which means you can ship North, South, East, and West with ease. This not only boosts access but also minimizes costs.
As an added bonus, with growing national interest in the area, more of these auctions are now being held online. This means that you don’t even need to actually travel to Oakland for a live auction. There are two formats of online auctions which are most often used. The first is similar to a pre-auction. You can place your maximum bid before the auction begins, much like popular online non-auto auction sites like EBay. Then as the live auction goes on, someone will place your bids for you until it surpasses whatever maximum bid you set. The other format is the “live-online” auction. With these auctions, you will bid during the live auction. In most cases, there will be a live streaming feed so that you are essentially attending the auction without actually going there.
Once all of these variables are combined, it is no surprise that smart car traders go to auctions in Oakland, CA. First, there are a variety of different types of auctions, all which offer a huge selection and great deal. Second, with so many transportation options available, people from all over the country can place bids and get their cars shipped straight to their doorstep.
