There is a growing interest in government auction cars in Alameda County. If you are interested in attending a government auction, then it is important to understand where these vehicles come from and which government bodies you could be purchasing from. Here’s a quick overview that will give you a better idea of what to expect and how these auctions take place.
Alameda County is best known for occupying a majority of the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. Some of the other cities in the county include Dublin, Fremont, Oakland, and Union City. All of the cities hold their own government auctions throughout the course of a year. Most of these auctions will be in the form of police impound auctions and seizure auctions. The cars at these auctions or are normally either towed due to a police request or seized for a variety of reasons. As a result, not all of these cars will have the keys with them and it is sometimes difficult to get much information about the previous owner or the vehicles repair history. At the same time, these government auctions tend to offer the widest variety to choose from, which can be beneficial if you are targeting a certain type of vehicle rather than a specific model because your options can increase dramatically.
The next step up is the County auctions. The government auctions for cars that are hosted by Alameda County tend to get their vehicles from the same methods as city auctions. There will also likely be a number of fleet vehicles included as well. Government fleet vehicles tend to have a higher mileage, however each city, County, and State have a set of maintenance requirements which ensures that the vehicle was likely well maintained.
The final type of government auctions in Alameda County are those held by the federal government. These could either be fleet vehicles from the GSA or vehicles which have been seized, most commonly by the US Marshals Service or the IRS. Depending on which type of auction you attend, there will either be a wide variety of vehicles or a high number of vehicles of the same make and model.
With all of these different government auctions and cars in Alameda County, you will likely be able to find listings on a fairly regular basis. By using an online auto auction website, you will easily be able to keep track of every upcoming auction and in many cases even be able to place your bid directly through that website, rather than trying to show up and bid in person.