There are a variety of reasons you may want to attend a free public auto auction in Arizona. While everyone has their own specific auction strategy the first step is always locating upcoming auctions which are open to the public. There are a number of specific auction houses which host public auto auctions, however the different types of auto auctions can be broken down into three primary categories – GSA fleet auctions, state-local government auctions, and other.
One thing to keep in mind when searching for free public auto auctions in Arizona is that many of them are actually dealership auctions. Dealership auctions are unique because in order to attend and participate in them you must have a dealer’s license. As a result, they are rarely accessible to the general public. Additionally, some of these auctions ask a dealerships to pay for monthly or yearly memberships simply to be able to attend.
GSA Fleet Auctions
The first type of auto auction are available to the public for free in Arizona are GSA fleet auctions. These auctions include vehicles used by the federal government as fleet vehicles, however they are now considered to be surplus. In order to ensure all the listings are similar across the country, the GSA will actually move some vehicles from across the country to in Arizona auto auction. This ensures that you will see a wide variety of different types of vehicles including compact cars, sedans, trucks, and SUVs. The GSA contracts out the actual auction proceedings. In Arizona, they typically utilize an auto auction house in Phoenix. While you may be able to attend the auto auction online, in order to take part in person you will likely need to travel to Phoenix.
State and Local Government Auto Auctions
The second type of free public auto auctions in Arizona are hosted by state and local governments. Similar to the GSA fleet auctions all of the state surplus auctions are held in Phoenix as well. While the specific auction dates will vary from one year to the next, they try to hold public surplus auctions at least once a month. Keep in mind that sometimes the public surplus auction will be dedicated solely to used cars, while other times it will be both automobiles and other consumer goods.
Along with fleet vehicle auctions hosted by the Arizona State government, local governments will hold auto auctions as well. These auto auctions are often a combination of former fleet vehicles as well as used cars the government has taken possession of. In many cases, when cars are abandoned or seized by the local government the previous owner has a set amount of time to reclaim it. If they are not reclaimed in the state or local government will resell the vehicle in order to recoup any storage costs.
Other Types of Used Car Auto Auctions in Arizona
The final type of used car auto auctions in Arizona are actually a combination of different auction types. In broad terminology they are simply referred to as public auto auctions. This is because some auto auctions will source vehicles from anywhere while others will have specific sources such as repossession auctions, private seller auctions, and insurance/salvage auctions.
It is important to find out what type of auction you are attending because it will provide significant insight into what you will likely find. For example, any used-car you find at a salvage auction will not be roadworthy without passing certain state tests. This is because the car was previously totaled by the insurance company due to an accident of some sort. Sometimes these cars were totaled simply due to weather damage and are roadworthy, but the new owner will need to make sure they pass the necessary state tests before registering them.
