Finding government auto auctions in Portland is very easy. These auctions are held at regularly not only in Portland but in most major cities. They are often not loudly advertised; hence it is necessary to keep checking the local newspapers and television channels for advertisements announcing government auto auctions. The information regarding these government auto auctions is also available online on sites which publish the venue, timings etc. of the government car auctions.
Another popular category of used car auctions is the police car auctions. Repo cars and seized cars are sold at the government car auctions and police car auctions. These auctions may be held separately or be a part of a larger general used car auction. The cars sold at the repo car auctions and seized car auctions are often in very good condition and are sold at practically throw away prices. The authorities in an attempt to mitigate the storage costs and maintenance costs are always in a hurry to dispose of these vehicles, at whatever prices they can manage.
The government auto auctions in Portland are a hot favorite with used car dealers and resellers. These people buy used cars from repo car auctions and seized car auctions at very low prices and then resell them in the market, earning a sizeable profit. Some people prefer to buy used cars from dealers and resellers, rather than from the auctions directly because they are not that good at discerning the quality of the vehicle without a test drive. The used car dealers and resellers on the other hand are experts at doing so.
Some people also tend to associate seized car with criminals, but the fact is that most of the seized cars are often taken from ordinary individuals who are involved in offences like tax fraud and evasion, or something simple like driving without a proper license. On the other hand the repo cars are repossessed from individuals who repeatedly default on paying car loans, or have offered the car as collateral against another loan.
The only time when one needs to worry about buying cars at used car auctions is while buying salvaged cars. These cars are most of the times built on the wrecks of vehicles involved in road accidents. At times these salvaged used cars have major faults, which are not easy to detect merely by physical examination. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that most of the auctions do not permit test drives of the used cars. Once a car is bought at a used car auction it is not possible to return it no matter what the fault.
One should also be careful while buying used cars from the category of vehicles which have been sold off by the owner in order to buy a new vehicle. This is due to the fact that the owner usually uses the vehicle well before selling it off for a new one. Occasionally one may come across relatively new vehicles in this category also.
