Impound auctions in Detroit offer savvy bidders an excellent opportunity to find cheap, reliable autos. Many people are hesitant to attend impound auctions because they believe every vehicle has been involved with a major crime or accident. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In Illinois, there are actually four reasons a vehicle may be impounded. Additionally, in some of these situations the previous owner loses their right to retrieve their vehicle which is often how it ends up at auction.
The 4 Reasons a Vehicle May Be at an Impound Auction
It is that while there are four different reasons of vehicle may be impounded, the only reason it winds up at an impound auction is because the previous owner either chose not to get their car released or lost their right to it.
- Use-Related Impounds
The first reason a car can be impounded is because of how it was used. The city of Detroit can impound any car which is being used for illegal activities. This includes everything from driving while intoxicated and driving on a suspended license to drag racing for playing loud music. In fact, in mid-September (2012) Detroit police seized and impounded more than 30 cars. Because of the type of infraction, the original owner loses their right to require the vehicle. As a result, the only option is to send the vehicle to an impound auction.
- Status-Related Impounds
The next reason a vehicle may be impounded in status related. This is not a common reason a vehicle is seized by the police. Status related impounds include violation such as using the vehicles and illegal taxi for using a fake city sticker/license plates.
- Police Hold Impounds
The third reason a car can be impounded in Detroit is because the police need it. The two ways this can happen is if the vehicle is evidence of the crime or the person driving the car is arrested. A great example of this can was found in late August (2012). A victim of a carjacking was not able to reclaim her vehicle because the impound fees amounted for several months while the incident was being investigated.
- Boot-Related Impounds
The most common reason cars are impounded in Detroit are boot related issues. Any car with three or more overdue parking tickets can be booted in then impounded. In order to reclaim the vehicle, the owner must not only pay all of the overdue parking tickets, but also additional fines, court costs, and impound fees.
Why Aren’t Detroit Impound Auctions More Popular?
The primary reason impound auctions in Detroit consistently offer cheap autos is because they are one of the least popular types of auto auctions in the area. While Detroit does have a central location which houses all of the seized vehicles, impounded vehicles may be at a variety of locations. Local towing companies are often contracted to toe and store vehicles for the city. As a result, many impound auctions are not held by the city of Detroit but rather by independent towing companies. This makes the auctions much more difficult to consistently discover. It also means the listings are often comparatively smaller. Both of these characteristics combined lead most people to venture towards larger auctions leaving little competition to bid against.
Online Auto Auction Websites Make Finding and Participating In Detroit Impound Auctions Easier
Since the common barrier most people have to overcome to take advantage of low prices at Detroit impound auctions is locating the auction, online auto auction websites are huge asset. They compile all of the available local auction listings to ensure every user knows about every upcoming impound auction. Additionally, many towing companies allow users of online auto auction websites to place bids before the auction begins. This makes it easy to take advantage of low prices at multiple impound auctions in Detroit, even if they take place simultaneously.
