There have been a lot of questions surrounding the claims that you can only pay wholesale prices at Arlington auto auctions in Virginia. While there will be instances where the vehicles up for auction will go for much higher than wholesale prices, there are also consistently a number of vehicles that sell for wholesale prices or lower. In order to understand how this is possible it is important to understand some of the characteristics that make Arlington unique as well as what types of auctions most often feature these kinds of deals.
If you are familiar with the area, Arlington is located directly across from Washington DC and bordered by Fairfax county. Arlington county is one of the smallest self-governing counties in the country and there are no other towns within its borders. Along with its unique location and size, it is also home to a large number of departments and agencies of the federal government. Some of the most noted agencies include the Pentagon, Department of Defense, DEA, and the Advanced Research Projects Agency. This means that while a large number of government employees worked in Arlington, very few actually live there. This means that for most auctions held in Arlington, Virginia people have to drive there in order to attend, which means that the average number of bidders will be much lower than at auctions in the surrounding areas.
Another thing to consider is that the population in Arlington is one of the richest in the country, per capita. This means that a majority of the local residents are not as likely to attend these auctions and target the vehicles which go for wholesale prices. Instead, they will focus in on a handful of high-end, luxury vehicles instead. This means that you can purchase a high quality, reliable used car at rock-bottom prices because there is little competition.
GSA Auctions Are the Most Likely to Offer Wholesale Prices
In Arlington, Virginia GSA auctions consistently prove to offer the lowest prices. GSA auctions are most typically known for selling fleet vehicles that the federal government no longer uses, although they do work with state and local governments in some cases. The reason that these options are the most likely to offer you wholesale prices is twofold. First, it is more cost effective for the federal government to sell vehicles that are no longer active its fleet rather than store them. This means that they could literally give them away for free and still come out ahead from a financial perspective. Because of this, there are rarely reserved prices on the cars and if there are reserved bids, they will be extraordinarily low.
The second reason is that the federal government’s fleet tends to be largely composed of a small variety of makes and models. As a result, GSA auto auctions tend to have listings that have several models which compose a disproportionately large percentage of the overall selection. With so many similar vehicles the same auction, potential bidders are much less likely to drive up the price on any particular one of them. Since the supply of these autos is much greater than the demand, you are much more likely to find at least a handful of them which will sell for less than wholesale prices.
One thing to keep in mind is that you can now take part in GSA auctions online. This means that if you live outside the Arlington, Virginia area, you can still take advantage of these great deals. How the online bidding takes place is dependent upon the auction house which oversees the process. Some will allow you to place your bids online days or weeks before the auction begins, whereas others offer live streaming action, in which you will place your bids in real time.
Wholesale Prices May Be Found at Several Other Types of Auctions in Arlington, Virginia
If former federal fleet vehicles are not what you are interested in then there are several other types of auctions which may offer you a greater variety and still have wholesale prices. The first is auctions held by the county or local government. These auctions normally future vehicles which have there been seized or abandoned. While there is a greater variety which means some vehicles will get more competition, there will still normally be a large enough listing that you can find a handful which will go for wholesale prices.
In the end, you will definitely be presented with an opportunity to only pay wholesale prices at Arlington car auctions in Virginia, however this doesn’t mean every vehicle will be this inexpensive. The key is to pay attention to competing bidders and target the vehicles that they overlook. Considering the average income of residents in Arlington county, focusing on reliable, used cars rather than lecture used cars will normally be the best option.
