Repo Vehicles – Real Deal To Get Cheap Cars?
November 27th, 2011
A few people may have told you that getting repo vehicles is the best way to get cheap and good cars. Well, it is true to a certain extend that these repo vehicles are sometimes sold anywhere between 90 to 10 percent of their market value. However, as of every good deal in the world, things are not as straight forward as it sounds. It is definitely possible to get cheaper cars from repossessed car sales, but there are potential pitfalls to look out for. I can’t promise everything will be covered in this article, but it should give you a good idea how to start.
Repo vehicles come from 2 main sources. First main supply is cars repossessed by bank due to default on car loans or lease payments by the owner. The second is cars impounded by police for various reasons like smuggling or driving offences. Either way, there is a constant supply of repossessed automobiles everyday throughout many countries.
The reasons they are priced so cheap are the result of many factors. Firstly, it costs money to store and maintain these vehicles in order to make them saleable. Therefore, it makes sense for banks or the government to want to get rid of them as soon as possible. Secondly, repo vehicles market is still not widely publicized, whenever there is an auction on these automobiles, they are mostly attended by those within the trade due to the business’ lucrative nature. Thirdly, most consumers may be very skeptical about these sales or auctions and pass them off as scams. As I said, it is possible to get a good deal from these sales, but takes a little more effort and caution.
Due to the diversity of sources of vehicles and profiles of previous car owners, the condition of these repo vehicles are sometimes questionable and may require some refurbishing before it can be bought at an acceptable condition. As such, companies dealing with these cars may sometimes recondition them before re-selling, thus increasing the value of the cars. It is always a good idea to have someone who can help you inspect the overall condition of the car before you make a commitment. Also, before you sign on the dotted line, read the find prints. Verify whether there are any hidden costs, lapsed warranty, accidents or damages not covered by the warranty, etc.
Last but not least, there are online databases to direct you to the source of these sales or auctions so that you may deal directly with them instead of going through a middleman and end up paying more commissions.
George Tho is a webmaster and reviewer of online services. Read his review on an online listing of repo vehicles and their sources in US, Canada, Australia and parts of Europe here.