Many people at CG have gotten their permit or drivers license but don’t have their own car. But when they look at reputable car websites like Carvana or Edmunds, they often see the cars in their budget looking less than desirable. This is where government surplus auctions come in. 

The US government often overspends on specific items and areas of governance. One of the manifestations of this is the vast number of vehicles that just aren’t being put to use over the years. 

Combined with the fact that the government has to get rid of some of the vehicles that they did use, this creates a perfect value proposition for both the government and the eager taxpayer to auction off these cars, trucks, trailers, and even planes.

There are many advantages when it comes to buying from the government, primarily the cost savings and proper maintenance. 

Government surplus auctions are not advertised heavily as dealerships and other websites such as Carvana. This causes there to be a relative lack of demand when it comes to these auctions, therefore you can often purchase vehicles at a lower price, as seen in this table.

The second main advantage of buying off of the government is maintenance. Many vehicles come from agencies such as the US Forest Service, local police forces, National Park Service, and more. 

Generally, these agencies have a tight maintenance schedule that they have to follow. This ensures that even though some may have cosmetic damage, most should be mechanically sound. Some of the vehicles are straight out of these agencies. For example, a police car may come with the factory armor plating and upgraded engine.

However, this does not mean that you should not do your own due diligence, as these sales are final and there are no returns.

That is the main disadvantage with buying from the government and an auction, and it comes with three related disadvantages: the exclusion of any sort of warranty and no returns  (because they are sold as-is), heavy hidden costs, and – depending on the condition of the vehicle (because it is usually bought with no inspection) – the logistics of taking it places. 

Many auction houses have hidden costs, such as a “buyer’s premium,” which can be very high and are added to the final bidding cost. Many of these auction houses are also flooded with vehicles, so it is often confusing to employees to differentiate between similar government vehicles, often misrepresenting the condition of some of these vehicles. 

Some of these vehicles are also in various states other than Illinois, requiring you to either pick them up or ship them to your location, which can be a costly process. Most government auctioned vehicles are at some sort of government facility, whether a local police department, fish and wildlife HQ, or military base.

Even though there are many disadvantages, these are all calculated risks that can be avoided with a careful attention to detail.

If you want to look at what an auction has to offer, there are many auction houses that sell old government vehicles, including government websites (both federal and local). This includes anything from the government of Cook County, to the state of Illinois, to the General Services Administration. There are also countless private auction houses that you have to choose from. Below are some of the links to some of them:

• https://marketplace.gsafleet.gov/sales/browse-vehicles?saleEventStatus=Coming+soon%252CActive&status=0%252C1%252C2%252C3%252C4%252C5%252C6%252C7%252C8
• https://www.govplanet.com/?h=
• https://www.illinois.gov/services/service.buy-surplus.html
• https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dps/provdrs/auction.html
• https://www.cookcountyil.gov/service/public-surplus-auction

As with everything, especially car-buying, using your common sense and due diligence is essential. Buying off of a government surplus auction can be a great experience because of the great deals you can find and the early experience of going to an auction, but you always have to be careful, especially if you are buying something sight unseen.