What to Look for When Buying an Auction Car

Video Transcript

I’d like to go over a few things that a Buyer should look for when they think about purchasing or bidding on a vehicle at Copart.

One thing is title type. If you walk into any local Copart branch, you should always review the title type before bidding on or purchasing a vehicle to make sure that it is transferable in your state.

Also, we have three different statuses for Run and Drive here Copart. One is a non-runner which means that the vehicle does not start. The second one is a start which means the vehicle starts but does not move under its own power. The third one is Run and Drive which means that the vehicle starts, goes into gear and moves forward under its own power.

This is Neal Sharkey, our yard manager here at Yard 26, Philadelphia. Neal's been with Copart for over nine years, and it'd be hard-pressed to find somebody in a company that knows more about vehicles than Neal.

Following up with some of the things that Sean said about the Run and Drive and the title types on the vehicles—some of the things, as a first-time Buyer to Copart, that you'll want to take a look at is the overall condition of the vehicle.

The vast majority of our vehicles that we sell here are in fact salvaged vehicles. We also have been doing a lot of donation vehicles lately. These vehicles appear to be a little bit cleaner, the miles are typically lower and they're typically on clean titles.

Some of the things you will want to look for in a used vehicle is paint mismatches. It might show that the vehicle had suffered structural damage in the past.

Another thing is indicator lights. When you start the car, the airbag light should come on, stay on for a few seconds and shut back off. If that indicator light stays on, the vehicle’s air bag has either been deployed or it is non-functional.

In this particular case, on this Lincoln LS, some of the things that I've noticed are typical normal things on cars. For instance, the clouded headlights could be rectified with a polishing compound. If you come around the side of the vehicle, there are some nicks, dents and scratches that are just normal wear and tear. We also put the mileage on the side of the vehicle so if it does have a digital odometer, even if the vehicle does not get power from the battery, you can see what mileage is on that vehicle. So, for a car with 116,000 miles, you also want to look around for some cracked paint as well as chipped and flaking paint on the back. You can see that this vehicle has been stuffed in the rear.

Other things you can look for are to make sure the seat belts work correctly. This vehicle does have 116,000 miles and it does show some wear to the driver's side, front seat and passenger seat, but overall, the condition of the vehicle is pretty good. This vehicle also has power seats. That's something that you would want to check. Check and make sure that the seat belts work.

Also, keep in mind, any vehicle that you do purchase from a Copart auction, you would want to have it looked at by your own mechanic and inspected in the state that you're in. Just to ensure your own safety. We do provide third-party inspection services for anybody who can't make it to the yard.

For more information on what to look for before bidding or purchasing a vehicle from Copart, you can go to Copart.com/Educate, and there will be a checklist for what to look for before bidding.