Online Car Auctions: Salvage, Repairable & Used (2024)

FAQs

What are the best car auction sites? ›

For online auctions, utilize any available photographs, descriptions, and history reports. This step is crucial in avoiding costly mistakes and ensuring that you're bidding on a vehicle that meets your expectations and needs.

Buying for personal use in California? Without business licenses, you will need a Broker's help to bid on clean and salvage titled vehicles in California. If you're buying in another state, view the State Licensing Overview or search our No License Required inventory.

Buying a car at auction could result in a great vehicle at a bargain price. However, there are plenty of risks involved. Always be sure to run a vehicle history report and investigate the car's history before parting with your hard-earned cash.

Online auctions often allow buyers to find expensive items at a reduced rate. Live online auctions have many additional benefits when compared to in-person bidding locations. Rather than traveling long distances to an auction house, participants can bid on items from the comfort of their own homes.

Guest Membership (FREE): Best for people who are new to Copart and simply want to browse inventory online and create a Watchlist to keep an eye on specific vehicles of interest. Basic Membership ($99 USD annually): Best for individual buyers who may only bid on and buy a few vehicles each year.

Does Copart let you walk around? ›

Can I visit a Copart location to preview vehicles? Yes, and in fact, we encourage you to visit. Although Copart provides 10 high-quality images and accurate descriptions for each vehicle, any information provided is for convenience only.

You can drive a car directly off the lot if you have insurance on it and have access to dealer tags.

On average, car dealers markup cars up to 30% that are bought at auctions. There are several reasons for this. The used cars at the auctions are not in a perfect driving condition and sometimes they won't even appeal to many bidders, that's why they are cheaper than the dealer's shops.

Yes. Qualified Buyers can pay with a personal credit card through our secure payment system on IAAI.com, in the IAA Buyer App, or in-person at an IAA branch.

Our Top Picks for Used Car Websites

Cars.com, Carvana, Edmunds, CarMax and TrueCar are our top recommendations for used car websites.

Cars.com is our top pick for the best place to sell your car online — you can sell directly to the site or list your vehicle on a private-sale marketplace. Carmax offers the best prices for used vehicles when selling a car online. CarBrain is our top recommendation for selling an old or damaged car online.

Over the past 40 years, RM Sotheby's has continued to lead the global collector car auction industry with unparalleled capabilities, expertise, and resources. This has made us the preeminent market maker of high-quality collector cars and collections, regardless of size or complexity.