How cheap do used cars auctions sell at public car auctions?

There are several types of public auctions. Some are government auctions, and some are auctions that take consignments from the public, businesses, government agencies, charities that get the vehicles as donations, and dealers.

What you will usually find is that most cars in the auctions are there for a reason. Either the dealer does not want to put the car on their retail lot and warranty it, or someone donated it to charity because it had problems.

You will also find that there are dealers who are at these auctions Depending on the auction, they may have a minimum price set on the car, or the person who consigned the vehicle may be allowed to bid on the vehicle to "protect" it from being sold at a price that is too low. If a good vehicle comes through from a private seller, they will bid on it if it is priced low. The dealers know the value and will not pass up a great deal.

Most all auctions are selling cars as-is, where is, how is. This means that they do not guarantee anything, they many times so not even announce a salvage or branded title. The old saying "what you see is what you get" applies.

Be very careful buying a car at a public auction. You can end up spending more in repairs than the car is worth.