You need a car. Not a pretty car – not even a particularly attractive car. Not the car of your dreams or a car that will appeal to others. No, you need transportation – plain and simple – and you need that transportation to be safe and reliable. In short, you need a car that works. And you don’t want to pay a lot of money for it. You, my friend, should seriously consider buying a used police car.
A used police car can be one of the best bargains around. These cars aren’t particularly attractive. They are serviceable, in the best sense of the word, and they’re usually larger cars with heavier frames. These are, after all, the kind of cars that police officers can set up in a roadblock, and expect to survive.
And don’t worry that you’ll constantly be mistaken for an officer. Most municipalities no longer paint their cars – they use stickers that, when peeled off, leave you with a fairly mundane color, but a solid color nonetheless. And yes, the automobile cognoscenti will know exactly what you have the instant they see it. But if you’re buying a car for what it can do instead of how it looks, that shouldn’t really matter to you.
However, buying a used police car isn’t as simple as just calling the police department and asking to buy one. But you should be able to call the general information line during regular office hours and ask them when they’ll be having their next police auction or liquidation sale. Depending on the size of the municipality, some will have their own auctions, while others will contract with an auction house. Smaller communities will also sometimes come together for a joint auction. Regardless of how it’s set up, all municipalities will – at some point – change out their fleet of vehicles and, for the savvy buyer, this is a great time to get a car.
Once you know when the sale will be, the next thing you have to find out is whether the sale will be public or private. If the sale is private, find out who is allowed to attend – for example, you may need a dealer’s license or you may just need to preregister. Every auction is handled differently, so there’s no substitute for making the call and asking the question. If they tell you it’s a public auction, then you can move to the next step – at a public auction, anyone can attend.
In most cases, the auction will give you a period of time during which you can inspect the cars that are being offered for sale. This can vary from a period of hours to days. This is crucial, because in nearly every instance, these auctions are strictly “as is,” with no warranty whatsoever. If you miss the hole in the engine block and buy a car that doesn’t run, you’re stuck with just that – there are no refunds and no exchanges. Some municipalities may have records of maintenance and repair, while others won’t. Be sure to ask these questions before you bid.
In this same vein, you need to know both the terms of payment and the time of pickup. Some auctions are cash only. Some demand payment immediately, while others may allow you to make payment arrangements. Know before you go. In addition, you need to know how long you have to get the car home. The car you buy may not be ready to drive – it may not even have gas in it to drive it away. Whatever the situation, you may have to take that car away at the end of the auction or lose your money and your car. Again, call ahead so that you know before you go.
