If you are not in the market for a brand new car but need a change of vehicle, there is a huge selection of good used cars available these days. You might be thinking of visiting your local car dealer or checking out the listings in your local paper for used cars. There is a way of getting the car you are looking for without contributing your hard earned dollars to the dealers profit line. These days there are many repossessed car and government vehicle auctions taking place all over the country. Some of the government vehicles sold are only a couple of years old and newly seized cars are also auctioned off. These auctions are not widely advertised but I will tell you how to get a good used car at these public car sales at the lowest possible price.

I have outlined some steps for you to follow so that you can ensure that you get a good used car at a bargain price:

1. Find out where all the local auctions are taking place. The more auctions you know about the less likely it is that you will buy the first car you see and pay more than you need to.

2. Get a list of the vehicles that will be sold at the auction that you intend going to.

3. Narrow down this list to the vehicles that you are interested in. From this point forward you are going to forget that there are any other vehicles available at the auction and focus only on your shortlist.

4. If you are attending a repossessed car auction, you would be wise to note the Vehicle Identification Numbers of your selected cars and run a vehicle check. This is not as important for government vehicle auctions as the government has a duty of care to maintain and service its vehicles under health and safety legislation. An alternative, if you are not mechanically minded, would be to ask a friend or a local mechanic to attend the auction with you to ensure that everything is in order with the car you are choosing.

5. Set your budget and do not go over the limits you have set. This is really important if you want to get the best financial advantage from buying a car this way.

You can find good used cars at really low prices if you attend the right car auctions. Bidding at many of these auctions starts at $100. Neither the banks nor the government want to have to stock these vehicles. They are looking to liquidate their assets quickly and you can gain from this. To get the very best advantage and achieve the lowest price on your used car purchase, you will need to know where all the auctions are taking place. There are online services that provide this information to you, as well as other tips and advice, to help you find the car you want.