So you’ve subscribed to one of the top services recommended in our reviews, and are ready to attend one of the impounded car auctions to get the deal of a lifetime on your favorite car. Let’s say it’s a 2008 Subaru Forester 2.5x that you preferably would like with A/C and leather seats (and if possible, in Metallic Blue).

You’ve browsed through the listings at your membership site, and found that there are 4 auction listings featuring the make and model over the next 2 weeks in you area. So you get all excited and fired up thinking you will save 50% or more on your next car.

STOP right here!

Impounded car auctions can be a goldmine, if you know what you are doing, AND you have done your homework. Simply attending the car auction is not enough, for several reasons:

• you have to make sure the cars you are bidding for are worth bidding for
• you want to know what the car is actually worth in the blue-book (market value)
• you want to have set a top bid price you are willing to pay to really save money
• you want to make sure you will be allowed to participate at the auction

So first, make sure to bring a knowledgeable car mechanic or somebody who can check over the car’s condition at the impounded car auctions; it’s not enough to have the Carfax report that the auctioneer will provide, although it is a good indication of the car’s condition.

Second, you should have a blue-book guide of used car vehicles market values by make, model and year. You could also have checked websites like www.edmunds.com to determine that your Subaru Forester 2008 2.5x is should be worth $18,133, a bit more with your A/C option. That way, at the impounded car auctions, you will definitely know where to set your maximum target price, which brings me to the next point.

Knowing the blue-book value of the vehicles you are bidding for helps you set your target bid price, that is the maximum amount you are willing to pay at the impound auctions so you can save a lot of money compared to shopping around classified ads or local used car dealers.

Finally, just make sure you bring all that is needed so they will let you participate at the impounded car auctions: make sure to call up the auctioneer or check out their site so you have all ids and eventual documents with you. You will also need a proof of funds (certified bank drafts or equivalent, like pre-approved  credit card credit amount). In any case, have your driver’s license with you, as well as a proof of address.

Have fun, and start your bids low and don’t get too emotional about it: it’s possible you have to bid on several cars before you get the best deal on a metallic blue Subaru Forester 2008. We have cleared the path so you can attend these impounded car auctions successfully.