I bought 58 cars from Copart the only times I got bad cars are the ones I did not inspect in person. Inspect the car before purchasing or don't buy it.
They are specific rules when buying from Copart: If you need to have your numbers worked out before the bidding, if you want a car for $4000, bid up to that number and not a penny more. Only buy insurance cars. "Pure sale" cars are cars which have been wrecked and fix by an insurance company before. Figure out your fees before establishing how much you want to bid. If a car looks really clean, like it needs almost nothing, it probably needs a lot of work. If you loose a bid today, you won't die from it but if you buy a problematic car, you might dig a hole so big in your pocket you might die from it. I hope this help someone.
Pure sale is not reserve and highest bidder will get to buy the vehicle. Nothing to do with being wrecked before. Rebuilt title is a rebuilt salvage....been wrecked or insurance loss of some type before.
@@beyondrepair8949 exactly. Copart operating margin is 33%, that rival tech margins like Microsoft, Google, AMD, Facebook etc. Copart is a money machine..
I work at Copart as a receiver and I have a fair understanding of the mechanical and values of the cars that come in. We've had multiple cars come in with obvious mechanical problems and when I would note it the office workers would edit the lot to say it doesn't have any mechanical damage. Other times the employees will damage the car further. Sometimes a car door won't open because the fender is pushed back, I'll try the other side but everyone else will force it open, completely ruining the door.
When I bought my totaled but drivable car from Copart they decided to set it in their parking lot with a forklift and did so very roughly after I paid them.
Here is my experience; I bought a 2008 Porsche Cayman S through Copart. It was an insurance deal and I planned to import it into Canada. They charged me extra because it took 5 days to get a carrier to pick it up after it took months to auction it. Then they shipped it without the title. It got to the border and US Customs seized it for lack of documentation. I paid two weeks customs storage while they got another title to Customs to clear the car for export. It sat there the whole time with the windows half down. The interior was soaked and caused all kinds of electrical problems. I had to hire another carrier to go and get it the second time. Their mistake and it cost me thousands of dollars. Never again.
That doesn't sound like coparts fault. It sounds like the transport driver blew it because he didn't ask for the title when picking up the car. When I have a carrier pick up a car for me from copart, I ask them to get the title for me. Copart should have had the title ready and the driver only needed to ask for it.
@@HimothyCook The trucker isn't providing the docs. Copart is. Copart will either hand you the title or mail it to you. If you don't ask for the title in person or have your driver ask for it, they are going to mail it to you. I just ask my tow truck driver to ask for the title and stick it in the glove box. They have always been happy to do that but that's not their job... unless they are leaving the country with the car and they should have known they would need the title. Copart doesn't know or care where the car is going so that was not Coparts fault.
@@HimothyCook if he's in Canada that's what he's paying the trucker to pick up the car and paperwork for. The trucker shouldn't even be transporting a car without proper paperwork. Copart mails titles but you obviously going to need paperwork to transport a vehicle in to a foreign country. If he didn't know or the company doesn't know what's needed to transport in to a foreign country they shouldn't provide that service. That's like the driver not knowing he needs a passport lls.
Wife's X3 got totaled back in April - I was watching the IAAA sale - They listed it as "Runs Drives". WTF? - when the drunk went THROUGH her front end it ripped the suspension out of the car! But, they propped the wheel up in the wheelwell to take a video of it "running"... I couldn't believe they pulled that crap.
IAA will describe almost everything as RUNS and DRIVES as long as the engine starts , I have noticed. Be careful out there, there are plenty of scammers waiting for your money.
I have been in the body shop business for 20yrs. Dealing with insurance companies we saw more vehicles being totaled because the salvage value was so high. Progressive rep told me that Copart was giving guaranteed salvage values on everything. Like he said these ghost bidders and inflated prices are out of control.
totally true. also at times copart actually goes through the person owning the car if they even accept the winning bid. if the owner doesnt and still demands a high price for the car it wont ever sell at this point and will end up sitting for months and not selling. also with the insurance write off stuff happening cars that dont have much damage and still run and drive they dont tell you there is damage or if there is they still dont list what the damage is. they may say its mechanical but if there is no mechanical damage they just say runs and drives or maybe salvage. sometimes on these cars a little fender dent and its a total loss and salvage title. some of these cars are from dealers that are off loading either a repo or a trade in or whatever the deal is with the car and they try to just turn a quick buck for a pos car. very rarely do you end up with a fully running and driving car without issues there. also fees are no fun either. you have to pay just to be able to bid and then once u bid up and maybe win the car at the price the auction closed at then you have to pay say 200 to 500 above what you are paying for the winning bid.
Exactly 20 years ago I hauled cars in for Copart and this is when internet bidding was just starting. I sat there in the room full of bidders and there was a Copart guy sitting at the computer to raise his hand for the auctioneer if an internet bid outbid the one in the room. I watched so many cars keep going up on the web because everyone in the room saw the hidden or extra damage but the internet bidders didn't. This has been going on for 20 years that I know of, people think they can judge a car on pictures and description on the web. Good luck to those who don't check them out in person.
I must've gotten really lucky then. Because i got an 05 town car in 2018 with under a 100k miles on it. Didn't even bother to go look at it first because it was only $500. Plus i know panther platforms like the back of my hand. So i could look at the pictures and tell it was not in to bad of shape. Even it was 4.6 2v engines are a dime a dozen and the 4r75w trans is too. So i took the risk and got that car for $500 sight unseen. Sure enough i get there and she started right up. I've been daily driving that town car for 4 years now put over 65k miles on it doing doordash and uber. Made over $80k on income with that car. Haven't even had to replace anything on it but spark plugs, coils, tires and brakes.
''Good luck to those who don't check them out in person'' Caveat Emptor. I have no sympathy for those who buy without inspection. Always Always Always Always check the car yourself before deciding to buy. It's simply part of the process.
Rule #1, ONLY buy from sellers that are insurance companies (Geico, Progressive, etc...) Insurance companies are not in the business of repairing cars, or doing any sort of shadyness with hiding damage. So I'd HIGHLY recommended ONLY buying cars from those sellers 🙂
Well that may be the case in America. Here in the UK a lot more insurance companies are starting to put cars through un categorised so they get maximum money for the car. Cars that should be categorised with structural damage for example going for crazy money. Then if you do win a car for reasonable money and don’t pay straight away they will cancel the bid on behalf of the seller and move the car to another depot to sell again hoping to get better money.
There are deals to be had on Copart, but it's buyer beware to an extreme. Before I bid, I always factor in the cost of a used engine or whatever worst case scenario is. I've purchased about 10 cars through them and usually buy the cars that state "engine start" or just "mechanical, no start". It hasn't happened yet from Copart, but I know someday I'll get a basket case. Pro Tips: -Use 1Vin Stat to lookup past sales or auctions. Some vehicles get relisted at a different lot... stay away from those! Or especially if it's listed as a seller other than an insurance seller. -Restating from above, but always assume the worst. Never assume you'll get a running/driving car so ALWAYS bring a trailer with or have it trucked to your house. -Don't get into a bidding war. Have a value set ahead of time in your head and don't exceed it. -Go for the normie cars. People will overbid sports cars, diesel pickups, and anything that's "cool". These are also the cars that have a higher chance of being pieced together and reauctioned. -Know your fees ahead of time. I always write up a quick excel spreadsheet to get rough costs/fees/profit before I even bid. It only takes a few minutes. -You probably need to be mechanically inclined or know how to do body work to pull a profit from anything on Copart. If you farm out the work, you'll lose money. It's not for everyone.
Man thanks for the tips they're great! I want to write up a spreadsheet for a 2018-22 Accord Hybrid but I was wondering what are/how do you calculate the fees?
In 2020 I bought a 2016 Chrysler 300 from copart, and it said "off site sale," "clean title, "run and drive," and "pure sale. I paid a local mechanic to check it out and he said it looked super clean. I won the pure sale bid at $3500 for it, then paid $1500 in fees. When i went to pick it up 900 miles away, the engine was completely blown, blowing oil out of the muffler, 3 of the 4 tires were flat, and I was unable to drive it back home. I spoke to a mechanic in the area and he quoted me another $6k to fix it. I just gave up and lost every penny that I put into that car. Never again copart!
I don't think Copart is scamming anybody. All cars are sold as is, where is. That should be warning enough for anybody that the car in question has trouble, and is unfit to be sold to the public. The fact that its sold through an auction is grounds enough for suspicion. Regarding mechanical wreckage and hidden damages, Copart allows you to come out to their lot and examine the car yourself, you aren't bidding blindly. Some lots even leave out the keys tied on the steering column so you could start the car yourself, just bring your booster pack along. If you can't come out for yourself, then is that really Copart's problem? You can bid on the car on the spot using their app on your phone. Chicago is the worst place, because a Copart lot is the sum of the surrounding area it serves. Meaning, if a Copart lot is established in an area thats full of rich people, that lot is going to house some really expensive cars wrecked, totaled, or just sold through auction. Contrast that with the state Chicago is in. Most cars on their lot are going to have some kind of damage, some worse than others, be it more obvious than others. But you will find that there are diamonds in the rough out there that were totaled based on hail damage, or older cars totaled over some of the silliest stuff even while the car itself is mechanically sound and fine. Auctions are a great way to gamble on cars, or for people who can't afford the crazy prices in the regular marketplace right now.
Right. I hate that I have to disagree with him, especially since I've been burned a few times at Copart. Many points you make are invalid because you can avoid many of the pitfalls if you put your time or money into the effort before hand. Knowing what kinds of lots to bid on is key when dealing with Copart. IF IT'S NOT PURE SALE, IT'S PROBABLY NOT INSURANCE.
My '96 Civic went to Copart after someone hit me in November and nobody wanted to fix the quarter panel due to the rust on it. But the car was still mechanically sound, despite having a salvaged title. I bet someone got it for a pretty good deal.
Copart makes it as hard as they can for you to inspect vehicles & only allow you to inspect one vehicle . The punk bid you up &only to see vehicle back up for sale next week .
@@BigKWS I'm not sure if it still works out to be a good deal though. The $$$ you have to dump in to it is 95% of the tome more than you think. Let's say it sold for $500 and someone had a nice car with a bad drive train. How many man hours will it take to pull the old one and install yours ?
I use to rebuild wrecks 30 years ago and was looking hard at Copart to restart the process. Man I appreciate your video more than you know! I was familiar with the engines being changed but that was it. You probably saved me lots of money. I commend you for this video! GOD bless and best wishes to you my friend……..
I use to work at a COPART out west. 90% of the cars that came in were from accidents, 10% are donated cause people didn't want them any more. If you have full coverage then your insurance takes care of everything. If you don't then it's up to the owner to pay the fees and decide if you want the car or not. The fees are the tow bill and storage fees. Also, FYI, you don't have a say in were the car goes. That's already predetermined by your insurance company. So if don't want your car sent to Copart you'll have to switch insurance companies.
Hey, so we just got two cars from Copart. We took em to a shop to get an estimate. Are you saying we just need to put these cars on my insurance and insurance will pay for it? If so, is this an easy process?
@@S7H7E7A7 no it doesn't work that way. I was talking about pre accident as to how CoPart works. If you buy a car from them, depending on the type of damage it has you either fix it for cheap or strip them of all the good parts and sell those parts. The insurance companies have all the info on a car that's been in an accident.
@@tylerminix2028 because it goes to a holding yard. As the owner you go and get your personal items from the car that you made need. From there your insurance company will send an adjuster to look at your car and determine if it gets fixed or it's a total loss. If it's deemed a total loss your insurance will call and tell you to go and remove any personal items you didn't get the first time.
I learned an expensive lesson dealing with copart. Didn't know my total would be nearly twice what my winning bid was. They make sure to keep the fees as vague as they can with little to no explanation
Lets be real here. It's the buyers responsibility to inspect the vehicle before purchase. No since in playing victim for would be purchasers who too lazy or too cheap to have a vehicle checked over themselves or use someone else to do it. I buy public auction vehicles all the time and it's a crap shoot and a risk you take because some places don't even let you open the door.
I looked at co-part out of curiosity I'm not a dealer agent wholesaler etc. To me, it looked like they dealt in full disclosure. I've been buying at auctions for years, tools, antiques, property, junk, you name it. Some lessons I learned over the decades- You better have a thick skin walking in the door. It takes a long time to get to know buyers and sellers. Most people that go to auctions are greedy and there to make a quick profit. They don't want to make friends. Know what you're bidding on, ignore the auctioneer's BS. they are there to make money. They will sell the description to raise the bid. You buy it you own it. Don't whine when that "Ming" vase you bought for $50.00 is a reproduction or has been glued back together. Don't ever expect the auctioneer to know everything about every item. That's your responsibility to be educated on the item you are bidding on. The auction community is smart, don't think you are smarter than they are, you will be made a fool of quickly. With these few things being said, I wholeheartedly agree with them. Once you learn the ropes, auctions can be fun. People will begin to recognize you and maybe even say hello. Auctions are one of the last places a person can go where nobody cares about your mistake. If you're a Karen you will be invited to leave by someone, in a not so polite manner. In 40 years I've gone to auctions all over this country, I've never seen an auctioneer purposely scam the auction. Now buyers and sellers on the internet, that's a whole different story.
Well i know auctioneers, worked for one, and ghost bids are part of the game. Trust me if you bid at a live auction you can't count the bids till it got to you... Some, not all, pad the bids. Part of the game.
The only time you’ll see a car that’s patched together are the cars that are from private parties that someone tried to fix but got way in over their head and decided to sell it. It’s up to the buyer to go to the location and check the condition of the car before putting money on it. If you decide to spend 10k on something you’ve never touched in person that’s on you. The only time you’ll see a car sell and end up reposted is if the car isn’t a PURE SALE. Minimum bid cars require a certain amount of money to be offered in order to sell (same as eBay items with reserve prices) the other is if the vehicle is ON APPROVAL which means the seller has to give Copart the okay to sell the vehicle for the offered amount. You have to realize that most vehicles that are open to the public will sell for a higher price because the buyers are looking to buy and keep so they don’t mind spending too dollar on their dream car. Dealer only vehicles are the vehicles that typically go for less because obviously they are being purchased to resell for profit. I agree that the fees are ridiculously high and they need to adjust that. Everything else about its operation is pretty straight forward
The fees alone have deterred us from wasting anymore time with copart, just pure greed, especially when their fork people damage nearly everything they touch, we have better luck with marketplace for buying flip vehicles, have done surprisingly well
Hit the nail on the head man PURE GREED. For example, you go through the trouble of being a licensed business, only for copart to decide hmmm, we can make EVEN MORE $$ if we differentiate between "high volume & low volume" licensed buyers. Service sucks, damage cars, impossible to speak with a manager, wait on hold forever...etc etc. Nothing to remotely justify their bogus fees
I just bought a 21 f350 king ranch from copart paid $3,000 in buyers fees for that truck, but I am not complaining because I know before I bid I calculated fees to that goes into my bid before hand.
@@sarahwhittle9947 yep! When I bid I already know how much I will spend in parts labor and have a bit extra for any surprises but some people you can tell they don’t know what the hell they’re doing SMH
Here in Finland we had AVK (short for Car Insurance Workshop) which changed to Copart Finland. The original AVK was very nice but Copart has been very sketchy with their overpriced bidding and required membership with annual fee. AVK didn't require any membership for bidding
I'm a small dealer, you're nailing it. The first thing I built out was my shop with 12K lift. This to limit the down side when I get a bad surprise. You popped up on suggestions and I subscribed. Thanks for the video.
A bigger scam is the cars they put back in that have been redressed a little after they found out they were too big a job and resold to suckers, there's also the issue that your max bid is public to them so they can run a bit up and drop it at your max on top of their crazy fees and how much damage they do loading it around.
From my experience it’s the overseas buyers which are the real issue. The thing is obviously to watch who you buy from at the auction which is signified by the “Seller:” information. The worse sellers to buy from should be obvious with a tiny bit of experience.
Just about every car gets damaged the loaders almost never care.Their only concern is being quick. Every bumper gets cracked paint if your unlucky it's worse from the loader rubber stops Every car gets moved multiple times before it sells.
I guess I was very lucky, I bought an 135i 2012 at 59K miles with minor hail damage and a no start condition for 6K. Turns out the servomotor was bad and it wasn't letting the engine start, just changed the servomotor and I'm using the car right now and so far the car is doing great. Hope things go well with this car, it pulls great and it looks untouched. Overall I would say Copart its a gamble, but you can find some really good deals. In my country, almost every car is from copart or iaai.
Well my take on this is. After buying from Copart & Motorhog for over 10 years. In the UK. The fee's are just too high now. So i have not bothered with them for the last couple of years. The only problem i ever had was a small motorcycle that had a twisted frame. It should have been Cat B. But was Cat N. Copart would not accept they had sold a vehicle they clearly should not have. Other than that i purchased around 180 motorcycles & cars over about 8 years & made a good profit on the resale of these once made good. Regards Steve.
I have a car I'm bidding on tomorrow. Decided to sit and watch some bids. The prices are super weird. You will see a nice running vehicle go for next to nothing, next bid has a complete POS that's been crashed go for twice as much. I noticed too, those foreigners REALLLLY love their Nissan Maxima's.
I got bit myself...lol. I bought a 2000 maroon jeep cherokee xj sport that looked pretty good. I knew it needed work but I couldn't tell they had maroon color duct tape on the rocker panels. When I received it the tape was starting to come off and they were very rusty. Plus front drivers side coil spring perch was completely gone, rusted away. Also both rear leaf spring shackles were broke apart from rust, and the exhaust is pretty much hanging with plastic straps...smh. be extremely careful and be prepared for anything don't spend your whole budget on the vehicle itself. Save money for repairs. Don't get me wrong I didn't pay an extreme amount. But I also did realize how much the fees were after you win and shipping. You live and learn.
Nathan- please address the problem of fake parts on eBay/Amazon. Is Amazon safer than eBay? It kills me seeing all the eBay ads for auto parts🙄. Thanks👍
I just ordered a disavalve from Amazon$60 two-year warranty. the car has 180,000 I would be happy for another Year's worth. O'Reilly Auto parts cant even look it up on the computer 😂
Been buying parts from both Ebay/Amazon for over 12yrs. Never had any "fake parts" issue. You may get a low quality part but this is why you pay attention to the "ratings" and seller "feedback". Hardly likely that you will get "fake parts" from a reputable seller or item with 4-5 star rating. FYI
I NEVER BUY a single thing on AMAZON, NEVER Their prices are ALWAYS higher than the same thing is on eBay So, these scumbags who have YT channels promoting AMAZON are ripping everyone off. I'd be happy to see them close down and not exist
That is online auctions for you! Here in Manitoba Canada, since Covid and auctions turned to online sales, prices have jumped even more than when in person auctions happened.
The very first time I went to a public auction I realize that it was not worth it. Used junk that quickly becomes more expensive than new and not to mention the games the auctioneers play.
I’ll say copart definitely let’s people play themselves. I’ve been buying on copart for years, way before it’s TH-cam fame. I’ve bought cars that said run and drive and they ended up needing engines. One car was a run and drive but then I got under it and found a hole in the block. If also got some winners. It’s a gamble.
as are most auctions really....? or is there a sight where every car is a steal amd has nothing major wrong with it? sounds like he did some bad buying and is regretting his mistakes.... like you said, it's a gamble. but if you buy on the assumption that it needs more work than is listed you'll be fine. work in a motor replacement from the get go and you won't be shocked, nor will you have overpaid.
You’re right, scam shack. I’ve had 2 clients who are wholesalers who bought wrecked cars that didn’t run. After chasing my ass on the first one I got smart on the second one. Seized engine. I believe these cars engine had already failed then the cover up for insurance fraud came in. One the front end was smashed, like someone backed into it, the other one was so extensively vandalized to the point that nobody in their right mind would waste the time and potentially get caught. My point, no more auction cars!!! The cars are other peoples problems and trying to dump them on some unsuspecting fool.
In 2018 i got an 05 Lincoln town car with under 100k miles for $500. All it needed was a fender and bumper cover. I still use that town car daily with over 160k miles on it now. Just last week that same exact town car same year, same mileage, same color, same exact wrecked right front fender, sold for $2500. So right now is not the time to buy cars from copart. Cars are being bid up so high its not worth it.
Very correct. I bought 2011 Honda Odyssey for $6900. With Tax and fees it came came to $9,104. Got the car and found a whole more damage. Costing me almost $3,500 to fix. It’s a shame and rip off.
@@cjottovon4371 that sounds like you didn't do your homework before you bought it. How is that copart's fault. You can get some really good deals on copart if you know what you are doing
You're a buyer at a private sale or a dealership. At an auction you're a bidder not a buyer. This guy got burned because he's not fluent in navigating auctions. He wants a good deal and doesn't know how to assess the risks.
Auctions are a Gold Mine for me as a professional mechanic. I pay no Labor fees whatsoever. I know good deals from years of experience. It takes great skill to win at auctions. I'm factory trained on Asian, Domestic, and European cars/trucks.
Buying a wreck sight unseen that obviously was total loss according the insurance company is always a gamble if the distance is a factor I would see if I could obtain the insurance adjuster information on the car and or hire an adjuster or autobody guy who does estimates to evaluate it. Its better than walking around with your pecker hanging out. I did collision work for many years and bought wrecks for the insurance company directly when you could do that then came the auctions. There can be hidden damage or prior horrible work done by some wham bam thankyou mam shops somtimes called catch em and skin em shops.
Been buying cars for YEARS, you gotta know how to pick and choose, third parties are the worst and if you know how insurance body shops work you know there’s always more damage than usual
I picked up a copart car a few years ago that was an insurance sell. The car was not as described in terms of mechanical health and someone had swapped out electronics for an older car from the same generation. You best bet is to buy a beat up used car and pick parts from a u-pull it yard.
I got ripped off and lost $150,000 on a Lambo that was stripped of all valuable parts when I received it I contacted the CEO of Copart and wasn't interested in helping me when I contact them. Car was supposed to be water damaged, the engine was stripped, gearbox diffs ECU, and more were all removed but Copart did not disclose this, NJ facility.
so sad.. but buying car of such about.. it will pay u much if u visit the facility and inspect it... anycar above $5000 i adveice people to go inspect and start and if possible test drive befor bidding.
I have had both good and bad experiences with Copart. My biggest complaint is the RUN AND DRIVE designation. If the battery is missing, if a wheel is missing, if the steering doesn't work, if the brakes don't work, then it does not run and drive!
Those cleaners that clean and take pictures of the cars say it has to barely move front or back, and it becomes a rin and drive. Until a couple of years ago the vehicle had to drive 6 feet front and back. My guess is they changed it so they can get rid of vehicles faster.
Man I couldn't agree with you any anymore. You hit the nail on the head. Copart lost me with their fees and the fact that salvage cars are going for kbb prices on there, and the fact that African bidders are outbidding you. I knew that was always odd about that
@@johnwayne3618 pretty racist don't you think? American cars go for big money in Africa, that's where most of the stolen vehicles that don't end up in a chop shop get shipped off too, as is the car with any market there is people doing it legally and illegally
Many cars out of Detroit are mechanically defective, the owners claim the car was stolen, kick in all the fenders and then when the car is found the insurance company totals it because somebody vandalized it. In truth the car simply had a bad engine or bad transmission or God for bid sometimes both! I bought a Ford escape that actually had a blown engine and transmission!
Hit the nail in the head, so hard finding a shop who can do intricate repairs. Most want to do in and out in a day jobs. Need trans , head work, major suspension issues, your up the creek at some places.
if you can't do a lot of these repairs yourself before buying, you're in the wrong industry. Copart buying is not for "in and out day jobs" these salvage vehicles require work to be fixed! Get a life, bozo!
@@joshuakaisoelnsa1607 Bozo? we’ll I do repairs very often, but myself nor anyone who chooses to have an EXPERT do repairs on an auction car should be criticized. Good for you that you can judge others. And did you read what I said, I guess you know how to perform all manner of car repairs.
@@joshuakaisoelnsa1607 Bozo? we’ll I do repairs very often, but myself nor anyone who chooses to have an EXPERT do repairs on an auction car should be criticized. Good for you that you can judge others. And did you read what I said, I guess you know how to perform all manner of car repairs.
Thanks for the insight. I live near Chicago and yes even the dealerships will scam you. They have fake cars on website. I’ve even talked to them and setup appointments to test drive a car and when I get there the car is allegedly at a different dealership 100 miles away. But they have a some other cars they will show you.
I bought a 2015 gti like 4 years ago it was an insurance car been my daily ever since. Just bought a 2017 golf r from an insurance as well with under carriage damage and now am looking to sell my gti to daily my golf r which is now fixed and running great. All it needed was oil pan replacement transmission pan replacement and radiator replacement no body damage either.
I've only bought from the local COPART in KC. The one time I bought from out of town, an Audi from Atlanta, it was s nightmare, never again. With today's prices and fees, you're almost better off buying from a car lot. Also, If you're in the Midwest, there are a lot of good cars from purple wave.
My dad has ran a body shop since the 90’s, and we have bought and sold rebuildable vehicles from all across the country. We’ve never seen the market in this kind of state. In the past it was normal to buy and fix a car anywhere from 40%-60% of current market value of the same car with a clean title. Now these cars are auctioning at 60%-70% of value, and after you fix it plus the ridiculous Copart fee of ~7.5% of pp, you’re in it for 80%-90% of the value assuming there are no unexpected issues when the car arrives. The risk assumed for all that plus the carrying cost of holding the car while trying to sell makes it unreasonable to use this site anymore. This doesn’t even factor in the scams that are happening. Our belief is that the shortages of new and used cars has affected the salvage market as well, causing prices to go up. This market is in an unsustainable state.
I've bought like 50 cars from Copart. I've had good luck with salvage vehicles because the reason they're there is transparent. Clean title vehicles are usually there because there's some bad surprise waiting. The worse thing about Copart is their ridiculous high fees. That and it's so mainstream you're bidding against the whole world, pretty much.
Chicago is the worst place to buy almost anything secondhand. It’s either stolen or broken, no in between. STL is right behind Chicago as far as that all goes too.
Crazy fees first off I got lucky on copart there was a x5m 2011 blue with red interior 198k miles on it 1 owner from NH this was before pandemic buy now price 11500 took a shot won it at 8000$ fees shipping 10500 to get it to New York been running good since never again on copart had to go through a broker was scared to send them the money bank transfer bank would not do it for me they thought it was a scam I got it but got lucky
My truck was wrecked about 3 years ago. It ended up @ copart from the insurance. I bought it back but we had a hard time getting it from copart. They did not want me to get it back.
I can vouch for that. Copart is a scam with their fees. I had to replace an engine. I’m ahead on what the truck is worth. But I knew something was going to to be broken.
Copart is amazing. So are most of the auction sites I use. It's not that hard to WALK out to the yard and look at the cars yourself lol. If you're too lazy to look, well then that is on you right??
@@NathansBMWWorkshop if you can afford the expensive things you can afford a flight and a hotel. You could also afford to pay the $100 fee to have a 3rd party inspect it for you. I’m kinda an expert here.
That’s why you should go out and look at the car yourself before you buy it or bid on it if you know what you’re getting and what you want you can still save a lot of money
my dad has been buying and selling cars for copart almost exclusively for 10 years, im joining him and have been selling for a year now. I truly dont think they are a scam (even tho their fees are stupid bc its basically what the bid is +500) they are a salvage auction that sells as is cars, meaning it could be junk or not. My dad and I has been follwing some rules we put in plaec all this time and i goes as follows 1. dont buy german cars, there is a reason they are there. alot of them have hidden electical problems or just stuff thats too expensive to fix. i didnt listen one time and ended up losing over $3000. he also does this with early koreans and nissans for thier CVTs 2. he mainly buys charity cars and cars for AT&T. most of the time ATT take pretty good care of their cars and about 80% of them are runs and drives ready to sell. as with charity, theres no reason for the seller to scam you bc they arent getting any of that money (sure there are a few and we have gotten some bad ones, but they are rare) 3.stick to low milage. We rarely go over 150,000, and if we do its bc its a ATT truck, bc they are that good 4.clean title, no rebuilt. who knows what sketchy history they got (just bought a 2011 honda accord rebuilt, took it to honda and they said it needs two axles and a transimission, i got pretty upset that day) 5.GO LOOK at them,we dont do this ALL the time as we do buy out of state but we have all of atlatna to go to. most times we sneak in a scanner, a few tools, and a can of starter fluid incase for a fuel pump. they let you look at any one of them and let u drive it backwards and forwards (although i wish you could drive them around the lot like other auctions) 5. DONT ever buy cars from up north, absolute rust buckets. had a 2008 subaru legacy with 39K original miles and it was eaten up, very sad. copart also lets you buy a condition report and NUMEROUS reports for other sites (carfax, experian wihch is built in, and their Epicvin). as long as the car says runs and drives, the condition report will give you extra photos, a video of the engine running, the car moving forwards and backwards, an extirior shot, and an interior shot where hopefully you get a glimpse of the dashboard running (if the employee feels extra nice that day). there is plenty of ways to check the history, and if you dont, then ber prepared for whats to come It is your ultimate judgement to tell if you should pay the price for it, and as for the numbers inflators, just dont bid. you cant control if they do that and if its out of your confortable zone, just wait till the next one rolls around. Overall, i think copart isnt the problem, its really the shady sellers and buyers not doing thier research. we have had plenty of wins and losses. for example, one of the absolute best cars weve had is a 2009 INFINITI G37 sedan (the lot number is 70833411 if you want to look), this car was bought for $3900 and it was perfect. it was dealer serviced its whole life, and it had EVERY SINGLE service paper since NEW (as you can see in the photos), and it only came off the trailer with a small exaust leak. it was unbeiliveable the condition it was in, and while these cars are rare THEY DO HAPPEN. i hope this helps out
For me, there's a location on my way home from work so I can look at what they have. They have decent selection of low end cars, but if they weren't right there I'd never look
I stopped using last year, they was hiding damage on pictures and the last I got the engine was smoking and knocking but wasn’t listed. Also doubled the fees in lockdown
Been buying from copart 8 years now. Prefer over manheim and iaa. However I check them before buying, insurance cars are where it’s at. If it’s a dealer etc. don’t touch it. Period. They put it together and push it at copart… sometimes even a odometer swap. Takes a while to work out all the nicks, but when you figure it out. It’s still profitable. A good transport company will also keep you from dealing With storage and fees
Yes I am a bmw finatic I got the bug so u ain’t the only one Nate, I do try to keep up with, yes coolant leaks mostly 105000 miles in pretty good shape n54 twin turbo 08 e93 with jb4 no cats bigger intercooler it holds its own but stays in garage mostly
Lol copart old man advice. Nathan, heart of gold man. You have enough viewers if you want to get some people to look at stuff for you at copart, just ask! Also, Chicago does have its share of a-holes that's for sure. But there are plenty of people who love their cars and take pride in taking care of them. People like you (and most of us viewers!) aren't THAT special! Just look at carfax and local trade ins and stay away from those non-dealer used care places and you can find whatever you want, eventually.
The whole start of the problem begin when private buyers where aloud to bid !! If you do not have a salvage or dealer license, you should not be able to bid !!! the other problen is these sales not telling you who owns these cars started as insurance salvage only !!
@@johnstr6324 I had a license in another state, but not here. My family ran a couple of small car lots. I saw Copart on my way to a bone yard and figured I'd check it out. I'm in Florida now, and no license. I'd have to go through a broker more or less. I've bought cars from auctions open to the general public too, and - idk. I didn't see the general public making any difference when it comes to the scam factor. Mostly it drove prices up a little bit. Honestly, now that I'm not having to keep a lot full, I do a whole lot better just buying private sales. Unless I'm looking for wrecks to yank drivelines out of - those don't exactly exist in private sales, they're all insurance vehicles.
@@johnstr6324 My friend was offered 20k more for his truck than he paid for it a couple years ago. The entire car market has been a madhouse. I don't think that's caused by public auctions, those have been around longer than I have.
Until watching this video I had never heard of COPART. For a short time after retiring I delivered auto parts for ASIAN brand dealership , mostly to small 2 men repair shops and only a handful small dealers . Dating back to my teen year in the mid sixties I knew better than to buy a car from guys who had 4 cars in their lots and no repair shop anywhere in sight. A few months at the dealership confirmed a lifetime of good decisions about buying cars from big NAME DEALERSHIPS ...used or new ...they do not want their names mentioned in bad publicity...they`ll will make things right 98 % of the time . The other 2% is about who is telling the truth ...the customer or the dealer. It appears from the video and some of the comments that most knuckle heads who think the can own a BMW for the cost of grocery cart got what they deserve...a knuckle rap on the head....HELLOOOO !!!!! People have always been duped since the dawn of time ..but in the last 30 years more than any other time. It takes a special kind of GULLIBLE TRUSTING FOOL to buy car without having a reputable technician evaluate it first and on a lift , followed by a safety inspection ...and if the seller says no to it ....you wave bye bye
@@jeffshadow2407 BMW was shorter to write for the example than FIAT OWNED CHRYSLER as another example...it used to be American . Another meaningless assemblage of world sourced parts . I buy longevity and value in my vehicles 12 years service minimum ..not those built by I can`t see it from my house assembly workers with attitudes .Junk wrapped in a flag, is still junk ! I worked too hard all my life to make a dollar , I buy my flags made of cloth and walk past the metal junk in the car lots.
I bought a 2007 Volkswagen GTI from a small back alley dealer in Chicago. It had 112,000 miles on the odometer when I bought it. Well a few years later when I went to sell it, the potential buyer ran a carfax and it turned out the dealer I bought it from got the car from Copart, rolled the odometer back 100,000 miles and sold it to me. So indeed, Don't buy cars from Chicago.
@@Lets-go-brandon45 It wasn't a bid. I bought it from a dealership. They gave me a fake carfax that I thought was legitimate at the time. I didn't think a dealership would rip me off so blatantly like that. I should have ran my own carfax check but hindsight is 20/20
I’ve had no issues with the insurance cars that I bought from Copart . All tan very well. Luckily I’m in Los Angeles and I have 3 closets within 15 miles . So I go heck them all out in person and do my due diligence
Interest rates are much higher now to borrow, so lots of car dealers won’t be able to bid so high unless there already well established. I’m seeing the shift already.I buy and sell cars from there and noticed when pandemic hit prices went higher then usual .
I bought an 1998 E38 salvage 740i sight unseen other than the pics using “Buy Now. Had a little front end damage. I was so very lucky. Found insurance cards inside. Contacted original owner. Was owned by one lady, 78yo when the car was in an accident. Very well maintained over its life. Car has 96k on the odo. Had Suspension and radiator repairs, then nickel & dime odds and ends. I’d maybe take a chance on a running, driving Toyota, but never take a chance on anything else. Not to mention the forklift front end loader damage they caused the undercarriage. Copart really is a gamble despite my using the Phoenix yard.
What does another persons insurance cards have to do with you? Consider yourself 'unlucky' when you are paying for the gas on that thing. Not to mention fixing all the rust..
@@milcotto4153 rust? It’s an Arizona car. We have zero rust here. Insurance cards had the previous owners information. I was able to research the car’s history once I was able to contact the original owner. Even get the other keys. That really needs to be explained? 🙄 As for gas, I’m not poor so it doesn’t bother me. Plus I own several other vehicles. Sorry to hear you’re poor and broke. 😂You likely have no education or professional career prospects. Should have made better life decisions.🤷🏻♂️Pathetic.🖕🏼
@@greenman7612 thanks. It was a success. I’m not sure what the nutty comment was about on my posting but as far as E38’s go I landed a great car without having to pay >$15,000 for it.
@@paperandmedals8316 Because I didn't think it was a great find, and people get ripped off at those auctions. You seem to be promoting buying at auctions. And you had to personally attack me, that says a lot too..
My complaint is with the additional fees they charge. I was high bidder on a 2007 Electra Glide at $2000.00. After all the bogus fees I'm on the hook for $3000.00 Tomorrow I get to go down there and pay 50% more than I intended on a bike with a salvage title that is "pending". Pretty sure I'm going to regret this whole thing. Just hope I can keep my cool when they spring some other surprise on me.
Here in Nj.. when we had the flood 3 months ago the cars that were listed as mechanical damage well they also got flooded.. so whoever bought out of state not only was buying a mechanical damage listed vehicle but also got a free flood car .. they had 10- 20 power washing companies just roll into copart and power wash all the dirt off the exterior of the cars.. didint re list them as flooded just kept the listing as it was pre flood.. smfh unreal..
I've bought 6-7 cars from copart and if there are issues you can forget them making it right UNLESS YOU'RE A BIG TH-camR THAT PUTS THEM ON BLAST. I've had more good than bad experiences. I'm also an 1-2 hours away from my local (NC) copart so if I'm spending decent money I can drive to check out a car. I'm also generally buying pre - 2012 so damage is minimal for the cars I'm interested in. It's a field full of landmines if you're not careful for sure..
Yep. Scam. Saw a car I sold to a salvage company (2010 Saab 9-3) end up at Long Island Co-part lot. Was auctioned off 4 times with phoney buyers trying to bring up the price before finally selling at a loss for them. Body and interior was perfect but leaks and engine computer gremlins made me get rid of it.
all very good points,sir! i bought salvaged vehicles twice and ran both until they were junk! for 1400 bucks i got six years of travel out of them and lrft them on the side of road! one was a chevy monza and the other was a caprice one lasted 4 years the other lasted 3 years. that is the way i buy cars i can rent a car or use zippy..... edir the truck i currently use bought it salvaged for 1200 it is on 15 years now still starts like a champ... thinking putting a new suspendsion on it and going for 20, im in my 70s... perhaps buying a couple of three door hatch backs 4 cylinder that might take me to end of life. edit again you gave me an idea thank you very much sir and thanks for the help!
You would only buy from Copart if you are not doing well and down on your luck. They are basically shady characters running a shady business. Your best bet is to stay away from big Democrat run cities and buy from private owners in outlying areas or smaller localities.
The problem I see is people who do internet buying on Copart actually don't know how to buy a car at an online auction. 1. How many times has the car been sold at auction? Where do you find that information? 2. What are the Titling requirements for your State? Where do you find that information? 3. What is the ARV (after repair value)? How do you calculate that? 4. How much will it cost to repair? How do you calculate that? 5. How much will it cost to ship the item or have it hauled to your location? 6. What is your profit margin if you're going to resell? 7. What lenders will lend on a rebuilt title? This is for your customer if you're reselling. Most people aren't going to walk onto your lawn with $20,000 falling out their pockets. 8. Can you repair the car yourself, or have mechanics and auto body shops repair it? 9. What are the steps to get a salvage title upgraded to a salvage rebuilt title? 10. Keys - it doesn't have any. What do you do? Even if you go look at the car, you can't crank it up without the key. You can make money on Copart, but Copart is just a tool in a whole set of tools you need before bidding on any car. The number one mistake people make is falling in love with a car from the photos. BIG MISTAKE. That flooded 2020 C7 Corvette Z06 looks very, very, VERY shiny on the outside - and not a scratch on it! And it should. It sat submerged in water for 3 to 5 days. DO NOT fall in love with a car. Fall in love with a person, (although falling in love with a person can be quite a bit more expensive than falling in love with a drowned car). The absolute BIGGEST mistake people make is NO MONEY for contingencies. I personally started out with 150k and only bought ONE car at a time. ONE headache is much easier to handle than THREE. I only sell 5 cars a year. I try to make 10k off each car. I do NONE of the work myself as far as major repairs. If its something simple, I'll DIY it. But I have the MONEY to have it repaired professionally. I ALWAYS take photos to the body shop I work with to get a BALLPARK estimate BEFORE I bid. Mechanical work can't be done that way, unfortunately. NEVER bid over YOUR maximum you'll pay after doing your cost/profit analysis. If somebody is willing to jack the price up for that headache, let them be the fool and pay for the privilege, not you. Do your market research. Have you asked yourself "What is the best selling in demand car on the East Coast right now"? The answer will surprise you. No, its not a Toyota. Knowing WHAT to buy to make money is crucial to being able to SELL your car locally. Yes, we all love that Corvette, that Camaro SS, that Mustang GT, and of course those Dodgy Dodges that drink more gasoline than a liberal chugs Singapore Slings at a Cher concert. But are you going to be able to sell it before you sell a more "practical" car the general masses can afford? You'll get MUCH more customers able to afford a 20,000 dollar car than customers who can afford a 35,000 dollar car. And always be HONEST with your customers. Building your reputation is just as important as building your bank account. When someone buys a car from me, they know I'm not hiding or holding anything back. I'll even show them the photos of when the car was wrecked (if any). Which brings me to my next point about repairing autos. When you buy a run down house and fix it up and repair all the damage and put on new roofs, flooring, new appliances, new paint etc etc, it INCREASES the value of the house. NOT SO with an automobile. A salvaged title is STILL going be a salvaged branded title even if you took that damn car completely apart and completely rebuilt it, replacing every nut, screw and bolt with brand new OEM parts, which means its actually in BETTER shape than it was BEFORE the event happened that got it branded as salvage. Let me clarify, it will increase the value SOME, but it will NEVER be as valuable as it was before the brand to the title was applied, no matter how much work is done to repair the vehicle. This is the reason I advise all of you to give up buying salvaged cars and buy real estate instead. 😁🤣
I’m on my 4th car from Copart and so far the cars have been good, of course they have damage but Copart specifies if the car is running or not, if the car doesn’t have the keys the delivery will be more expensive also so do your research before bidding, I stay away from flooded cars since I don’t know much about that kind of damage but everything else is fixable having the advantage of owning a body shop with an in house mechanic.
Bought a car from copart (Run and Drive) with minor back damage. Paid rediculously expensive fees. The car arrived with at least 7 engine codes, under carriage rust and samage, transmission problems, axle problems, and apparently had other collisions before.
Look for insurance listed cars or pure sales which is usually insurance cars and generally not a scam everything else is potentially a doctored up vehicle and a gamble…
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I bought 58 cars from Copart the only times I got bad cars are the ones I did not inspect in person. Inspect the car before purchasing or don't buy it.
How can you inspect the car first? Is there’s a way I can contract you And ask you more questions willing to pay
@@NaeBenGi you just go there and look at it. Copart allows people to come and look at cars
@@pdusty7707 how do I go with finding the location
Locations are listed on their website.
@@afishyfella ok appreciate it big bro
They are specific rules when buying from Copart:
If you need to have your numbers worked out before the bidding, if you want a car for $4000, bid up to that number and not a penny more.
Only buy insurance cars.
"Pure sale" cars are cars which have been wrecked and fix by an insurance company before.
Figure out your fees before establishing how much you want to bid.
If a car looks really clean, like it needs almost nothing, it probably needs a lot of work.
If you loose a bid today, you won't die from it but if you buy a problematic car, you might dig a hole so big in your pocket you might die from it.
I hope this help someone.
So pure sale is good?
Pure sale is not reserve and highest bidder will get to buy the vehicle. Nothing to do with being wrecked before. Rebuilt title is a rebuilt salvage....been wrecked or insurance loss of some type before.
Pure sale is the only way to go
Absolutely right.
Minimum bid is fine too
Biggest scam at Copart are the fees.
Oh I felt that once and never again.
Exactly!
I buy cars at Copart every day for the business I work for. Last year we paid over $500k in just fees.
@@dinogravessi1789 Buy Copart stock.
@@beyondrepair8949 exactly. Copart operating margin is 33%, that rival tech margins like Microsoft, Google, AMD, Facebook etc. Copart is a money machine..
I work at Copart as a receiver and I have a fair understanding of the mechanical and values of the cars that come in. We've had multiple cars come in with obvious mechanical problems and when I would note it the office workers would edit the lot to say it doesn't have any mechanical damage. Other times the employees will damage the car further. Sometimes a car door won't open because the fender is pushed back, I'll try the other side but everyone else will force it open, completely ruining the door.
I hear a story when the fork lifter driver at copart run into the engine with the fork lifter when aiming to lift the car.
Isn't that illegal as hell?
When I bought my totaled but drivable car from Copart they decided to set it in their parking lot with a forklift and did so very roughly after I paid them.
@@codygarner2095 All Auction places use a wheel loader with forks to move vehicles around
@@Ckcdillpickle when I just drive it
Here is my experience; I bought a 2008 Porsche Cayman S through Copart. It was an insurance deal and I planned to import it into Canada. They charged me extra because it took 5 days to get a carrier to pick it up after it took months to auction it. Then they shipped it without the title. It got to the border and US Customs seized it for lack of documentation. I paid two weeks customs storage while they got another title to Customs to clear the car for export. It sat there the whole time with the windows half down. The interior was soaked and caused all kinds of electrical problems. I had to hire another carrier to go and get it the second time. Their mistake and it cost me thousands of dollars. Never again.
That doesn't sound like coparts fault. It sounds like the transport driver blew it because he didn't ask for the title when picking up the car. When I have a carrier pick up a car for me from copart, I ask them to get the title for me. Copart should have had the title ready and the driver only needed to ask for it.
@@davidbenji1 you buy car, you get the title that comes with it. The seller is responsible for providing the documents not some 3rd party trucker.
@@HimothyCook The trucker isn't providing the docs. Copart is. Copart will either hand you the title or mail it to you. If you don't ask for the title in person or have your driver ask for it, they are going to mail it to you. I just ask my tow truck driver to ask for the title and stick it in the glove box. They have always been happy to do that but that's not their job... unless they are leaving the country with the car and they should have known they would need the title. Copart doesn't know or care where the car is going so that was not Coparts fault.
@@HimothyCook you listen very well it seems
@@HimothyCook if he's in Canada that's what he's paying the trucker to pick up the car and paperwork for. The trucker shouldn't even be transporting a car without proper paperwork. Copart mails titles but you obviously going to need paperwork to transport a vehicle in to a foreign country. If he didn't know or the company doesn't know what's needed to transport in to a foreign country they shouldn't provide that service. That's like the driver not knowing he needs a passport lls.
Wife's X3 got totaled back in April - I was watching the IAAA sale - They listed it as "Runs Drives". WTF? - when the drunk went THROUGH her front end it ripped the suspension out of the car! But, they propped the wheel up in the wheelwell to take a video of it "running"... I couldn't believe they pulled that crap.
IAA will describe almost everything as RUNS and DRIVES as long as the engine starts , I have noticed. Be careful out there, there are plenty of scammers waiting for your money.
I have been in the body shop business for 20yrs. Dealing with insurance companies we saw more vehicles being totaled because the salvage value was so high. Progressive rep told me that Copart was giving guaranteed salvage values on everything. Like he said these ghost bidders and inflated prices are out of control.
They remain Trash...
Bid Accordingly Cause You WILL SEE
It’s crazy how copart gets away with them ghost bidders
totally true. also at times copart actually goes through the person owning the car if they even accept the winning bid. if the owner doesnt and still demands a high price for the car it wont ever sell at this point and will end up sitting for months and not selling. also with the insurance write off stuff happening cars that dont have much damage and still run and drive they dont tell you there is damage or if there is they still dont list what the damage is. they may say its mechanical but if there is no mechanical damage they just say runs and drives or maybe salvage. sometimes on these cars a little fender dent and its a total loss and salvage title. some of these cars are from dealers that are off loading either a repo or a trade in or whatever the deal is with the car and they try to just turn a quick buck for a pos car. very rarely do you end up with a fully running and driving car without issues there. also fees are no fun either. you have to pay just to be able to bid and then once u bid up and maybe win the car at the price the auction closed at then you have to pay say 200 to 500 above what you are paying for the winning bid.
Insurance companies luv to total.. Force the owner to get a new one and pay more to insure it. Win win for insurers.
WOW....
Exactly 20 years ago I hauled cars in for Copart and this is when internet bidding was just starting. I sat there in the room full of bidders and there was a Copart guy sitting at the computer to raise his hand for the auctioneer if an internet bid outbid the one in the room. I watched so many cars keep going up on the web because everyone in the room saw the hidden or extra damage but the internet bidders didn't. This has been going on for 20 years that I know of, people think they can judge a car on pictures and description on the web. Good luck to those who don't check them out in person.
I must've gotten really lucky then. Because i got an 05 town car in 2018 with under a 100k miles on it. Didn't even bother to go look at it first because it was only $500. Plus i know panther platforms like the back of my hand. So i could look at the pictures and tell it was not in to bad of shape. Even it was 4.6 2v engines are a dime a dozen and the 4r75w trans is too. So i took the risk and got that car for $500 sight unseen. Sure enough i get there and she started right up. I've been daily driving that town car for 4 years now put over 65k miles on it doing doordash and uber. Made over $80k on income with that car. Haven't even had to replace anything on it but spark plugs, coils, tires and brakes.
Plus, Copart pictures are so laughably bad. It's like a little microcosm of the 1990s.
What copart was this 20 years ago
@@pappavoodoo4166 woodhaven, mi
''Good luck to those who don't check them out in person''
Caveat Emptor.
I have no sympathy for those who buy without inspection.
Always Always Always Always check the car yourself before deciding to buy.
It's simply part of the process.
Rule #1, ONLY buy from sellers that are insurance companies (Geico, Progressive, etc...)
Insurance companies are not in the business of repairing cars, or doing any sort of shadyness with hiding damage.
So I'd HIGHLY recommended ONLY buying cars from those sellers 🙂
Not true. State farm like to hide damage. I worked at copart for 5 years. State farm is the worst
Where do you find them?
Yeah, he clearly doesn’t understand how the system works. Copart and other salvage auctions only work if you’re intelligent.
Well that may be the case in America. Here in the UK a lot more insurance companies are starting to put cars through un categorised so they get maximum money for the car. Cars that should be categorised with structural damage for example going for crazy money. Then if you do win a car for reasonable money and don’t pay straight away they will cancel the bid on behalf of the seller and move the car to another depot to sell again hoping to get better money.
@@Mac_F87 nothings changed the uk salvage market was exactly like this in the 80s. Half the time you where effectively buying a V5.
There are deals to be had on Copart, but it's buyer beware to an extreme. Before I bid, I always factor in the cost of a used engine or whatever worst case scenario is. I've purchased about 10 cars through them and usually buy the cars that state "engine start" or just "mechanical, no start". It hasn't happened yet from Copart, but I know someday I'll get a basket case.
Pro Tips:
-Use 1Vin Stat to lookup past sales or auctions. Some vehicles get relisted at a different lot... stay away from those! Or especially if it's listed as a seller other than an insurance seller.
-Restating from above, but always assume the worst. Never assume you'll get a running/driving car so ALWAYS bring a trailer with or have it trucked to your house.
-Don't get into a bidding war. Have a value set ahead of time in your head and don't exceed it.
-Go for the normie cars. People will overbid sports cars, diesel pickups, and anything that's "cool". These are also the cars that have a higher chance of being pieced together and reauctioned.
-Know your fees ahead of time. I always write up a quick excel spreadsheet to get rough costs/fees/profit before I even bid. It only takes a few minutes.
-You probably need to be mechanically inclined or know how to do body work to pull a profit from anything on Copart. If you farm out the work, you'll lose money. It's not for everyone.
Man thanks for the tips they're great! I want to write up a spreadsheet for a 2018-22 Accord Hybrid but I was wondering what are/how do you calculate the fees?
Solid advice right here.
In 2020 I bought a 2016 Chrysler 300 from copart, and it said "off site sale," "clean title, "run and drive," and "pure sale. I paid a local mechanic to check it out and he said it looked super clean. I won the pure sale bid at $3500 for it, then paid $1500 in fees. When i went to pick it up 900 miles away, the engine was completely blown, blowing oil out of the muffler, 3 of the 4 tires were flat, and I was unable to drive it back home. I spoke to a mechanic in the area and he quoted me another $6k to fix it. I just gave up and lost every penny that I put into that car. Never again copart!
Tragic, sorry for your loss! I'm wondering, how did the mechanic miss all of that like what happened?
I don't think Copart is scamming anybody. All cars are sold as is, where is. That should be warning enough for anybody that the car in question has trouble, and is unfit to be sold to the public. The fact that its sold through an auction is grounds enough for suspicion.
Regarding mechanical wreckage and hidden damages, Copart allows you to come out to their lot and examine the car yourself, you aren't bidding blindly. Some lots even leave out the keys tied on the steering column so you could start the car yourself, just bring your booster pack along. If you can't come out for yourself, then is that really Copart's problem? You can bid on the car on the spot using their app on your phone.
Chicago is the worst place, because a Copart lot is the sum of the surrounding area it serves. Meaning, if a Copart lot is established in an area thats full of rich people, that lot is going to house some really expensive cars wrecked, totaled, or just sold through auction. Contrast that with the state Chicago is in.
Most cars on their lot are going to have some kind of damage, some worse than others, be it more obvious than others. But you will find that there are diamonds in the rough out there that were totaled based on hail damage, or older cars totaled over some of the silliest stuff even while the car itself is mechanically sound and fine. Auctions are a great way to gamble on cars, or for people who can't afford the crazy prices in the regular marketplace right now.
Right.
I hate that I have to disagree with him, especially since I've been burned a few times at Copart.
Many points you make are invalid because you can avoid many of the pitfalls if you put your time or money into the effort before hand.
Knowing what kinds of lots to bid on is key when dealing with Copart.
IF IT'S NOT PURE SALE, IT'S PROBABLY NOT INSURANCE.
Finally someone speaking some sense.
My '96 Civic went to Copart after someone hit me in November and nobody wanted to fix the quarter panel due to the rust on it. But the car was still mechanically sound, despite having a salvaged title. I bet someone got it for a pretty good deal.
Copart makes it as hard as they can for you to inspect vehicles & only allow you to inspect one vehicle . The punk bid you up &only to see vehicle back up for sale next week .
@@BigKWS I'm not sure if it still works out to be a good deal though. The $$$ you have to dump in to it is 95% of the tome more than you think. Let's say it sold for $500 and someone had a nice car with a bad drive train. How many man hours will it take to pull the old one and install yours ?
I use to rebuild wrecks 30 years ago and was looking hard at Copart to restart the process. Man I appreciate your video more than you know! I was familiar with the engines being changed but that was it. You probably saved me lots of money. I commend you for this video! GOD bless and best wishes to you my friend……..
I use to work at a COPART out west. 90% of the cars that came in were from accidents, 10% are donated cause people didn't want them any more. If you have full coverage then your insurance takes care of everything. If you don't then it's up to the owner to pay the fees and decide if you want the car or not. The fees are the tow bill and storage fees. Also, FYI, you don't have a say in were the car goes. That's already predetermined by your insurance company. So if don't want your car sent to Copart you'll have to switch insurance companies.
Hey, so we just got two cars from Copart. We took em to a shop to get an estimate. Are you saying we just need to put these cars on my insurance and insurance will pay for it? If so, is this an easy process?
@@S7H7E7A7 no it doesn't work that way. I was talking about pre accident as to how CoPart works. If you buy a car from them, depending on the type of damage it has you either fix it for cheap or strip them of all the good parts and sell those parts. The insurance companies have all the info on a car that's been in an accident.
Why would you care where your car is sent through insurance?
@@tylerminix2028 because it goes to a holding yard. As the owner you go and get your personal items from the car that you made need. From there your insurance company will send an adjuster to look at your car and determine if it gets fixed or it's a total loss. If it's deemed a total loss your insurance will call and tell you to go and remove any personal items you didn't get the first time.
I learned an expensive lesson dealing with copart. Didn't know my total would be nearly twice what my winning bid was. They make sure to keep the fees as vague as they can with little to no explanation
Twice?? How much was the car? And what state? What' fees?
Lets be real here. It's the buyers responsibility to inspect the vehicle before purchase. No since in playing victim for would be purchasers who too lazy or too cheap to have a vehicle checked over themselves or use someone else to do it. I buy public auction vehicles all the time and it's a crap shoot and a risk you take because some places don't even let you open the door.
Exactly my point.
Read the rules, before you buy. They clearly state that they are not responsible for anything.
This is correct playing the victim, fees are clearly stated and copart encourage you to do your inspection
#facts
@@davegallagher5121 I have been buying cars from copart for 5 years and have never had a problem copart is not for novice car buyers bottom line
You are absolutely correct! I used to buy from Copart 15 years ago, but back then it was different. Noe Copart does not make sense to buy from.
I looked at co-part out of curiosity I'm not a dealer agent wholesaler etc. To me, it looked like they dealt in full disclosure. I've been buying at auctions for years, tools, antiques, property, junk, you name it. Some lessons I learned over the decades-
You better have a thick skin walking in the door. It takes a long time to get to know buyers and sellers.
Most people that go to auctions are greedy and there to make a quick profit. They don't want to make friends.
Know what you're bidding on, ignore the auctioneer's BS. they are there to make money. They will sell the description to raise the bid.
You buy it you own it. Don't whine when that "Ming" vase you bought for $50.00 is a reproduction or has been glued back together.
Don't ever expect the auctioneer to know everything about every item. That's your responsibility to be educated on the item you are bidding on.
The auction community is smart, don't think you are smarter than they are, you will be made a fool of quickly.
With these few things being said, I wholeheartedly agree with them. Once you learn the ropes, auctions can be fun. People will begin to recognize you and maybe even say hello. Auctions are one of the last places a person can go where nobody cares about your mistake. If you're a Karen you will be invited to leave by someone, in a not so polite manner.
In 40 years I've gone to auctions all over this country, I've never seen an auctioneer purposely scam the auction.
Now buyers and sellers on the internet, that's a whole different story.
What types of auctions do you prefer for tools and other items like that?
Great advise, i’ve been to some auctions and i’ve noticed seasoned bidders make fun of the newbies 😂
The only reasonable comment I’ve read for including all the BS in the video.
Well i know auctioneers, worked for one, and ghost bids are part of the game. Trust me if you bid at a live auction you can't count the bids till it got to you... Some, not all, pad the bids. Part of the game.
Ill go on a limb here and assume you run an auction or are paid for auctions
The only time you’ll see a car that’s patched together are the cars that are from private parties that someone tried to fix but got way in over their head and decided to sell it. It’s up to the buyer to go to the location and check the condition of the car before putting money on it. If you decide to spend 10k on something you’ve never touched in person that’s on you. The only time you’ll see a car sell and end up reposted is if the car isn’t a PURE SALE. Minimum bid cars require a certain amount of money to be offered in order to sell (same as eBay items with reserve prices) the other is if the vehicle is ON APPROVAL which means the seller has to give Copart the okay to sell the vehicle for the offered amount. You have to realize that most vehicles that are open to the public will sell for a higher price because the buyers are looking to buy and keep so they don’t mind spending too dollar on their dream car. Dealer only vehicles are the vehicles that typically go for less because obviously they are being purchased to resell for profit. I agree that the fees are ridiculously high and they need to adjust that. Everything else about its operation is pretty straight forward
The fees alone have deterred us from wasting anymore time with copart, just pure greed, especially when their fork people damage nearly everything they touch, we have better luck with marketplace for buying flip vehicles, have done surprisingly well
a local private sale u can see and drive before buying is ALWAYS a better bet. although the lower risk means lower profits (generally).
Hit the nail on the head man PURE GREED. For example, you go through the trouble of being a licensed business, only for copart to decide hmmm, we can make EVEN MORE $$ if we differentiate between "high volume & low volume" licensed buyers. Service sucks, damage cars, impossible to speak with a manager, wait on hold forever...etc etc. Nothing to remotely justify their bogus fees
The fees alone just make me run away. $200 just to bid. The the buyer fees. Crazy.
I just bought a 21 f350 king ranch from copart paid $3,000 in buyers fees for that truck, but I am not complaining because I know before I bid I calculated fees to that goes into my bid before hand.
Sarah.... you know how to do it. why aren't people automatically accounting for these things? it's not a hidden fee.
@@mikestavisky8009 that is the million dollar question 😂
@@sarahwhittle9947 yep! When I bid I already know how much I will spend in parts labor and have a bit extra for any surprises but some people you can tell they don’t know what the hell they’re doing SMH
@@esmedahouse9877 million dollar question is “ where do they come up with all these fees?”
You 100% right, I bought a junk car today from copart, I learned my lesson
Here in Finland we had AVK (short for Car Insurance Workshop) which changed to Copart Finland. The original AVK was very nice but Copart has been very sketchy with their overpriced bidding and required membership with annual fee. AVK didn't require any membership for bidding
Copart is a public company in USA, pure greed, it's all about the stock price
I'm a small dealer, you're nailing it. The first thing I built out was my shop with 12K lift. This to limit the down side when I get a bad surprise. You popped up on suggestions and I subscribed. Thanks for the video.
A bigger scam is the cars they put back in that have been redressed a little after they found out they were too big a job and resold to suckers, there's also the issue that your max bid is public to them so they can run a bit up and drop it at your max on top of their crazy fees and how much damage they do loading it around.
mostly doctored
From my experience it’s the overseas buyers which are the real issue. The thing is obviously to watch who you buy from at the auction which is signified by the “Seller:” information. The worse sellers to buy from should be obvious with a tiny bit of experience.
It also seems like some cars get some damage from the forks used to pick them up
Just about every car gets damaged the loaders almost never care.Their only concern is being quick.
Every bumper gets cracked paint if your unlucky it's worse from the loader rubber stops Every car gets moved multiple times before it sells.
I guess I was very lucky, I bought an 135i 2012 at 59K miles with minor hail damage and a no start condition for 6K. Turns out the servomotor was bad and it wasn't letting the engine start, just changed the servomotor and I'm using the car right now and so far the car is doing great. Hope things go well with this car, it pulls great and it looks untouched. Overall I would say Copart its a gamble, but you can find some really good deals. In my country, almost every car is from copart or iaai.
Nigeria?
@@Tate.TopG. Central America
@@Tate.TopG. bruh is that a joke? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@@shegotmywocchardt nope, there was a comment that a replied to. It's gone
what's a servomotor. ? pls 🙏
Well my take on this is. After buying from Copart & Motorhog for over 10 years. In the UK. The fee's are just too high now. So i have not bothered with them for the last couple of years. The only problem i ever had was a small motorcycle that had a twisted frame. It should have been Cat B. But was Cat N. Copart would not accept they had sold a vehicle they clearly should not have. Other than that i purchased around 180 motorcycles & cars over about 8 years & made a good profit on the resale of these once made good.
Regards
Steve.
I have a car I'm bidding on tomorrow. Decided to sit and watch some bids. The prices are super weird. You will see a nice running vehicle go for next to nothing, next bid has a complete POS that's been crashed go for twice as much. I noticed too, those foreigners REALLLLY love their Nissan Maxima's.
Nathan, you are 100% correct on all the points you mentioned !
Self-inflicted wounds are hard to avoid when buying used stuff.
I got bit myself...lol. I bought a 2000 maroon jeep cherokee xj sport that looked pretty good. I knew it needed work but I couldn't tell they had maroon color duct tape on the rocker panels. When I received it the tape was starting to come off and they were very rusty. Plus front drivers side coil spring perch was completely gone, rusted away. Also both rear leaf spring shackles were broke apart from rust, and the exhaust is pretty much hanging with plastic straps...smh. be extremely careful and be prepared for anything don't spend your whole budget on the vehicle itself. Save money for repairs. Don't get me wrong I didn't pay an extreme amount. But I also did realize how much the fees were after you win and shipping. You live and learn.
I am 64 and I do not think most car videos are 100% true, but I think yours is, now a
subscriber, Great job!!
No deals to be had at Copart unless you're just buying a car for parts, and you are a dealer
Make my living on bmws 👍
This guy is spitting 💯% FACTS! ... If you deal with Copart then you're gonna get scammed. No ifs ands or buts about it.
Nathan- please address the problem of fake parts on eBay/Amazon. Is Amazon safer than eBay? It kills me seeing all the eBay ads for auto parts🙄. Thanks👍
I just ordered a disavalve from Amazon$60 two-year warranty. the car has 180,000 I would be happy for another Year's worth. O'Reilly Auto parts cant even look it up on the computer 😂
Been buying parts from both Ebay/Amazon for over 12yrs. Never had any "fake parts" issue. You may get a low quality part but this is why you pay attention to the "ratings" and seller "feedback". Hardly likely that you will get "fake parts" from a reputable seller or item with 4-5 star rating. FYI
just buy it from who really makes it. spend the extra few dollars and give the good companies the business.
rockauto.
I NEVER BUY a single thing on AMAZON, NEVER
Their prices are ALWAYS higher than the same thing is on eBay
So, these scumbags who have YT channels promoting AMAZON are ripping everyone off. I'd be happy to see them close down and not exist
That is online auctions for you! Here in Manitoba Canada, since Covid and auctions turned to online sales, prices have jumped even more than when in person auctions happened.
The very first time I went to a public auction I realize that it was not worth it.
Used junk that quickly becomes more expensive than new and not to mention the games the auctioneers play.
THIS! The fast jibberish and theatrics. A smart person would ask, if the item could sell on its own merit, then shouldnt it?
I’ll say copart definitely let’s people play themselves. I’ve been buying on copart for years, way before it’s TH-cam fame. I’ve bought cars that said run and drive and they ended up needing engines. One car was a run and drive but then I got under it and found a hole in the block. If also got some winners. It’s a gamble.
as are most auctions really....? or is there a sight where every car is a steal amd has nothing major wrong with it? sounds like he did some bad buying and is regretting his mistakes.... like you said, it's a gamble. but if you buy on the assumption that it needs more work than is listed you'll be fine. work in a motor replacement from the get go and you won't be shocked, nor will you have overpaid.
You’re right, scam shack. I’ve had 2 clients who are wholesalers who bought wrecked cars that didn’t run. After chasing my ass on the first one I got smart on the second one. Seized engine. I believe these cars engine had already failed then the cover up for insurance fraud came in. One the front end was smashed, like someone backed into it, the other one was so extensively vandalized to the point that nobody in their right mind would waste the time and potentially get caught. My point, no more auction cars!!!
The cars are other peoples problems and trying to dump them on some unsuspecting fool.
In 2018 i got an 05 Lincoln town car with under 100k miles for $500. All it needed was a fender and bumper cover. I still use that town car daily with over 160k miles on it now. Just last week that same exact town car same year, same mileage, same color, same exact wrecked right front fender, sold for $2500. So right now is not the time to buy cars from copart. Cars are being bid up so high its not worth it.
Very correct. I bought 2011 Honda Odyssey for $6900. With Tax and fees it came came to $9,104. Got the car and found a whole more damage. Costing me almost $3,500 to fix. It’s a shame and rip off.
@@cjottovon4371 that sounds like you didn't do your homework before you bought it. How is that copart's fault. You can get some really good deals on copart if you know what you are doing
@@cjottovon4371 What made u wanna spend that much on a shit car
Shit, your better off picking up a wreck from Pick-a-Part. At least you aren't getting gouged with phoney bidders and hidden damage.
Great advice. Buyer beware.
You're a buyer at a private sale or a dealership. At an auction you're a bidder not a buyer. This guy got burned because he's not fluent in navigating auctions. He wants a good deal and doesn't know how to assess the risks.
Auctions are a Gold Mine for me as a professional mechanic. I pay no Labor fees whatsoever. I know good deals from years of experience. It takes great skill to win at auctions. I'm factory trained on Asian, Domestic, and European cars/trucks.
Buying a wreck sight unseen that obviously was total loss according the insurance company is always a gamble if the distance is a factor I would see if I could obtain the insurance adjuster information on the car and or hire an adjuster or autobody guy who does estimates to evaluate it. Its better than walking around with your pecker hanging out. I did collision work for many years and bought wrecks for the insurance company directly when you could do that then came the auctions. There can be hidden damage or prior horrible work done by some wham bam thankyou mam shops somtimes called catch em and skin em shops.
The interior of you place is looking great
Been buying cars for YEARS, you gotta know how to pick and choose, third parties are the worst and if you know how insurance body shops work you know there’s always more damage than usual
I picked up a copart car a few years ago that was an insurance sell. The car was not as described in terms of mechanical health and someone had swapped out electronics for an older car from the same generation. You best bet is to buy a beat up used car and pick parts from a u-pull it yard.
I got ripped off and lost $150,000 on a Lambo that was stripped of all valuable parts when I received it I contacted the CEO of Copart and wasn't interested in helping me when I contact them.
Car was supposed to be water damaged, the engine was stripped, gearbox diffs ECU, and more were all removed but Copart did not disclose this, NJ facility.
so sad.. but buying car of such about.. it will pay u much if u visit the facility and inspect it... anycar above $5000 i adveice people to go inspect and start and if possible test drive befor bidding.
Tell the FBI
I have had both good and bad experiences with Copart. My biggest complaint is the RUN AND DRIVE designation. If the battery is missing, if a wheel is missing, if the steering doesn't work, if the brakes don't work, then it does not run and drive!
Also run and drive really means run or drive. They have cars listed that have completely busted axles with "run and drive"
@@wheresbicki Yes, I know firsthand. Bought a Ford F150 listed as run and drive that has a rear axle that's grinding.
Those cleaners that clean and take pictures of the cars say it has to barely move front or back, and it becomes a rin and drive. Until a couple of years ago the vehicle had to drive 6 feet front and back. My guess is they changed it so they can get rid of vehicles faster.
@@thepantherchannel2988 we may need to lobby for a federal law to end this nonsense.
@averyhorton3614 tell FTC
At least you are honest Nathan. I appreciate that.
Man I couldn't agree with you any anymore. You hit the nail on the head. Copart lost me with their fees and the fact that salvage cars are going for kbb prices on there, and the fact that African bidders are outbidding you. I knew that was always odd about that
Why is that odd?
@@kingmichaeln1 right
@@kingmichaeln1 cuz Africa is a whole ass third world country you goober how most bids coming from there are suspicious is what he claimed
@@kingmichaeln1 because African bidders are most likely scammers😂😂😂
@@johnwayne3618 pretty racist don't you think? American cars go for big money in Africa, that's where most of the stolen vehicles that don't end up in a chop shop get shipped off too, as is the car with any market there is people doing it legally and illegally
dont buy private entries just pure from insurances
I learned on eBay motors long ago, know what you want to bid and stick to it. Don’t end up paying a lot more than it’s worth.
you win the common sense award.
Many cars out of Detroit are mechanically defective, the owners claim the car was stolen, kick in all the fenders and then when the car is found the insurance company totals it because somebody vandalized it. In truth the car simply had a bad engine or bad transmission or God for bid sometimes both! I bought a Ford escape that actually had a blown engine and transmission!
Hit the nail in the head, so hard finding a shop who can do intricate repairs. Most want to do in and out in a day jobs. Need trans , head work, major suspension issues, your up the creek at some places.
if you can't do a lot of these repairs yourself before buying, you're in the wrong industry. Copart buying is not for "in and out day jobs" these salvage vehicles require work to be fixed! Get a life, bozo!
@@joshuakaisoelnsa1607 Bozo? we’ll I do repairs very often, but myself nor anyone who chooses to have an EXPERT do repairs on an auction car should be criticized. Good for you that you can judge others. And did you read what I said, I guess you know how to perform all manner of car repairs.
@@joshuakaisoelnsa1607 Bozo? we’ll I do repairs very often, but myself nor anyone who chooses to have an EXPERT do repairs on an auction car should be criticized. Good for you that you can judge others. And did you read what I said, I guess you know how to perform all manner of car repairs.
Thanks for the insight. I live near Chicago and yes even the dealerships will scam you. They have fake cars on website. I’ve even talked to them and setup appointments to test drive a car and when I get there the car is allegedly at a different dealership 100 miles away. But they have a some other cars they will show you.
Tell your state AG
I had no issues with my ls4. I paid a grand for the car and it was stressless.
I bought a 2015 gti like 4 years ago it was an insurance car been my daily ever since. Just bought a 2017 golf r from an insurance as well with under carriage damage and now am looking to sell my gti to daily my golf r which is now fixed and running great. All it needed was oil pan replacement transmission pan replacement and radiator replacement no body damage either.
I've only bought from the local COPART in KC. The one time I bought from out of town, an Audi from Atlanta, it was s nightmare, never again. With today's prices and fees, you're almost better off buying from a car lot. Also, If you're in the Midwest, there are a lot of good cars from purple wave.
Thank you for that advise. I'll be checking them out vs copart
My dad has ran a body shop since the 90’s, and we have bought and sold rebuildable vehicles from all across the country. We’ve never seen the market in this kind of state. In the past it was normal to buy and fix a car anywhere from 40%-60% of current market value of the same car with a clean title. Now these cars are auctioning at 60%-70% of value, and after you fix it plus the ridiculous Copart fee of ~7.5% of pp, you’re in it for 80%-90% of the value assuming there are no unexpected issues when the car arrives. The risk assumed for all that plus the carrying cost of holding the car while trying to sell makes it unreasonable to use this site anymore. This doesn’t even factor in the scams that are happening. Our belief is that the shortages of new and used cars has affected the salvage market as well, causing prices to go up. This market is in an unsustainable state.
I've bought like 50 cars from Copart. I've had good luck with salvage vehicles because the reason they're there is transparent. Clean title vehicles are usually there because there's some bad surprise waiting. The worse thing about Copart is their ridiculous high fees. That and it's so mainstream you're bidding against the whole world, pretty much.
Chicago is the worst place to buy almost anything secondhand. It’s either stolen or broken, no in between. STL is right behind Chicago as far as that all goes too.
Crazy fees first off I got lucky on copart there was a x5m 2011 blue with red interior 198k miles on it 1 owner from NH this was before pandemic buy now price 11500 took a shot won it at 8000$ fees shipping 10500 to get it to New York been running good since never again on copart had to go through a broker was scared to send them the money bank transfer bank would not do it for me they thought it was a scam I got it but got lucky
My truck was wrecked about 3 years ago. It ended up @ copart from the insurance. I bought it back but we had a hard time getting it from copart. They did not want me to get it back.
I can vouch for that. Copart is a scam with their fees. I had to replace an engine. I’m ahead on what the truck is worth. But I knew something was going to to be broken.
Thanks for the information brother. Ironically I was looking at a 911 from Copart, not any more.
Copart is amazing. So are most of the auction sites I use. It's not that hard to WALK out to the yard and look at the cars yourself lol. If you're too lazy to look, well then that is on you right??
When you buy expensive things they are never close enough to look at
@@NathansBMWWorkshop if you can afford the expensive things you can afford a flight and a hotel. You could also afford to pay the $100 fee to have a 3rd party inspect it for you. I’m kinda an expert here.
That’s why you should go out and look at the car yourself before you buy it or bid on it if you know what you’re getting and what you want you can still save a lot of money
my dad has been buying and selling cars for copart almost exclusively for 10 years, im joining him and have been selling for a year now. I truly dont think they are a scam (even tho their fees are stupid bc its basically what the bid is +500) they are a salvage auction that sells as is cars, meaning it could be junk or not. My dad and I has been follwing some rules we put in plaec all this time and i goes as follows
1. dont buy german cars, there is a reason they are there. alot of them have hidden electical problems or just stuff thats too expensive to fix. i didnt listen one time and ended up losing over $3000. he also does this with early koreans and nissans for thier CVTs
2. he mainly buys charity cars and cars for AT&T. most of the time ATT take pretty good care of their cars and about 80% of them are runs and drives ready to sell. as with charity, theres no reason for the seller to scam you bc they arent getting any of that money (sure there are a few and we have gotten some bad ones, but they are rare)
3.stick to low milage. We rarely go over 150,000, and if we do its bc its a ATT truck, bc they are that good
4.clean title, no rebuilt. who knows what sketchy history they got (just bought a 2011 honda accord rebuilt, took it to honda and they said it needs two axles and a transimission, i got pretty upset that day)
5.GO LOOK at them,we dont do this ALL the time as we do buy out of state but we have all of atlatna to go to. most times we sneak in a scanner, a few tools, and a can of starter fluid incase for a fuel pump. they let you look at any one of them and let u drive it backwards and forwards (although i wish you could drive them around the lot like other auctions)
5. DONT ever buy cars from up north, absolute rust buckets. had a 2008 subaru legacy with 39K original miles and it was eaten up, very sad.
copart also lets you buy a condition report and NUMEROUS reports for other sites (carfax, experian wihch is built in, and their Epicvin). as long as the car says runs and drives, the condition report will give you extra photos, a video of the engine running, the car moving forwards and backwards, an extirior shot, and an interior shot where hopefully you get a glimpse of the dashboard running (if the employee feels extra nice that day). there is plenty of ways to check the history, and if you dont, then ber prepared for whats to come
It is your ultimate judgement to tell if you should pay the price for it, and as for the numbers inflators, just dont bid. you cant control if they do that and if its out of your confortable zone, just wait till the next one rolls around.
Overall, i think copart isnt the problem, its really the shady sellers and buyers not doing thier research. we have had plenty of wins and losses. for example, one of the absolute best cars weve had is a 2009 INFINITI G37 sedan (the lot number is 70833411 if you want to look), this car was bought for $3900 and it was perfect. it was dealer serviced its whole life, and it had EVERY SINGLE service paper since NEW (as you can see in the photos), and it only came off the trailer with a small exaust leak. it was unbeiliveable the condition it was in, and while these cars are rare THEY DO HAPPEN.
i hope this helps out
very usefull
For me, there's a location on my way home from work so I can look at what they have. They have decent selection of low end cars, but if they weren't right there I'd never look
I stopped using last year, they was hiding damage on pictures and the last I got the engine was smoking and knocking but wasn’t listed. Also doubled the fees in lockdown
Been buying from copart 8 years now. Prefer over manheim and iaa. However I check them before buying, insurance cars are where it’s at. If it’s a dealer etc. don’t touch it. Period. They put it together and push it at copart… sometimes even a odometer swap. Takes a while to work out all the nicks, but when you figure it out. It’s still profitable. A good transport company will also keep you from dealing With storage and fees
Yes I am a bmw finatic I got the bug so u ain’t the only one Nate, I do try to keep up with, yes coolant leaks mostly 105000 miles in pretty good shape n54 twin turbo 08 e93 with jb4 no cats bigger intercooler it holds its own but stays in garage mostly
A bmw "finactic" who knowingly buys a n54 motor 😅🤣😂. Then again they also spell FANATIC as "finatic"
Lol copart old man advice. Nathan, heart of gold man. You have enough viewers if you want to get some people to look at stuff for you at copart, just ask! Also, Chicago does have its share of a-holes that's for sure. But there are plenty of people who love their cars and take pride in taking care of them. People like you (and most of us viewers!) aren't THAT special! Just look at carfax and local trade ins and stay away from those non-dealer used care places and you can find whatever you want, eventually.
The whole start of the problem begin when private buyers where aloud to bid !! If you do not have a salvage or dealer license, you should not be able to bid !!! the other problen is these sales not telling you who owns these cars started as insurance salvage only !!
When did they start allowing that? Last time I was looking at Copart, you had to be a dealer, or go through a middleman.
@@notsure7874 Depends on state but most many years ago I believe there are less than 5 states the public can't buy at now . Do you have license ??
@@johnstr6324 I had a license in another state, but not here. My family ran a couple of small car lots. I saw Copart on my way to a bone yard and figured I'd check it out. I'm in Florida now, and no license. I'd have to go through a broker more or less.
I've bought cars from auctions open to the general public too, and - idk. I didn't see the general public making any difference when it comes to the scam factor. Mostly it drove prices up a little bit.
Honestly, now that I'm not having to keep a lot full, I do a whole lot better just buying private sales. Unless I'm looking for wrecks to yank drivelines out of - those don't exactly exist in private sales, they're all insurance vehicles.
@@notsure7874The Public have made the prices more than double at these sales . Just making the insurance companies richer !
@@johnstr6324 My friend was offered 20k more for his truck than he paid for it a couple years ago. The entire car market has been a madhouse. I don't think that's caused by public auctions, those have been around longer than I have.
This is why I like "bring a trailer". When you buy a car, get there, and the car doesnt start,.. you know whats up. Its right in the name.
Until watching this video I had never heard of COPART. For a short time after retiring I delivered auto parts for ASIAN brand dealership , mostly to small 2 men repair shops and only a handful small dealers .
Dating back to my teen year in the mid sixties I knew better than to buy a car from guys who had 4 cars in their lots and no repair shop anywhere in sight. A few months at the dealership confirmed a lifetime of good decisions about buying cars from big NAME DEALERSHIPS ...used or new ...they do not want their names mentioned in bad publicity...they`ll will make things right 98 % of the time . The other 2% is about who is telling the truth ...the customer or the dealer. It appears from the video and some of the comments that most knuckle heads who think the can own a BMW for the cost of grocery cart got what they deserve...a knuckle rap on the head....HELLOOOO !!!!! People have always been duped since the dawn of time ..but in the last 30 years more than any other time. It takes a special kind of GULLIBLE TRUSTING FOOL to buy car without having a reputable technician evaluate it first and on a lift , followed by a safety inspection ...and if the seller says no to it ....you wave bye bye
BMW Break My Wallet . . .I buy American or SAAB only.
@@jeffshadow2407
BMW was shorter to write for the example than FIAT OWNED CHRYSLER as another example...it used to be American . Another meaningless assemblage of world sourced parts .
I buy longevity and value in my vehicles 12 years service minimum ..not those built by I can`t see it from my house assembly workers with attitudes .Junk wrapped in a flag, is still junk ! I worked too hard all my life to make a dollar , I buy my flags made of cloth and walk past the metal junk in the car lots.
I bought a 2007 Volkswagen GTI from a small back alley dealer in Chicago.
It had 112,000 miles on the odometer when I bought it.
Well a few years later when I went to sell it, the potential buyer ran a carfax and it turned out
the dealer I bought it from got the car from Copart, rolled the odometer back 100,000 miles and sold it to me.
So indeed, Don't buy cars from Chicago.
Its your responsability to run carfax PRIOR to bid on the car. It cost $5.
@@Lets-go-brandon45 It wasn't a bid. I bought it from a dealership. They gave me a fake carfax that I thought was legitimate at the time. I didn't think a dealership would rip me off so blatantly like that.
I should have ran my own carfax check but hindsight is 20/20
I’ve had no issues with the insurance cars that I bought from Copart . All tan very well. Luckily I’m in Los Angeles and I have 3 closets within 15 miles . So I go heck them all out in person and do my due diligence
Good job on calling the crash. It seems the market has peaked and is now on the way down.
Copart always seemed sketchy
Interest rates are much higher now to borrow, so lots of car dealers won’t be able to bid so high unless there already well established. I’m seeing the shift already.I buy and sell cars from there and noticed when pandemic hit prices went higher then usual .
I bought an 1998 E38 salvage 740i sight unseen other than the pics using “Buy Now. Had a little front end damage. I was so very lucky. Found insurance cards inside. Contacted original owner. Was owned by one lady, 78yo when the car was in an accident. Very well maintained over its life. Car has 96k on the odo. Had Suspension and radiator repairs, then nickel & dime odds and ends. I’d maybe take a chance on a running, driving Toyota, but never take a chance on anything else. Not to mention the forklift front end loader damage they caused the undercarriage. Copart really is a gamble despite my using the Phoenix yard.
What does another persons insurance cards have to do with you? Consider yourself 'unlucky' when you are paying for the gas on that thing. Not to mention fixing all the rust..
@@milcotto4153 rust? It’s an Arizona car. We have zero rust here. Insurance cards had the previous owners information. I was able to research the car’s history once I was able to contact the original owner. Even get the other keys. That really needs to be explained? 🙄
As for gas, I’m not poor so it doesn’t bother me. Plus I own several other vehicles. Sorry to hear you’re poor and broke. 😂You likely have no education or professional career prospects. Should have made better life decisions.🤷🏻♂️Pathetic.🖕🏼
That does sound like a success! Good luck with the E38. I just gave away my 2000 E38. Tired at 180,000 miles.
@@greenman7612 thanks. It was a success. I’m not sure what the nutty comment was about on my posting but as far as E38’s go I landed a great car without having to pay >$15,000 for it.
@@paperandmedals8316 Because I didn't think it was a great find, and people get ripped off at those auctions. You seem to be promoting buying at auctions. And you had to personally attack me, that says a lot too..
My complaint is with the additional fees they charge. I was high bidder on a 2007 Electra Glide at $2000.00. After all the bogus fees I'm on the hook for $3000.00 Tomorrow I get to go down there and pay 50% more than I intended on a bike with a salvage title that is "pending". Pretty sure I'm going to regret this whole thing. Just hope I can keep my cool when they spring some other surprise on me.
Update?
Here in Nj.. when we had the flood 3 months ago the cars that were listed as mechanical damage well they also got flooded.. so whoever bought out of state not only was buying a mechanical damage listed vehicle but also got a free flood car .. they had 10- 20 power washing companies just roll into copart and power wash all the dirt off the exterior of the cars.. didint re list them as flooded just kept the listing as it was pre flood.. smfh unreal..
That's crazy! How does some outfit get away with that? That's jail time in my book.
They power washed the dirt? My condolences, ouch.
@@joseherrera5264 yes !
@@tbirdboy lol that's copart for you. I'm sure iaai isint better.. glad I get to buy at Manheim and adessa though that's where the clean cars are lol
I've bought 6-7 cars from copart and if there are issues you can forget them making it right UNLESS YOU'RE A BIG TH-camR THAT PUTS THEM ON BLAST. I've had more good than bad experiences. I'm also an 1-2 hours away from my local (NC) copart so if I'm spending decent money I can drive to check out a car. I'm also generally buying pre - 2012 so damage is minimal for the cars I'm interested in. It's a field full of landmines if you're not careful for sure..
where the co part dealer in nc?
Yep. Scam. Saw a car I sold to a salvage company (2010 Saab 9-3) end up at Long Island Co-part lot. Was auctioned off 4 times with phoney buyers trying to bring up the price before finally selling at a loss for them. Body and interior was perfect but leaks and engine computer gremlins made me get rid of it.
all very good points,sir! i bought salvaged vehicles twice and ran both until they were junk! for 1400 bucks i got six years of travel out of them and lrft them on the side of road! one was a chevy monza and the other was a caprice one lasted 4 years the other lasted 3 years. that is the way i buy cars i can rent a car or use zippy.....
edir the truck i currently use bought it salvaged for 1200 it is on 15 years now still starts like a champ... thinking putting a new suspendsion on it and going for 20, im in my 70s... perhaps buying a couple of three door hatch backs 4 cylinder that might take me to end of life.
edit again you gave me an idea thank you very much sir and thanks for the help!
CopArt is in cahoots with insurance companies. Never buy anything from them.
My rule is book value good only pay 1/5 of that however many rookies and fluffers inflate the prices
You would only buy from Copart if you are not doing well and down on your luck. They are basically shady characters running a shady business. Your best bet is to stay away from big Democrat run cities and buy from private owners in outlying areas or smaller localities.
Great. So when I'm robbed from Republicans out in the sticks...
The problem I see is people who do internet buying on Copart actually don't know how to buy a car at an online auction.
1. How many times has the car been sold at auction? Where do you find that information?
2. What are the Titling requirements for your State? Where do you find that information?
3. What is the ARV (after repair value)? How do you calculate that?
4. How much will it cost to repair? How do you calculate that?
5. How much will it cost to ship the item or have it hauled to your location?
6. What is your profit margin if you're going to resell?
7. What lenders will lend on a rebuilt title? This is for your customer if you're reselling. Most people aren't going to walk onto your lawn with $20,000 falling out their pockets.
8. Can you repair the car yourself, or have mechanics and auto body shops repair it?
9. What are the steps to get a salvage title upgraded to a salvage rebuilt title?
10. Keys - it doesn't have any. What do you do? Even if you go look at the car, you can't crank it up without the key.
You can make money on Copart, but Copart is just a tool in a whole set of tools you need before bidding on any car.
The number one mistake people make is falling in love with a car from the photos. BIG MISTAKE.
That flooded 2020 C7 Corvette Z06 looks very, very, VERY shiny on the outside - and not a scratch on it! And it should. It sat submerged in water for 3 to 5 days.
DO NOT fall in love with a car. Fall in love with a person, (although falling in love with a person can be quite a bit more expensive than falling in love with a drowned car).
The absolute BIGGEST mistake people make is NO MONEY for contingencies. I personally started out with 150k and only bought ONE car at a time. ONE headache is much easier to handle than THREE. I only sell 5 cars a year. I try to make 10k off each car. I do NONE of the work myself as far as major repairs. If its something simple, I'll DIY it. But I have the MONEY to have it repaired professionally. I ALWAYS take photos to the body shop I work with to get a BALLPARK estimate BEFORE I bid. Mechanical work can't be done that way, unfortunately.
NEVER bid over YOUR maximum you'll pay after doing your cost/profit analysis. If somebody is willing to jack the price up for that headache, let them be the fool and pay for the privilege, not you.
Do your market research. Have you asked yourself "What is the best selling in demand car on the East Coast right now"? The answer will surprise you. No, its not a Toyota. Knowing WHAT to buy to make money is crucial to being able to SELL your car locally. Yes, we all love that Corvette, that Camaro SS, that Mustang GT, and of course those Dodgy Dodges that drink more gasoline than a liberal chugs Singapore Slings at a Cher concert. But are you going to be able to sell it before you sell a more "practical" car the general masses can afford? You'll get MUCH more customers able to afford a 20,000 dollar car than customers who can afford a 35,000 dollar car.
And always be HONEST with your customers. Building your reputation is just as important as building your bank account. When someone buys a car from me, they know I'm not hiding or holding anything back. I'll even show them the photos of when the car was wrecked (if any).
Which brings me to my next point about repairing autos. When you buy a run down house and fix it up and repair all the damage and put on new roofs, flooring, new appliances, new paint etc etc, it INCREASES the value of the house. NOT SO with an automobile. A salvaged title is STILL going be a salvaged branded title even if you took that damn car completely apart and completely rebuilt it, replacing every nut, screw and bolt with brand new OEM parts, which means its actually in BETTER shape than it was BEFORE the event happened that got it branded as salvage. Let me clarify, it will increase the value SOME, but it will NEVER be as valuable as it was before the brand to the title was applied, no matter how much work is done to repair the vehicle.
This is the reason I advise all of you to give up buying salvaged cars and buy real estate instead. 😁🤣
If I bid a camper for 500$ and won is there more payments I have to pay or something I confused?
Remember always by a Copart car being sold by the insurance company never a private seller!
I’m on my 4th car from Copart and so far the cars have been good, of course they have damage but Copart specifies if the car is running or not, if the car doesn’t have the keys the delivery will be more expensive also so do your research before bidding, I stay away from flooded cars since I don’t know much about that kind of damage but everything else is fixable having the advantage of owning a body shop with an in house mechanic.
Amen!! The fees are astronomical
Bought a car from copart (Run and Drive) with minor back damage. Paid rediculously expensive fees. The car arrived with at least 7 engine codes, under carriage rust and samage, transmission problems, axle problems, and apparently had other collisions before.
My rule for rebuildable salvage is bid to 1/3 of clean or less. Has to be finished for 1/2 of clean or less. Otherwise it’s just not the trouble.
Look for insurance listed cars or pure sales which is usually insurance cars and generally not a scam everything else is potentially a doctored up vehicle and a gamble…