Auto Auction Near Me

The Montgomery County Department of Police – Vehicle Recovery Section hosts a monthly auction to sell abandoned/seized vehicles. The auctions are generally held on the fourth Saturday of each month.

Auction Details

Time:

The gates open at 7:30 a.m. and the auction begins at 9:00 a.m. You must be admitted and registered before 9:00 a.m. to participate in the auction. The front gate for admittance closes promptly at 8:45 a.m. and remains closed through the auction. No one will be allowed to enter after 8:45 a.m. unless authorized by the Vehicle Recovery Section Officer-in-Charge (OIC).

Location:
305 Metropolitan Grove Road
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878

Please note that there are no guarantees that all of the listed vehicles will be sold. All vehicles are subject to withdrawal from the sale up to and including at the time of the auction for any reason.

Bidder Policy/Auction Rules:

The VRS reserves the right to refuse any person admission to the monthly auction. Bidders will abide by the following rules. Failure to comply will result in admittance being denied and/or a bidder being removed/banned from the property for auction purposes.

Parking:
Attendees may only park in the VRS parking lot if disabled or approved by the OIC. Vehicles equipped to tow a vehicle may park on property in an area determined by VRS personnel. Those persons needing disability parking are further permitted to park in the area reserved for tow-equipped vehicles.

Entry:

Persons 18 years and older and persons 16 & 17 years old accompanied by an adult legal guardian may enter and attend the auction.
All persons who enter must possess a valid pictured identification card. The identification card must be officially issued by any US or US State government and must possess a valid address. Passports are not an acceptable form of identification for neither entry nor payment purposes.
There is no entry fee.
All auction policies and rules for the auction must be adhered to by participants.
No entry to the auction will be allowed after 8:45 a.m., unless approved by the OIC. The auction starts at 9:00 a.m.
Umbrellas, backpacks, or other types of bags are not permitted. Wallet-size clutches no larger than 5″x7″, medical bags and parenting bags no larger than 14″x14″x6″ will be permitted and subject to security screening.
NO open toed shoes allowed, i.e. flip flops/sandals.
Persons who enter the auction and then leave the property cannot re-enter without a paid sales receipt.
Any person caught illegally removing any property from the area will be permanently banned and may be arrested for theft. This is a police facility, all applicable laws shall be enforced.

Bidders:

Any behavior deemed to be a disruption or failure to follow the bidder rules will be cause for removal. The individual may also be banned from future auctions for a timeframe determined by the OIC.
Absolutely no cell phone use from opening announcements to the conclusion of the auction. If there is an emergency you must move out of earshot from the announcer prior to using a phone.
Bidder’s must be at least 18 years of age to participate in the auction and will possess a valid pictured identification card for entry and payment. The identification card must be officially issued by any US or US State government and must possess a valid address. Passports are not an acceptable form of identification.
Person’s 16 & 17 years of age may enter with an adult legal guardian. The minor must possess proper identification as noted above. The minor will not be permitted to bid on any vehicles.
Bidders and minors permitted to enter the auction will not be allowed to leave the property and re-enter without a paid sales receipt.
Bidders may only enter the area of the lot the auction is taking place in. There will be no entry into other areas of the lot. Entering unauthorized areas of the lot may be grounds for removal and being banned from participating in future auctions.
Bidders may only park in the VRS parking lot if disabled or approved by the OIC.

Vehicles:

Vehicles are sold under the principle of “caveat emptor”, the buyer alone is responsible for checking the quality and suitability of goods before a purchase is made.
Vehicles sold at auction are “as is/where it sits”, there is no guarantee that the vehicle is operable, is repairable, or that a title will be made available. There will be no refunds after payment, unless authorized by the OIC. All sales are final.
The auction list will be posted on the police website and in the Circuit Court of Maryland for Montgomery County. Note that a vehicle appearing on the list may not be available at auction.
There is no implied or expressed guarantee that a key to open or operate the vehicle is available, even if there is a “K” marked on the vehicle.
Vehicles with an orange cone are not available for auction and should not be touched, entered, or disturbed in any way.
No miscellaneous items will be sold.

Payment Rules:

Bidders winning a bid to purchase a vehicle will not possess ownership of the vehicle until all payment for the vehicle has been finalized.
Payment procedures will be in compliance with VRS policy.
Payments for purchased vehicles must be made no later than 1:00 p.m. or end of auction or the sale is void.
Bidders must have the ability to pay for a vehicle won at auction without leaving the premises – no exceptions!
The Vehicle Recovery Section accepts as payment: cash, Discover Card, Visa, and MasterCard.
Failure to pay for a vehicle after winning the bid will result in the bidder being banned from future auctions for a timeframe determined by the OIC.
Once a vehicle is won at bid, the vehicle and the contents are the winning bidder’s responsibility to secure. There will be no dumping of trash in the lot. Dumpsters are provided for non-hazardous materials (no tires, oil, or other special disposition items).

Removing Vehicles After Payment:

Source: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/pol/howdoI/vehicle-auction.html

Auctions

The City of New York auctions vehicles and property under certain circumstances. These auctions are conducted by the New York City Sheriff’s Office and the city marshals.

Upcoming vehicle auctions

The Sheriff’s Office is hosting several auctions in the coming weeks. Learn more

Vehicle auctions

The City of New York will auction vehicles that have been seized or abandoned.

The vehicle’s owner must pay all tickets that are in judgment, plus penalties and interest, to redeem the vehicle. Vehicles are sold at auction if they are not redeemed within 10 business days of being towed.

Proceeds from the auction, after expenses, are used to pay the judgment debt. All vehicles are sold “as is” and the purchaser must pick them up where they are located.

Upcoming Auction(s):

August 15, 2025 – Brooklyn
August 15, 2025 – Queens
August 15, 2025-2 – Queens
August 19, 2025 – Bronx
August 20, 2025 – Queens
August 21, 2025 – Bronx
August 22, 2025 – Brooklyn
August 22, 2025 – Queens
August 27, 2025 – Brooklyn
August 28, 2025 – Queens
August 29, 2025 – Bronx

Bidding on a vehicle

Be sure you know the lot number of the vehicle you’d like to bid on.
Vehicles are sold to the highest bidder.
If there is a dispute about the highest bid between two or more bidders, the bidding process will begin again.
The Sheriff’s Office may refuse any bid and cancel the sale at any time.

After you have purchased a vehicle at auction

You must pay with cash in full as soon as the sale is final. We will waive the sales tax if you present a resale certificate.
In many cases, you may need to tow the auctioned vehicles from the yard. Vehicle keys are not available.
You must remove the vehicle from the tow yard by 5:00 p.m. on the day of the auction or you will be charged a storage fee of $20 per day. If you do not take the vehicle within 96 hours of 5:00 p.m. of the auction date, it will be considered abandoned and will be removed.
Once you remove a vehicle from the tow yard, you cannot park it on the street or drive it unless the owner has proper registration and license plates.
You must take the Certificate of Sale to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get a title issued in your name. We only issue one certificate of sale per owner – no exceptions. We cannot issue duplicates for second copies or replacements of the original.
The Department of Motor Vehicles may consider the vehicle as salvage. This means the vehicle may have to be examined before a new title or registration is issued.
The tow yard may charge a tow fee to remove a purchased vehicle from the yard.

Property auctions

The Sheriff may sell real or personal property to satisfy an unpaid judgment. This is known as a “private asset auction.”

Auction dates are advertised in New York City newspapers and posted in each county’s Sheriff’s and county clerk offices. The money from the auction goes to the creditor.

Sale of real property

At an auction, the successful bidder must pay at least 1O percent of the bid price (not less than $2,000). Cash, money orders, and certified checks are accepted for payment. A Memorandum of Sale is issued immediately.
If partial payment is made at the auction, the balance of the bid price must be paid no later than three business days after the auction.
If the successful bidder does not pay the balance within three business days, the sale will be voided and the property re-sold.
A successful bidder who fails to comply with the terms of the sale may be liable for damages to the judgment creditor.
Any taxes or transfer/delivery fees must be paid by the bidder.
The Sheriff reserves the right to approve or deny all bids.

Sale of personal property

Payments must be made in cash.
The Sheriff sells the right, title, and interest only.
The Sheriff reserves the right of approval on all bids.

Upcoming property auctions

Vehicle auctions — frequently asked questions

Can I buy back my own vehicle?

Purchasers are prohibited from buying back their own vehicles.

How old do I have to be to buy at an auction?

Bidders and purchasers must be at least 18 years old.

Can I pay with a credit card? Can I make a partial payment?

Bidders must be prepared to pay for any vehicle they purchase as soon as they make the winning (highest) bid. Payments must be made in cash. Anyone not prepared to pay immediately should not bid.

Do the vehicles have warranties?

The Department of Finance and the Sheriff’s Office make no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the year of any vehicle or any vehicle’s quality or state of repair.

Are there any safety recalls on the vehicles being auctioned?

The Sheriff makes no representations on the functionality, safety, or recall status of the vehicles auctioned. Potential purchasers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research, such as a VIN search, on any vehicles they wish to bid on.

If there are problems with the vehicle, will the City make reparations?

Purchasers have no legal recourse against the City, including the Department of Finance, the Sheriff’s Office, and the auctioneer.

If the vehicle is a lemon, can I renegotiate the price?

The price of a vehicle will not be changed after sale due to the vehicle’s condition.

Are any vehicles sold with liens on them?

Yes, in some cases, vehicles with liens are sold at auction. Purchasers buy the right, title, and interest to a vehicle, subject to any and all recorded liens. A vehicle subject to a lien remains subject to the lien after sale. Any vehicle with a lien may be subject to repossession by the lien holder. The Sheriff is not responsible for notifying bidders about liens on vehicles.

If the vehicle has parking tickets from the previous owner, am I responsible?

Purchasers are not responsible for any outstanding parking tickets that were issued to the former registered owner of the vehicle.

Need help?

Contact the Department of Finance for assistance.

Source: https://www.nyc.gov/site/finance/vehicles/auctions.page