Baby On Board

You’re having a baby. Congratulations. Did you buy a crib? What about a stroller, you’ll need a stroller? Do you need a bigger house? What about your wheels? Do you have family-friendly wheels, or are you still driving around in your old Dodge Dart?

So much to do and so little cash to do it with. Well, I can’t help you with the crib or house or baby stroller, but I can help you save thousands of dollars on your next car.

I’ll try to keep this short because I’m sure you have names to pick out and plastic toys to put together. The most important consideration when buying a vehicle with your baby in mind is safety. I think that’s fairly obvious. New parents assume they need to fork over a ton of money and purchase a brand new car. This is simply not true. Have you considered buying a used car instead?

Not all used cars are equal, another fairly obvious statement. Some used cars look like they were built before cars were invented, and are held together by hope and duct tape. Other used cars are in almost new condition with very low mileage. Where do you find these types of used cars? Used car auctions. Where do used car auctions get their cars? A couple of different places:

Every day thousands of Americans default on their car loans or lease payments, and as a result, the financial institutions seize their new - or practically new - cars. Because the cost of storing and maintaining thousands of cars far outweighs the banks' ability to make their money back, the cars are auctioned off quickly. Bidding generally starts at $100, so it’s possible to get an almost-new car for a few thousand dollars.

Government vehicles are also eligible to be sold at these auctions. This means cars, trucks and SUVs that were used in the Federal Government, state governments, police and sheriff departments, fire and emergency departments, and non-profit organizations are sold for up to 95% off their retail cost. Government agencies take really good care of their vehicles and most come with stamped logbooks, complete with service history. Many are still under manufacturer’s warranty and only have 25,000 - 40,000 miles on them. The quickest and easiest way to find an auction is to use an auction database. Just plug in the make you want and your zip code and gain instant access to all auction houses in your area with full contact information.


There are quite a few databases online, but not all were created equal. Based on user experience there are a few sites worth checking out:


Car-Auctions.com is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) site. For $29.99 you get unlimited access to their database of car auctions without a whole lot of other bells and whistles.


Seize Cars.com is another good database. For a one-time fee of $49, you get unlimited access to all car and truck auctions, as well as auctions for boats and houses and electronics, etc. So, if you want to buy a car AND a family boat, this is a good choice.


Gov-Auctions.org was named America’s most trusted and largest resource for Government and police auctions. They also charge $49 for unlimited access to car auctions, as well as boats, homes, electronics auctions, etc. But they offer some things the others don’t.


For one, they have real 24/7 customer support. If you have a question – a real human being gets back to you with an answer. Pretty rare nowadays.


They also have a free auction tutorial which is not offered anywhere else. If you’re new to auctions, this tutorial will explain, step-by-step, how to get the car you want for the price you want.


Gov-Auctions.org also has a free car loan service where you can receive instant car loan offers with the best rates on the market, without any of the usual hassles. A definite time-saver.


So, for $40 you can find your ideal family car, and when you find it, save up to $10,000. That money can go right in the college fund.