A lot of used car dealers will go to auctions held by the many different branches of the United States Government, and purchase surplus vehicles at amazing prices, sometimes almost new vehicles for just a couple of hundred dollars. Then they take them back to their lot, and sell the cars for blue book value, making hundreds, and even thousands per sale. Not a lot of people know that they do this, and another thing that not a lot of people know is that you can attend these same auctions that are held by the government, and purchase vehicles too. You do not need to be a car dealer, private citizens can buy any of the merchandise at these auctions just like the professional car dealers.

A lot of great cars, trucks, sport utility vehicles, recreational vehicles, vans, and many other types of vehicles are sold in these auctions. They come from the fleets of vehicles that the government maintains for its daily operations, vehicles seized as part of criminal prosecutions, and several other sources. All hit the auction block with a low starting bid, and are sold to the highest bidder on the spot. If there are not a lot of people interested in the car you are bidding on, you can sometimes get it for a price significantly less than what it is worth, and in a few cases, pennies on the dollar.

It is more the exception than the rule, but is does sometimes happen. A lot of the vehicles that go on the auction block are only a couple of years old, and in some cases are only months old. Some still carry the manufacturers warranty. Inspection of the vehicles prior to the auctions are allowed, so if you are looking for a safe and reliable car, auctions held by the United States Government may be just what you need to check out before you rush off to a used car lot.

You may have seen one zipping past you in the high occupancy lane, a lone driver at the wheel. It’s a gasoline-electric hybrid car and driving in the HOV lane is just one of the benefits of ownership in many states. But what is a hybrid? How does it work? Is it the right car for you and your family?
A hybrid car has a both a gasoline engine and a battery. The battery is recharged by energy from the gasoline engine that would normally be lost during braking or decelerating. The car uses either the battery or the gasoline engine depending on several factors including how fast the car is traveling. Sometimes, both will work together to provide an extra boost of power without using too much extra fuel.
The result of this technology is cars that get significantly better gas mileage and produce less carbon dioxide emissions that traditional gasoline powered cars. For example, according to Honda, the 2006 Civic Hybrid gets 50 miles to the gallon on the highway, 14 miles to the gallon better than the 2003 regular Civic. When driven the national average of 12,000 miles, that represents a savings of 69 gallons of gas and 258 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.
In the early days of hybrid cars, there were few models to choose from. People desiring to purchase a hybrid car were stuck in tiny cars with little cargo space. Today, however, manufacturers produce hybrid cars and light trucks in nearly every category including family-sized sedans, sport utility vehicles and minivans. The smallest cars still get the best gas mileage, but larger hybrids consistently outperform their regular siblings in gas mileage and carbon dioxide emissions.
Unfortunately, hybrid cars cost more than regular models. In the case of the 2006 Honda Civic, the hybrid model costs almost $7,000 more than the regular model. Congress passed a law providing tax credits for hybrid car owners that took effect on January 1, 2006 that would save the buyer of a 2006 Civic Hybrid $2,100. It would take several years to break even on the purchase of a hybrid counting gasoline savings alone. However, many hybrid owners are as dedicated to the environmental benefits of driving a hybrid as they are to the money they save.
One of the fears when hybrid cars first became available was that maintenance and insurance costs would be prohibitive. Research has shown that regular maintenance costs for hybrid vehicles are no higher than for regular vehicles. Additionally, hybrid car owners are less likely to be involved in accidents and some insurance companies have begun offering discounts to hybrid car owners.