A seized auction or a police auction can be one of the best places to get a great bargain on a good motorhome. This type of auction is just like any other auction except for the vehicles on offer have all been repossessed for one reason or another. Some through have been seized for non-payment and others as part of bankruptcy repossessions. Most of the vehicles available at these auctions are not that old and seem to have really low mileage and are more often than not in good condition.

One of the great things about these auctions is that the opening bids are usually really low and some incredible bargains can be had. Occasionally the bidding does get carried away and care must be taken not to get pulled into bidding over the odds for what started out as an apparent bargain.

When buying from one of these auctions the first thing to do is to have a thorough look over the vehicle. Take a mechanic with you if you can to check over the engine and the driving side of things. Make sure that everything inside the motorhome works, check out the heating, air conditioning, refrigerator, stove etc. Make sure that all of the lockers and doors both inside and outside the vehicle are working. Check for damp patches in the ceilings in the corners and behind the units and at the back of the lockers. Also check for damp around the carpets near the kitchen area and in the bathroom. In short, give the motorhome a thorough looking over whilst making notes as you go of everything that doesn't work or that needs attention or replacement.

The best way to put a price on a motorhome is to find a similar model with similar fittings. You now need to work out an approximate value for the motorhome. You will not be able to use the 'blue book' or 'Nada' prices as accurate guides due to the fact that these only take into account the vehicle model, age, mileage and overall condition. They do not take into account the fittings and fixtures included nor the overall condition of the living areas. To be able to price a motorhome effectively you need to study the prices of similar models for sale in the local press or in the specialized motorhome press.

Once you have an idea how much the motorhome you want to bid on is worth you can work out your maximum bid. check the notes you made earlier and work out how much it would cost to put right the problems you have noted down. Add to the price the auctioneers fees and commissions which are normally about 10%. This will give you your top price for bidding. Any bid over that price you might and you will be paying over the odds for the vehicle.

More often than not there are many other vehicles at the auction and the auctioneers will be trying to get through as many as possible in the one day. for this reason they tend to make the starting bids very low. With a bit o luck you can take advantage of this as there will be few people attending who are in the market for motorhomes. This means that you should be able to get the motorhome of your choice for only a fraction of the price you have calculated as its value. At times however you will find that the price becomes elevated by inexperienced and over zealous bidders. If this happens you should simply back out and wait for the next vehicle or the next auction. Try not to become tempted and sucked into a bidding war once your upper bidding limit has been surpassed.

You can find seized auctions and police auctions which are held regularly at many locations all over the country. To find out the details you can get access to a regularly updated database which holds the places where the auctions will be held along with a list of the vehicles that will be on offer. The Seized Vehicle Auctions web site and the
Auction Pass web site are two reputable sites where you can get access to these databases.

For more information and ideas on how to find used campers for sale and how to value them see our web site listed below.