Vehicle Auctions - NYC.gov/Finance

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Vehicle Auctions

The vehicle’s owner must pay all tickets that are in judgment and penalties and interest to redeem the vehicle. Towed vehicles are sold at auction if they are not redeemed after ten business days from the date.

Proceeds from the auction, after expenses, are used to pay the judgment debt. Expenses may include fees for execution ($80), poundage, storage, booting, towing, advertisement costs, auctioneer and plate removal. All vehicles are sold "as is” and the purchaser must pick them up where they are located.

Upcoming Auction(s):

January 4, 2024 - Queens

January 5, 2024 - Brooklyn

January 8, 2024 - Staten Island

January 8, 2024-2 - Staten Island

January 9, 2024 - Bronx

January 11, 2024 - Bronx

January 12, 2024 - Brooklyn

January 16, 2024 - Bronx

Vehicle Auction Instructions

Bidding
Vehicles will be bid on using their assigned lot number. Be sure you know the lot number of the vehicle(s) you want to bid on.

Vehicles are sold to the highest bidder. Each sale is final once the highest bid is accepted.

If there is a dispute about the highest bid between two or more bidders, the bidding process will begin again.

The Department of Finance and/or the Sheriff (or their representative) 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, including sales tax, as soon as the sale is final. We will waive 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 5:00pm 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 after 5:00pm 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. This is required by New York State Law.

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 and/or registration is issued.

The tow yard may charge a tow fee to remove a purchased vehicle from the yard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I buy back my own vehicle?

Purchasers are prohibited from buying back their own vehicle(s).

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

Bidders/Purchasers must be at least 18 years old.

Can I pay with a credit card? Can I make a down 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?

Finance and the Sheriff 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 and recalls of the vehicles auctioned. Potential purchasers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research on the history of the vehicles they wish to bid on. Vehicle safety recall information can be researched at https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/ .The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) site lets you enter a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to learn if a specific vehicle has not been repaired as part of a safety recall in the last 15 years. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) are provided in the Sheriff’s Sale notices for all vehicles sold in the Upcoming Auction(s) section of this webpage.

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

Purchasers have no legal recourse against the City. This includes the Department of Finance, the Sheriff, or the auctioneer of the vehicle purchased.

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. 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.