Christopher King joined the auto sales industry shortly after earning his bachelor’s degree in 1999 from Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield. In 2007, he took early retirement from auto sales and service, moved to Zaire, and ran a big game hunting ranch. Christopher King returned to Springfield, Missouri, in 2014, when he opened car dealerships, Queen City Motors and Queen City Motors Service Center.
Car dealerships often get the bulk of their inventory from auctions of used cars conducted by professional automobile auctioneers. These events are held in every major city and many smaller cities weekly. Some are held solely for automobile dealers licensed by the state, while others are open to the general public. Automobile auctioneers don’t own the cars they sell but act as middlemen between them and buyers.
There are several types of sellers at auto auctions, including military and government organizations, like police and fire departments. Demand among buyers for such cars is high because their maintenance and record-keeping are usually very good, making it fairly easy to discern their condition. Another source of auction cars is banks selling off repossessed cars, which have generally been well-cared for and have good documentation of all service; competition for them is usually fierce. Auto dealers themselves also sell cars at an auction. There are sometimes good deals to be found in this group, but these are cars the dealers haven’t been able to sell, so they’re selling them at auction to limit their loss.
Buying a car at auction is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for the ill-informed. There are no provisions made for test-driving the cars. Buyers can inspect the cars and their engines but not drive them. Buyers also are given whatever documentation exists about cars’ repair history and any other issues that may be on the record.
Christopher King 