Buying from Copart & IAAI

Adam

Administrator
Staff member
Links to informative posts about buying from Copart and IAAI:

Choosing a donor
Paying for a donor
Copart.com
Updated June 2023 -
I no longer recommend ABetterBid. Their shipping department is so slow that you will be charged storage fees while you wait for them to get someone to pick up your car. Instead. Go to AutoBidMaster.com.

ABetter.Bid
ABetter.Bid is an online broker that will handle the bidding on Copart or IAAI for you (for a fee of course). Some vehicles being auctioned online require a license to buy. This is where ABetter.Bid is useful since they can bid on any car.
 
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JSATX

Goblin Guru
Search the laws before paying for the broker. Many states (Texas and Arkansas for sure) do not require any kind of license to bid on salvage titled vehicles.
 

Brian74

Goblin Guru
I'm planning on purchasing my donor through a local IAAI yard next week. I'll let you all know how it goes.
 

David

Well-Known Member
I have a quick question for anyone that has bought a car from copart, I was wondering if my brother would buy the car in texas would I be able to ship it to nj straight from the lot
 

ctuinstra

Goblin Guru
I have a quick question for anyone that has bought a car from copart, I was wondering if my brother would buy the car in texas would I be able to ship it to nj straight from the lot
There are shippers available. Copart themselves doesn't do the shipping but third party companies do and are usually available on site.
 

David

Well-Known Member
So i would not have any problem with my brother buying it in texas and shipping to me in nj
 

JSATX

Goblin Guru
While that's correct Copart doesn't actually ship the cars they will handle the shipping if bought though Copart.

My guess is TX to NJ will be over $1000. Might be better to keep your search a little more local.
 

Desert Sasqwatch

Goblin Guru
Greetings,
Looking at CoPart for a donor SS/TC. Can anyone dealing with them in Arizona and Texas please chime in and let me know if a broker is required or can private party bid?
Thanks.
 

Desert Sasqwatch

Goblin Guru
Next question, if I am from outside Texas do you know if there are buying restrictions, taxes, fees or other that would prevent someone from Arizona to purchase a salvage vehicle in Texas. I've read that Texas has been changing around a lot of vehicle laws of late and was wondering if there would any hang ups?
 

JSATX

Goblin Guru
Typically no. For example I live in Texas. Arkansas also does not require a license. I bought my car in Arkansas and had it shipped in. It was not an issue at all. There is a list of states and what they require on the copart site I think
 

JSATX

Goblin Guru
There are also cars on websites like Govdeals and LSO auctions that are even cheaper than copart. There’s 3 or 4 cobalts on LSO right now for under $500
 

RichRich

Well-Known Member
I bought mine from copart out of El Paso, didn't have any issues. The DMV game me a bit of hassle just because the name on the front didn't match the signature on the back because it was signed off by Copart but just a call and they supplied me with the proper papers that the DMV wanted. Fee's were pretty expensive through Copart though. A $1,200 bid turned out to be $2000 after fees. Some states require a dealers license but Arizona and Texas arent one of them. You can find it easily on Coparts website or just click the box "No License Required" when searching and you will be fine
 

JeffsGoblin

Goblin Guru
I bought mine from copart out of El Paso, didn't have any issues. The DMV game me a bit of hassle just because the name on the front didn't match the signature on the back because it was signed off by Copart but just a call and they supplied me with the proper papers that the DMV wanted. Fee's were pretty expensive through Copart though. A $1,200 bid turned out to be $2000 after fees. Some states require a dealers license but Arizona and Texas arent one of them. You can find it easily on Coparts website or just click the box "No License Required" when searching and you will be fine
Those TX fees are steep! I bought a 2007 SS/SC in Ohio for $1,200 and with copart fees paid $1,680.
 

Adam

Administrator
Staff member
Texas requires a license if the car has a clean title. Salvage titles are fair game. From what I've seen, this is common in many states but there are some that require a license no matter what type of title the car has.

One thing I've noticed recently is that the bulk of the Cobalts seem to be going to IAAI.com instead of Copart. Here's data from some quick searches on both sites.

Nationwide search results for Copart and IAA on 2-7-2019
  • All Cobalts
    • Copart = 680
    • IAA = 1721
  • Supercharged
    • Copart = 6
    • IAA = 15
  • Turbocharged
    • Copart = 5
    • IAA = 7
@Desert Sasqwatch - Tim, I'm sending you an email. Please check your inbox.
 

Desert Sasqwatch

Goblin Guru
Adam,
Got your email. Thanks for the information about Copart and IAAI. IAAI has only one TC car listed currently, in Ohio. I would prefer a non-rust belt car if I can locate one, much less hassle to work on and far less chance of rust in the wrong places. I lived near Chicago years ago and know what havoc just one winter with salted roads can have on a vehicle.
I've got time on my side and will be looking for the right donor to purchase when it becomes available, but I do appreciate the input from everyone to help in my search.
Regards, Tim
 

IDRVSLO

Goblin Guru
Look for blown engine cars on FB groups......Cobalt SS For Sale, Cobalt Nation For Sale......they are on there all the time.
 

Mayor West

Goblin Guru
Sup friends,
I'm looking at a local Copart Cobalt, SC doesn't let me bid without a license so I'm looking at Better Bid, I have some questions that I haven't seen answered in researching. If there's a better/cheaper/easier more-local broker that someone's used or could recommend, feel free to do so!

I know there are signup fees for both Copart and A Better Bid, but do I have to register and pay for both?
IE: Since I have to use a broker, do I have to sign up for both my broker and Copart? Do I pay the fees to sign up and deposit with Copart as well as ABB? Do I have to pay the "increase your buying potential" deposit as well? in Copart before I bid or do I handle all of it with ABB?

ABB is located in Florida, the vehicle I'm looking at is in SC. ABB says they don't charge sales tax unless you're in Florida, but would Copart attach sales tax to my invoice to be paid anyway?

Do I incur the internet/gate fees if i use ABB? I am assuming yes on Gate fees if I physically pick it up... with that being said, in using a broker is there anything different about picking up a vehicle?

With an arbitrary final price of $2,000, ABB estimates the price breakdown to be:
Documentation Fee $50
Transaction Fee $250
Auction Fee$543
Total Price2,843 USD

Is the Auction Fee the Copart fee or an additional ABB fee of which Copart will add to? Copart fees for a 2k bid are $325, $415, $470, and $590 for a/b/c/d brackets.
If I bought privately it'd be C at 470, but does the broker being used cause Copart A bracket to bill me 325? Or is this just ABB making a few extra bucks off me and the listed fees are all that I'll incur (unless I am late paying or late picking up)

I've done my best to find these answers prior to writing, but there isn't much out there with different scenarios. Neither Dan nor error unknown's ABB post go in to detail on the fee structure combo with copart and ABB.
 
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