Step-by-step scheme for buying a car at US auctions

Many Americans have the financial means to buy new cars. However, they sell used vehicles at a reduced price. In the United States, an insurance auction is famous for its huge range of cars from reliable global manufacturers. This allows you to choose a car in a certain configuration.

Many US auctions feature cars after road accidents, natural disasters, and vandalism. You can also find outdated cars that require minimal investment from the new owner. It is difficult for a Ukrainian car enthusiast to choose a car at an auction in the United States. Our review will tell you how to buy a car in the United States.

Ukrainian buyers highly value US car auctions such as Copart, IAAI, and Manheim. They sell cars at open and closed auctions. Speaking English and having experience conducting car trading operations are important for participating in the sale. 

US auctions allow you to buy used cars with low mileage and excellent technical condition. Even though such cars are characterized by a certain degree of wear and tear, they have certain advantages: 

• affordable price; 
• no breakdowns that occur during the run-in period; 
• the ability to choose a technical center with cheap maintenance; 
• additional features from the previous owner; 
• the possibility of selling the car in a few years at a good price. 

In addition, American car auctions allow people to buy cars without avoiding fraudulent schemes from Ukrainian car dealers.

If you don't check a car from the United States before buying it, the future owner may get many unpleasant surprises. You must check the car using the VIN code to avoid them during customs clearance. This will allow you to buy a car at an auction without serious defects for a reasonable price. 

The VIN code is assigned to each car at the factory. It consists of 17 characters. This number can usually be found 

• under the hood on the front of the engine; 
• at the bottom of the windshield;
• under the headliner on the driver's side; 
• on the door frame on the driver's side of the door. 

US car auctions offer broken cars after insurance claims. Some may have serious problems, so they are sold at low prices. Buyers can tint them and put them up for auction at attractive prices. Inexperienced buyers often fall for this trick. 

Using special services, you can get the following information about the car in question 

• a list of all owners; 
• registration and deregistration, replacement of the technical passport, sale; 
• mileage 
• age 
• damage 
• repairs 
• fines; 
• participation in an accident. 

It is usually enough to enter the car's VIN code for such a check.

To calculate the price of a car from an American auction, you need to know its price, delivery, and customs clearance costs. This is how you can determine the cost of a car. It is formed depending on where the car will be shipped. An electronic calculator is usually used to calculate the cost of a car.

US car auctions provide lots with detailed descriptions and photos from several angles. Before buying a car from America, you should pay for additional services, such as an on-site inspection of the car to identify defects and assess its technical condition. It will not be superfluous to check the car's history in the US national databases. The auction winner receives an account number to pay for the lot.

Car delivery from the USA to Ukraine is carried out by sea. The car is loaded into a container and sent to a ship. Transportation to the port takes about a week. From there, the ship sails for about 2-3 weeks to Odessa. Then, the ship is met by a freight forwarder who checks the cargo and distributes it to individual recipients. The procedures differ in the list of documents.

Before buying a car from the United States, you must deal with customs payments. This is important because you will also have to determine the budget for buying a car. Considering all fees, customs clearance of a car from the United States will cost 20 to 40% of the price of the purchased vehicle. Customs clearance will take no more than 1-2 days.

After clearing customs, you must register the car and get a license plate. You'll have to pay several fees, from a contribution to the Pension Fund to payment for forms. However, the following documents are required for the car to become your property: 

• application 
• customs declaration; 
• documents for the car from the United States; 
• certificate of environmental compliance;
• tax receipts. 

Registering a car from the United States is practically no different from registering a Ukrainian car. It is important to follow the established procedure. First, you need to clear customs, then undergo an environmental assessment, and then contact the Interdistrict Registration and Examination Office. Then, you can have an American car in your possession.