The United States Government currently owns massive amounts of vehicles of many different types. It maintains fleets of vehicles for each agency to use to conduct their day to day operation, and provides the needed transportation of government employees and government owned merchandise. These vehicles are kept in good condition, and regular upkeep and maintenance is performed on them. When a government owned vehicle gets a few years old, they are replaced by a newer model.

This is done to avoid wearing them out, and having breakdowns that could disrupt government business. When a vehicle is replaced, it is sold off in a public auction that anyone can bid on and purchase merchandise in. The government disposes of a lot of unwanted items in this way, and the starting bid is low, because they are not trying to make a profit, they are just trying to get rid of the stuff. Vehicles seized as part of criminal prosecutions also make it into the auctions.

At government auctions, you can inspect the vehicles prior to the start of bidding, to check for major problems. When the bidding starts, it starts very low, and if very few people are interested in the vehicle that you want, you can get a great deal, and in a few rare cases, buy a nearly new car for a couple of hundred dollars. That is the rare exception, not the general rule, but most cars do sell for less than what they are worth. So if you are in the market for a nice, safe, and reliable vehicle, attending a government auction may be just the way to get what you want, at a price that you can afford.