From the limited ones I've gone to (Michner Allen), there really aren't that many good deals, certainly for later model vehicles. You can 't get them looked at, you can't do lien searches in advance and there's usually a pretty high reserve that you don't know if you passed until after the bidding is done.
A couple years ago, we were looking at one, went for $19K. A week later the same vehicle was in the autotrader for $22K. Went up and saw it, realized it was the same one we were looking at. Reason is, it didn't make the $23K reserve. Then, was mildly interested so did I lien check, sure enough GMAC still had a lien on it.
Although it may save you some time if you're looking at a wide selection of vehicles as opposed to calling around to ads in the autotrader, that advantage is negated by the fact that the price in the end isn't much of a saving (people, like in all auctions, overvalue their possesions), you don't meet the owner personally (which can tell you right away what condition the car is in), no option of getting it checked out mechanically beforehand (if you're not mechanically inclined yourself and spot issue while at the auction lot before it goes on the block). Just my 2c.
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