r/Copartonline

If I make a deposit using a debit card, how long will it take for Copart to refund my deposit if I request it?

I just brought my second car from copart and this one is safe to drive home it has an mot and everything but I googled it and it says that i cannot and should not under any circumstance drive the cars home??? But i have seen people online drive them home, i only live about 20 minutes away from the copart can anyone help?

Was looking very heavily on buying this 2016 focus rs on copart because it looked to have some good stuff done to it and i got on to see if any sale date was set and its gone it was on there yesterday just wondering what could have happened?

This is a re-post from r/askcarguys

(Oct 2024)

I've just won my 2nd bid on CoPart through a broker. Both times someone bid against me exactly up to my max pre-bid, then when I hit bid one more time, they stopped bidding and I won. I understand that this could just be a huge coincidence, but how likely is it that someone at CoPart knows my max bid and is bidding against me to ensure they get most out of their vehicles? On my most recent bid, I put in my pre-bid the day before the auction when the bid was still at zero. The next morning, I checked and the bid was exactly at my pre-bid amount. Do you think this could be some sort of scheme? Or am I just being salty for no reason?

(May 2026)

Okay so since OP I've bought two cars from copart and in both cases, someone was bidding toe to toe against me right up until it hit my max bid. This has happened every single time I've placed a pre-bid on a copart lot without fail. Is there any way to combat this legally? I'm sure they know how to cover their bases but there must be something that can be done. I figure I could just try to bid live instead of telling them exactly how much I want to bid beforehand but I'm going through a broker so I can't always do that. Thanks for all the info, does anyone else have any insights on this?

Hi,

I am very new to this. Just got a quick question. On I-40, I saw 2 Copart cars were being hauled by 1 car. A total of 3 cars are tied together, first one is a personal F-150 or Jeep Wrangler and the other 2 have Copart serial # sticker on them. How do you guys do it? What's the process of bundling 3 cars together?

I searched up a vehicle on NMVTIS and it shows it was listed on Copart on 04/06 with a "Salvage Certificate of Title" but the DMV applied a "Rebuilt Title" on it on 04/08. Does that mean I can attain the rebuilt title or only the salvage title?

Hey guys

Last couple times I've got car from Copart I've paid for transport.

Am I allowed to rent like a truck from U haul and get it myself?

I know they claim to want insured transport on their lot. Would u haul count as insured transport?

I’ve been looking into buying a car through US auto auctions like Copart or IAAI, mainly because prices look way lower compared to local listings

But the more I read, the more confusing it gets. Some people say it’s the best way to save money if you’re willing to deal with repairs, others say it’s a gamble and you end up paying more after shipping, fees and fixing everything

Also not sure how people even access these auctions without a dealer license. I’ve seen people mention using brokers or platforms like cars4.bid that basically bid for you, but I can’t tell how legit or transparent that actually is

So for those who’ve actually done it

was it worth it in the end?

did you really save money or just more headaches?

Hey everyone, I'm starting to scale up my flipping volume (Hasn’t been long since I started and I’m loving it and aiming for 3+ units a month and realizing my "organized chaos" method isn't going to cut it anymore.
For those of you moving volume from auctions, what does your workflow actually look like?
Specifically curious about:
• Due Diligence: What are you using for VIN checks, history, and tracking previous auction sales to avoid "lipstick on a pig" cars?
• Specs/Recalls: How are you verifying original window stickers or checking for open recalls quickly?
• Parts Sourcing: Where are you getting the best margins? Do you stick to eBay/RockAuto, hit local pick-n-pulls, or do you have a specific OEM/wholesale dealer connection?
• Tracking: How are you managing your spreadsheets or apps to track purchase price vs. parts/labor vs. final profit?
• The Exit: Where are you seeing the best lead quality lately? Still FB Marketplace, or are you moving to Craigslist, local lots, or other spots?
I'm trying to tighten up my process and would appreciate any insight!

Copart shippin is gwtting expensive. Any alternatives? Also how is central dispatch never used it

I impulsed purchased a Kia soul. Won it for $800 but the buyer had a minimum so I ended up paying him his asking 1650 + the bullshit fees. Then I also paid for shipping (250$) which wasn’t too bad considering I lived 70 miles away. But turns out the car doesn’t start. I just hope it’s something minor. I am too broke to put a lot of money into it. I am planning on towing it to a shop later and see what they say. I wish I had just purchased a running vehicle instead of a dead car.

Hey ya'll. I live in MA. I've purchased a few cars from Copart lots in CT.

I've wanted to checkout MA Copart auctions but all the cars typically say:

"This vehicle is ineligible to be registered in State of Massachusetts. If a State of Massachusetts resident purchases this vehicle the title will be stamped with “Export Only”."

How true is this? What is the experience for some of you guys in Mass.

Hey all, I'm looking into buying my first project car from copart/iaai. Trying to stick with only insurance sellers, but I've noticed that on copart its hard to identify who is an insurance seller unless I click on the listing, and its seems like re-sellers are much more common which makes finding insurance sellers pretty time consuming. With IAAI, for the sellers, on my account every seller is masked **** out. Even then, sometimes copart does not list an insurance seller but another place like autobidmaster shows the listing is an insurance seller. Why is copart missing that info but autobidmaster has the info?

Is there a better way to identify insurance sellers?

Example:

Copart: https://www.copart.com/lot/48972766/salvage-2012-bmw-535-xigt-ut-salt-lake-city

Autobidmaster: https://www.autobidmaster.com/en/search/lot/48972766/copart-2012-bmw-535-vage-certificate-salt-lake-city-ut/?searchHash=397808eb3cceaf9f538c30a294a8cd553

Had a $350 bid Prius ($970 total with fees) shipped to a friend until I can handle transport. Key is still strapped to the wheel but the 12V is dead after someone locked the locks I guess before it was picked up.

What are we doing?

The car is a 2015 Mazda 3 hatchback with 98k miles. The auction listing said front-end damage, runs and drives. The photos showed a smashed bumper, cracked grille, one bent headlight, and the hood had a small crease. No airbags deployed.

I set my max bid at $3,000 and ended up winning it at $2,400. Then came the fees. Buyer's premium was around $300. Broker fees another $200. Gate fee, document fee. Total after all that was $3,200 out the door. So my $2,400 car actually cost me $3,200.

I rented a trailer from U-Haul for 60 and drove two hours to pick it up myself because shipping quotes were around $400 and I'm cheap. The car looked exactly like the photos. Threw a jump pack on it and it fired right up. Drove it onto the trailer under it's own power.

Parts cost me about $900. New bumper cover, one headlight assembly, grille, hood from a junkyard, plus some clips and paint supplies. My dad and I spent two weekends working on it. Another $200 went toward an alignment and a used tire because one had a slow leak.

So all in, I'm roughly $4,300 for a clean-looking Mazda 3 with a salvage title and 98k miles. A similar clean-title car would have run me 7-8k easy in my area. The salvage title means resale value is garbage, but I'm keeping it as my daily. Insurance was fine, liability only since I don't really care about cosmetic damage anymore. Biggest headache honestly was paperwork. Took almost three weeks to get the title. Had to call a few times, but eventually it showed up.

Just wanted to share because everyone only posts horror stories. Sometimes it actually works out. Just don't be dumb and buy something with frame damage or flood history. That's a completely different kind of pain.

Anyone else here actually had a salvage auction win? Would love to hear some happy stories.