According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, a part of the United States federal government you’ve likely never heard of unless you work in it, total spending by all governments in the United States totaled $7.3 trillion in 2019. That’s 34-percent of the country’s gross domestic product (everything we did that made money). Keep in mind this is for 2019 — before the COVID-19 pandemic, which has blown government spending upwards like a rocket burning a refined distillate of debt. And what did the local, state, and federal governments throw all that cash at? Well, a lot of things, like ballpoint pens, aircraft carriers, homeless shelters, governor’s mansions, and lots and lots of vehicles. So many vehicles in fact that they’ve always got a bunch to unload.

And where they do that unloading? At auctions. Sometimes huge auctions where the inventory to be disposed of stretches off to the horizon. Sometimes it’s a few old snowplows and used up cop cars being sold behind a dealership. And increasingly, the auctions take place online because, hey, everything is happening online. Especially in a pandemic.

If you’re curious about buying a car at a government auction, here are a few suggestions, strategies, and tips to get the most out of it.

Even with today’s powerful online car shopping resources, which can bring up listings from Anchorage to Atlanta with the tap of a finger, most new and used car purchases are still made within ten miles from home.

But traveling further in pursuit of the perfect car or the best deal is becoming increasingly common.

We’re no doubt preaching to the choir here, but there are lots of great reasons for buying an older used car. If you’re nostalgic for the style of a past era, these vehicles will satisfy your thirst for vintage design. For example, there’s no denying the elegance of a classic Jaguar.

In some cases, older used cars offer performance benefits that are hard to duplicate in newer models. Case in point: With its high-revving, naturally aspirated V8 and sonorous engine note, the E39 generation BMW M5 delivers a driving experience that’s one of a kind.

A couple of decades ago, the search for a used vehicle began with hours spent squinting through the classifieds. You’d then head out to get a closer look at each candidate, and this could involve fending off aggressive salespeople at local used car dealerships or mumbling through awkward interactions with private party sellers. Then along came the Internet, an innovation that allowed us to search for used cars online.

In many ways, the Internet has simplified the process of shopping for a used car. But it can also make this task more overwhelming. There’s an almost endless selection of websites offering to help you select your next pre-owned vehicle, and you may find yourself drowning in a sea of information and choices. These sites aren’t all cut from the same cloth, and knowing which ones you can rely on can be tricky.

Buying a used car is not only the best way to get the most car for your money; it also helps you dodge a massive hit from depreciation. And, in some cases, older models are actually better than newer ones.

However, no matter how well you do your research or how great an example you find, a used car is a complex machine with pieces that, after five or ten (or more) years on the road, are sometimes going to break.

It’s obvious that new cars and older cars have differing needs when it comes to care and maintenance. What’s less obvious is that these cars also have differing requirements when it comes to auto insurance.

If you’re planning on adding an older car to your garage, there are certain things you should keep in mind if you want to get insurance coverage that saves you money and abides by state law.

Every car buying expert will tell you the same thing. Don’t buy a used car without reading its vehicle history report thoroughly and carefully.

It’s good advice. Unless the used car in question has always belonged to your uncle Harry, a vehicle history report is the only way for you to learn about the life it has led.

It would have been rare a few years ago for hybrids to show up on most used-car shopping lists. There weren’t that many in the market, and there wasn’t much choice. Toyota’s hybrids dominated, with gas-electric models from Honda and Ford in distant second and third place. But stuff happens. Things change.

Today there’s a wide selection of used hybrids available, from almost every manufacturer. Because of their often-stellar fuel efficiency, plus the high-end trim and standard equipment levels among many of the more recent models, they are cars – and crossovers, SUVs, and trucks – that most every used-car shopper should consider.

Buying a used car is smart for a variety of reasons, and one of the best is that it saves you a ton of money. This is fairly obvious, right? But you might be surprised by exactly how much cash that new car is costing you.

Let’s face it: most car shoppers dread the dealership experience. A recent Autotrader study found that fully 99% of shoppers want to see major changes in the dealership sales process. Of course, not all car dealers are bad; some take customer satisfaction quite seriously, earning high marks and repeat business. Nevertheless, dissatisfaction and distrust have long been predominant themes.

In response, third-parties like TrueCar and Edmunds have taken root, aiming to improve the experience by offering consumers insider advice and information as well as member perks like guaranteed discounts. More recently, startups like Carvana and Shift have entered the scene with visions of reinventing the entire dealership sales process.

Shoppers often miss great bargains when they overlook the occasional used electric vehicle that pops up during their searches.

Electric cars — whether battery-electric EVs with no gas engine at all, or plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) that combine electric drive and internal combustion engines — are still a mystery to most Americans.

Things have gone well. The IPO sold out 20 minutes after the market opened, smart accountants have sheltered your accumulated wealth in several creative ways, your health is good, the house is paid for and the pool cleaning guy comes every single day because, dang it, you like a clean pool.

Now’s the time to dip a bucket into your river of revenue and buy your first million-dollar car. Or two-million or three-million or, hey why not, go deep into eight figures for that perfectly extravagant used car.

You’ve done your research, and you’ve identified the make and model of the used car you wish to purchase. But you didn’t stop there, you busy beaver. You’ve also taken a look at local inventory, and you’ve found a few vehicles in your area that are qualified candidates. There’s even one in the exact color you want.

At this point, your excitement level is probably high. There’s a rush of adrenaline that comes with knowing you’re this close to finding a car that seems like a perfect match for your needs. But don’t let those happy feelings lead to a rash decision. There are still a few final steps to take before you pull the trigger.

If you are considering the purchase of a gently-used older car — perhaps something like the 51k-mile Mercedes-Benz S-class pictured above, which originally stickered for sixty grand but recently sold on eBay for just $5300, or even just a practical family hauler that you plan to drive until the wheels fall off — congratulations. You are well on your way to eliminating from your budget the costliest of all car ownership expenses.

However, there’s more to buying an older car than just forking over some cash and autographing the title. While you won’t be signing up for staggering new car payments or steep depreciation, you will have to navigate a few other pitfalls inherent to a taking on a second-hand vehicle.

In other parts of this series, we’ve argued that new cars are a waste of money while buying used means getting far more bang for your buck.

But here’s possibly the best reason of all to buy a used car: in many cases, older models are actually better than comparable new cars.

Really. Here’s why.