Hello from tampa florida

[steveb4088]

My name is steven. I am new to the forum.

I frequent Copart Tampa but have never purchased a vehicle there. The folks there seem really nice.

I noticed a few threads about them but none about the Tampa location and I assume they're all run differently.
Anyone here ever dealt with them?
Experience good or bad?

I also selected a broker from FL off the Copart website they're out of Miami
Is this how you would do it?

Any tips are greatly appreciated btw... I have been on the fence about this for a long time

[turbomacncheese]

I wouldn't expect much different from one copart to another except for available loading equipment. That said, I'm not an expert by any means. I did take the time to write up how it went for me. Might give you a starting point on what to expect.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...art+experience

[steveb4088]

I read that one and I have yet to bite the bullet. That was very helpful knowing all that actually. Thanks for writing. I have also read that some people report issues with vehicles missing parts or damaged more than represented. I have gone to the location many times to look at cars. I was going to buy a car then one kinda fell into my lap....Fixed it up a bit and now wanna get rid of it for something newer. Remaining cautious with my hard earned money. Again thanks for your write-up it was insightful.

[turbomacncheese]

I read about 20 complaints of this missing or that missing, but really just log in and watch one of the auctions. 300 or 400 cars sold in a couple hours. At just one. Pretty small ratio, if you ask me.

On top of that, most of the parts we need aren't parts that have a huge aftermarket value, so they are more likely to be intact. I don't think I noted it anywhere else, but the battery that showed up in mine was over 10 years old. I have a hard time believing it was the one that helped my car start up for the last time or powered the dash to get the odometer reading. But it is what it is. $2k to my door, and I couldn't find anything local for less than 6.

I'd certainly do it again, but as always....keep your expectations low and don't be afraid to duck out of an auction if the price gets $1 higher than what you're comfortable with. I lost dozens of auctions (including a bunch that looked like I won) before getting mine.