Guest post by Amy from Raising Arrows
With the birth of our son in 2009, we noticed our little minivan was quickly becoming too crowded for comfort. Our five-foot tall 11-year-old was squished between two car seats and cargo space was virtually nonexistent.
As we searched for a larger vehicle, it became apparent 12- and 15-passenger vans cost a pretty penny — which we didn’t have. With our determination to stay out of debt, we put the idea of up-sizing our vehicle on the back burner and continued to squeeze children into our minivan.
Then, in August of 2009, a friend of ours who owns a small used car lot, informed us of a GSA auction in Omaha, Nebraska with several 15-passenger vans available.
GSA stands for General Services Administration, which is a specific entity of the US Government that handles the acquisitions for other agencies within the federal government. When you purchase GSA vehicles, you are purchasing vehicles that were owned by the federal government and used in specific government agencies. These auctions, where used government vehicles are sold off, are always open to the public. Because government vehicles are regularly maintained, they tend to be in first-rate condition, which relieves a lot of the stress of buying a used vehicle.
GSA auctions are hosted by various car auction companies, such as Manheim. Not every state has GSA auctions, but the savings you encounter buying vehicles this way is well worth the trip out of state.
You can find an auction near you here. Once on the site, you will be able to see all the vehicles up for auction.
Two ways to bid on GSA vehicles
The first is to go in person to the auction. Many auction sites require the bidder to put money down in order to obtain a bidder number. This is refundable if you don’t buy anything. You will be able to look over the vehicle, turn over the engine and put it in gear, but not test drive it.
The second way to buy is online; however this requires you to have a dealer’s license or know someone who does. We went this route through our friends who own a used car lot as well as the online auction bidding business named CarCo.
When bidding online, the auto auction company provides pictures and specifications on the vehicle, as well as any problems or repairs that have been made. The dealer then bids remotely during the live auction. CarCo charges a fee to bid on your behalf, but once again, the deals you can find at these auctions make the fee well worth it.
If you win the auction, there will be a buyer’s fee and a time limit as to when you must pick up the vehicle with cash in hand. The auto auction company will provide you a with a certificate to obtain a title.
The GSA 15-passenger van we purchased was a maroon 2002 Chevy with 46,000 miles on it. It was in tip-top condition, and only cost us $8900 total, fees included. Purchasing through a GSA auction proved to be the answer to our prayers!
Amy is the homeschooling mother of six living children and a precious daughter named Emily being held in the Lord’s arms. She strives to offer a candid and honest look at homeschooling and daily life in a larger-than-average family. You can read more of her struggles and successes in bringing blunt-edged babes to finely sharpened arrows on her blog Raising Arrows.
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If you are near any National oe even state run Forests or Parks, they have auctions every year , too. I was in the military and worked for the Forest Service, and I did the paperwork for these auctions-always amazed at the price people got these meticulously maintained vehicles! If you want to know when the next auction is, just give the main office a call and they should know off hand about when. Often times, you do not need to be present but they will have ‘preview days’ and you can write a bid before auction day-very convenient!
We had the exact problem. With a blended family of 6 children and another on the way, my husband and I had been reduced to taking both our cars when we wanted to go ANYWHERE as a family. So a couple months ago, we started searching for 12 and 15 passenger vans, mostly on Craigslist. We we setting aside a sizable amount from our tax refund for it, but we struck a piece of luck when we found a nice 2001 Ford E-350 XLT with 79000, which a local church was selling for $5500. They were asking more, but seeing our interest, dropped the price. When we went to test drive it, we found it was OUR church selling the van! We didn’t even know the church OWNED a van! When they found out it was us, they reduced the price again and we were able to purchase it for $5000. Talk about divine intervention!
That is such a blessing! I love it when God works that way!
I work for the government on surplus sales. I would caution anyone to really investigate before buying any government car. Keep in mind that the drivers do not own the car and they often drive it in ways they would never drive their own. Also, maintenance isn’t always as documented! The cars are also usually fleet cars which means they aren’t always the same quality as you would see on a car lot. We estimate the life of most governemtn vehicles to be less than 100,000 miles.
I would encourage anyone to really look deeper into this…remember often you get what you pay for.
What a great tip! Thanks so much for sharing this!!!
YES! the look on your daughters face is priceless
Thank you for posting this! I also looked up your blog after seeing your bio. I am so, so sorry to hear about the loss of your daughter. I can imagine no greater pain than that of losing a child. Hopefully God has made you and yours stronger through this, and that you become stronger by sharing your story and counseling others. God bless.
Thank you so much, Ellen.
On the east coast (and maybe elsewhere), there is a company called Government Liquidations that handles a lot of government surplus item, including vehicles, electronics, and all sorts of other stuff. It’s worth a look.
Also keep an eye on auctions from major state universities. I would browse the listings for things like bikes, but I remember seeing vans on there too.
I too, went to your blog after reading your post here. I too have lost a precious girl seven days after she was born. I understand much of your pain and grief. Thank you for the courage to share your story.
Thank you, Karen. It is my hope that others find solace in what we’ve been through. Even if they never lose a child, they will more than likely someday know someone who has. {hugs} to you.
LOve the picture of your daughter…”Oh Mom Please just take the picture” LOL
I work for a local county government in Georgia and we actually auction off all of our surplus vehicles online as well. So, you might want to check on the local level as well. I think people are reassured when buying from governments because they know the vehicles have generally had one owner (since most governments buy them new) and have been maintained. We provide a full work order history on each vehicle upon request.
This is exactly why my husband was more than willing to buy this way. He used to be in the military and knew what meticulous care they took of their vehicles. Good to know local governments do this too!
Everyone might want to check in on state auctions also. We bought two vehicles in the past from our state. However, not everything is in tip top shape but we got pretty good deals. The vehicles we bought also were an odd color because that is what our state used.
I thought I would add to this post that our state is Arkansas. We are not listed on that other web site. So if you live in a state that is not listed on the web site mentioned, you still might be able to buy at state auctions.
Wow, great info. Thanks so much! We have family members with five kiddos and probably many more in their future, so I’ll send them the link to your post…plus look into this for ourselves! =)
I love the picture of your kids squeezed into the mini-van! And what a great idea, something I’d never heard of!
I recognize that family! Thanks for the tips, Amy!
I bought a car at a GSA auction back in 2005. It was a 2002 model with only 44,000 miles and I paid $6700 with tax and all. Almost six years later and I still have it, so far its still going *knock on wood* I would definitely purchase another vehicle through the GSA and will most likely look there first for my next vehicle.
I went to your blog after reading your post here and read about your precious Emily Sofia. I am so sorry for your loss. My daughter, Olivia, was born 7 days after your Emily and I cannot bear the thought of what you and your family have been through. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Thank you, Jennifer.
Just the article I needed to see!! We had baby #6 last August and have yet to size up mainly because we’re praying for the guidance to do it debt free. I had never heard of GSAs before.
Thanks!!
Congratulations!!! There is an auction location near us and several people have gotten great deals as well. Love that you were willing to wait until one came available in your price range. We always purchase used vehicles and enjoy the freedom of not having car payments!
Thank you soo much!! This is such an answer to prayer. We’ve been praying about replacing our van, and keep feeling like, although we only have four children, we are called to buy a 12 passenger van. When we’ve looked they are soo much more expensive than a standard mini van. I think we’ll just keep saving our pennies, and take the plunge, this post gives us the source to look for a used version 🙂
This is a great idea! A friend who has 6 children requested prayer for their vehicle situation. I remember her saying with child 6 on the way they may have to sell their home to purchase a vehicle! Everyone kind of giggled thinking she was joking. She was very serious. They did find a 15 passenger van without having to sell their home. This could be a good option for anyone looking for a vehicle.
Thank you so much for sharing this!! We are planning on buying a vehicle in the next year and my husband said “we should look into auctions”. I could totally relate to the story. My 12 year old is just getting too cramped in our minivan, but we would love some space to road trip in the summers. Suitcases and kids don’t all fit! This could be the answer to our prayers as well. Thank you!!
This is an awesome article! I had knowledge of some of these things prior to this post, but had no idea about carco. I’m going now to check out carco thanks so much for this valuable info!
Your picture of your van full of kids is our life exactly. I have the same issues with space and our van isn’t the “Grand” kind. I will look into this option. thanks
I had never thought of this before! Vehicles for “larger than average” families are so expensive. I will definately be looking into this option. Thanks!