Local searches (if your like me and live in Iowa) can often turn up little or no results; unless you have family or friends willing to give you a great deal. After close family and friends, the internet is usually the next step taken in the search for the perfect used car.

There are many websites that offer used cars for sales and trade; however, your best bet for the lowest prices are not going to be at sites like usedcars.com. The best deals, like in real estate, always come from cars seized by the government.

Seized cars are sold at police auctions across the united states. These auctions are open to the public, but you might not be willing to travel to get to each auction. Your best bet is to look into sites that provide comprehensive databases filled with the latest vehicles seized by the government. Using one of these sites is the quickest way to locate the best deals. As you look through the sites you'll notice that the prices are thousands less than you'll find at other sites on the web.

Don't be surprised if your dealer hasn't told you about government auctions, seized car auctions are a common place dealers buy cars to sell to you!

Here the Two Best Seized Car Sites I've Found:

www.StateAuctions.org

www.AuctionPass.com

Using eBay is another way to find a deals on used cars; although I would hesitate when purchasing a car from someone I don't know. Unlike the government, it is easy for sellers to lie about the vehicles being sold. Although pictures play an important role in realizing a car's value, chances are you'll need to purchase a history report using the VIN (vehicle identification number) on the vehicle in question BEFORE you bid on it.

www.CarFax.com is the best place to go to get the comprehensive history on any vehicle using the VIN. This report will cost approximately $20 to analyze one vehicle. Although costly, it is really the only way you can be sure you're not getting lied to.

Purchasing a vehicle history report is just another reason why I would use www.StateAuctions.com instead of ebay. Many of these auctions offer a complimentary CarFax vehicle history report on the auto BEFORE you start bidding.