Inspect before you bid

What we can and cannot do as your broker

SalvageReseller is a registered Copart broker. We give you access to the auctions and place licensed bids on your behalf; the vehicles themselves stay at Copart facilities and never pass through our hands. That means we do not set or control prices, we cannot examine vehicles for you, and we cannot verify or guarantee the condition, mileage, keys or history of any lot. Every vehicle sells as is, where is.

The photos, damage codes and details you see on a listing come from Copart and the sellers. They are a reference published as a convenience, not an inspection and not a guarantee. Even a Run and Drive badge is narrow: it only means that when Copart checked the vehicle in, it started, on its own or with a jump box, went into gear and moved forward. It does not promise the vehicle is roadworthy or that it will start again on pickup day. The only way to know a vehicle's real condition is to inspect it.

There are two honest ways to do that before you bid. Choose based on how far away the vehicle is and how much is riding on the purchase. Bids are binding once placed, so inspect first, not after.

Inspect the vehicle in person

Nothing replaces standing next to the car, opening the hood and looking underneath. Copart invites buyers to inspect vehicles in person at the yard where they are stored, generally Monday to Friday during business hours, at more than 200 locations across the country. Below is how to get in and exactly how to work through a salvage vehicle the way a professional does.

Getting into the yard

To preview vehicles in person you have to be a registered Copart member. At a minimum that is Copart's Basic membership, currently around $99 a year; the Premier tier is around $249. This membership is with Copart directly and is completely separate from your SalvageReseller account. Prices are set by Copart and can change. Days and hours vary by location, and you will want to confirm the exact lot is on site and viewable, so call the specific yard before you make the drive.

What to bring

A high visibility safety vest and closed toe shoes are required to walk the yard. Bring a good flashlight, your phone for photos, a pair of work gloves, a couple of paper towels for checking fluids, and a printed copy of the lot number, the listing photos and the details so you can compare them against the real vehicle on the spot. A small magnet can help reveal body filler over old repairs.

Yard rules to expect

• A safety vest and closed toe shoes are required at all times.
• Stay in the designated sale rows and watch for loaders and heavy equipment moving through the yard.
• Only vehicles currently listed for sale may be inspected.
• You can open the hood, look underneath and take all the photos you want.
• Tools of any kind, including diagnostic code readers, are not allowed in the yard.
• Never try to start a vehicle without a Copart employee, and test drives are not permitted.

How to work through the vehicle

Inspect the same way every time so nothing gets skipped. Walk the outside first, then the engine bay, then the interior, then underneath, and finish with the numbers and paperwork. Take a photo at every step so you can study it again before the auction closes.

Body, paint and structure

• Sight down each side of the car in daylight. Ripples, waves or a color that does not quite match from panel to panel mean bodywork has been done.
• Look for overspray on the rubber trim, glass and plastic, and for masking lines; these give away a repaint that is hiding a repair.
• Check the panel gaps. Doors, hood and trunk that sit uneven or do not close cleanly point to a hard hit or bent structure.
• Open the hood and trunk and look at the inner fenders, radiator support and trunk floor for kinks, crumpled metal or fresh welds that are not the factory spot welds.
• Run a magnet along lower doors, rockers and wheel arches. Where it does not stick there is filler over rust or a dent. Look for bubbling paint and holes from the inside out.

Under the hood

• Pull the engine oil dipstick. Clean amber to light brown is good; a gray, milky or foamy film means coolant is mixing in, a serious warning.
• Pull the transmission dipstick if it has one. Fluid should be pink or red and not smell burnt; brown, dark fluid signals a tired transmission.
• Open the coolant reservoir and radiator cap. An oily sheen or a mustard colored film is a head gasket warning.
• Look at the battery for a brand new one and clean terminals; a fresh battery on an old car often means someone was working hard just to make it start.
• Scan belts and hoses for cracks, and look on the ground under the front of the car for fresh oil, coolant or transmission drips.
• Check the airbag area. A cut or deployed airbag, or a dashboard that has been opened, adds real cost to bring back to legal condition.

Inside the cabin

• Flood damage is the quiet deal killer. Lift the floor mats and press the carpet for damp, and put your nose inside for a musty or heavily perfumed smell that is covering one.
• Check the spare tire well, under the seats and the seatbelt webbing pulled all the way out for a water line, silt, sand or rust where there should be none.
• Look at the airbag covers on the wheel and dash. Missing, loose or mismatched covers usually mean a previous deployment.
• With the key turned on by a Copart employee, note which warning lights stay lit: airbag, ABS, check engine and traction lights all cost money to clear.
• Look under the dash and at the fuse box for corrosion or rust on screws and connectors, another fingerprint of water damage.

Underneath and running gear

• Look along the frame rails and unibody for folds, kinks or fresh undercoating sprayed on to hide a repair.
• Check the suspension for bent control arms and leaking struts, and read the tires: heavy wear on one edge or one axle points to alignment or suspension damage.
• Confirm the catalytic converter is still there. Theft is common, and a missing converter is an expensive surprise.
• Note any fluids dripping underneath and where they are coming from, matching them to what you found in the engine bay.

Numbers, keys and paperwork

• Match the VIN plate on the dash to the sticker in the door jamb and to the lot details. A mismatch is a serious red flag.
• Photograph the odometer and compare it to the reading and the odometer designation on the listing.
• Confirm keys are present if the listing says so; missing keys add cost, and some options cannot be checked without them.