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I have purchased 8 vehicles from Copart and made $10,000-25,000 on each of them. This only works because I am an auto mechanic, welder, metal fabricator, and have run small businesses in the past. I inspect the vehicles carefully, although I have rolled the dice, and purchased out of state without inspecting on a couple of them. I only purchase insurance company owned vehicles with salvage titles, which are easy to get through inspection/retitle (marked as previous salvage) in Minnesota. I only do Pure Sale, as I have never had good results with Reserve pricing. I fix them properly so there is no sign of the damage (nothing is hidden, they are properly reconstructed). I always check for parts availability before buying as Lucky states, sometimes even when parts are available they can be expensive “what! One headlight is $2,000!!”. I didn’t know what to expect from potential buyers, having marked titles, but found that if I sell $500 below market, they are happy to get a good price. I will keep purchasing on Copart as It has worked well for me, but not recommended for beginners.

the problem is after all the fees from manheim, you're paying damn near retail. The best place to find cars is from private parties.

Tried this type of business back in 2016 and it was the worst experience I had, I agree with everything has been said in this video.

The biggest scammer who pushes horrible cars through Copart is a company named Peddle Inc. I know a few small time dealers who got ripped off by them. They dump their trash at Copart for unsuspecting buyers to fall for. I always look for cars where an insurance company is listed as the seller.

Copart is very dishonest in there ways.

I purchased a 2007 camry le at copart last month without pre- inspection, looking at pictures only. I used to work at a shop that almost exclusively did rebuilding, so I knew some things to look for. The car was an insurance sale, 120k miles and no body damages. A comprehensive salvage. Vandalism.I took a chance on it at 2700 before fees. Turns out that I lucked out. I picked up the car and found only a few scratches around the car. The car is very clean inside out and under the hood. Runs great but I might need a fuel pump. I still wonder why this car was salvaged out. I've had a state inspection and it passed. The inspector asked me several times what did I replace on the car, I kept telling him nothing at all as I had already driven it a couple hundred miles before inspection. This car is easily worth twice what I paid for it.

You have a great channel. Lotsa useful information delivered by an entertaining host . Thank you for posting.

I’m a license Claims Adjuster and I can say that the state tells insurance how to brand a car that has been in an accident. In North Carolina if there is ANY frame damage, the vehicle has to be deemed a total. Some states don’t allow an insured to keep a totaled vehicle, these are usually states that don’t allow vehicles to be put back on the road. Check state laws before buying!

New Subscriber. Liking your work. Never messed with a Copart. No plans to. Thanx!

I subscribe to Mat Armstrong on KZfaq and his whole premise is that he buys wrecked cars from Copart and rebuilds them himself. I think a lot of ppl see his content and think it’s easy. But even him knows to stay away from what they called “Catergory B” (and “A” that’s they designation for salvage titles) P.S. I first subscribed to your channel a few months ago when you were at like 250K subscribers…now you’re at 435K! That’s a testament to the good quality content you’re producing. Keep up the great work! You’ll be at 1M soon.

I used to inspect cars at Copart and IAAI for buyers. You can make some money like that, if you're good with cars and good with people and you can make a decent side hustle out of taking pictures/videos of salvage cars for buyers that can't do it themselves. Just stay away from the interior of biohazard cars and never put your whole body underneath one of those cars, especially one that has obvious signs of it being in a major wreck. It can fall on you.

IAAI bought a car in drivethru area . Was placed in auction by owner . They used 20 different sealants to stop up severely blown head gaskets . Car was twin turbo . Both turbos exhaust impellers were snapped off and not functioning. Powersteering pump pulley you could grab and pull out of pump with little effort. Had radiator tank removed it had stratospheric layering of sealants. 8 inches of 12 inch tank was completely plugged up and strips of silicone embedded you could pull on like a rubber band and it wouldn't come out of the compacted material. Ended up having to get new heads , restore car completely over last 20 yrs. Its now an extremely nice car with 600 hp but the cost was much higher than buying a car off the street and upgrading it that way . Paid $ 5,500 with auction fees . Car was blue book in 2001 at $15k - $16k . Definitely learned my lesson on the unknown entries at auction. Did get a nice regular title 99 mustang once . Small hole in hood , front fascia had bumper hitch square tear in it. Bought for 9500 car booked at 16,500 and only had 12k miles on it . Sometimes its a win or a headache.

Thanks for the info Mr. Lopez!

Been buying, fixing, selling salvage to rebuilt title cars for longer than I like to admit. Lucky is correct, assume the worse, and add triple the price for parts and labor. Picked up an Acura RDX with 55k miles 6months ago. I replaced the core support, hood, lights, radiator, condenser, fans, all new from ebay. Bought a used front crash bar from the local junkyard, and bought all acura nuts, bolts, hoses, pipes, brackets, plastics bits, and still well ahead of buying wholesale, and miles ahead of retail. If you know what you are doing, and have a shop that is wiling to work with you and not insurance only places you might get a good deal. Otherwise, you are risking a big headache.

After dealing with IAAI here in Ca. The largest problem I had was actually receiving tittles. The 1st 4 I purchased (I was aware of titles) I didn't receive titles to, what a nightmare that turned out to be. I was told they "must have been lost in the mail". As a person with a shop and have been in the auto body trade for over 40 years. I found it easier to purchase private market, a lot less headaches and people will be a little more honest when you deal face to face. Much easier to spot swindlers.

So happy to have found you, wish I could afford your help in getting a Ford transit cargo van. Used are grossly over priced and from what I read can take a year to get one new.

Thanks for the show. I saw a " branded" title when I asked the dealer what that was I got no reply. I let that one go. Great info.

I love that you give out this free gold advice but someone will stay say, nah I know what I'm doing. Hahaha

Copart & IAA sells mostly salvaged titled vehicles. Many insurance companies wll not insure your salvaged or other branded titled vehicles either. It can take up to 120 days for a report to get on a Carfax & AutoCheck expecially accidents & repos so after you buy the vehicle something can show up later on report as well.

“Not every car is bad at the auction, but every bad car goes to the auction.”

Awesome video as always

Thanks for information.

be careful buying sight on scene and pictures don't mean anything. Bought a 14' focus with front end damage...turns out it had undercarriage damage, computer was ripped off, oil pan was broken. That was last year still working on it ( sigh)

Hi Lucky its been a great day but "NOTHING IS GOING ON". Great video.

Thank you Lucky. Pre-shut downs, my friend thought he could make a living fixing up COPART cars. He gave up after 3 cars. One was a 1 month flip. One he kept for himself after 2 months of work. The final vehicle looked good on the outside but the engine was a mess. It took him nearly 4 months to pass DEQ inspection. That was the end of his business venture. He lived in an apartment and was doing all of the repairs at my house which became inconvenient.

I've noticed insurance companies that are well known selling at IAAI and Copart listing cars that should be salvage title as clean title cars. I presume this is to recoup more of their losses.

I bought about 9 cars from copart with a clean title. No issues so far Lucky is right! be very careful when buying these vehicles. If you don't have a shop or have some knowledge. STAY AWAY, DON'T BUY.

I always look at who the seller is, if it’s not an insurance company, I wouldn’t buy it. I’ve seen a ton of cars that were partially put back together to make them look like they weren’t too bad.

I liked IAAI for their TitleMax Repos and Charity cars. However even with that you have to be careful. There have been cars that I brought that ended up being basket cases. But I usually buy my inventory on the very cheap side so the most I have ever lost on a car is $300 but breaking even on a car that you brought for $2000 and that you put $2000 into feel the same.

Bought 3 cars from copart. Made 4k on one of them, it was 2000 f250 with mechanical damage, turned out was just out of oil, I actually kept the truck for few years before I sold it. Had a VW golf that I kept for few years too, but it was a wash, bought, had it fixed and sold it for the same price. Had an Audi and that was a money pit, looked like a small fender bender, but just like lucky said, someone made it look like it was a small accident, ended up loosing 3 or 4k on it. So 🤷🏼‍♂️

I see vehicles for sale all the time on like Facebook marketplace and like go with rebuilt titles. My understanding is the insurance Annie’s when you go to register them are very high I don’t know is that true?

I’ve bought two cars from Iaai, but I already had parts cars ready to go. Shop smart!

I just bought a 2010 F150 Lariat for $3,000. Clean Title, engine was dirty or dust and oil spills but no oil leaking on the sides or underneath, no dashboards lights on, 200k miles, which suggests a highway truck. It does has a bunch of rust. I'll evaluate how much to fix that and evaluate if worth fixing and come back here to let you know. Thx for the video!

Personally I only buy cars from IAA that are from insurance companies . But I do all the work myself but if you’re paying someone , it’s not worth it at all

For the average person I agree. I’ve purchased 10 or 12 cars from Copart and IAAI and never had any real problems. Best case cars have absolutely nothing wrong with them, worst case cars need much more than you anticipate. The middle ones need about what you anticipate but you gotta be able to fix them yourself. Professionally I have a lot of time on my hands, personally I’m a good wrench. Lots of good KZfaq videos about buying these.

When inspecting the rear of a car always pull up the carpets and inspect the spare wheel well, get under the car too. Once I saw a nicely priced Accord with clean title at a used car dealer. Cosmetically excellent interior ans exterior, but I pulled the trunk carpet and it literally looked like it was chassis metal held together with flex tape and silly putty. Pointed to it, looked the dealer in his eyes, and his expression said everything I needed to know. I walked out without saying a word and never looked back.

I just bought a Prius from IAA and about to rebuild it and keep it as a personal car. 😅

I bought a car with a clean title. And when I registered it in North Carolina, they returned the rebuild title. Because the car was sold to copart by the insurance company.

Was on my way to Copart for my first auction buy and this video just sealed the deal for me to back out 😅

Best advice.

Thank you for the warning. On KZfaq they make it seem like every car is a home run.

Like my real estate mentor once said, a great deal can be found any day, just NOT every day!

90% of all my cars from IAA and Copart. Been doing it since I was 23. In my 30’s now. You can become a self made millionaire buying cars from IAA and copart. Trust me, you can make a lot of money with iaa and copart. Just get mentor in the industry who has experience in making money with every dealer auto auction. Everyone stay blessed up

Thanks Lucky

Any more content on buy/selling reconstructed vehicles ?

Great video, the Auction fees are too high. Thank you.

Had a '03 Dakota, I sold it on consignment, I disclosed it had an accident, AutoCheck was clean and that is what they used, CarFax was not. Run them both!

Sometimes I disagree with you but not this time, 100% spot on

I only ever purchased 1 car from Copart. A 2009 Honda Ridgeline with a salvage title for front end damage. It had no frame damage, so I replaced the front bumper and lights. I also replaced the propshaft due to it being bent. Other than that, I just did routine maintenance before selling it. That being said, you're right about their fees. I paid $2k for my winning bid and it was almost $3k after fees. The public auction I nornally go to has fees that are galf the size. As for salvage cars, I prefer buying from local police auctions. In my county, they don't charge any fees beyond the winning bid. I bought a 2003 Honda Accord there earlier this year. My winning bid was $650, the exact same as what I paid them to claim it.

You nailed it Lucky and look who buys a wrecked vehicle from copart and dont go look at the vehicle next more rebuilders at all the junk repair parts that come from Taiwan and there junk especially engine parts like camshafts that are not hardened and wear out at 5000 miles what most do is go to the inspection day and look at what your buying then get a loose estimate on parts because you won't see every needed then find out parts price and availability also after rebuild you have a rebuilt title which will hurt vehicle value big time and flood vehicles can be a nightmare some vehicles have 7 or more ecu aka computers on that vehicle now price those but most jump into flipping wrecked vehicle without doing there homework at it can and will cost big time...also services like going to a frame machine or getting vehicle painted again $$$ that deal most thought they got was no deal

Also people underestimate the delivery price of a vehicle, that seams to be a good deal, but located 1000+ miles away and is not running

I agree with everything you said.

What about a running and driving flood title car that I would be buying for a personal project car? I wouldn't be selling it or buying it too flip.

Great video... much appreciated. I've been looking for a second car and started down the road of checking COPART. It seemed scammy and since I don't have a broker license in my state I'd have to pay more to someone else who probably will scam me out of a good bid (IF I get one).

I had a 2000 Grand Caravan that a guy hit me in the left rear just forward of the tail light cluster. Spun me around at 60 mph. No other damage. Insurance totaled it. I had to turn over my title to the insurance company. I kept the van and had it fixed for less than $1600.00. Weeks later i found the title at COPART. They refused to provide me with a title, clear or otherwise. Told me if i wanted a title I'd have to go to the title office and get one. Still dont have a title and still driving it. Runs fine and you can't tell its been in an accident. Kudos to Coachmen Bodyworks for the great job they did. I'd stay away from COPART if at all possible.

Good video

Your Vid was spot on. The drywall screws thing, there are companies that do that to flip cars. It is their business model. Contact me.

I've also seen a lot of cars, mostly on Copart, that have been purchased by someone who does exterior or visual repairs so the cars don't look that bad and then puts them right back into the auction. The next amateur purchaser of this car thinks they just found a great deal, quick and cheap repairs and once the get into it, they find out the damage is extensive.

I bought a salvage title 2018 Honda Odyssey that was hail and flooded. I removed all the water and aired it out with an industrial fan for a month. When it was wet it showed a transmission code. I deleted the transmission code and the van drives great. No code! It had no water in the engine or trans. My husband… I begged him not to buy a wrecked car. He bought a 21 Honda Insight EX. He spent about 6,000 fixing it up. I got to fix it since he knows nothing about cars. He at least got a clean title. He regrets every minute of buying that car. You could not see how much damage the car had in Copart website.

Hi - What is your opinion on flooded cars? I was able to revive my wife flooded car, a 2013 Chevy Malibu, and that has enbolded me to try again with a Chevy Traverse off the auction lots. Your honest opinion will be greatly appreciated

If you could get the cars cheap enough after fees, it would be worth it. But people keep bidding up the prices.

Spot on

I bought a 2020 Honda Accord from IAAI. Got the car and it had no vins. Had to wait 10 months to make it street legal after getting a new vin.

Copart got me about ten years ago and I was done with them, there is also this bs of security deposit even if you are a dealer, screw that.

I bought a car from IAA that said "previously salvaged" on the listing, come to find out the car was branded as dismantled in Arizona, I live in Kansas and now there's no way for me to inspect or register the vehicle

So what auction do you recommend

What is the bets auction companies to get cars or parts without being ripped off?

For copart cars, you need to think, why insurance salvage them instead of fixing. If you figure it out, then start thinking about purchasing from copart

Back in 2021, my dream truck Hummer H1 was t-boned and rolled in an accident. I have the dashcam footage on my youtube channel if you're curious. When it made it to IAAI and Copart - the damage was listed as "Minor - Side Impact" which was a blatant lie. The pictures they showed were low quality and hid the massive damage to the body tub and roof structure. If I had bought that truck from them - I would have sued them for fraud.

What is the alternative?

Agree. Inop/salvage is horrible idea for people starting out.

this is good advice for a novest ,, so if you are just starting out the best advice is take the time and GO LOOK AT THE CARS ,, and if there is a U*PULL IT auto yard near you the parts are very cheap ... JUST BE SMART ... GOOD LUCK

Everything I've ever bought from copart was to be used for parts and even that bit me once

How about buying only for export purposes?

Man he’s so correct on most of them being hacked on the repairs especially on fb marketplace. I see mustangs and hellcats on there a lot where the paints messed up, panels fit bad etc, and I can tell they have an R title before reading the description. The line of “most of them are hammered dog sh1t” had me laughing hard at 11:58

I bought a clean title car and the state gave me a salvage title i dont mind i got a good deal but really check the car fax

Where do you buy your cars Lucky?

I have access to the big Manheim (Manheim PA) auction & I'd eventually like to offer some actual auction prep services/repair i(fixing windshield chips, alloy wheel repair, minor mechanical work, etc) but in the mean time, I'm wondering if there is any beneficial service I can offer (due to being able to be onsite) to either sellers or interested bidders. I don't know if there currently is any such thing offered by others, maybe something like physical inspections, verifying CR's, checking running condition/engine sound, etc. Does anyone have any suggestions? There's also 4+ Copart or IAAI & one Adesa within 30 min drive, so those are options as well.

I’m not trying to flip a car just trying to buy one cheap and fix it. U still think buying one from cop art is a bad idea?

So where do buy cars to rebuild?

I have seen people taking wrecked cars from Copart and running them through other public auction with "lost title, bill of sale only" If they do it fast enough it sometimes does not show that car was on Copart and was badly wrecked unless you do thorough research On Copart sometimes they list vehicle as Clean Title, but by the time you receive the title it already comes as Salvage Title There are also issues when buying from different state. For example some states don't issue titles for trailers, and other states require a title if its from other state even if they don't issue titles. And Copart only give you bill of sale, so you have to prove to DMV that trailer was registered in different state, its such a headache.

Thank you for your honesty and all this insight!

Copart is for amateurs. The branded title knocks retail value 50% right off the bat. Fees are crazy expensive. Buyers fee, internet fee, loading fee.

So of course clean titles are good and rebuilt titles are OK but what did he say about savage titles?

No unlicensed or uncertified person should be allowed to buy or repair anyway. You included.....

Do you think with the raise in labor rates and parts prices we will see more cars totaled with less damage?

@luckylopez so if I’m in Vegas and get a export only title from Copart there’s nothing I can do to make it legally drivable and registered?

its all on what you can handle but as you said read read read im here in cali junk is salvage is king out here lol

We buy a shit ton of Tesla ‘s on there, and the majority of the time we are strictly getting salvage certificates, and we convert ourselves into rebuilt titles. I’ve sold 20 of them in the last year.

This video is absolutely 💯 truth. So if you've got what it takes go for it! Otherwise they truly suck. One story only I'm a dealer. 1986 Ford bronco runs and drives. Pictures were good enough. Forklift dropped it parking lot. Maybe 15 years hasn't been started or ran. Copart said it was good to go! Lmao Forklift came back ........

Copart is bad. I sold an Audi Q7 Salvage title. They listed it as a Clean title and it sold smh. then the poor client was complaining. I personally sent it the title saying its salvage and they still went ahead and list it as clean. But they are dishonest. I bought a Clean title TT, when I received the paperwork. Rebuilt title on it you are better off buying a wrecked car with a clean title on FB marketplace or one with a blown out engine. Probably cheaper too

A lot of people did this and don’t understand.

Watched this video, and now recently you’ve partnered with Copart and recommending them😅 so which is it?

Great video Lucky, there are only certain vehicles I get from iaai or copart, private owner sales is the secure money makers no doubt.

I was looking at a used BMW at a dealer a few months back, the car had a "clean" car fax but the car was recently sold at a co-part auction. Some reviews of this dealer were that years after they bought the car they were shocked the car had a salvage. I chicken out from this dealer.

I've bought 30-40 Copart cars without major issues. Video is good, but most of it doesn't apply to me. I buy at the bottom of the market, old, cheap cars. Basically cherry-picking cars for the little bit of profit left after Copart fees. It's tough. He described $2000 cars costing $2800, and that's hard to make money on, but it gets worse the lower you go. I won a Pure Sale at $200 yesterday and the total cost is $522. That means I can't use a broker in order to bid on cars in other states - they add another $600 to the cost. Won a CA auction last month for $1200 that cost me $2400 after broker/Copart.

Every word said in this video is true.

Been driving IAAI cars for 20 plus years...they are good to drive but they are worth half of book at best but Im driving a hail damaged 2017 Denali that was purchased from iaai for $5400

I have too many copart horror stories, you forgot to mention how a car can have a whole on side of the motor but as long as it starts and moves for 10ft they will list it as run and drive, i have even seen cars with seized engine listed as run and drive and when you try to arbitrate with them they just say "well it ran and moved when we got it", also in california most cars from copart have hundreds or thousands in DMV backfees due