Most regular consumers don't have access to those kind of car auctions - they're for dealerships. I also think they get bought in batches then shipping is paid

Most regular consumers don't have access to those kind of car auctions - they're for dealerships. I also think they get bought in batches then shipping is paid for in one sum. It's not accessible to end customers. These auctions are where your car gets sold after you trade it in to a dealership or sell to Carfax, so a Nissan dealership doesn't have to worry about trying to sell a 2013 Chevy Malibu themselves. And the trade in value you get is usually low enough that they aren't in danger of not making a profit. Then they get purchased by various entities, sometimes Carvana, sometimes normal brick and mortar dealerships that specialize in selling used cars and also poverty industry buy here pay here lots. For what it's worth, I purchased a car in cash from one of those buy here pay here lots once. I had sold a car and needed something cheap to get around in for a while. It was a really bad experience all around - the car they sold me was a total lemon, even though the Carfax was pretty clean and the model had a reputation for being reliable. They misrepresented stuff (A/C had a serious leak) They also tried to get out of even the most basic obligations they had (Paying $20 to get the emissions checked - where I live the car has to pass that test and dealer has to pay for it.) If you need a cheap ride, I'd 100% go with buying from a private seller over going to one of those places. I'm glad to have an experience like that - it really makes you realize how bad things are when you don't have any power in a situation. And why it's so important to have the government step in and say "no, you can't do that." Which our country doesn't have nearly enough of.