In recent years, the number of cars imported to Ukraine from the United States and Canada has increased significantly. The reason is simple: the current legislation and the prices of broken cars from the North American market make such an idea profitable.
For the year 2019, about 40,000 used cars from the USA were imported to Ukraine. Their total value is almost half a billion US dollars!
Broken car sales system in the US and Canada
The car market in North America is not quite working as we do here. There, too, the norm and obligation is liability insurance (analog of our "civil"), but most owners of new or relatively new cars buy "two-way" service, which includes in addition to liability insurance also own car insurance (analog of our CASCO). In case of an accident in the presence of such a policy, the following options are possible:
- The insurance company repairs the damaged car at its own expense, the owner continues to use it
- The owner gives up the damaged car, gets reimbursed and buys a new car
- The vehicle has damage that can be characterized as significant. In this case, the car receives a separate status (let's call it "junk") and can not be allowed for further operation
The cost of repairing cars in the US is many times higher than in Ukraine (expensive working hours of specialists), and the level of income of the population is high. Due to this, a considerable part of cars after the accident falls into the property of insurance companies.
All these conditions also apply to hybrid cars. In fact, they are sold just like any other gasoline or diesel engine. The high saturation of the US market for hybrids causes their presence at auctioned beaten cars - in proportion to the proportion of such cars on the market.
What is a car auction in Canada and the US?
In order to at least partially offset their losses, insurance companies sell beaten machines at auctions. Among them are many with purely symbolic damages (bumpers, headlights, hood or doors), as well as junk, which in Ukraine is being restored and sold under the guise of “not beaten, not painted” for relatively moderate costs.
Auctions sell not only cars after a road accident, but also whole conventional and hybrid cars. The price of the latter, of course, is rarely as attractive as that of "bulls." Some sites only sell entire cars.
Here are some of the big auctions where you can find hybrid cars after an accident:
Keep in mind that the conditions for the purchase, clearance and clearance of hybrid and conventional vehicles from the US and Canada can have significant differences. For example, having a free trade agreement between Ukraine and Canada allows us to import pre-owned cars made in Canada. You do not need to search for Canadian car brands - you are unlikely to find them. You just need to know if the model you are interested in has been released by a Canadian company. In fact, it could be Ford, GM or even Toyota.
For all questions related to US hybrid auction machines, please contact lawyers or companies that work in this field, have up-to-date information and can provide you with expert advice.
Prices in the US at car auctions
Among the lots at auctions most of the cars are sold at prices that we only dream of. Even virtually new, two to four-year-old Japanese crossovers on the go and with a symbolic mileage of 30-70 thousand km. can be purchased for $ 3000-8000 . Many older, more damaged and less-than-status machines are sold at scrap prices, which are quite capable of traveling after minor repairs.
Different auctions have different requirements. Some allow only certified professionals, others - anyone.
How to buy a car from a US auction?
For this purpose they often use the services of intermediaries. There are a number of arguments for this. For example, bidding may require registration with a verified local address that Ukrainian buyers do not have. Also, proven reps with good reviews and reputation are thoroughly aware of the details of the process and the workflow, ensuring that there are no problems with them. The lots can be viewed by yourself or assigned to the same intermediaries.
Examples of brokerage firms at US and Canadian car auctions. Visit their sites to learn about service policies.
http://atlanticexpress.com.ua/
LeoDrive does not endorse these companies and does not guarantee their integrity. The links are provided for reference only.
How to bring a hybrid car from the US?
Hybrids and any other cars are delivered by sea, packed in metal containers. This method, though not the fastest (one and a half to two months), but the cheapest. No need for special packaging or additional protection for hybrid cars, as they use the same batteries (only larger capacity) and electronics than conventional cars. Most often, cars "come" through Germany, where they can be picked up or sent by sea, for example, to Lithuanian or Ukrainian ports. Such a scheme is due to certain design features, which you will be told by representatives of the service company. The vehicle can then be delivered to Ukraine by autotransport at your address.
Almost all cars at US auctions have a "fair" run. Odometer twisting is equivalent to fraud that involves administrative or even criminal liability.
What about documents?
Delivery to Lithuania or other European country (by agreement) is taken care of by the service company. Only documents are required from the buyer. In order to transport from Europe to Ukraine, it is often necessary to look for another "contractor" who specializes in this. They also deal with or can assist with customs clearance and all issues related to documents.
What is the price of a car auctioned in the US?
There are many options, that is, to call some average price will be a mistake. The final amount depends on the purchase price of the car at auction, the cost of brokerage services, transportation to the US, Europe and Ukraine, customs clearance and repair in Ukraine. Most of these machines are for sale, so you can estimate the cost simply by finding the right model in the ad and subtracting it from one to several thousand US dollars.
LeoDrive offers rental car in Lviv Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. Rent a hybrid Japanese crossover car and try it out in action to find out if you are looking for something similar at US auctions. Important: Our cars have not been auctioned or been in an accident.