Anyone go to police disposal auctions?

[Stig-OT-Dump]

One in Dalry on 20th June selling positively 100s of bikes apparently - no reserve price, new, nearly new and high spec models.

Has anyone been to them? Are there bargains to be had or are they just full of rusty heaps needing hours of tlc? Are they brimming with wide boy dealers or are they clumsy amateur friendly? And will I get to meet David Dickinson if I go along?

Any sage words of advice will be really welcome.

Cheers

Stig

 

[Maz]

No, you can find some real good buys but you have to look hard.

+1

...I normally get a No.1 haircut and my forehead tattooed.

 

[Dave5N]

+1

...I normally get a No.1 haircut and my forehead tattooed.

 

[Globalti]

My local Cop shop has hundreds of recovered bikes, thrown in a shed round the back. I'd imagine there would be a few good ones there so yes, a Police BIKE auction would certainly be worth checking out.

 

[Aint Skeered]

I used to work at West Malling Air Station, in the 80's, and the Kent Police had the hangar next door.
They used to self off vehicles to the trade, and I bought a BMW that was used as a getaway car apparently.

It came with no documents, or keys, and was covered in fingerprint dust ( a bugger to get off) The brake calipers where seized (probably why they got nicked I suppose!!) Anyway it was a couple of grands worth and I bought it off the trader for £350. so yes a bargain

 

[Mr Pig]

I know a guy who bought a white Astra at one and was genuinely shocked to discover on getting it home that it was an ex-police car. I'm not joking by the way.

 

[Globalti]

I have a relative who manages a Police garage. He says the cars come in in a disgusting condiiton, filthy inside with litter, food scraps and takeaway wrappers, not to mention the mechanical abuse they receive.

 

[Brains]

My one experience of a police bike auction is they sold the bikes by the pallet load, and they mixed up the pallets so that you got one good bike on each pallet and a load of crap which you had to take down to the dump

I didn't buy as too much effort to sort the wheat from the chaff. But if you were a trader then well worth the effort

 

[Piemaster]

Interesting thread. Can anyone point me towards where I can find a local auction?

 

[MacB]

you can look online at Bumblebee auctions, there are a few others online but you have to 'register' for them. I think Brains has a good point they are selling low end stuff with the odd reasonable one mixed in. The quality bikes are sold individually or never make it into the auction at all. There's a couple of guys local to me that buy the job lots, do up what they can, scavenge what they can, then the finished product goes on e-bay.

Once upon a time you may have picked up a great bike cheap but not now. Amazing how many top notch bikes are recovered yet never make it back to the owners or on to the auctions.

 

[Stig-OT-Dump]

I looked at my local force's website and details were easy to find from a drop-down menu on the home page
http://www.strathclyde.police.uk/index.asp?locID=911&docID=-1
No registration needed, no fuss, easy.

I have heard that you used to be able to go to a depot, have a rummage and make an offer (somewhere off Pollokshaws Rd apparently). Anyone know if this is true?