Last Toledo police vehicle auction for 2009 fetches $114,900

11/8/2009

A black 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 wowed the crowd yesterday at the Toledo Police Department's auction of abandoned and forfeited vehicles.

The two-door special-edition Dodge, featuring a 6.1-liter Hemi V8, sold for $36,000, the highest bid of vehicles on the auction block at the police department's North Toledo impound lot at 198 Dura Ave. There were 323 registered bidders.

Some 70 vehicles sold for a total of $114,900. Of those, a dozen were forfeited vehicles from drug-related cases and they sold for $56,950. The proceeds will go into the law enforcement trust fund.

The other vehicles, including vans, trucks, cars, and motorcycles, were abandoned at the impound lot, and they brought in $57,950.

Net proceeds from that amount will go into the city's general fund, said Toledo Police Officer Kathy Trautman, who noted this is the last auction for 2009.

The lowest bid for abandoned cars was $350 for a 1988 Buick Regal.

A 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis fetched $3,600, and a crash-damaged 2008 Jeep Liberty went for $3,500.

A 1979 Honda Goldwing motorcycle throttled in at $500 and the new owner turned over the key and it started without a chug or sputter, Officer Trautman said.

Some abandoned vehicles park idle for awhile and don't always rev up quickly, she said.

Vehicles are abandoned by owners for many reasons, such as a lack of auto insurance or because they cannot afford to pay towing and impound lot fees, Officer Trautman said.

The police department conducts four or five auctions per year, Officer Trautman said.

The next auction will be held in late March or early April.

Results of the auction, with sale prices listed for each vehicle, will be posted by midweek on toledopolice.com, she said.