Forget about auctions. When I was looking to buy my first car, my mom's friend (who had a dealer's license) took me to an auction. I figured I'd get a badass deal, but a lot of them actually sold for a little more than you'd find in the paper or the auto trader. You get to eat free peanuts, though. Then again, water was like $3 a bottle. Most of the cars weren't exactly immaculate, either. My advice is to stay away from them. Never been to a police auction, though. If anyone knows when one is and how to enter, I'd like to know.