On Thursday, July 16, 2009, the City of New Orleans Department of Public Works will hold its third and largest abandoned vehicle auction of the year. The auction, located at the Almonaster Auto Pound, 10200 Almonaster Avenue, will begin at 9 a.m.

The current auction will have 187 vehicles for sale, all of which have been discarded on neighborhood streets or left unclaimed by residents with excessive parking fines and fees. All funding collected during the auction will go into the City's General Fund.

City will continue use of its online bidding feature. Residents interested in online bidding need to register with Proxibid prior to the auction start time by visiting http://www.brownsauction.com/auction_detail.php?id=114950. The online bidding feature allows residents to preview and pre-bid on any vehicle prior to the live auction, get vehicle information online by entering the vehicle information number (VIN), and bid on vehicles from anywhere in the world as the auction proceeds live from the Almonaster Auto Pound.

All prospective buyers must registerand may attend today's vehicle viewing. A refundable $50 fee is required to view and/or bid on any vehicle during the auction. The fee will be applied to any purchase made or refunded if no purchase is made.

Brown's Auction Company from Lafayette, La., is the State of Louisiana licensed, authorized dealer awarded the contract to conduct auctions on all City of New Orleans equipment.

Individuals interested in purchasing a car are encouraged to pre-register today and to arrive early on Thursday as many cars sell within the first few minutes of the auction.

Quick Facts

• All vehicle information is currently on Brown's Auction Web site, http://www.brownsauction.com/auction_detail.php?id=114950. Per the terms of the contract, the available vehicle list includes the VIN, make, model and lien holder information. Any auction-related questions should be directed to Brown's Auction Company at (337) 457-4919.
• Prior to the auction, attempts are made to contact the vehicle's owner or lien holder before the vehicles are added to the auction list. Vehicle owners or lien holders that pay all fines and fees are able to retrieve their vehicles prior to the auction.

Purchasing a vehicle

• Cash or cashier's check required
• Payment must be received on the day of the auction. If payment is not received, the purchased vehicle will be placed on the list for the next scheduled auction, the buyer's $50 deposit is forfeited and the bidder is barred from participation in future auctions.

City employees and relatives of city employees are forbidden from purchasing any vehicles at the auction.