need to buy a good car, however I do not want to pay the fees to some of these online services that tell you where the auctions are? Are they worth the fees?

I live in Laurel, MD and my cousin has bought cars from the DC police auction. Plus, my brother in law has bought a car from a foreclosure/repossession auction in Miami Florida. Both will tell you that it is very difficult to find a reliable primary car at the auctions since you get no history whatsoever on the car. I think that if you search online or read the newspapers they will tell you about the auctions. The police auctions are held monthly. The cars usually go for far less than the KBB value but it may not be worth the time and effort to buy one, have it inspected by a mechanic, find out it has problems and have to sell it and buy another car.

There is a public auction on US 1 near MD 100 every Saturday morning from 10:30 AM until all the cars are sold. You have to provide $100 which is used as a deposit towards anything you win at auction but you get the $100 refunded if you buy nothing. The consignment vehicles are going to be in the best condition; However, most of the vehicles will need significant work to run. For example, I was once outbid on a BMW with a cracked head gasket by some inner city used car dealer. He paid $420 for a car which was worth next to nothing but if he wanted the car that bad....You will find public auctions throughout MD, PA and VA which operate pretty much the same way. There are also dealer only auctions where you have to have a dealer license just to enter. Perhaps if you know someone with a dealer license you could accompany them. The dealer only auctions may have Carfax history; something you will never see at a public auction.