Algonquin auction features vehicles of nearly all shapes and sizes

Interested in buying a 2002 John Deere tractor? How about a 2013 Dodge Charger?

If used municipal vehicles of nearly all shapes and sizes are of interest, the village of Algonquin has you covered.

The village is in the midst of an online auction through the GovDeals website to sell a variety of surplus vehicles and equipment in an effort to find them a new home and raise money for the general fund.

Assistant Village Manager Michael Kumbera said the frequency of auctions depends on a variety of factors. The evaluation of current equipment is continual, and purchasing new equipment depends on the budget. He said the village typically utilizes municipal auctions like this at least once or twice a year.

"The volume of items changes, but this one looks like we've got the lion's share of our larger equipment that does well," Kumbera said. "The thing about municipal vehicles is they're very well maintained and there's very good maintenance records on all of it."

The current auction features about a dozen items and 150 bids coming from all over the country. Bidding on some items ends this week while other items will accept bids through late August. Each item must receive a specified minimum bid amount to be sold.

Included in the auction are generators, including one that's 20 years old and "NEEDS REPAIRS." For those lucky enough to have a 3-point hitch, there's a box scraper and a brush hog with current bids under $200.

Beyond that, there's various farm and construction equipment in addition to a few gems: 2011 and 2013 Dodge Chargers that used to be police vehicles, and a 2014 Ford F-150 XL SuperCrew truck. Fair warning, though, the truck was involved in a collision.

Kumbera said buyers are responsible for retrieving the auction items on their own, even if it requires a tow truck.

The ease of the online system makes the entire process much different from the days when everything was auctioned in person.

"It garners a lot more interest now," Kumbera said. "We pretty much get top dollar for a lot of the equipment we put on there."