10/27/2026
🚗🔧 TUESDAY CAR TALK! 🔧🚗
FROM THE AUCTION TO OUR SALES LOT — WHAT REALLY HAPPENS BEHIND THE SCENES? 🤔
Ever wonder where our vehicles come from and what happens before they're offered for sale?
At Marty Watkins Auto Sales, there's a lot more to the process than simply buying a car, washing it, and putting a price on the windshield!
Here's a little look behind the scenes! 👇
🚘 STEP 1 — THE AUCTION
We purchase many of our vehicles at dealer-only auctions.
Before bidding, we check vehicles for mechanical problems, overall condition, mileage, and potential repair costs.
Our goal is to find affordable vehicles that we can offer our customers at reasonable prices.
🚛 STEP 2 — GETTING THEM HOME
Once purchased, the vehicles have to be transported back to Winter Haven.
Some drive back. Others need to be hauled.
And occasionally, that's when the adventure begins! 😂
🔍 STEP 3 — INSPECTION & EVALUATION
Once a vehicle arrives, we take another look at it.
We check how it runs and drives, look for mechanical issues, and determine what repairs or maintenance it may need.
Sometimes we discover problems that weren't obvious at the auction.
🔧 STEP 4 — REPAIRS & PREPARATION
Vehicles selected for retail sale go through whatever repairs and preparation we've determined are necessary before offering them for sale.
Some need only minor attention.
Others need mechanical work, replacement parts, or additional diagnostics.
And as anyone who's ever worked on cars knows, a simple repair doesn't always stay simple! 😂
🚨 BUT HERE'S SOMETHING YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW!
NOT EVERY VEHICLE WE BUY MAKES IT TO OUR SALES LOT!
Sometimes a vehicle turns out to have more problems than expected.
Sometimes the cost of repairs simply doesn't make sense.
And sometimes we decide a vehicle just isn't a good candidate for retail sale.
When that happens, we may send it to a wholesale auction, return it through an applicable auction arbitration process, or send it for salvage.
We'd rather make that decision than spend more money repairing a vehicle that doesn't make sense to offer for sale.
✨ STEP 5 — DETAILING & GETTING READY FOR SALE
Once a vehicle is ready, it's cleaned, photographed, priced, and added to our website and Facebook inventory.
That's when you finally see it advertised!
❤️ THE BOTTOM LINE
At Marty Watkins Auto Sales, we specialize in affordable used vehicles. They're not brand-new cars, and we don't pretend they are.
But we put time and effort into evaluating what we buy, deciding what makes sense to repair, and getting vehicles ready for our customers.
💬 NOW WE'RE CURIOUS!
Did you realize how much goes on behind the scenes before a used vehicle reaches a dealership's sales lot?
Or did you think we just bought them, washed them, and put them out front? 😂
📍 Marty Watkins Auto Sales
Winter Haven, Florida
🚗 Family-Owned • Serving Central Florida for Over 40 Years!
