'Runs Great' Not Part Of Vehicle Description In State Auction

DAVIS (CBS13) - Hundreds of vehicles cut from the state's budget were on the auction block Wednesday, but they weren't exactly flying off the lot.

Gov. Jerry Brown ordered 7,000 vehicles to be eliminated back in August, but Wednesday's auction at the state's Davis facility featured vehicles that needed to be towed away.

More than 400 state-owned vehicles - having sat idle for months - were ready to be washed up, gassed up and towed off the lot for a new lease on life.

"The most important thing is that we are getting rid of things that are just wasteful," said the Department of General Service's Eric Lamourdux. "We were operating on a bloated fleet."

Pete and Stella Silguero were looking for a good deal on a car for their daughter but didn't realize the cars weren't operational.

"They don't run at all?" Pete asked.

At this auction all vehicles are considered "non-runners," meaning you have to tow them off the lot.

"Is it still a good deal?" Pete was asked.

"It depends what it goes for," he said.

The Brown administration deemed several thousand vehicles non-essential. Cutting them out of the budget, they hope to save the state more than $12 million.

"I was just looking for something that ran, a cheap vehicle," shopper Tom Jarvis said.

Others, too, seemed to hit the brakes on their shopping after hearing the news that the cars all needed some work.

"Why tow some junk to my house? I don't need that," Bill Tucker said.

But for those who knew what to look for, there were definitely some diamonds in the rough.

"I've been coming here for a while so I know what to look for," Bill Vaughn said.

His tips? "I don't want to give those up," he said.