Is $699 the only extra cost, or are there hidden fees?
Manheim's wholesale auction campus moves more vehicles in a week than most dealer lots in Mount Joy sell in a year, almost all of it priced for dealers, not individual buyers. That gap is where Hunt Auto Group's auction buying service comes in for Mount Joy residents. The service carries one flat fee: $699, charged on top of whatever the vehicle brings at auction plus the auction's own buyer fees. There's no percentage cut, no hidden markup folded into the sticker price, and no separate charge for the consultation that kicks off the search. For a Mount Joy buyer, that means the $699 is the only number that isn't set by the auction floor itself - everything else is the auction price plus whatever fees that specific sale carries.
Who actually goes to the auction and buys the car for you?
Hunt Auto Group runs the whole process on behalf of Mount Joy buyers. As an independent vehicle marketing and sales operation working with a licensed dealer partner, Hunt Auto Group doesn't need you to hold a dealer license or an auction account - it uses its partner's standing access to dealer-only auction lanes, including the ones that run through Manheim, to search for and buy the specific vehicle a customer asks for.
What are the actual steps a Mount Joy buyer goes through?
The process starts with a conversation, not a contract. A Mount Joy buyer tells Hunt Auto Group the year, make, model, and budget they have in mind - as specific or as open as they like. From there, an online consultation confirms the details and sets expectations on timeline. Hunt Auto Group then searches dealer-only auctions through its licensed dealer partner for matching vehicles and shares what it finds. Once the buyer approves a specific vehicle and price, Hunt Auto Group makes the purchase and handles delivery and title transfer to Mount Joy.
Do I need any special credentials to buy through this service?
Plenty of Mount Joy buyers assume they'd need some kind of commercial license to even ask about auction pricing, and that assumption is exactly what this service is built to remove. You don't need one. The licensed dealer partner Hunt Auto Group works with carries the credentials required to buy at dealer-only auction; the buyer brings a budget and a wish list.
What's the real difference between auction price and retail price for Mount Joy buyers?
Dealer markups on used vehicles typically run $2,000 to $5,000 over what the dealer itself paid to acquire the car - that gap covers lot rent, reconditioning, sales staff, advertising, and profit margin. Buying at a dealer-only auction through Hunt Auto Group skips that markup almost entirely; a Mount Joy buyer pays the auction price plus the flat $699 service fee instead of the full retail markup a traditional lot in Mount Joy or PA would add.
Mount Joy's own reasons for skipping the dealer markup
For Mount Joy, the case is less about novelty and more about math: In a town built around agriculture and small manufacturing, a car that starts every morning isn't optional. Mount Joy drivers make the 39-minute trip on PA-72 for vehicles that are actually inspected, not just detailed to look good on the lot. Mount Joy is home to Bube's Brewery, an intact 19th-century brewery complex dating to 1876 and one of the only surviving lager-era breweries in the country. It's a farming and small-manufacturing community where most households depend on a personal vehicle for daily life - there's no relying on transit out here. None of that changes the fact that a Mount Joy buyer using this service only ever deals directly with Hunt Auto Group, 21 miles away by PA-72 S - the auction itself is handled through the licensed dealer partner, not something the buyer has to arrange.
What happens if the auction vehicle has a problem after delivery?
Auction vehicles are sold as-is under Pennsylvania law, so there's no dealer warranty included. Scheduling an independent pre-purchase inspection after delivery, often $100 to $200 at a local shop, is the standard way buyers using this service protect themselves.
Is the service available outside Lebanon, PA?
Yes. Delivery within the Lebanon area is included in the $699 fee, and for areas further out, transport and fuel costs are quoted upfront before you commit to anything.
