Is $699 the only extra cost, or are there hidden fees?
Every year, licensed dealers buy thousands of vehicles at wholesale prices through auctions like the one Manheim runs in Lancaster County - inventory the general public never sees priced that way. Robesonia drivers who've heard about it usually have one question first. For Robesonia buyers wondering where their money actually goes: the auction price covers the vehicle itself, auction fees cover the sale mechanics, and the $699 covers Hunt Auto Group's work - searching dealer-only auctions through its licensed dealer partner, handling the purchase, and delivering the vehicle. Nothing about that structure changes based on where in Central PA you live or how specific your request is.
Who do I actually deal with during this process?
A Robesonia buyer never has to set foot in an auction lane. Hunt Auto Group handles that side of the transaction entirely, working through its licensed dealer partner's dealer-only auction access to locate and purchase matching vehicles, while the buyer only ever interacts with Hunt Auto Group directly - by phone, text, or in person.
How does the buying process work from start to finish?
For Robesonia drivers, the timeline typically breaks into five stages: describing the vehicle you want, a quick consultation to confirm it, the auction search itself (which can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks depending on how specific the request is), your approval of the final vehicle and price, and finally the purchase, title transfer, and delivery. Nothing moves to the next stage without the buyer's sign-off.
Do I need any special credentials to buy through this service?
Plenty of Robesonia 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 accounts for the price gap between auction and retail?
The price gap between auction and retail isn't a gimmick - it reflects the fact that a retail sticker in Robesonia includes everything the dealer spent getting that car ready for a showroom floor, plus profit. Skipping the showroom and buying through the auction channel directly removes most of that built-in cost, leaving the $699 fee as the main added cost for a Robesonia buyer.
What Robesonia buyers get out of going through Hunt Auto Group
Robesonia sits almost exactly between Reading (13 miles east) and Lebanon (15 miles west) along the US-422 corridor - residents have easy access to both cities and tend to shop around rather than default to one. That context matters because Robesonia is close enough to both Reading and Lebanon that price and honesty decide where you buy. Twenty-two minutes gets you a straight answer and a fair number, not a franchise markup. The auction buying service doesn't ask Robesonia residents to change any of that - it just adds a way to get a specific vehicle sourced at auction pricing, with Hunt Auto Group (15 miles, 22 min via US-422 E) as the single point of contact for the whole transaction.
Can I see the car before you buy it at auction?
You'll see auction listing photos, condition reports, and available vehicle history before anything is purchased, and you approve the specific vehicle and price first. What you can't do is test drive it beforehand - that's simply how dealer-only auctions work, which is also why a post-purchase inspection is worth scheduling once the vehicle arrives.
Do I have to put down a deposit to start the auction search?
No. You never deposit money into an auction account yourself. Hunt Auto Group uses its own pre-paid auction account to make the purchase, and you only pay once the vehicle is secured.
