Thousands of hail-damaged vehicles in Colorado Springs to be auctioned off

When KRDO first used our Skytracker 13 drone to fly over the lot on Platte and Powers July 25th, we noticed more than a thousand hail-pummeled cars and trucks damaged in June’s destructive hail storm. Today, that number continues to grow.

Following August’s most recent storm, the number of totaled vehicles in the massive parking lot at the major intersection jumped from 2,000 to roughly 5,000.

Numbers recorded by the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association show June and August’s storms produced a combined $342 million in insured losses.

For people looking to purchase a vehicle, like Dennis Guerin, the lot is more like a playground.

“We were just driving by and I noticed all the cars I know have hail damage. We’re all interested in a car every now and then,” Guerin said.

If we take a closer look, the damage here is mostly cosmetic, dents and broken windshields. Most of them still run with no mechanical problems.

“Some don’t look damaged at all, but then you look at some of these other ones and they’re just beat to tar so I guess it all depends on what you’re looking for,” Guerin said.

So what happens to the cars when they leave this lot?

Although no one was able to speak to us on camera, the owner of the property says the cars get auctioned off to dealerships. Then, they are either repaired and sold to people at a lower price or stripped and used for parts.

The cars aren’t auctioned off here in Colorado Springs.

Copart Incorporated, the auction company, is located in Denver with 190 other locations in 12 countries. That’s where these cars could be shipped.

In Guerin’s case, he’ll sign up online.

“Personally, I’m interested in campers,” said Guerin.

While the public can come in and pick out a vehicle, you do have register with the company to buy one.