New Vehicle Purchase
The purchase of cars and light duty trucks (less than 15,000 lb. GVW) for all University departments is handled by Fleet Services. We have annual contracts with Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, so we can provide minimum specifications for their models. If you prefer a different manufacturer, Fleet Services will work with you to tailor the right vehicle for your needs.
In general, University vehicles are ordered rather than purchased from inventory. Inventory purchases are oftentimes more expensive as they contain unnecessary/unwanted features. In addition, manufacturer’s bid assistance can only be applied to ordered vehicles. A model year ordering period runs August through April.
Fleet can also assist you with ordering larger vehicles and vehicle related equipment.
Request Form to Start the Purchasing Process
In order to request a new leased or purchased vehicle for a University department or business unit, the New Vehicle Request Form must be completed and emailed to fleetsrv@umn.edu.
Once this form has been submitted, a representative from Fleet and Transit Services will contact the requestor within three business days to discuss the request in more detail. Questions marked with an asterisk (*) require a complete response. Please note, the vehicle ordering process takes a minimum of 120 days.
Resources for Electric Vehicles
The popularity of electric vehicles grows each year.
Learn about the three kinds of electric vehicle charging stations and see where these are on the University of Minnesota campus.
On-Campus Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Used Vehicle Purchase
We suggest all used vehicle purchases be made from the University motor pool. Motor pool vehicles are purchased and maintained to University standards.
We strongly discourage the purchase of used vehicles outside of the University fleet. We purchase new vehicles at wholesale prices and expect the same practice to hold true for used vehicles. We have found it fairly difficult to find an acceptable used vehicle at a NADA wholesale value outside the University.
Should you buy a vehicle from outside the University, it must be brought immediately to a campus vehicle repair shop to be inspected, licensed and marked with the University logo on the exterior. Our experience has been that 30% of used vehicles purchased outside the University require some mechanical work or are rejected entirely. Fleet will gladly inspect a used vehicle before you purchase it.