Fleet Services facilitates the purchase of all University-owned vehicles and is available to help you find what is right for your department.
The purchase of cars and light duty trucks (less than 15,000 lb. gross weight) for all University departments is handled by Fleet Services. We have annual contracts with We have annual contracts with Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, 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.
Ordering
New vehicles
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.
Used vehicles
We strongly 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 held true for used vehicles. We have found it fairly difficult to find an acceptable used vehicle at a NADA wholesale value outside the University. Our experience has been that 30% of used vehicles purchased outside the University require some mechanical work or are rejected entirely.
Should you desire to buy a vehicle from outside the University, please consult Fleet first. Fleet will inspect a used vehicle before you purchase it and guide you through the purchasing exception process.
Start an order
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 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 often takes weeks to complete. Once ordered, vehicles typically take a minimum of 4 months to be produced and delivered to Fleet Services.
Resources
Electric vehicles
The popularity of electric vehicles grows each year.
Citations and tolls
Who is responsible for tickets, tolls or other citations?
Tickets, unpaid tolls, and other citations are the responsibility of the driver, not the department. See the University of Minnesota Board of Regents Policy.
NOTE: Tolls are reimbursable travel expenses, however, late fees associated with unpaid tolls are the responsibility of the driver.