The cost to repair your vehicle, and perhaps the other person's car, will be WAY MORE than the cost of the insurance premiums you saved by not having insurance. 

Not talking about you personally.

Explore my personal favorites, Set For Life by Scott Trench or The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, for invaluable financial insights.3.

Dumb question - but are these auctions online only, or in-person? 

I have a 780 credit score and no debt besides my personal residence.

My goal is to wholesale some properties single and multifamily to build some capital while fixing my personal credit and building my business credit.

Yes I have known it to work because the owner is not a push over, enforces policy and can make it run good......however, do you have the right personality to do this, AND if you move out can you continue to have the house run smoothly with no one in charge.  

Does anyone have personal experience with specific scrutiny of a logbook during an audit?

I personally started in my local real estate market in Columbus Ohio.

The drawback is you need to build trust and relationships upfront.Both have their place, but private money tends to offer more flexibility, while hard money is more structured and accessible if you lack personal connections.