You’d never have guessed it, but the used Chevy Impala has outpaced the price of gas in Gwinnett County, more than doubling in value over the past two years.

It’s all about marketing.

Whereas Gwinnett County was bringing in from $800-$900 for its used police cruisers two years ago, it is now culling a cool $2,500 on average for each of the cars. Some go as high as $3,200.

The increase is due to a plan developed by the county’s fleet management department to give up the auction gavel and go high tech. Beginning in April 2006, the department began listing its used vehicles on eBay, and sales have boomed ever since.

The program has resulted in a 35 percent increase in revenue on vehicle sales, said Michael Lindsey, Gwinnett County Fleet Management director.

All told, the county has recorded revenues of $1.3 million on the sale of some 489 vehicles since the program began. The bulk of the sales, Lindsey said, are for the white Chevy Impalas.

The retired cruisers are stripped of their police packages, but retain high-performance engines and suspensions.

“Our public auctions had a limited number of people — usually around 2,000,” Lindsey said. “And often, they were there to look at just one vehicle.”

The eBay listing, he said, opens the inventory up to the world. While a little more than half the buyers are local, the county has generated some interest farther out.

There was a fire truck that went to Oklahoma. One guy in Russia bought a Mustang.

The county lists for sale pretty much everything it buys: lawn mowers, construction equipment, stripped police cars, fire trucks and road department trucks.

The operation is the purview of Michelle Whiting, eBay sales coordinator for the county.

“She runs it,” Lindsey said. “She takes pictures of the vehicles, puts them on eBay, monitors the bids, takes the money when you come in to get it. She does the whole thing.”

Surrounding counties have yet to get in on the action.

Cobb County holds a public auction for its used property. DeKalb also conducts a public auction on-site, although officials are exploring online options to sell some of its used property.

Fulton County lists its heavy equipment — tractors and large machinery on eBay. Regular vehicles are sold at auction.