Selling a Car through Auction

sauvignon

I'd like to sell my car through a car auction. At the moment it seems to be the only option. I wonder if anyone has done this and what their experience was. Can someone recommend a car auction company?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Herzlos

I look at doing it, but the fees for low value cars are horrendous (our local place was like £80 + 10%), it might make more sense for higher value cars but it seems to only be targetted at companies with bulk rates and people who just want rid.

If you just want rid, try ebay/gumtree for the best rates or one of these car buying companies just to get something for it. Failing that, sell it for scrap.

So what are you selling and why do you think auction is the only option?

colino

Gumtree for bangers, Autotrader for anything over £1k and avoid auctions as a privateer, buying or selling they will ream you.

sauvignon

Hi,
and thanks to all who replied. The reason why I'm considering an auction company is that I can't deal with a private sale, have little time and travel a lot due to work and family commitments, so am constantly on the move. I have been wanting to sell the car which is very underused for at least three years but simply didn't have enough time to go through the hoops. Also, I don't have enough experience with cars, can't haggle, would probably sell the car for very little.
It's a 2006 model, bought new, 13.5 K mileage, just serviced (full service history with authorised dealers), MOTed last October, satnav extra. It's immaculate inside, the only issue being the more than cosmetic bodywork damage (a dent suffered in a car park) which, together with other scratches and dents, one dealer has estimated at £1000 to repair. I personally think this was a bit exaggerated to justify the low price offered (1K more was offered if I traded in). Without that the car is supposed to be worth £3750-4075 and I'd hope to get at least £3000, as this has been a popular car.
I thought that at an auction the car would be seen by trade as well as private buyers. Professional buyers, I reckon, would be more ready to go for the car as it's easier and cheaper for them to repair the dent and resell. Am I right?

I can try AutoTrader, but only once as I can't stay put for very long.

Herzlos

As much as you'll get a poor deal, try something like webuyanycar, they'll give you the low end of trade-in for it and give you a fixed selling appointment. After the (pretty steep) fees you'll still probably be better off than taking it to auction.

sauvignon

Judging by the response and thanks again, Herzlos, for coming back, there doesn't seem to be a lot of experience around with auction companies.
Meanwhile I have done more homework and found advice by Which which may be useful to you when deciding whether to go for it or not.
Pros of selling a car at auction
If your car is a popular model, in good condition and has service history, it should have no difficulty selling.
If it does sell, the auction house will pay up quickly and reliably. If the car develops a fault on the drive home, the new owner has no comeback against you.
Cons of selling a car at auction
There’s no guarantee of a sale at auction, and you won’t get your entry fee refunded if the car doesn’t sell.
If your car is bought, the most you should expect is the trade price, which may be hundreds or thousands of pounds below its expected part exchange value or private sale price.
They've also done a test of the online buying companies such as WeBuyAnyCar and found that
The results revealed that five out of our six sellers would have got better prices by selling to a franchised dealer.
I've also got a valuation and decided to try a dealership again. I expect them to push for a trade-in which I'm not interested in. If they don't make an offer I don't have much to lose with either an auction or online.