Should I buy a car at an auction?

bigjl

chrisjvc1 wrote: »

Just make sure you have deep pockets after purchase as no doubt it will need alot of extra money spent on it.

Not true.

Buy carefully and an auction buy is great value.

Where do you think most of the used cars in AutoTrader and eBay come from?

vaio

scotsbob wrote: »

There's truth in this. I traded in my 6 year old Mazda MX5, perfect condition, full dealer servicing and they just put it straight to auction because they didn't sell cars over 5 years old.

Someone must have got a bargain there.

Yep, but your car would also have ended up there had it only had one forward gear working just like the "direct from the gas board" transit van I once bought.

Having said that, and at risk of repeating what others have said, auctions can provide bargains but you need to know what you are doing.

Also, certainly at BCA , the fees charged for one off non trade buys do seem on the steep side which, coupled with the risk factor, might make buying via other channels a better bet.

dktreesea

You can buy well at car auctions. If you go onto Glass Auto first - just their free valuation service ( I think from memory you do need to register, but you don't have to pay to join) - and check out the market value for the kind of car, with the age and mileage, that you are thinking of buying (i.e. if something in the auction catalogue, usually online, but it is worth a visit before the auction, or early on the day of the auction, to check out the cars in person). Then, at the auction, aim to pay well below the Glass valuation.

For a car valued at £6k on Glass, we aimed to pay no more than £4k, including the commission. DON'T overpay. Remember, the car has no warranty except to free and clear ownership, so you could need to spend some money on it when you first get it.

Check the previous ownership. A single owner for 5 to 7 years, with a full service history for the car, is a good sign. The auctioneer should have those kinds of details in the office.

If you have concerns the car you are interested in may have been in an accident and fixed up, it may be worth using the AA's data check service. It cost around £25 from memory - not sure what it is these days - but could be worth the investment if you plan to spend a few thousand pounds.

vaio

dktreesea wrote: »

.......Remember, the car has no warranty except to free and clear ownership, so you could need to spend some money on it when you first get it.

Check the previous ownership. A single owner for 5 to 7 years, with a full service history for the car, is a good sign. The auctioneer should have those kinds of details in the office.

If you have concerns the car you are interested in may have been in an accident and fixed up, it may be worth using the AA's data check service. It cost around £25 from memory - not sure what it is these days - but could be worth the investment if you plan to spend a few thousand pounds.

I thought the warranty on good title also included whether the car had been a total loss