Pros and cons of buying a council car (Auctions from car pounds)

alihd

I recently found a garage that sells cars at quite good prices, e.g. this: https://www.eurocarauction.co.uk/auctions/1650-vauxhall-vectra-exclusiv
The sellers also advertise on other websites (GumTree, etc) for non-Auction selling, obviously at a higher price, but still seems interesting.
However, I found a few strange points:

1. They hide the plate numbers, unless you email them and ask for it, why?
2. Does it have any consequences to buy a car that someone has owned before, and then it was taken from him by the council? Any concerns for such cars?
3. The cars are not taxed or MOTed for a long time, e.g. 4 years. Mechanically and legally, how concerning this should be?
4. I asked the seller whether they will MOT the car before giving it to me. The dealer (auctioner) said that these cars "will definitely pass the MOT", but I have to pay for it. What if it didn't pass it? What if it wasn't roadworthy? How much is the risk? Any chances of disputing the deal if the car wasn't working fine or even wasn't roadworthy?
5. In general, how much is the expected gain of buying the car (the profit of a 'lucky' case), compared to the risk (the 'unlucky scenario'). Is it worth trying for a first-time car buyer?

[Deleted User]

1) Perhaps some legit reason I don't know about, perhaps to stop the owner trying to find it and take it away, perhaps the same reason some dealers hide them on websites. Perhaps just some council numpty misunderstanding GDPR

2) Depends if they have all the keys for the car, plus beyond what you can find, you have no idea of service history if the service record isn't with the car

3) I don't know about mechanics but I'm not sure I'd be wanting to buy a car that has potentially sat in a lot for 4 years - have they been checked over or just stored for 4 years (or were they taken due to owner not doing the MOT?)

4) With auctions it's usually caveat emptor, if you pay for the MOT and it fails, then you pay to get it through like any car if they are sold without any guarantee or service

5) Wouldn't touch them with a bargepole personally, but I'm not a car expert, I'd rather have something with a proper service history that can be verified

AdrianC

alihd said:

I recently found a garage that sells cars at quite good prices, e.g. this: https://www.eurocarauction.co.uk/auctions/1650-vauxhall-vectra-exclusiv
The sellers also advertise on other websites (GumTree, etc) for non-Auction selling, obviously at a higher price, but still seems interesting.
However, I found a few strange points:
They hide the plate numbers, unless you email them and ask for it, why?

The plate is in the description. That one's OV07KXK.

Does it have any consequences to buy a car that someone has owned before, and then it was taken from him by the council? Any concerns for such cars?

You might, theoretically, come across a stroppy former owner.

The cars are not taxed or MOTed for a long time, e.g. 4 years. Mechanically and legally, how concerning this should be?

Legally? Not at all.
Mechanically? It's a 13yo 115k mile car.
That particular one has an MOT until this November. The last test was completely clear, and 3k miles ago.

I asked the seller whether they will MOT the car before giving it to me. The dealer (auctioner) said that these cars "will definitely pass the MOT", but I have to pay for it. What if it didn't pass it? What if it wasn't roadworthy?

Caveat emptor. Do your due diligence pre-purchase.

How much is the risk?

How much would you pay for it? How much is it worth weighed in?

Any chances of disputing the deal if the car wasn't working fine or even wasn't roadworthy?

It's a 13yo 115k car, currently sat at £100 plus fees. What are "reasonable expectations" for a car of that age and price?

And that's before we get into the enforceability or otherwise of their auction terms saying they only sell to traders, and you are confirming by bidding that you are a trade buyer. Or the ones about everything being sold as-is, with no representation as to faults.

In general, how much is the expected gain of buying the car (the profit of a 'lucky' case), compared to the risk (the 'unlucky scenario').

It's maybe a grand's worth of car, IF it's in good nick.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010295559301 - lower mileage, history, unsold since October at £1,700 with a degree of trade comeback.

Is it worth trying for a first-time car buyer?

Almost certainly not, unless you know what you're looking at.

colino

You could Google for reviews of the seller and then make your mind up if they are just a trader calling themselves an auction to sidestep their CR Act obligations. 

Grumpy_chap

That auction site has a £50 membership fee before you can bid for any vehicle.  They do seem to be geared towards trade buyers.
Some of the cars at the £100, £200 level may be worth a punt - you could get lucky or you could lose your money.  Much the same as any car at that price point.
If you want surety on a car purchase and nervous about the process, it does not look like the most favoured option.

EssexExile

Traders buy lots of cars at auction, most they make money on, some they don't. The good ones make up for the bad ones. Are you willing to risk getting a bad one?

Homer_home

Don't forget you will be spending a fair bit of money getting it back on the road

Four new tyres, oil, coolant, windscreen washer, brake fluid , brakes (probably seized), battery, hoses (probably perished), filters (oil, air, pollen, fuel), draining of the fuel system and fresh fuel, possibly spark plugs and coil packs, second key (central locking one) and more I can't think of right now.

It works out even more if you are not car savvy and can't do the work yourself and require a garage to do it for you.

Then there is the transport cost of getting it to yours as it won't be drivable 

And of course you are buying it without having a clue about its actual condition nor history 

I would be staying well we'll clear 

AdrianC

Homer_home said:

Don't forget you will be spending a fair bit of money getting it back on the road

The one the OP posted has done 3k from the last MOT in November.

ontheroad1970

I would still be steering well clear unless the OP has just done a HND in mechanical engineering or similar.  

facade

That is a £200 car- look at the state of it.

The question is why it is there, was it abandoned somewhere because there is something wrong with it?

Why would the Council take a car off somebody?

There is a BMW X5 there at £2300 with the EML on, a driveway trader would sell that for < £5000 with a testdrive and the light off, I'll keep an eye on what it goes for, I'd have said £3000 max, and that is taking a chance. Again, why would the Council have that?  https://www.eurocarauction.co.uk/auctions/1653-bmw-x5

Grumpy_chap

facade said:

That is a £200 car- look at the state of it.

The question is why it is there, was it abandoned somewhere because there is something wrong with it?

Why would the Council take a car off somebody?

There is a BMW X5 there at £2300 with the EML on, a driveway trader would sell that for < £5000 with a testdrive and the light off, I'll keep an eye on what it goes for, I'd have said £3000 max, and that is taking a chance. Again, why would the Council have that?  https://www.eurocarauction.co.uk/auctions/1653-bmw-x5

How do you know it has the EML on?  The photo of the dash may not be with the ignition fully on.
I also don't see where the site says cars are sourced from Council recovery yards.