Classic Car Auctions advice
Discussion
Can't offer any advice, as never done it. But there's some interesting cars coming up soon at anglia car auctions
http://www.angliacarauctions.co.uk/classic-auction...
http://www.angliacarauctions.co.uk/classic-auction...
What sort of classic are you thinking of buying at auction?
The same as buying any classic car, do your research on the type of car you are looking for so you know the likely trouble spots. Check out the car specific car forums as chances are there will be some comment about cars coming up for sale and people on the forum often know the history of a car be it good or bad.
In my opinion the most important rule is never bid on a car unseen. Some auction houses are worse than others but the description of some cars in auction catalogues can best be described as comic. I remember one car described in the auction catalogue (and obviously carefully photographed) as "restored by an enthusiastic amateur", when myself and the friend I was with came accross the car in the auction hall we literaly burst out laughing it was that bad..... Often at auction you witness people bidding on cars via the telephone and you just think to yourself there is no way they can have viewed the car and be bidding that much!
Also important is pull the cars documents file and check the history and any invoices for work done, again do not assume a car has a FSH because the catalogue says it does. Also if they say items have been removed from the car and are present behind the scenes insist on seeing them yourself. I bought a car from a very well known auction house and before bidding asked if the tool kit and crystal from the cocktail cabinets were present with the car. The rep from the auction house confirmed they were but after the auction they couldn't find them.......
Once you have found a car you want to bid on decide what it is worth to you and then stick to that and make sure you do not get carried away and be tempted to bid more in the heat of the auction and of course do not forget to factor in the buyers premium when deciding what you are prepared to pay.
I have bought quite a few cars at auction and the majority have been good buys but sometimes cars do have problems you cannot see until you drive them home but that is of course why auction prices tend to be lower than you pay elsewhere as you cannot test drive the car beforehend - just keep that im mind when deciding what you are prepared to pay.
Hope that helps.
The same as buying any classic car, do your research on the type of car you are looking for so you know the likely trouble spots. Check out the car specific car forums as chances are there will be some comment about cars coming up for sale and people on the forum often know the history of a car be it good or bad.
In my opinion the most important rule is never bid on a car unseen. Some auction houses are worse than others but the description of some cars in auction catalogues can best be described as comic. I remember one car described in the auction catalogue (and obviously carefully photographed) as "restored by an enthusiastic amateur", when myself and the friend I was with came accross the car in the auction hall we literaly burst out laughing it was that bad..... Often at auction you witness people bidding on cars via the telephone and you just think to yourself there is no way they can have viewed the car and be bidding that much!
Also important is pull the cars documents file and check the history and any invoices for work done, again do not assume a car has a FSH because the catalogue says it does. Also if they say items have been removed from the car and are present behind the scenes insist on seeing them yourself. I bought a car from a very well known auction house and before bidding asked if the tool kit and crystal from the cocktail cabinets were present with the car. The rep from the auction house confirmed they were but after the auction they couldn't find them.......
Once you have found a car you want to bid on decide what it is worth to you and then stick to that and make sure you do not get carried away and be tempted to bid more in the heat of the auction and of course do not forget to factor in the buyers premium when deciding what you are prepared to pay.
I have bought quite a few cars at auction and the majority have been good buys but sometimes cars do have problems you cannot see until you drive them home but that is of course why auction prices tend to be lower than you pay elsewhere as you cannot test drive the car beforehend - just keep that im mind when deciding what you are prepared to pay.
Hope that helps.
RobinSherwood said:
....good advice.....
My experience as above as often the documents, keys, service history etc cant be found beforehand and given the number of cars passing through in some senses it does not surprise me. Often the car you want is tucked away at the back of the hall in a corner and you really need to have a good inspection. Don't forget to register as a bidder, you get charged £20 upwards for a catalogue!
Good Luck!
Edited by arguti on Monday 6th January 12:26
Having read your other thread about the Alfa, think about that process and what led you to decide against it. Can you reassure yourself that you could reach the right conclusion on a car sold at auction? If yes then fine, treat it like a private sale and decide what the car is worth to you. As others have said, there are some admin/fee considerations to add.
arguti said:
RobinSherwood said:
....good advice.....
My experience as above as often the documents, keys, service history etc cant be found beforehand and given the number of cars passing through in some senses it does not surprise me. Often the car you want is tucked away at the back of the hall in a corner and you really need to have a good inspection. Don't forget to register as a bidder, you get charged £20 upwards for a catalogue!
Good Luck!
Edited by arguti on Monday 6th January 12:26
I subsequently bought two cars from the same auctioneer (once I had started actually earning real money somewhere else!) and I would confirm that the catalogue is your friend, only the important stuff is usually found between the lines, such as the use of "enthusiastic amateur" above. Many have taken to being one huge Caveat "The vendor describes this car as etc etc etc" which is utterly useless.
According to the Auctions correspondent for one of the two mags at the time, the first car I bought was an "object lesson" in securing such a vehicle at auction. A diff rebuild and new fuseboxes later (70's Italian electrics, not cheap) and my lesson was truly learned.
Get there early, take time, step back and look at who else is looking. You should be able to get keys etc etc and have it fired up for you. There will usually be an in house engineer who will do a report for a fee, but unless you are lucky they are unlikely to be a marque expert.
Once you have parted with your money it isn't easy to get any back, no matter how duff the car is.
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