Auctions .......talk to me

[willy wonka]

Has anyone bought from auction?
Whats it like?
Experiences good or bad?

[bazking69]

Don't wave at your mate across the hall.

[H_Kan]

You can pick up decent motors at auction, this is where a lot of used dealers stock will come from.

However you need to remember that auction doesn't always mean cheaper as punters can push the price up too high- you need to set a limit and stick to it.

More importantly, you won't have the opportunity to complete the same level of due diligence on the motor, so you need to be really clued up on cars and spotting faults, if you aren't then make sure you take somebody who is.

[CampDavid]

Go to a day time one on a Monday to Friday. So many idiots at weekend ones pushing up prices to above retail in some cases.

Remember to factor in the cost of the buyers premium

Only bid if you're 100% sure

Do as much homework as you can before you go

Try not to look like a plum. If you run up to the front centre of the rostrum and bid enthusiastically then the auctioneer will know that you're set on buying the car, they'll take bids off phantom bidders behind you if need be to push the price up to book or a little above.

[Dick_Phallus]

willy wonka said:

Has anyone bought from auction?
Whats it like?
Experiences good or bad?

I've never really understood why private buyers bother. I used to go when I was a student sometimes and the cars just werent that cheap, certainly not cheap enough considering the risk you're taking. Maybe if you were just after a run of the mill Focus or something it might be, but as I was after something a bit interesting I never actually bought. I could never get past the 'Yeah but if it's so great, why's it in an auction?' voice in my head. My advice would be to stick to Ebay where you know about the history (or at least know you don't know!), get to test drive and in some instances pay less.

Edit: Remember to add the auction fees on top as well.

Edited by Dick_Phallus on Saturday 28th August 11:26

[fezzafoo]

^^ This will happen. Make sure you look like you belong, or you'll be taken for a ride. Don't wear nice clothes, just nod at the auctioneer once he knows your interested.

Good luck, can be awesome fun if you go with the right crowd

[Alex]

I bought our people carrier (Fiat Ulysse) at auction. It was one year old with 4,700 miles. The new list price at the time was £24k. I paid £13k. Had it 7 years now!

[CampDavid]

Dick_Phallus said:

willy wonka said:

Has anyone bought from auction?
Whats it like?
Experiences good or bad?

I've never really understood why private buyers bother. I used to go when I was a student sometimes and the cars just werent that cheap, certainly not cheap enough considering the risk you're taking. Maybe if you were just after a run of the mill Focus or something it might be, but as I was after something a bit interesting I never actually bought. I could never get past the 'Yeah but if it's so great, why's it in an auction?' voice in my head. My advice would be to stick to Ebay where you know about the history (or at least know you don't know!), get to test drive and in some instances pay less.

Edit: Remember to add the auction fees on top as well.

Edited by Dick_Phallus on Saturday 28th August 11:26

I'd always prefer to buy at auction that eBay for a fair few reasons. Firstly, eBay cars are all over the place, they aren't in one local place, which means traveling to view. Secondly, the games played on eBay are as bad or worse than a real auction and lastly eBay appears to be full of complete dogs. It's also worth noting that some of the buyers at my auction house are there purely to buy cars to stick straight on eBay

You are right though, you need to look at why the car is being sold at auction and attend the correct auction for the type of car you want. To me it seems utter madness to just buy a BMW at 3 years old from a dealer without looking at the nicely prepared cars BMW finance is shipping out into the market at auction. Main dealer PX stuff is usually really good to.

Last auction car I bought was for my father-in-law. I picked up a Rover 45 1.8i on an 02 plate with 50k and a full history from it's one, doctor, owner. It was totally immaculate with only a weeks MOT remaining so the trade weren't interested at all. £600 for the car and £40 for the MOT. 3 months later that's still half the price of the cheapest on Autotrader.

(other manufacturers are available, other half's dad likes his Rovers though!)

[CPB31]

Take a day or two off work and go to a couple. It is a worthwhile experience to see if you have an interest in cars and have never been.

A lot of the sales are ex-fleet (higher miles than main dealers want), ex-fleet (not all dealers can handle 100 vehicles of the same type in one go), part-ex (Dick Lovett isn't very interested in your 8 year old mondeo going on his forecourt) or ex motability / mod / etc that are offered onto open market.

There are a few pups out there, but with a couple of hours practice looking around beforehand you would be amazed at how quickly you're eye can pick things up. You pay for an indemnity, so in some ways have more cover than a private sale. If you don't like a vehicle you can always put it back in.

Listen to what the auctioneers says about the car, as that is the binding bit. Copies of service history records on modern cars can often be gotten from the original dealer if it is missing - a lot of company car paperwork will be in the accounts department rather than the glove compartment. If you intend to bid stand at the back so you can see if you are being run.

See if you can get hold of a copy of the CAP black book or Glasses Guide and decide on a price before you bid. You can get some real bargains.

Sticking your hand up for the first time is as scary as asking a hot bird on a date!