Is it better to buy a car from auction or pay top dollar???

[Martylaa]

Finally coming to the conclusion that if I don't do it now then I'll never get the cars I yearned for back in the 90's. So I always wanted a Renault 5 GT Turbo, Peugeot 205 GTI or a VW Corrado VR6 when I was younger, never managed to get any of these cars and always liked them.

So I've seen a couple of the above in some car auction recently and started to think should I go for one?

Trouble is, I'm not really mechanically minded and don't have loads of tools or skillsets to work on a car anymore, so I was thinking if I was to get something and it ended up needing more work to get it to a stunning quality then I'm going to have to find a garage that specialises in restoring or bringing cars back up to scratch. Trouble is, those services are costly, so should I try and find one for example around £8k with the hope it does not need much work doing to it or do you just find the best example you can and pay over the odds???

Edited by Martylaa on Wednesday 8th April 18:32

[Sir Keith Stormer]

Neither, bought lots of cars from auctions in the past and never really had a problem but wouldn't bother now, the savings are negligible, I vet the seller as much as the car, there are always exceptions but usually low mileage, few owners from nice areas, I wouldn't bother with dealers unless I saw a bargain, usually the warranties aren't worth the paper they're written on.

[Wheel Turned Out]

I think if you're not mechanically minded or specifically looking for a project, it pays dividends to buy the best example you can afford regardless of where you get it from. Mechanicals might not be too bad, but a car with hidden rust will start running riot on your bank account.

Take your budget, skim off a percentage for inevitable repairs (these are going to be 25/30 year old cars now, they will need work), and see what you can get your eyes on. Getting your eyes on it in the metal is always preferred, buying online is easy now but it doesn't take much effort to make a real pig look good in photos.

[_Rodders_]

If you're going to pay top dollar then get the car inspected by a relevant specialist. That way atleast you'll know if it's worth it or not and there shouldn't be any additional hidden costs.

[soxboy]

For each of the cars listed above the mechanicals are the most straightforward parts - the hardest bit will be getting correct trim and body panels and of course making sure that any bodywork required is minimised.

[andrewcliffe]

Its much easier to back out of a deal with a dealer. You have certain rights. You can even test drive the car.

[Martylaa]

Thanks all for the pointers so far, all good advice...

[ITP]

You could join some local owners clubs. You may find one that someone has lavished loads of money on just because they want it to be perfect, then when they sell it you get a great car! Like someone earlier said, you can get a great feel from the owner as much of the car sometimes, you don’t get this from dealers.