Car Auctions - Can cars only be viewed on the day?

[V8Wagon]

Forgive my ignorance.......I've spotted something I like the look of that's gonna be auctioned at a car auction locally. Are the cars available on site to be viewed before the day of the auction or do the vendors bring 'em down on the day?

[GWC]

Which auction house?

[johnnyBv8]

The cars are usually there for days (or longer) before, but it depends on the auction house - some let you look (and make offers) at any time, others have set viewing times.

[ajb85]

If it's a back street affair, they're usually there for a couple of days beforehand and if you go along during the day when it's quiet, they will sometimes give you the keys to take a closer look. This will not be the case if it's BCA or any other larger auctioneer.

Be careful who the vendor is, don't buy something that's been submitted by a private or a trader.

[va1o]

BCA can sometimes have the cars outside for weeks prior to auction, but they don't usually officially become available for "viewing" until directly beforehand.

[roystinho]

ajb85 said:

Be careful who the vendor is, don't buy something that's been submitted by a private or a trader.

Forgive me, I don't know much about auctions, but who else is there to sell cars apart from private sellers and traders?

[AlpineWhite]

Fleets

[V8Wagon]

ajb85 said:

Be careful who the vendor is, don't buy something that's been submitted by a private or a trader.

Cheers for the info guys....auction is tomorrow so I've missed any opportunity to pop down beforehand. It's for sale by bailiffs I believe so I guess it's a reposession.

[ajb85]

roystinho said:

ajb85 said:

Be careful who the vendor is, don't buy something that's been submitted by a private or a trader.

Forgive me, I don't know much about auctions, but who else is there to sell cars apart from private sellers and traders?

It depends how large/professional the auction is. BCA auction massive defleets of 3 y.o./end of contract cars from BMW retail, Mercedes, Land Rover groups etc. Often main dealers get first refusal on these cars, but more often than not they are a little too higher mileage for them to retail. There is an abundance of high spec cars available at BCA every week of the year. Personally, I buy from Manheim auction, the second largest auction group after BCA. Arnold Clarke dispose of all their part exchanges there (the cars they don't retail, or ones that have gone beyond 120 days in stock), they are usually of a good standard. They come with a certain degree of after sale assurances; eg, the car will be submitted with a checklist of ticks for engine, clutch, gearbox, abs system etc, so they are not totally 'sold as seen', you do have some comeback if the car is not as described. At auction, these are the only sorts of cars I will risk buying. Finance companies enter some, they can often be reposessions that I see other traders buy. A lot of the time they come without logbooks, service history or spare keys, against all odds they can actually be genuinely good cars.

The cars that I would avoid often come through at the end, and are put in a miscellaneous category. They are sold as seen with no assurances. They are not submitted by approved dealer groups but are entered by traders getting rid of bad news or privates for similar reasons. It's somewhere to wash their hands of cars without any recourse, they do not have to state whether or not the car has any defects. I made the mistake of hastily bidding for and winning a 10 plate Corsa SXI at auction last week. HPI clear and with a warranted mileage, it was a 2 y.o car with just 17k miles, I didn't think it was a risky buy. It transpired that the car had been involved in a major accident in its former years and had been horrdendously repaired. I neglected to read the catalogue properly, the car had been dropped off that evening by a trader wanting out, muggins here ended up with a very roguish car indeed. I paid for it and drove it away, I had no grounds to claim a refund.

Anyway, I digress! The above is just a word to the wise. What sort of auction are you visiting?

Edited by ajb85 on Sunday 9th December 20:45

[Dominicc01]

Depends on the auction. Not bought at auction since I was a student, but personally, I've always tended towards the middle of the road places - not back street cheapies in the roughest parts, but relatively professional affairs with a mix of cars. BCA, Mannheim etc tend to be a bit pricey for me - and I avoid ex fleet cars for the same reason. Those places would let you come and have a look a couple of days before, but not all cars turned up until the day before the auction - or auction day itself for the evening ones.
But I was buying for me or my dad, not for resale.

I always found that the best cars were main dealer p/exs. Rough around the edges but sound enough. Never had a true dog from an auction, but you take the risk. A couple looked woofish but cleaned up nicely. The MkIV Fiesta clearly hadn't had a service since new, but several oil flushes later it was fine (it was an Endura engine, so not much to break).

Having said that, my dad always buys his cars at the cheapest auctions, or at the very start of the ones I go to (where the cheapest ones go through - often if it's an early lot, you can get the best deals, as most of the traders haven't arrived yet). Last time he went he bought a 1998 Rover 620 with an MOT for £150. Apparently it looked as though it had been a farm vehicle, but one tax disc and one valet later it proved to be in immaculate condition underneath the mud.

[johnnyBv8]

So, did you get it OP?!