Buying from an auction

[Cakey_]

As per the title, apologies if this has been done before.

I'm looking for a new cheap family car for local journeys and b&q trips etc.
I'm 6'3 so need something quite big for the kids to have any leg room in the back and they're both still in car seats which seem to stick their legs forwards rather than down.

I've decided if like an a6, superb or v70 or something along those lines.
Money is tight at the moment so have a budget of about 4k.

Looking around online on autoloader, ebay, market place etc it seems that everyone selling seems to want to be a dealer from their driveway.
They have no knowledge of the cars they're selling, don't offer warranties or similar but still want the inflated price you'd expect on a forecourt.
Most are tatty and or have moon miles on them.

So it got me thinking, would I be better cutting out the middle man and just buying from an auction, I'm aware of the risk associated but they seem to be the same risks buying from the wannabe dealers just without the increased price.

I've never bought from an auction before, I wouldn't touch copart but have a Hobbs Parker not too far from me and you can view the catalogue online with a guide price to give you a rough idea of price and if I'm honest it seems very tempting.

An example is an 08 plate v70, 2 owners and a full dealer history with only 94k on the clock.
Guide price 3500-4000

Am I missing a trick here? And has anyone bought cars privately this way before? It seems like a no brainer to me.

[Cakey_]

I just assumed that PX cars too old or tatty for a forecourt go off to auction.

Buying anything within my budget seems to be a bit of a gamble anyway as I'm looking at 13+ year old cars, I usually buy with my head entirely and spent far too long considering things that anything decently priced seems to come and go why I'm sill thinking about it.

Hobbs Parker recomend viewing cars anyway and it's not too far for me to go and have a look around some.
I'll have a look into buying fees but suspect even with 10% added I'd still be making a hefty saving and also not lining someone else's pocket who is trying to cash in on "flipping cars".

[Cakey_]

sunnyb13 said:

The word here is “ cheap”

Looking for a cheap car will invariable be driveway traders or dodgy sellers. It’s cheap for a reason…


Better to spend a few extra quid and buy from a reputable seller.

I agree it's better to spend a few quid, but when you genuinly don't have a few quid extra to spend then it puts you in an awkward predicament.
I need a car to get the kids to school/nursery as the distance between them and closeness of the kick out times make it impossible to do on foot, which rules out holding off and saving up a bit longer.

[Cakey_]

I've looked at French cars, I've had bad experiences in the past with them though so puts me off a little.
Due to the crazy money cars fetch these days going for a lesser brand doesnt really get you anything an awful lot newer so it's not really the attraction it used to be.

I feel I'd have more faith in an a6 with 130k than I would in a 307 or whatever they are that's a couple of years newer but still got 90-100k on the clocks.
I also think I'd feel less bitter about inevitable repairs on something I like than something I dont but just bought because it seemed like a more sensible option at the time.

The used car market is wild at the moment, long gone are the days of throwing a grand at a cheapish run around and taking a chance that it'll be reliable.
You now need to spend 3-4k and hope it'll be reliable except they'll be a lot more tears when a big bill drops up.

I know nothing about leasing, if its PCP you mean I've never really been a fan but still dont think I'd be able to spare enough cash monthly to get something worthwhile, strapping myself up for 3 or 4 years on an aygo or something similar doesnt really appeal and that's probably about where my monthly budget is at the moment.

I looked at Dacia's and even then within my budget they had pretty high miles and quite scaby, it's not a brand snob thing it's about something that actually seems worth spending money on and an old clapped out duster just doesnt seem to make sense to me.

[Cakey_]

Hugo Stiglitz said:

I mean leasing not PCP. Last time I was in the market I looked at Skoda Kodiac for less than 200 a month on 12k miles a year etc.

There's a long running topic on PH for best lease deals. I don't know what's good at the moment but worth a browse?

I'll find the thread and have a read up, thanks

[Cakey_]

Eyersey1234 said:

Had you considered a Focus or a Mondeo OP?

I've had a brief look, a family friend has had a couple of mondeo's and a fair few problems with them but that could be down to the lack of maintenance theyve recieved.....

I'm not against them just never really been a fan of fords so they're not really on my radar, I'll have another look.

[Cakey_]

Thanks for all the replies, I think I've sorted something.

I found a 2 owner 2013 seat altea locally on market place.
102k miles full service history etc only downside is it's only the 1.6tdi the positives of that are £35 a year tax.

Although I wanted something a bit bigger its surprisingly spacious inside, I think the higher seats mean my legs go down not out in front so give the kids a bit more legroom in the back.

I always over look Seat when looking for cars so the altea was never really on my radar but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it as they seem a lot of car for the money.