With two Aston Martin DB9 Volantes and a Bentley GTC due to go under the hammer with a flotilla of other luxury and performance cars, last weekend's BCA 'Super Saturday' in Manchester looked like a sale we didn't want to miss.
The words 'car auction' didn't prepare us for what was in store. It was a world away from the 'no documents or keys/police seizure/category-c write-off' kind of occasion. Up on the rostrum were three auctioneers who would each sell a batch of cars before handing over to one of their colleagues. Next to them was the lease company disposal manager, sipping coffee and keeping a very close eye on his laptop screen, weighing-up the level of bidding versus what he hoped to realise for each car. As bids came in, the level of intensity in the disposal manager's eyes increased to the point where he signalled to the auctioneer that the car could be sold.
Time is money, and with 335 cars to get through in less than five hours, they were working very, very quickly. It was obviously BCA's top team, and each one was conducting sales at a rate that would make a horse racing commentator sound like he'd swallowed a handful of horse tranquilisers with half a pint of Scotch. They were aiming to get 80 cars on the block per hour, but ended up averaging 90. In the first hour they managed 100. One Audi A4 in particular was in-and-out of the hall with a new owner in less than 15 seconds... scary stuff for the uninitiated.
The buyers weren't your average crowd either. Several cars were sold over the internet to Malta, Turkey, and Cyprus for example, as well as all over the British Isles. A total of 124 cars were sold to 'net buyers, and this figure would have been higher but for the inevitable eBay-style last-minute bidding tactics several of them tried to get away with - just as the hammer was falling, much to the auctioneer's annoyance.
So, what did we learn, and is an auction like this a good place for you to look for your next car? Well, first of all we noticed that several Vauxhalls with the folding-steel 'twin roofs' were being sold with 'roof faults' - make of that what you will. Also, for some reason several late-model 3-series BMWs were offered with their bumper-mounted headlamp washers missing. Is this a 3-series weakness, or are they just an easy-to-pinch part?
Although the vast majority were showing a service history, some cars were due another stamp in the book, and some required a degree of remedial work to get them in top order - wheel refurbs, trolley dings, and that sort of thing. Even the Bentley GTC was showing some minor damage to its lower grille which wouldn't have been cheap to repair properly. A service and some minor paintwork wouldn't bother trade buyers, but would be something to consider if you were looking to buy for yourself.
So was it possible for the Joe Public to grab a performance bargain in a frenzied bear pit like this? Well, maybe, if you've got your wits about you. A grey 04 Impreza WRX was sold for £6,600 which seemed to be in stunning condition - not a ding or a scrape in sight. Add to that buying fees of £393 and it's still a keen price. But can you live with the fact that the car is 'sold as seen'? It may be expected if you're buying a shed, but it's potentially a lot more worrying with a WRX, an Aston or a Bentley...
When the auction finished BCA reported that bidding had been strong, with 98% of CAP prices being achieved across the board, and 335 cars being sold for a total of £3.9m... and all in just four and a half hours.
We kept our hands in our pockets, (as usual... Ed), but below are some examples of the cars on offer and their hammer prices. Buyer's fees depended upon the value of the car. To give you a guideline, the fees on a car which sold for £9999 were £521 (Inc. VAT), and a £19999 hammer price carried an all-in fee of £762, and so on...
| Make |
Model/Colour |
Year |
Miles |
History |
Hammer Price |
Sold |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Saab |
9-3 1.8t Linear Conv./Black |
07 |
33k |
Yes |
£7.1k |
Yes |
| BMW |
630i Sport Conv./Silver |
07 |
28k |
Yes |
£21k |
Yes |
| BMW |
320i 2.0SE Conv./Blue |
07 |
62k |
Yes |
£13.6k |
Yes |
| Audi |
TT 3.2 Quattro Conv./Black |
04 |
92k |
Yes |
£16.2k |
No |
| Mercedes Benz |
SLK 200 1.8 Conv./Silver |
07 |
16k |
Yes |
£15.1k |
Yes |
| Volkswagen |
Golf R32 5-door/Black |
08 |
19k |
Yes |
£14.9k |
Yes |
| BMW |
325i SE Conv./Silver |
07 |
42k |
Yes |
£14.9k |
Yes |
| Audi |
A5 TDi Quattro Cpe/Silver |
08 |
26k |
Yes |
£22k |
Yes |
| Honda |
Civic Type-R/Red |
09 |
20k |
No |
£9.9k |
No |
| BMW |
Z4 2.5 Conv./Silver |
03 |
83k |
Yes |
£5.6k |
Yes |
| BMW |
535d M Sport Est./Silver |
07 |
104k |
Yes |
£16.5k |
Yes |
| Mercedes Benz |
CL500 Coupe/Silver |
09 |
30k |
No |
£36k |
Yes |
| Jaguar |
XK 4.2 V8 Coupe/Blue |
08 |
19k |
Yes |
£32.4k |
Yes |
| Maserati |
Quattroporte 4.2 V8/Grey |
04 |
44k |
No |
£17.7k |
Yes |
| BMW |
M3 3.2 SMG Coupe/Black |
03 |
134k |
Yes |
£7.3k |
Yes |
| Aston Martin |
DB9 Volante/Silver |
06 |
37k |
Yes |
£42.5k |
Yes |
| BMW |
650i Conv./Black |
07 |
45k |
Yes |
£19.4k |
Yes |
| Subaru |
Impreza WRX STI /Grey |
04 |
90k |
Yes |
£6.6k |
Yes |
| Ford |
Focus ST 2.5 3-door/Orange |
06 |
102k |
Yes |
£6.3k |
Yes |
| BMW |
M6 SMG Coupe/Blue |
05 |
37k |
No |
£21.6k |
No |
| Audi |
R8 FSi Quattro/Blue |
09 |
11k |
Yes |
£76.5k |
Yes |
| Lotus |
Elise 134s 1.8 Coupe/Black |
09 |
10k |
Yes |
£17k |
Yes |
| Jaguar |
XKR Coupe/Blue |
08 |
40k |
Yes |
£27.8k |
Yes |
| Aston Martin |
DB9 Volante/Black |
06 |
n/a |
No |
£44.8K |
No |
| Bentley |
Continental GTC/Silver |
07 |
n/a |
Yes |
£66k |
Yes |
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