Buying a car at auction

taximike

taximike

taximike

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Joined
25 Dec 2009
Posts
615
I am thinking of getting a car at auction to replace my £800 Audi A4 that I bought as a stopgap. I was going to wait until about August to replace it with something decent but I think it's actually going to fall apart this month!

Anyway... How much chance do you get to inspect a car before you buy it at auction? Can you drive it anywhere? Can you get inside it and see the condition close up? Can you look at the documentation etc to see the previous owner details?

Many thanks!
 
No you cannot drive it, you don't get much time to inspect it and most of them are locked. To be fair if you need to ask this stay away.
 
[TW]Fox;15936377 said:
No you cannot drive it, you don't get much time to inspect it and most of them are locked. To be fair if you need to ask this stay away.
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So how can you identify any issues with the car?

I know plenty about cars I just don't know about the UK auction system having lived abroad. Thank you.
 
taximike said:
So how can you identify any issues with the car?

I know plenty about cars I just don't know about the UK auction system having lived abroad. Thank you.
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He's not saying you don't know about cars, he's saying you shouldn't bother with a car auction if you don't know anything about them. And you don't seem to so I think most people will say that unless you're willing to go for some weeks to get to know the system before you buy, then you should stay away.
 
I generally wait around for said car to be started. Someone will come along, start the car and drive it through the auction. Basically you get a few seconds to peek for smoke, have a listen to the engine, ask whether the brakes pedal 'works' and whether the clutch feels reasonable, and that's your lot. If you're lucky you can flick the lights on and off and have a quick look at the switch gear and whatnot, but you gotsa be quick!.
 
car auctions are for traders who dont care if its got any underlying faults because if they show up after 6 months they're not interested.

If they do show up under 6 months, they get one of their mechanic employees / mates (depending on how big the trader is) to fix it on the cheap.

Your only real hope of getting a proper look at the car, is to hang round it before it gets driven into the auction. Somebody from the auction house will come and unlock it and get in it to drive it. This is the time to pounce and have a quick look round the interior, the boot, the engine bay, and ask him to give it a rev. 30 seconds max.

But this is how auctions work. There is a severe chance the car your buying is a rotter and you have no comeback if it is.

Only for the very cheap end of the market where your buying a years tax and mot and think yourself lucky if it doesnt blow up in 6 months (like your exisint stop gap car) or the top end of the market - finance repossesions where the cars may still even have manufacturers warranty and 2 or 3 years old ish.
 
I buy loads of cars from auction's, my advice is to not buy anything old or with more than one corporate owner with FSH. The key is to only buy cars with a genuine reason for sale, in most cases these will be 3 years or younger and will be ex leases or hires.

Anything which looks oddball or from private, do not touch. I am yet to be stung.
 
Jez said:
I buy loads of cars from auction's, my advice is to not buy anything old or with more than one corporate owner with FSH. The key is to only buy cars with a genuine reason for sale, in most cases these will be 3 years or younger and will be ex leases or hires.

Anything which looks oddball or from private, do not touch. I am yet to be stung.
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What about all the older BMW's and that old Merc you've had, did you not get those at auction then ?
 
Moeks said:
What about all the older BMW's and that old Merc you've had, did you not get those at auction then ?
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Nope, those have all come from private sellers following the code of 1 or 2 owner only, F(main dealer)SH, premium tyres, decent address, decent previous owner etc. I have also been given and/or taken in px a few of the older cars :) I would never buy a car such as the sort i like to own myself from auction.
 
Auctions are great for finding older, cheap cars.

We've had a 306 n/a diesel for £165 which ran like a dream until the sprog broke the windscreen, and a Megane which passed the MOT without spending anything for £140.

Watch when they start the cars, check for smoke form the exhaust, listen to the engine as it goes by, then spend as little as possible. :)
 
SB118 said:
Auctions are great for finding older, cheap cars.
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Last time I went a mate bought an old Laguna. It had done over 200K but was one owner from new. He only paid a couple of hundred quid and its been fine.

The grey area is getting the car back home. ;)
 
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