OK I am thinking of a new (used) car, I have never been to an auction, is it a bad Idea for a novice? any tips? My nearest seems to be Blackbushe BCA site

i guess there are cheap ex rentals etc or am i heading for a mighty fall!

I am no Arthur Daley

Do you know anything about cars?

If yes, then you could pick up a bargain if you’re lucky.

If no, then stay clear (unless you have a mate that knows about cars who’ll go with you)

Plenty of cheap private sales about though. Meeting the previous owner often tells you alot about how the cars been looked after.

Don’t do it.

What kind of car are you looking to buy?

Dooos uk

I probably don’t know enough!

I may keep browsing the ads I know what you mean

Xc

Sofa
estate, probably Mondeo/vectra, or similar

May not be that cheap at the moment. Private buyers, such as yourself, are pushing up auction prices in the belief that they’re cheaper than dealers stock – the result is a lot of cars going for a lot more than book price. It’ll probably be cheaper to buy through a private ad TBH…

Also where are all the private sale ads these days? Auto trader seems to be 99% trade sales

Local papers…seem to be quite a few in my free papers

Marmoset
Ah I dont get free papers anymore, moved a bit more rural, I’ll pop round the folks

Ebay

IIRC, there’s no real guarantee with auction sales, so you ned to know what to look for in the car.
I did used to run an “antique” (junk) business and bought htrough auctions. The public would bid on stuff and get caught up in the moment and end paying way over the odds for stuff. A great example was a Christmas design plate, in late January which was on sale in a local department store sale for about £5 going for £15 in an auction. Had a big name like Doulton.
Also, you can’t really check the cars over during a sale, so you need to go before the sale, and check the cars over first, knowing all the petrolhead stuff like what cars have dodgy suspension and know how to check that it’s ok. The decide how much you’re prepared to pay, and stick to it. You probably can find a bargain, eg ex repmobioles which are high mileage (less attractive to the pros) but well maintained. But remember, you’re up against experts.
I use either clearance cars from dealers or autotrader, where you can leat get a bit of a drive before forking out your pennies.

Hmmm
I may be biting more than I can chew, + its a day off work so maybe not a good idea

my typing is absolutely awful isn’t it? jeez, i’m an embarrasment to the education system which spawned me and gave me all those bits of paper for just turning up