[Closed] Advice for attending a car auction?

Only if you know about cars - and / or have a mate who does.

A mate of mine bought a car with a fubared engine from an auction

Echo what TJ said, take someone that knows about cars. I don't think you get much time to look at the cars

Have a read here:

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I have bought my last two cars from an auction. As far as the advice about someone knowing about motors is concerned, its not that cut and dried.
I've been a mechanic for 30 years and there's not much chance to check them over as they only get opened up and started when going into the selling area.
Basically it it looks clean and tidy, has a reasonable mileage, and some form of service history, then its up to you to set a price limit and take a chance. Listen very carefully to the auctioneer about sold as seen, warranty, history etc.
My last car cost 3.5k and the clutch was stuffed (£350 for a duel mass flywheel) So its up to you to take the chance if you think theirs a bargain to be had.

I have bought a car and a motorbike at an auction and both were fine though the car needed tyres all round

I would advise you to go to a few auctions first keep your hands in your pockets and soak it all up. They are pretty bewildering places and things move bl**dy fast. Have a look at the cars pick out a few you like and just watch and learn as those cars go under the hammer

As a lot of private buyers tend to attend auctions now (especially those held in evenings and weekends) prices are often not as low as you might expect. I'd definitely echo attending one first to see how it all works and get an idea of prices.

I've looked at auctions when buying my last few cars and never found a deal good enough. Ebay is the best place for cheap cars in my experience, prices are lower than via autotrader. Make sure you view etc before bidding though.

Nice one, thanks guys. I'll go and check a few out.

It strikes me that a lot of private people who are selling their cars are being optimistic with what they are worth - or maybe it's just me looking for an unrealistic bargain. It almost looks like dealers are cheaper at the moment because of the way the market is suffering.

By way of example, I saw an ad somewhere (perhaps eBay) for a 10/11 year old Passat, diesel estate with 120k plus miles for £2.5k. It wasn't a top of the range model, so that seems a bit high to me?

Your right about that passat

my mate who is in the trade reckons that auction prices are very high right now, very little different to what you might find privately.

That passat is expensive but diesel vw's hold their values well and someone will probably pay £2k for it because of the badge. Around the £1k mark i'd seriously look at an old shape mondeo estate, loads around so you can be picky, loads of room and everyone knows how to fix them if they go wrong.

You should look in the autotrader, local ad papers, etc. You can go see it and take a mechanic with you, have a good look round, test drive it, HPI it, much safer than an auction and if you turn up with a nice crisp lump of cash you can usually talk yourself into a good deal.

That's interesting about auctions being expensive at the moment. I'm not in any rush, so will keep my eye out for something decent (well, as decent as my small budget allows).

Went to have a peek and the prices were a rip off!

It strikes me that a lot of private people who are selling their cars are being optimistic with what they are worth - or maybe it's just me looking for an unrealistic bargain. It almost looks like dealers are cheaper at the moment because of the way the market is suffering.

Exactly what I found when I changed cars at the end of last year. People don't seem to realise that it doesn't matter if they have to sell cheap - because their next car will be cheaper too.

Ended up buying from a small trader from Autotrader, at pretty much auction price anyway.

Morelikeme - if a T reg mondeo hatch (*well* within your budget) in edinburgh interests you, then get in touch (iain.wallace gmail.com) as I will be selling soon/now...