Car Auctions, Good, bad, Any experience ?????????

I am after a particularly car, A ford galaxy around 08, Ghia model, diesel etc. As BCA appear to have a couple coming up for sale, I was considering taking a look. I was going to go to belle vue in manchester.
I have heard from one source that they can be expensive as people get the ebay syndrome and get over excited and bid too much.
Just wondering if its a worth it or not. Any tips or advice greatly appreciated.

not exactly a rare car.

if you know what your looking for without test driving a car then no worries …..

if your just A.N.Other member of the car buying general public then id stay away. Might as well just bid on ebay.

that said – if your near by and not making a huge trip then go along and take a look – might go cheap enough you can fix any potential issues.

they can be expensive as people get the ebay syndrome and get over excited and bid too much

If it’s not too inconvenient to get there, it’s probably worth taking a look and deciding what you’re prepared to pay … provided you don’t suffer eBay-itis then the worst that can happen is you don’t win the auction …

How much access do you get to the cars and any documents, Are you able to start the engine and check what works and doesn’t. Belle vues about 30 minutes from home. I am just curious to see how much they go for and what the possibilities are in maybe saving some money.

We’ve had four auction cars, three have been very good and one had a bit of a hidden past. All bargains though so if you happy to risk it go for it.
Find one or two you like, and have a very good look at them, as best you can. Stand nearby when they go to start them so that you can listen for funny sounds and look for smoke etc, it’s as good a look as you’ll get.
Also, if you can avoid the weekend/evening ones, if you can go to a weekday one during office hours it’ll mostly be trade buyers and they tend not to bid so high.
If you don’t know about cars take a mate who does.
Oh, and stick to your limit.
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How much access do you get to the cars and any documents, Are you able to start the engine and check what works and doesn’t

Not usually. Documents are normally just laid out the seat for you to peer through the window at, no chance to press buttons or anything. I suppose it depends on the auction, if you head down to Sotherbys to look at Ferrari 250GTO they might be a bit more accomodating…

provided you don’t suffer eBay-itis then the worst that can happen is you don’t win the auction

or you buy “as seen” a total lemon with no warranty or comeback ?

At Belle Vue you can stand next to the car whilst it’s started and walk next to it whilst it’s driven into the sale room.

Then bid as appropriate. Can’t remember if they were unlocked beforehand to have a look in or not as it’s been a few years since I last went there.

Presumably they have to declare ‘a condition’, or do they not?!

At our local auction, some are sold with a trial, think it means you can drive it round the car park to make sure you’re happy with it (after you’ve won it I think).

Worth noting that there are fees to pay as well as the auction price. For a private buyer these can add significantly to the overall cost (hundreds of pounds). If you call the BCA site in question they are normally happy to talk through the fees with you, and to answer questions you have about the process.

Trade buyers pay lower fees if they’re regulars, so the saving over the forecourt price from a dealer can end up being pretty minimal, particularly when you’ve factored in the ‘risk’ premium.

As others have said, the closest you’ll get to inspecting the car is having a look at the outside when it’s parked up nose-to-tail (and locked) before the sale. If you hang around when it’s started up the drivers are normally fairly open to you asking a couple of quick questions about whether things work or sticking your head inside as long as you’re not getting in the way of them moving the car (you might get 10-15 seconds if you’re lucky).

Be aware of the fees – thats my advice.

Last time at BCA (Glasgow) the buyers fee for a private buyer worked out over 25% of the hammer price. Plus small charges for paperwork or something. A bit of a rip off tbh – and its not at all clear what they are before you bid. Trade buyers get significant discounts on this.

You can sit in the cars before the auction starts. All the documentation is removed but the auctioneer normally says that it includes service history etc. If he doesnt say it – assume it has none.

Apparently there is a one day warranty on a catostrophic failure. Stand beside the car as it starts – check sounds, smoke etc. Check the dash for warning lights etc. Sometimes you might get a friendly bloke driving it and you could ask him stuff. Usually they’re grumpy though.

Try and go to the main leasing company auctions (LEX, blackhorse etc). They tend to be one company owner, most with history.

Most prices tend to be around the “trade in” price that you’ll see in the price guides. But remember those fees! You’ll need cash or debit card for the deposit immediately.

If it is a total lemon you can just put in back in the next auction and in theory all you loose is the fees.

My thoughts:

1. Have an absolute maximum bid in mind. Stick to it.
2. Have a kitty of money for worse case repairs. So factor this in to the overall price.
3. Alot of auction houses have a cooling off period for issues. Get the car STRAIGHT IN to an indie and up on a ramp. You could also let me test drive it whilst you sit in the back. I’ve found that if you sit in the back of a car you can pick up on really little things.
4. Going back to point 1- you’ll be competing against others.

As above though, its not a rare car- plus its popular so WILL attract other bidders. Go with an open mind on MPV’s – you may get a bargain Citroen etc that you wasn’t expecting.

bit of a lottery IME even if you knwo what you are looking at- think its the same with a private sale tbh you just have more time to make a guess on whether it will be a good un or a bad un

Only ever had one bad un but at the price i paid [ hundreds[it was not really a risk

As others note try and get a fleet one as it will have been well looked after

Thank you to all of you for the time in responding to my queries.

If you give the auction house a call and ask them nicely they’ll give you an indication of what they expect the car to go for and advise you of any fees etc on top. As long as you have the reg number for this it’s normally no trouble.

I’ve been to plenty of auctions over the years looking and have always found better deals from other sources, however if you want a specific vehicle you may get a better result.