Guest Post: Top Tips for Buying a Car at Auction

Buying your next car at a car auction is easier than you think. Just stick to a few common sense rules and you might just find the car of your dreams at a good price. Here are a few top tips for buying a car at auction, and if you let these tips be your guide, there’s no reason why it can’t be a fun and fulfilling experience.

Know the car you want before you get to the auction
Turning up at a car auction with simply a feeling that you want a new car isn’t really the best way to get started. It’s a much better idea to work out what kind of car you want and what kind of role that car needs to fill, and then decide on the suitable models within that car type. At this point you can then narrow down the models that fit your new-car-bill and see if your intended auction will be carrying the stock you want. And if you’re going to sell your current car before you buy your next one, why not visit Central Car Auctions for a free vehicle valuation?

Do your new car research
Once you’ve decided on your models of choice, it’s time to find out all you can about them. Read some reviews online and see what other owners think of the cars you’re considering buying, and try to discover exactly what is good and bad about the cars of your choice. You might find that there is a common problem with the car and you can check to see if that regular issue has been fixed, before you bid on that model of car at the auction. Some cars are much cheaper to service than others too, so you’ll want to know just how much any potential next car will cost to own and run.

Take a very good look around the car before you bid
The cars at the auction that day will be available to view before the auction starts, so get there early and look around as many of the cars that you are interested in as possible. Indeed, you shouldn’t bid on any car that you’ve not thoroughly inspected.

You should be able to get the keys to the cars and start them up, but test drives aren’t usually available at car auctions. If you can’t get the keys, at least have a good look around the car as much as you can, and then wait for the car to come through the auction, when you can then hear and see it running, and poke around the interior as the bidding starts.

Set your budget and stick to it
Once you understand that there are certain cars that fit your budget and your needs, work out a maximum that you can afford to spend, and then stick to that figure at the auction. Auctions can be very exciting, especially if you get caught up in the moment biding on a car you really want, but don’t get carried away and only bid up to your maximum budget. If the car goes above your budget, it’s time to bow out, as it was clearly a car that was out of your reach anyway. You wouldn’t go and view a car in a private sale that was over your budget, so don’t do it at an auction.
When the right car comes across your path at the right price, then it’s time to buy, and hopefully you’ll bag yourself a good deal.