Would you recommend buying from Auctions?

[Silicium01]

I've heard that when shopping for a used car, the best deal you can get is if you pay the dealer to take you to dealer auctions and buy a car this way. Would you recommend this method?

[LoveRFD]

This way you don't get the chance to look at and test drive the car. But price wise it'll be much cheaper. I think it's better if you know the dealer well so you know the dealer will really do their best to get the best car you want to buy.

[Vladimir]

if you can get someone you can trust that has access to the auction, you can get amazing deals.

[S203]

Unless it's something like a project car where you expect to be working on it, I wouldn't buy something from an auction.

You're better off trying to find something from a dealer or buy privately. Good luck.

[Pete_Coach]

I have purchased from auctions and agree with S203. Unless you know automobiles, can very quickly spot issues, have the ability to repair the car at reasonable cost, you will really be taking a chance.
It may be cheaper but you have no recourse after you buy it. No warranty, no guarantee no money back, no one to complain to.
At these auctions, there is a flurry of activity as each car rolls up and extremely quickly, the bidding stops. Almost all the guys there know exactly what it is worth and how much it will cost to get it roadworthy and sellable. When they stop bidding, you can keep on, but be aware, it will cost you more to drive the car.

[look30]

Unless it's something like a project car where you expect to be working on it, I wouldn't buy something from an auction.

You're better off trying to find something from a dealer or buy privately. Good luck.

That is THE worst advice ever!!!!

Dealers are ALL thieves and scam artists, NO Exception.

Try your mechanic or a small dealer and they usually charge $500-$800 +auction costs depending on how long it takes , and how many times you have to go there to see cars.

Get the VIN number of the car you like and do a car proof, this way you will sleep better at night.

Use the money you save to fix and pamper the car you just bought and this way you will have a MUCH better car in the end. First thing after you buy the car do a fluids change ( oil , powersteering and coolant) and pay a mechanic to do an inspection , brake if needed and transmission and timing belt.

If you end up spending some money after you buy it at least they go toward your property not in the pocket of some sleazebag.

Keep in mind that even they tout the affiliation to UCDA is more like having one of those free university diplomas... it doesn't mean anything at all. UCDA will do NOTHING if you get shafted ... UCDA will just ask the dealer nicely to make it right if he wants to .

[Silicium01]

Thanks for advice guys,

I've heard that at those dealer auctions they mark cars conditions by Green, Yellow and Red - where green means car has no problems. I think I should be safe to buy one that has Green tag at those actions. I'll test drive the same model at official dealership so I know how the car feels.

If you guys know a dealer I could trust, I'd appreciate the lead and thank you with beers once I by the car

[S203]

ORLY? Worst advice ever?

- Dealers give warranty while most auctions (if any) don't.
- Auctions sell cars as is, therefore there is no mark-up.
- Obviously dealers charge more but you are paying for the inspection, safety test, e-test, etc.
- Carproof only tells you what the owner actually reported (so they can still have an accident that they didn't tell you about)
- What if the OP is not mechanically inclined and just wants a vehicle to drive on the road? What if the OP doesn't have the time to fix the car?

Think before you post, K THNX.

[jed]

That is THE worst advice ever!!!!

Dealers are ALL thieves and scam artists, NO Exception.

Try your mechanic or a small dealer and they usually charge $500-$800 +auction costs depending on how long it takes , and how many times you have to go there to see cars.

Get the VIN number of the car you like and do a car proof, this way you will sleep better at night.

Use the money you save to fix and pamper the car you just bought and this way you will have a MUCH better car in the end. First thing after you buy the car do a fluids change ( oil , powersteering and coolant) and pay a mechanic to do an inspection , brake if needed and transmission and timing belt.

If you end up spending some money after you buy it at least they go toward your property not in the pocket of some sleazebag.

Keep in mind that even they tout the affiliation to UCDA is more like having one of those free university diplomas... it doesn't mean anything at all. UCDA will do NOTHING if you get shafted ... UCDA will just ask the dealer nicely to make it right if he wants to .

Hmm, This may be the worst advice ever. You can't make a broad sweeping statement like this about dealers, you have no idea about the OP's mech ability, you haven't obviously been burnt by a car bought from an auction, etc, etc.

Dood...

[Anonymouse]

- Dealers give warranty while most auctions (if any) don't.

This is not true in the case of one large auction house (Mannheim). If the selling dealer claims that the car is accident free, is in "excellent" condition, etc., and the vehicle is not in that condition when it arrives, the selling dealer has to take the car back. If he does this too much, he will lose his abillity to participate in the auction, which is a death sentence for his business. Also, the used car world in Toronto is surprisingly small and he'll find that nobody wants his cars anymore.

The technique I have used is to approach dealers who stock the same type of car I'm interested in. I ask them if they're willing to look for the car I'm interested in, and I'll pay auction price plus a preagreed profit if they come up with one that passes my third party prepurchase inspection. If the vehicle fails my inspection, they can put it on their lot because it's the kind of unit they stock anyway.

[Pete_Coach]

That is THE worst advice ever!!!!

Dealers are ALL thieves and scam artists, NO Exception.

Try your mechanic or a small dealer and they usually charge $500-$800 +auction costs depending on how long it takes , and how many times you have to go there to see cars.

Get the VIN number of the car you like and do a car proof, this way you will sleep better at night.

Use the money you save to fix and pamper the car you just bought and this way you will have a MUCH better car in the end. First thing after you buy the car do a fluids change ( oil , powersteering and coolant) and pay a mechanic to do an inspection , brake if needed and transmission and timing belt.

If you end up spending some money after you buy it at least they go toward your property not in the pocket of some sleazebag.

Keep in mind that even they tout the affiliation to UCDA is more like having one of those free university diplomas... it doesn't mean anything at all. UCDA will do NOTHING if you get shafted ... UCDA will just ask the dealer nicely to make it right if he wants to .

Actually, I think this is the worst advice, perhaps not ever but for sure bad.
You are saying to stay away from dealers yet you say to go to a mechanic or small dealer. In my experience, the "small" used car dealers are the ones that are to most unscrupulous.
You say to take this guy and for 500 to 800 dollars + auction costs they will get you a car. Well, again, in my experience, 500 to 800 is way more profit than most used car dealers or even large dealers with used car lots expect. They more often than not work on around 350, with 100 going to the sales person. This is not always the case and for sure they try to get as much as they can bit in reality, used car sales are not the cash cow for dealerships.
Carproof is not instantaneous and at an auction you will never have the opportunity to get one and more often than not, there are no refunds at auctions. All cars are sold as is where is.
If you buy from a dealer or someone else, you will not have to do the repairs you speak of and you get a warrant or guarantee. It will be safetied and e-tested.
Doing this your way, there is no money saved, just commission given to a guy who walked you in the door. I change my mind, yours is the worst advice ever

[Anonymouse]

Carproof is not instantaneous and at an auction you will never have the opportunity to get one and more often than not, there are no refunds at auctions. All cars are sold as is where is.

This isn't so. The VINs are prepublished for at least a few days and you are free to run CarProofs on them. Most dealers have a volume discount with CarProof so it doesn't cost them a lot to run these checks.

Also, see my post above; if the car isn't as described it goes back to the selling dealer.

[look30]

It looks like I pissed off a lot of dealers with my comments.
The dealer markup is at least 1500 for a clunker and around 2500 or more for a nice car.

What dealer(s) do is usually prep it for sale with little money possible not making sure the car is in top shape condition.
Big dealers are usually very expensive because of the overhead and they might be better because of some reputation defend but unfortunately that is the exception not the rule...

I got shafted by a dealer in Kitchener which is by no means a small operation with few hundred cars in his lot.
The warranty usually goes toward "drive train" and is pretty much useless in a newer car anyways plus has a high deductible. After you do the math for fixing a transmission is about 3k , the warranty you have to pay at the dealers runs to anything between 1300 to 800 depending how desperate the dealer is to sell it and has a 1000-1500 deductible so you don't save much even in the worst case scenario.

If you play your card right you can save 2-3k in an auction so after putting another 300-500 in making sure the car will perform you have a better car and save some money.

If you think this is a bad advice ... take your chance with a dealer and see if I care...


P.S. If you want to be even a more astute buyer ... buy private. Pay a mechanic to come with you or take the car to him and get a great deal.
In my case a almost identical car at dealership was 11.5-14k depending on the bells and whistles and I managed to get it private for 8k. Cost me another 500 to get it how I wanted and I'm a happy puppy.
If I was to buy it from the dealer ..... who know what I would get but for sure I could not afford this car.

[look30]

If you buy from a dealer or someone else, you will not have to do the repairs you speak of and you get a warrant or guarantee. It will be safetied and e-tested.
Doing this your way, there is no money saved, just commission given to a guy who walked you in the door. I change my mind, yours is the worst advice ever

Dealer will NOT make big repairs, they use a "friendly mechanic" to get a shady safety cert and emission is only $30... I see your point , why won't I pay somebody >2.5k for this great service

BTW, My last dealer bought car had worn out brakes and missing license plate light assembly but somehow passed the safety go figure..... Went back to the dealer and he said is not his problem but he will make it right, after 1 month of calling back and forth I fixed it myself and he paid me for the part missing part only not the labour or the brakes.

My previous car I bought from dealer also safetied and so on , had the brake lines painted black so I can't see they where rotten and bursted after 7 months.... another great dealer story for you

[AGR-1]

The majority of "lease returns" that are sold at auctions have balance of factory warranty, and a Carproof, in addition with the new law coming into effect Jan 1, 2010 there is more information that is disseminated.

It usually takes 60 seconds to sell a vehicle on the block, you might see it as being worth X, the fellow next to you as X+, and the fellow across the country online as X++ its best to have a few alternatives than just 1 or 2 vehicles.

If its an older vehicle then it could become a slightly more complex situation.

Its in any dealers best interest to move vehicles very quickly in a 30 to 45 days times frame, since pricing changes very quickly at auctions. A short profit, quick sale is the MO these days, a big profit, slow sale can lead to a quick loss. Especially if the same vehicle is selling for less money at the auction a few weeks later.

How much money are you going to save? Especially that after you bought the car and thought that you saw every deficiency, you will usually discover a few more. Since the car you bought was the 5th down the list and you looked at the first 3 closer than the last 2.

The car that really interested you, suddenly has 15 guys looking at it as it makes its way to the block, funny how "hot cars" interest everyone!

If the other dealers see that your dealer has you along as a retail buyer, they might just give you a run for your money on the car you really want, and you will step up by 500 or 1,000 to own it...now how much did you save?

Or the auctioneer sees you coming and drags out the auction by 15 seconds to have some fun, and you have to pay more. Auctioneers love it when they have 2 bidders...just love it.