Car auctions - what to look out for?

Hi,

I am looking to buy a reasonably priced family car, upto about $10k. I am looking at a couple of online auctions e.g graysonline, which appear to have some potentially good opportunities.

Is there anything I need to be aware of (apart from the usual e.g. sales commission of 5%)? I know I will needa "UVP" ($18), but what about the cost of plates..is this included in the rego or additional costs (the cars come without plates if sold to private buyers).

Would appreciate any feedback from folks who have used these services. the cars look in good condition, with service history and some with fair mileage. I understand you cant drive them but you can start the engine - is there any protection for a buyer if the car does not "work" - or does the "sight unseen" tag protect the auction house completely?

Cheers

Ive bought my last 2 cars at auction, both were ex government cars and have had no problems, most capital cities have these auctions, all vehicles have been checked and generally serviced and looked after well and most have 6 months rego on them.

My last buy last year was a Camry, only 12 months old but paid half the new car price for it, if you can go a bit more than $10K you should be able to pick up a car 2 or less years old, my Camry was $16,500 and was in mint condition with 42K on the clock.

Here's a link with all the info

http://www.governmentauctions.com.au/auction.aspx?auction=SGP193

I have a buying agent who buys mine from Govt auctions
Have 8 in the fleet.
Charges $200/vehical.
I tell him what I want---like factory fitted LPG
Price,kms model color and off he goes.

If anyone in SA wants his contact---in fact no reason why he wont buy here and ship there---private mail me.
Think his rate is the same for 1 offs.
He is licienced.Known him for years.

BigT bought my wifes car through Grays and had it shipped up by Patrick car delivery.Paid about $5K less than local cars.Just one thing if you are bidding on either of these http://www.graysonline.com.au/sale.asp?SALE_ID=70273 let me know so we dont bid against each other(I wish)

I'll add that I have his details at the office and reply Monday with his contact no for those wanting it.

You're a funny man alan Thanks for the input tech / alan...the government sites do appear very good..will be keeping my eye on a couple of those wagons..God bless new babies eh?

This might vary between the various governments (?) but in general, government cars:

Serviced by a dealer of that brand according to the book at the recommended service interals - time or distance, whichever comes first. No DIY tinkering etc should have happened.

Smash repairs - done by a proper bodyworks.

Usage - In many cases the car won't have been out of the urban area of a city or at least not off bitumen roads. Obviously that will vary with location.

Fuel - Usually the government department has a fuel card for each vehicle so there shouldn't have been any "dodgy" fuel put in unless it was sold by one of the major fuel companies.

So in general should be a good buy as long as the car itself is a decent model. The major exception would be police, emergency services etc vehicles which for obvious reasons may have been driven fairly hard.

Pager said:

... ex government cars ...

Click to expand...

If you see a Commodore/Falcon with very low km's, and the dash looks brand new... I was told that it was an ex-police speed camera car. Apparently they mount things onto the dash and that puts unsightly holes everywhere so they take the entire console out and refit a brand new one before auctioning it off.

Although very low km's, the engine has probably been running all that time... with the ascessories running too (eg a/c)...

My last car from an auction was a Magna VRX. Got it for $18K. Insurance company refused to insure it at purchase price and said I had to insure it at market value which was $26K...

If you go to the auctions, have a selection of cars your happy with, watch the first few of the model your after go through (hopefully the ones you interested wont be the first), you will soon see what the dealers are paying.

To get a car you want, just bid $100 more and you should get it, if an obvious non dealer is bidding then maybe best to let it go, i saw another Camry similar to mine that i was also interested in go through for $1000 more simply because 2 people wanted it.

Not dissimilar to trading really patience and discipline is required, don't get into a bidding war, if my first bid fails and its usually $100 above what i think the dealers are paying i don't bid again.

Also as korrput has posted, your insurance company will want it insured at there market value which will be quite a bit more than you hopefully will have paid and is basically what you would actually have to pay if you bought from a dealer.

Good luck if you do go to one of these auctions.

If you do not want to go to an Auction, some cars are available pre Auction but will be at the upper end of the expected Auction price but still cheaper than buying from a dealer.