5 Used Car Buying Tips You Should Know Before Attending Auctions

For those of you that may be questioning if you can afford to buy your dream car and even get a excellent operating vehicle, the answer is, yes of course you can. Buy from a car auction Bank Repo or seized. No Problem right??

Well most of us probably know already that there is some risk in buying a used car. But the good news is there’s a pretty good chance you will get one much cheaper at a car auction than anywhere else. However this is not as easy as going down to your local dealer, pick out your car and away you go! Nope, it requires a little more leg work than that but if you can save up to 50% to 80% off retail it is worth the extra effort.

To assist you and make matters a bit easier when purchasing a used car especially at a live car auctions, here are some of the most used buying tips based on extensive research and some good old know how experience from buyers through-out the country.

1. Bank Repo’s and Seized vehicles offer a good choice for bidding on at Car Auctions and buying cheap and still get a great car. There are many types of cars with different back grounds at these car auctions.Some are salvage vehicles from accidents or floods/disasters place up for auction by insurance companies or individual owners etc.. Sometimes you can distinguish a little about the car by looking at the paper form if they offer it. The easiest thing to do is get the vin # and do a story check online at Experian ?checkauto?. Bank Repo’s and seized vehicles are a good choice because they were normally well kept by the owners and very often are in good condition

2. Keep a pen and paper handy when you go to look at cars. Write down the vin# you see in the lower corner of the windshield usually on the driver side. Then after that you will want to open all the doors, hood and trunk check that vin# again you wrote down. then look at all vin#?s found on the vehicle. Sometimes they are along the door sticker and/or trunk door. If they don’t match, it is feasible the car was in a severe crash and the door panels were changed or the car was stolen and it would be advisable to stay away move on to the next one.

3. You can also easily check-out, while the doors are open, under the carpet and in the trunk for dampness or rust under the seats. Also look in the engine area for water stains around the engine block. If there is a water line stain around the engine block, rust under the seats or the floor feels damp it?s very likely this car was in a flood. Obviously this would be a good one to stay away from too.

4. While the hood is still open find the oil dipstick. draw it out and take a at the oil on the end of the stick. Do you see heavy dirt deposits? or is it like sludge? That wouldn’t be a good sign if there is.The auto was plausibly not well maintained or it has been sitting a long time. It may not be a real problem but when there is always more cars to see. Pas This up you will thank me later.

5. Alrighty.. last but not to the lowest degree is the transmission check. While you are checking the oil also check the transmission by pulling the dipstick out and see if it has large dirt deposits or if it has a stinky smell. That is a sign of not being maintained either. however if that checks out ok, start the car, place your foot on the brake and hold it there. Then put it in drive and then slowly into reverse to see if there is a clunking noise or slipping feel while you hold the brake. Do not drive the car around that’s not admitted at car auctions. A small clunk is ok, but If there is excessive noise it’s got problems walk away from that one too.

There aren’t many things guaranteed in life but if you do the 5 inspection tips mention above it defiantly limits the risks of buying a junk car. What may appear nice on the outside is not always what is on the inside. Spend some time looking over the cars, enjoy it and really know what you are bidding on before you start to bid on it.

One more thing you should keep in mind when shopping for any car. Do not get attached to a car follow the guide lines and avoid the auction cars with the problems as mentioned above. There is many great cars out there you will find what you want if you just look hard enough. Even if you leave an auction empty handed there is plenty of auctions every week in every state across the country. Happy car shopping! Enjoy your search and have fun!