Buying cars at an auction

[Saint Billy]

I just took a punt at a car auction and got my mrs a cheap runaround for next to nothing, to be exact £225 for an escort R reg with 5 months MOT. It seems to be running ok with no problems so far.

 

My theory is run it into the ground and hopefully it will last 6 months or more and then do the same when that one expires.

 

Prudent or foolish?

[Redondo Saint]

Wait 6 months then decide if prudent or foolish.

 

 

Or your Mrs may have left you by then.......

[buctootim]

Not sure about buying cars for a few hundred. They are generally at the end of their lives and even if a £225 car lasts six months thats still losing £450 pa plus the hassle of buying it, getting rid of it. There are great reliable cars out there for £1,000 or so though. After 7 years and 50,000 miles my ex has just got rid of a Renault 19 I bought for £950. Find something unfashionable like a big Fiat, Rover or Peugeot 406 and you can have a very good car for years.

[Chin Strain]

I just took a punt at a car auction and got my mrs a cheap runaround for next to nothing, to be exact £225 for an escort R reg with 5 months MOT. It seems to be running ok with no problems so far.

 

My theory is run it into the ground and hopefully it will last 6 months or more and then do the same when that one expires.

 

Prudent or foolish?

 

Just don't crash it......old cars versus new cars...only one winner, as 5th Gear proved...scary.

 

[Saint Billy]

I realise its a bit of a gamble but economics at the moment dictate, but yes, I think perhaps getting to the £1000 mark buys you a much better car.

 

You can get a newish petrol thirsty car really cheap but then there is the running costs.

 

Anyone else bought a car at an auction?

[Saint Stimp]

Just don't crash it......old cars versus new cars...only one winner, as 5th Gear proved...scary.

 

 

That video has suitably scared the **** out of me. Made me look up the crash test for my own car... not a pretty sight.

[Saint-scooby]

I think you did ok, you can sell it for scrap for £100. R reg is not that old, just make sure its got oil and water, give it a basic service plugs filter etc.

As the engine gets older it may take a bit longer to start so get a new battery for those cold mornings..

[Weston Super Saint]

I've bought two.

 

The first a Citroen C5 - cost £3000, and was only 4 years old. Only thing wrong with it, was the radio stalk had snapped off. Drove perfectly and sailed through the MOT for two years while I had it. Was worth - on Parker's - about £5.5k when I bought it. Traded it in for £2,500 after two years of use

 

Last February bought a Freelander for £1,600. Needed a new head gasket but a local mechanic did this - and more - for £400. Traded it in in September for £2,000.

 

Overall had two cracking deals from the auctions, but there are also some wrecks out there. Anyone reasonably confident with the basics - oils, filters, plugs etc - should be fine in the £500 range. Buy one for £500 with 12 months MOT, run it for 12 months, if it gets through the MOT, you can probably sell for circa £300, or run it for a second year. As long as you aren't fussy, you'll be fine.

 

Compare that to buying a reasonably new car, with a loan of circa £120 per month for five years and it's a no-brainer really.

[Saint Billy]

I think you did ok, you can sell it for scrap for £100. R reg is not that old, just make sure its got oil and water, give it a basic service plugs filter etc.

As the engine gets older it may take a bit longer to start so get a new battery for those cold mornings..

 

Doing that at present. I thought it wise to get the basics sorted especially as it wont be garaged.

[Saint Billy]

I've bought two.

 

The first a Citroen C5 - cost £3000, and was only 4 years old. Only thing wrong with it, was the radio stalk had snapped off. Drove perfectly and sailed through the MOT for two years while I had it. Was worth - on Parker's - about £5.5k when I bought it. Traded it in for £2,500 after two years of use

 

Last February bought a Freelander for £1,600. Needed a new head gasket but a local mechanic did this - and more - for £400. Traded it in in September for £2,000.

 

Overall had two cracking deals from the auctions, but there are also some wrecks out there. Anyone reasonably confident with the basics - oils, filters, plugs etc - should be fine in the £500 range. Buy one for £500 with 12 months MOT, run it for 12 months, if it gets through the MOT, you can probably sell for circa £300, or run it for a second year. As long as you aren't fussy, you'll be fine.

 

Compare that to buying a reasonably new car, with a loan of circa £120 per month for five years and it's a no-brainer really.

 

Agree, I just didn't want to go down the Hp or loan route as tempting as it is.

[egg]

Sounds like good business.

 

I only ever buy at auction and have not bought a bad one yet. Best deals are oop north.

 

The best deal was a Rover 620 (then a nice car, a Honda Accord with a Rover badge). Loads of miles but all motorway with full history. Was an ex vodaphone company car. No accidents and immaculate.

 

I bought it 3 years old with mot for £2200 iirc. I drove it for nearly 3 years until someone went up the back of me and wrote it off. The insurance company gave me more than I paid for it. I went back to the auction and bought another ex fleet car which I drove into the ground before selling for a reasonable sum.

 

Anyone wanting a car should register with BCA and find an auction with several cars they fancy. Then go up with a mate, buy a bargain and drive it home. Otherwise a trader will buy it and sell it to you at a premium.

[Chin Strain]

That video has suitably scared the **** out of me. Made me look up the crash test for my own car... not a pretty sight.

 

Yeah, makes you think doesn't it. Modern cars are designed to effectively cut through what they hit. Biggest safest car I can afford for me.

[St Chalet]

Agree about crash test, biggest consideration for me now with a family. Two of my cars are 5* safe by modern standards, the other would be 1-2* on NCAP.

[Chin Strain]

Agree about crash test, biggest consideration for me now with a family. Two of my cars are 5* safe by modern standards, the other would be 1-2* on NCAP.

 

A friend had a big accident a few years ago...sort of changed my outlook.

[Jonnyboy]

i did temp work at a cvar auction near ocean village - jap imports, some real bargains if you knew your stuff

[Jeff Le Taxi]

Davey and Davey auctions are the ones to go to for real bargains! they do HMRC confiscations etc, most of the cars come with no paperwork or even keys sometimes! hence the low prices, then for the minimal effort and wait (for the paperwork from dvla) you can get a decent car at a good price.

[Handyman]

I think you did ok, you can sell it for scrap for £100. R reg is not that old, just make sure its got oil and water, give it a basic service plugs filter etc.

As the engine gets older it may take a bit longer to start so get a new battery for those cold mornings..

 

Why buy a new battery without knowing if one is needed ? You are right of course to reccommend checking the plugs. Also, perished or leaking HT leads are a common cause of poor starting in damp and wintery weather. If the vehicle is old enough to have a distributor with points, then it is good policy to fit new ones, making sure that they are correctly gapped. As for the battery, due to various reasons, winter places the greatest strain on it. A heavy duty battery test (takes seconds to do) will prove beyond doubt whether the battery is ok or not. A defective cell will show up at once. If the battery shows ok on that test and accepts a full charge, there is no need to go to the expense of buying a new one.

[JackFrost]

bought a 2000 Nissan Micra for the wife only done 40000 miles, for 950 quid

 

2 and a half years later the only time it didn't start was when the original battery went.

[Soton7]

Looking to buy one soon. Just need to find a trader now who can buy on my behalf!