"computiNATEor" (computinateor)
04/16/2015 at 12:48 • Filed to: Copart, Auction, BMW
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"computiNATEor" (computinateor)
04/16/2015 at 12:48 • Filed to: Copart, Auction, BMW | 0
| 11 |
Here's a Veyron engine at night for your time (My own photo!). This one is owned by the owner of the Newport Beach, CA Ferrari dealership. Go figure.
I'm trying to figure out how one goes about buying a vehicle at a Copart auction. The car I want is a badly damaged BMW with a manual transmission similar to my own e39. I need a $1k automatic transmission repair right now, and if I can get this car for around $1500, I would be ecstatic! I could also use a lot of the interior on my car, and sell off stuff I don't need (body panels, radio, etc). But the big deal is the manual transmission; especially as the BMW autoboxes age they get far less reliable. The car I'm looking at should be mostly a straight swap from auto to manual, as it would bring with it the electronics and various bits necessary, with the exact same engine.
It's listed as a "pure sale" vehicle with a salvage title. The damage is extensive enough that I don't think it will be worth much to anyone except someone who wants to part it out. It does not appear to have been dressed up ("enhanced") for sale in any way. Current bidding is very low.
Here are my questions:
Is the bidding before the "sale date" (tomorrow) a pre-bid? In other words, will it go up for a live auction tomorrow?
It seems I need to get a broker as a private individual; it's not a "no license required" car. Any recommendations?
How should I go about getting it? I live in Southern CA, and the car is in the Bay area. Shipping estimated at ~$650. Should I just rent a U-haul and rush to pick it up this weekend? It's at least 7 hours (400+ miles) one way from me.
Anything else I should be aware of?
Thanks for your time!
bwp240
> computiNATEor
04/16/2015 at 13:00 |
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I am no expert, but this is what I learned from stuff I read when I first discovered Copart.
1. The pre-bid will be the starting price for the auction tomorrow, so there isn't much of a point. At best the car will start at your $1500 limit and no one will bid.
2. I have no idea...
3. That is dependent on if shipping is worth it instead of the combined cost in Uhaul + gas + time
4. FEES!!! I was reading about the sales fees and stuff and they are ridiculous. They make $500 cars come out to many hundred more (sometimes $1000 - $1200). They have fees for everything, its almost as bad as British taxing. Now I think some brokers will take care of fees and things in their agreement but that is dependent on the individual broker.
Anyone who knows better please correct me if I am wrong.
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computiNATEor
> bwp240
04/16/2015 at 13:06 |
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If I'm not mistaken, I would pay the broker's transaction fees and deposit; I think they take care of the Copart fees. I could very well be mistaken though. Thanks!
http://www.copart.com/US/Services/Br…
Needmoargarage
> computiNATEor
04/16/2015 at 13:28 |
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I have bought too many cars thru Copart over the years. (Including my avatar!) Since you are buying for parts, you will probably be fine but if you were looking at a whole vehicle I would stay away. Many cars have additional damage to what is pictured due to the loving manner in which they move them around. (Giant Forklift.) Also, keep in mind that a number of parts will be stolen off the car and not mentioned by their listing.
To try and answer your questions:
1) Bidding before the sale date is pre-bidding. Generally, most cars will sell for a couple hundred bucks more than the pre-bid closing amount. You (or a broker) can bid live on the Copart website for an additional fee.
2) Don't have any recommendations but keep in mind that sometimes brokers can get shady. I wouldn't trust ones provided by Copart as I don't trust them as a business. If you find a good one, expect to pay a couple hundred for his services.
3) I have used uship.com with good results in the past. Essentially, shippers bid on your job and you get to choose the one you feel most comfortable with that fits your budget. Otherwise, calculate your realistic cost for the U-haul trailer rental, tow vehicle if needed, and gas.
Additional thoughts: Having a donor car is definitely a smart move for an auto to manual conversion. However, there are a lot of things to consider before making a bid. You will have tons of fees. Copart charges so many different fees and you will need to pay sales tax on your purchase. Generally a $1500 car doesn't leave the lot unless you shell out over $2000. This is assuming you can arrange for the tow company to pick up your car in the allowed window after the auction. If not, you will be paying more storage fees. Then you will have broker fees. This is probably something you don't want to skimp on so that you end up with a car, and a title. Lots of things can go south if not setup correctly. Shipping will be expensive regardless of how you do it, but you can price that out easily enough.
Another thing to consider is that parting out a car takes a lot of time and space. Do you have somewhere you can store a junk car (or at least all the parts) for a couple years? Do you want to make the effort of listing all the bits on craigslist and ebay over and over? The majority of parts won't sell until the right buyer sees it which can take time. Also consider what you will do with the rest. You might get lucky and find somebody to haul away the scrap but you might need to tow it to the junkyard or pay more fees.
Sorry to be a buzzkill but I'd say for what you are trying to accomplish, stay away from Copart. There is a lot of risk and I have had very poor experiences with their customer service. You could very easily have a $3000 transmission on your hands and might have had better luck using that money at junkyards or on craigslist. Best thing to do is calculate the amount you are willing to spend, and work backwards. Then you have your max bid. Good luck!
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Needmoargarage
> computiNATEor
04/16/2015 at 13:31 |
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Most brokers charge in addition to the Copart fees as the average Copart fee is well over $200. I'm not sure if they just use your deposit to pay the fee, however. You could call them and find out!
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computiNATEor
> Needmoargarage
04/16/2015 at 13:32 |
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Thanks! All great info. I do have space to store a car for a long time. In fact, I've got a two car garage! One of those nonattached ones at my grandmother's. My dad has been storing an old pickup (86 Toyota 4x4) for years there.
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computiNATEor
> Needmoargarage
04/16/2015 at 13:32 |
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I do have access to a tow vehicle, so that's easy enough.
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computiNATEor
> Needmoargarage
04/16/2015 at 13:33 |
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It's hard to find cars local to me for a reasonable price, unfortunately. I've had my eye on craigslist for a while, and only very, very rarely to wrecked/blown up manual transmission e39s show up.
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computiNATEor
> Needmoargarage
04/16/2015 at 13:35 |
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Good to know. Love your user name, BTW!
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Needmoargarage
> computiNATEor
04/16/2015 at 13:57 |
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Sounds like you're doing your homework! If you get everything lined up, sometimes certain listings won't have any interest and you can get a steal by tossing in a bid at the last minute. That's how I ended up with a perfectly good (err...dirty) Passat VR6 for $600.
Also props for being brave enough to take on the swap in the first place — E39 electronics scare me :)
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computiNATEor
> Needmoargarage
04/16/2015 at 14:04 |
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I'm a computer science student proficient in extremely basic computer language, so electronics don't scare me. Now, spring compressors and crawling under a car to remove a transmission? Not so sure about yet! :P
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computiNATEor
> Needmoargarage
04/16/2015 at 14:05 |
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I actually reprogrammed my temperature gauge to be more accurate this past weekend!