"BarryDanger" (dbarry102)
10/15/2014 at 15:25 • Filed to: Car Buying, Auctions, Winter Beater
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"BarryDanger" (dbarry102)
10/15/2014 at 15:25 • Filed to: Car Buying, Auctions, Winter Beater | 0
| 14 |
I'm hoping to score a winter beater in the next 6 weeks or so. I've bought cars from dealers, craigslist, ebay and forums but never an auto auction. The few I've found in Colorado seem to have a huge inventory with most cars ranging from 2000-2013 with mileage under 200k. Ultimately I'm looking for a 4x4 toyota, GM, dodge, f250 that can haul my toys in the summer and get my up to the mountains in the winter. I'm pretty handy but not looking to repair a cracked head, swap a trans or a transfer case etc.
So who here has ventured into the dealer auction world?
http://www.daarockies.com/auctions
Have a picture of my old rat for your time.
505Turbeaux
> BarryDanger
10/15/2014 at 15:29 |
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plenty of experience with dealer, salvage, estate and credit auctions (mostly VAG credit). Hit or miss. You need to know what you are looking at and how to diagnose how much it is going to cost you to fix in a very short period of time. If you have a good sense of a car and it's needs it helps, but you need to be ready to take a hit to fix stuff that might not be obvious
ly2v8-Brian
> 505Turbeaux
10/15/2014 at 15:39 |
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This is truth. My spin. Look at some examples of what you are looking for. By that, drive them. Narrow you choices to a specific model. Research what to look for. Then hunt down the perfect one.
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BarryDanger
> 505Turbeaux
10/15/2014 at 15:39 |
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That's kind of what I figured. Do most of these vehicles sell for well below private party value? Is there typically a lot of competition/heavy bidding from regulars at these things? I may end up going to a few just to get my feet wet and not jump in to anything too fast. Nice thing is my options are open and I'm pretty good at surveying a vehicle based on my experience.
Do they start them up before rolling them across or is that the only time you get to hear them run?
Klaus Schmoll
> BarryDanger
10/15/2014 at 15:41 |
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I higly recommend leafing through steven Lang's Hammer Time series on TTAC. There were articles which explain how the auctions work and stuff: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/search-results…
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505Turbeaux
> BarryDanger
10/15/2014 at 15:48 |
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Depends on the auction. Some fire them up not at all, just push them through. I don't want this to come off wrong, but for what you are looking for prices are high. Alot of people in the hispanic community go on someones (usually rented) dealer license and drive up the price of pickups in general. I don't know why but these and Hondas are usually the worst deals at auction. It may have improved though. But you can find a smokin deal if you arent too hasty and might not worry about staying till the end of an auction when everyone else is spent out
As Du Volant
> BarryDanger
10/15/2014 at 16:08 |
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First off, do you have a dealer license or know someone who does who can bring you in? In the vast majority of locations no license = no auction.
Second, you get a VERY short time to look over the vehicles before you bid. Sometimes they won't even start them when they hit the block. Bear in mind all the cars that hit auction are the ones the dealerships DON'T WANT. Which if you're looking for something older or higher mileage, that's fine- as someone representing five new car dealerships pretty much anything over 10 years old or 120k is something a "fancy" dealer doesn't want, so there may be nothing wrong with them out of the ordinary for a car of that age. But if you're looking to score a deal on something newer I'd be very careful.
It's still a roll of the dice though- if you have bad luck and get something with issues, you own it. I actually have auction access and personally I'm planning to go through Craigslist the next time I want to buy something cheap.
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As Du Volant
> 505Turbeaux
10/15/2014 at 16:10 |
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This plus go when the weather is shitty. If you can hit the auction during one of the first snowstorms of the season the crowd will be half as large. Constant, pouring rain or bitter cold plus wind are great opportunities to bid with less competition.
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505Turbeaux
> As Du Volant
10/15/2014 at 16:13 |
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yup, exactly. I forgot about the rain/snow factor. Many a happy nights driving back in crap weather with some hooptie I paid nothing for with my dealer plate on the back. Oh and he should also know, don't eat the free food. that shit will have you bidding on something fierce because you are ready to blow out the back of your pants. Strategy...
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As Du Volant
> 505Turbeaux
10/15/2014 at 16:16 |
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Oh yes, can't forget the auction hot dogs.
My home base is half a mile from the auction so we never miss it. Amazing how empty the place is the second the weather goes south.
Tohru
> BarryDanger
10/15/2014 at 16:34 |
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I bought the TinyTohruTruck from the Madison Copart auto auction for ~$1510 after taxes, fees, and registration.
Don't get a car from the auction without being able to inspect it. We weren't able to check over the TTT before buying it, and it came with hidden surprises.
The complete exhaust was lying in the bed. It has a hole in the frame (like most Japanese trucks develop). It wouldn't idle. There's a hole in the RR wheel tub.
I've been making it better, but it looked a lot better in pictures than it did in person.
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BarryDanger
> Tohru
10/15/2014 at 16:50 |
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Gotcha, pretty sure I'm gonna pass on the whole auction thing.
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BarryDanger
> As Du Volant
10/15/2014 at 16:53 |
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Yeah I don't have a license. I'd like to go for something between 1998-2004 based on what I'm looking to spend. Craigslist by owner is usually where I go but I've always been curious about these. I'm slowly being dissuaded though lol
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Tohru
> BarryDanger
10/15/2014 at 16:59 |
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Dealer used car auctions are usually a better choice overall - Copart is mostly a salvage yard and body shop auction.
The TTT was sold as a "Run and Drive" certified donation car with a clear title. It did indeed run and drive, but it's a Hitachi computerized carb - they were spotty when new. From the info I've found on the truck, it appears to have sat undriven for 8 years before I bought it.
I would take the TTT more as a cautionary tale (always check your vehicle in person before buying) than a reason to steer clear completely.
I mean, you won't find something like this on your local dealership lot.
wtfscienceyo
> BarryDanger
10/15/2014 at 18:28 |
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I've thought about these long and hard, but most dealers have a tech on staff that makes $16-$20/hr to repair these things, and most have a lot more experience in auctions than me, and buy so much that the good cars may outweigh the lemons. Plus, even then, they can make a bad lemon purchase into a good one and make their money back on the financing. All of those edges, I do not have.