Car auctions can give you the opportunity to buy an expensive car for nearly nothing or to get a fixer upper for a steal. If you know what to look for, there are great deals available. People buy cars at auctions for resale as well as for themselves.

Car auctions can be great but they can also be a nightmare if you aren’t careful. You might think you are getting a great deal but really you are getting a piece of junk that won’t even get you home. You don’t want to end up with a lemon.

Most cars that you buy at an auction are sold with no warranty or “as is”. That means that you are stuck with the car once you buy it no matter what happens. If it falls apart when you get in it, it’s still yours. If it runs for a week then quits, it is still yours. Don’t be stuck with a piece of junk saying, „I want the car as it “was” when I thought I was getting a good deal.“

If the car auction you attend doesn’t allow you to inspect, test drive or examine the cars before you get to bed on them, that should be a warning sign. You always want to examine the cars and drive the ones you are really interested in. If you don’t know a lot about cars, have a mechanic come with you who does and let him look the cars over and tell you which ones are worth bidding on. You don’t have to spend a lot of time on each car. You just want to make sure it has good bones on the inside and that the exterior is in decent shape as well.

One thing to watch out for is getting carried away with your bidding on a car that you really want. If you aren’t careful, you can buy a car for more at an auction than you could at a dealer. It is easy to get caught up in the bidding but not if you are prepared and know what the car is worth and have a limit that you won’t go past. It’s a good idea to consult the Kelly Blue Book Values and do some research to find out what similar cars are selling for so you know what a fair price is. No matter how much you love the car, don’t pay more than its value.