[hotrodSteve]

I've never bought a car at an auction because I've heard stories of people getting rid of cars that aren't what they seem to be at them. There's one coming up that I'm thinking about going to, though. Does anyone have any experience buying vehicles that way? I could use some tips.

[MomVan]

I've had friends that bought cars through auctions. Some had good stories and some didn't. I guess it's all the luck of the draw. Make sure to get there early and only go after the car you want and I believe they said they had to pay for the car right then and there. Be prepared to pay for it on the spot.

[Byker]

I bought a car at an auction once and I'll never do it again. It was junk that they'd spruced up to make it look good. It's a case of one bad experience, but I don't want to put my money out if I'm not sure of what I'm getting. Are there any car auctions that are fairly trustworthy?

[Dodge Doll]

Unless you've a background in machinery, it's not advisable that Joe Q Public purchase from an auction: there's too many inherent risks that can make it far more expensive that it need be.

Even experienced dealers get "had" at auctions, but they can write off some of the costs involved if that happens: that's not something the average Joe can do.

If I can't drive the vehicle beforehand, I ain't buying it.

[Mustang37]

The auctions around here require you to be a dealer in order to go and buy anything. We had our uncle looking a couple of times for us when we were looking to buy something used. I really don't know what to tell you, I probably would not go on my own as I don't know much about auctions.

[fiat500]

We bought our car at an auction and performance wise, it's pretty good apart from the "airbag failure" issue that I was talking about in my thread. It had a very low mileage and fairly new--3 years old.

[hotrodSteve]

I've heard that car rental companies will sometimes auction off their cars. It seems like those might be okay. Has anyone bought cars from that kind of auction? It seems like that would be pretty safe. Does anyone know?

[TransAm]

I've bought cars at auctions before and it really is a hit or miss affair. As far as I'm concerned, it's too risky for the average buyer who is looking to buy a reliable car they can drive straight away. It benefits scrap yards and mechanics a lot more than it does the private buyer.