How To Find Bargains At Vehicle Auctions
Dealers and other people who constantly visit vehicle auctions either online or in person have all sorts of unique methods of finding prime bargain cars, trucks, and other vehicles. In order to find some amazing bargains of your own, learning a few tricks of the trade can help in your quest.
The key to making a quality purchase is to know as much as you can about cars. The goal is to buy vehicles for a great price and not pay any more than you ought to. Start out by finding public or online auctions that are legitimate. Discovering online sites can be a little more difficult, but they are out there. With a bit of time and effort, you’ll be able to find all the right ones and can then start your search for the right car.
Getting a good bargain online can be a little more difficult than getting one in a public or government surplus auction that you can physically visit. This is because at a public auction, you can look at the cars, examine them for any body work, run their VIN numbers to see if they are legitimate, as well as a few other things. For example, dealers interested in making a purchase will use a device called an Elcometer in order to determine the thickness of paint on a car. This is because typically the factory paint job is no more than 4.5 mils thick. If any work was done on the car, then this paint thickness will increase, and the Elcometer will show it to be anywhere from 8-12 mils.
Other dealers will walk around with their noses in little black books. It is essentially a Kelly Blue Books—except for car auctions. Paying less than what the black book suggests for cars or trucks in varying conditions is ideal. Unskilled buyers will simply bid until they have reached a maximum price they are willing to pay. However, there are times when this amount will be well above what they should have paid.
This means that before you start buying, you should know your cars. Know how many miles to too many, find out if there has been any bodywork done, and always check the VIN numbers. There are websites you can visit that allow you to check out VIN numbers in order to make sure the car isn’t stolen or fake. If you are at a public auction or perhaps an Interstate Auto Auction, look at all the VIN numbers to ensure that they all match.
Buying cars through public auto auctions is slightly more difficult. You will not be able to do any of the physical aspects of checking the car, but you can always check the VIN numbers. Examine photos carefully, know the terms of the website hosting the auctions, and do not be afraid to ask questions. Know how much the car ought to sell for and how much you are willing to pay for it. In the end though, it is your money; do not spend it if you are not comfortable with the cars you see.