I am in search of my next Mustang and each one that I find online I do a Carfax history report on. All but one Mustang I’ve found to have been sold at an auction. It doesn’t state the vehicle ever being reported in an accident, but everyone tells me that’s a red flag. That it was likely in an accident and it was fixed up and sold to the dealership.
I find it odd that every car I find has been sold at an auction. Would they really all have been in accidents or even fleet cars?
Couldn’t it be that they just got repoed due to financial situations?
Would you get the car if it had been sold at an auction previously?
Auctions can be okay sources, when looking at the car fax look at the original owner. What state. What you really want to avoid are flood cars. Carfax does have a money back guarantee. If there was an accident, damage and it was not reported, car fax will refund your money, buy the car from you, if you register within 45 days or so after the purchase and car fax. ( free) So car fax is a good source. But you eventually have to touch and drive and look at the car. Look for water in the trunk, smells of musty or mildew. Flood water will majorly mess up your electronics. If a factory warranty still is active, depending on miles and age of car, that reduces your risk as well. Try and buy from a reputable dealer, someone with a service shop. You can get mustangs at any Ford dealer. If you have credit or cash, you are in control and have buying power now. Offer a price.
Legitimate dealers work with auctions all the time. Most used cars at dealer lots come from the auction.
If the car doesn’t sell, it goes to the auction. If it’s a trade the dealer doesn’t want, it goes to the auction. If it’s a lease return, off to the auction it goes. If the dealer is overstocked or it’s a slow month, they generate income by sending cars to the auction.
All car dealers buy and sell at the auction. Less than 10% of the cars on the used car lots are from trade ins.
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The car we bought a month ago was purchased by the dealer at an auction. Most likely when a car is bought at an auction, it is because the car was just returned by an owner who leased it. There are nothing wrong with these cars, especially if you have the Carfax in hand.
Just take the car for a test drive and see if you like it. Once again, there’s nothing wrong with it being from an auction.
Also, kudos to you on the selection of a good old American classic. It represents that the US automakers are still alive and need support.
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Auctions can be okay sources, when looking at the car fax look at the original owner. What state. What you really want to avoid are flood cars. Carfax does have a money back guarantee. If there was an accident, damage and it was not reported, car fax will refund your money, buy the car from you, if you register within 45 days or so after the purchase and car fax. ( free) So car fax is a good source. But you eventually have to touch and drive and look at the car. Look for water in the trunk, smells of musty or mildew. Flood water will majorly mess up your electronics. If a factory warranty still is active, depending on miles and age of car, that reduces your risk as well. Try and buy from a reputable dealer, someone with a service shop. You can get mustangs at any Ford dealer. If you have credit or cash, you are in control and have buying power now. Offer a price.
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I think 85% of cars sold at used car dealers have been through auctions in their lifetime.
An auction isn’t just for damaged vehicles. It’s also a way for car dealers to get rid of stale stock, for example a ‘02 VW Beetle is not selling at one dealership, he’ll send it through an auction to be purchased by a dealer who might think they can sell it quicker.
I recently purchased ‘00 Subaru Outback that went through a Carmax auction. It was auctioned by a pristine Subaru dealership that prides themselves of their low mileage inventory. So a couple traded my car in for a new ‘08 Outback their trade had 97,000 miles on it so the dealer sent it to the Carmax auction!
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The cars could be up for auction for plenty of reasons like getting repoed or towed for parking violation/suspended license. So you never really know. It a good idea to go to the auction a day before to check out the cars you interested in and then do a CARFAX report on them before you go to the auction the next day.
Heck yeah I would get a car sold at an auction. That’s where I got my first car and it saved me a couple thousand. It’s also where I’m going to get my next car. Not only because it’s way cheaper than going to the dealership… I just don’t like the idea of having to pay a car note every single month.
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Here’s a review of some more car auction sites you can go to that have government and seized cars: http://www.mycarauctionreview.com