Thought of buying your next car at auction? (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Thought of buying your next car at auction?

9:46am Friday 12th October 2012 in Lifestyle

There’s never been a better time to change your car.

That may seem like a bold statement for drivers struggling to find good quality second-hand vehicles in a sellers’ market where supply is very tight - but there’s still one buying option that’s providing plenty of choice and could even give car buyers a saving of up to 25 per cent.

That’s the view of Richard Binnersley, vehicle specialist with Herefordshire-based auctioneers Brightwells who sell 9,000-plus vehicles a year through the company’s sale centre at Leominster.

“There’s currently a shortage of good quality second hand cars on the market and while that’s making it difficult to find cars privately, there’s still a great selection to buy at auction – and at big savings too,” says Richard.

“While buying a car at auction isn’t something many drivers would have considered in the past, it’s now too good an opportunity to miss.

“The auction system offers a big selection of vehicles – including a lot of well-maintained fleet cars – and it means buyers can save up to 25 per cent on the cost compared with similar vehicles bought privately.”

Brightwells’ auctions offer a huge range of vehicles including well-maintained fleet cars from the Environment Agency, the Police, Royal Mail and local councils – all of whom now use the auction system At last month’s Brightwells sale a 2009 BMW 330 diesel estate car that had been used as a police vehicle sold for £5,900.

“Yes, it had done 130,000 miles but it was well maintained, as are all police vehicles, and would comfortably have gone on to clock-up 200,000 miles. At £5,900 that’s a tremendous saving,” says Richard.

“Buyers can take advantage of the current market if they are prepared to look at a wide range of vehicles – perhaps some they might not have previously considered – or even at vehicles they might thought were outside their budget such as BWM or Audi.

“They may be high mileage but they can be bought at auction at a considerable saving.”

Mr Binnersley says the decision to buy a car at auction does require a degree of compromise. Potential buyers should be prepared to broaden their scope in terms of the type of car they are looking for.

“Be a little more forgiving about minor details. This is about buying a well-maintained vehicle within a price budget – and in most cases that budget will buy more than it would do in a private deal.

“So set a budget, know what sort of car you are looking for and what specific requirements you have. Come to a sale and see what’s on offer and get a feel for what’s involved when buying at auction.”

Details of all cars entered for Brightwells sales – including photographs - are available on the company’s web-site (www.brightwells.com) as are prices achieved at previous sales. Potential customers are invited to phone for estimated prices of cars entered for sales.

Brightwells staff are available on sale-days to help and advise any first-time purchasers about sale procedure, how to bid and what to look for in terms of the description of the documents. Potential buyers can also make a personal inspection of any vehicles they may be interested in.

No finance arrangements are available for cars bought at auction buy buyers can pay on debit or credit card or by cash transfer.

“Cars paid for on the day can be taken away. All documentation is passed to the new owner on the day of the sale and Brightwells informs the DVLA of the purchase.”