I've been looking at adds for W210's in the LA area and they come up @ a public auto action site. I wonder if any of my fellow SoCal members have any luck with these Public auto auctions. They seem to have bank repos & Lease returns. Thanks for any help.
Be very careful with these so called "public auctions". You dont have any idea where the car came from or what has happened to it. A certified dealer auction has rules and guidelines that the dealers must follow, OR they could lose their license to participate in them. I have a good friend here in NC that is a dealer. He has allowed me to buy cars thru him at these auctions. In other words I go to the dealer auction, find what I want then bid for it, thru him that is. I pay the auction sales price, any fees associated, then pay him $100.00 and the price I bid. A very good deal for me. In addition I can use his internet dealer access to see what the cars sold for the prior week and get an idea of what the type of car I want is really worth wholesale in my region, the southeast. He has told me about the rules and if a dealer is caught lying about a car, its history, or mileage they are fined and usually banned from the auction. I dont resell the cars I buy there I drive them for a few years so its not illegal for him. If I was to resell them after purchase then he could get in trouble. I am sure that some folks do though..........
Auctions are very important to dealers as they make money off of these vehicles when they sell them at their lots. A good precentage of used cars on new and used car lots across the country come from these auctions. Where do you think for example that Avis, Hertz, National, Budget, bank and leasing companies, and selected new car trade-ins end up? Its amazing to see the cars at an auction. Usually they run anywhere from 750 to 1,500 vehicles a week at these dealer auction sites in my area. Some auction sites, like in Orlando for instance, have thousands of vehicles each week. These auction companies are Manhiem and Adesa. I have been to the West Palm Beach "high-end" auction. There are lots and lots of expensive cars there. You name it. Makes me drool everytime I go! I want them all.
So a media advertised "public auction" is really just another way of getting retail dollars for cars and trucks. Its a clever way of getting the public to think they are getting dealer pricing but indeed they are not. Dealers here anyway take cars to these types of auctions and get more money for them. Especially the ones they cant sell off their lots................
You need to stay clear of public or so called federal auctions, your chances of getting a great deal is slim. PM me so I can give you horror stories from the those scammers. They typically clean the exterior, interior and wash the engine bay of the lemons they offer. So far I have seen these federal scammers in 5 states and they go so far as to put an eagle and stars on their logo giving the impression that they are a government agency. Find yourself a local deal and have it checked by your mechanic....
BUT as rick said it IS a buyers market in SoCal, I get a call aweek from someone selling GOOD 210's. The Prius is THE CAR in LA now, and people are dumping the 210's C-h-e-a-p..
+3 on auctions unless you know what you are doing, you will get burned. If you do, you will get a great deal, but that is a mighty big IF.
B
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