Online car shopping
What is Salvage title? Buyer Tips

3 Ways to Get the Best Possible Deal in an Auto Auction

By Mike Richards Updated: 05/22/2019 Posted: 02/13/2017

More than ever before, it’s possible for auto buyers to save incredible sums on the purchase of used, salvage and even like-new vehicles. This is due to the advent of online dealer auto auctions, which provide consumers with access to the very same dealer auctions that have long offered incredible savings but that have been long closed to the general public. These auctions have, in the past, been solely for the use of registered dealers and resellers. This has been one of the best-kept secrets of the Autos trade.

The favorite of car dealers, they buy vehicles at wholesale costs before taking them down to their lots, marking them up and then selling them on to unaware buyers like you and me. With the advent of online 3rd-party sellers, that can now start to change. Online Auction Dealers are able to list vehicles from certain dealer-only auction houses on their site, granting you access to these exclusive auctions, all for just a small fixed fee.

More and more auto buyers are now preferring these online dealer auctions as the way to buy a used car. However, if you’re going to join their ranks, then you’ll want to understand the ways in which you can ensure you’re getting the best possible deal. To this end, we’re going to explore three ways – that are certainly not the only ways – below…

  1. Look for New Cars that Have Been Recently Repossessed

To be sure, many cars that you’ll find through online dealer auto auctions will require a bit of work post-purchase. If this is something that’s not going to work for you, then it makes sense to look at new vehicles that have recently been repossessed, as these are generally the ones with the least damage, or other issues, and are a long-standing favorite with car dealers.

As it so happens, there are countless almost-new cars that are repossessed by dealerships every day from negligent owners. In some cases, these now used vehicles will end up on the auction block, where someone like you can snatch them up at not insignificant discounts.

  1. Be Discriminatory When It Comes to Geography

Choosing vehicles that won’t require a lot of work post-purchase means being selective about what cars you bid upon. When looking into different vehicles’ histories, be sure you’re paying attention to where these cars have been located throughout their lifespans. Vehicles that have been housed in dry climates with little inclement weather will necessarily have incurred less wear and tear due to their surroundings than those in harsher climates. This is especially true when it comes to work-vehicles, like trucks.

  1. Don’t Sleep on Salvage Cars

If you really want to save the most amount of money possible when purchasing a vehicle through dealer auto auctions online, then you’ll want to look into salvage vehicles. Although you probably won’t immediately think about this category, and might be worried about what this title means on a vehicle, don’t make the mistake of assuming that all of these vehicles are total wrecks.

In fact, a great many of them may not require much work at all in order to get them roadworthy once again. For example, some salvage vehicles are those that have been stolen and subsequently recovered, having sustained no damage at or, or just light cosmetic scratches.

Likewise, consider the fact that insurers will sometimes ‘total’ a vehicle as a matter of expeditiously settling a claim and not for cold, hard mathematical reasons. Some cars are written off this way without ever being inspected at all!

The Only Way to Get a Great Deal Is to Try Dealer Auctions

Really, though, the only way to get a great deal on a used, salvage or even like-new vehicle is to try online dealer auto auctions. Most of these sites nowadays will present you with plenty of help and information, and will do what they can to guide you through the process. Of course, they want a happy customer!

Read up some more information about the steps you need to take, and start thinking about what kind of car you want to buy, so as not to get overwhelmed when you discover large lists of current lots up for sale. The biggest tip of all is to do your homework. The more methodical you are, and the more careful when making your calculations, the more money you will save, and you can save thousands on the price of your next car, through these auctions.

So, sign up for a site, and look at the inventory that’s out there. When you do, you’ll quickly discover the real opportunities that are just waiting for you out there.

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