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How Can I Know the Quality of a Used Car in a Dealer Auction Online?

By Mike Richards Updated: 07/27/2022 Posted: 07/17/2017

There’s no denying the tremendous benefits that dealer auctions online afford to their users. From the comfort of their own homes, auto buyers can browse an extensive inventory of vehicles. This inventory is often well more than other online retailers, and more than what you’d find through a dealership. Most importantly, though, online dealer auto auctions present an incredible opportunity for savings. It’s sometimes possible to save upwards of 70% on the purchase price of a vehicle.

The only real downside to using online dealer auctions is that you cannot personally inspect and test-drive a vehicle. For this reason, some mistakenly believe that they cannot properly vet a vehicle before they buy it. There are, in fact, several different things a buyer can do to ascertain the quality of any vehicle upon which they’d like to bid.

 

Requesting a Vehicle History Report for Used Cars in Dealer Auctions

When you use an online dealer auto auction website, you’ll note that each vehicle has its VIN prominently displayed. This is a tremendous thing, as it allows you to use a third-party service to request a history report.

With this report, you should be able to gain tremendous insight into the present state of a vehicle. For example, you can examine the vehicle’s accident history to get a feel for what damage the vehicle has sustained. In addition, you can make assumptions based on where the vehicle has been housed and how many previous owners it’s had.

Requesting a vehicle history report is, in fact, one of the most important things to do when using online dealer auto auctions. However, there are additional steps you can take if you’d like to learn even more about the present state of any given vehicle.

 

Pricey Purchase? Maybe It’s Time to Hire an Independent Inspector

When you’re looking into luxury and classic automobiles, you may wish to know more than a history report can tell you. In these circumstances, understand that it’s possible to hire a third party to conduct a physical and visual inspection of the vehicle. If you do this, be sure that whoever you hire is licensed to enter the auction site. In addition, be sure to shop around a bit, as different people will charge different rates for providing this service.

 

Your Auction Specialist Is an Invaluable Resource

Of course, if you want to find a third-party inspector, you don’t need to do this alone. You can get in touch with the auction specialist assigned to you. He or she can locate an inspector for you.

But, this specialist can do more than that! He or she has tremendous experience in dealer auctions and will know how to separate the wheat from the chaff. If you find yourself on the fence and need a determination as to whether a vehicle is worth it or not, then reach out.

Your auction specialist can often ascertain a great deal about any given vehicle available in a dealer auction.

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