Merlin Car Auctions

kraggy

Anyone know anything about these?

Are they reliable? Are the cars mostly repossessed and is there any warranty given?

Any info much appreciated.

Thanks,

K.

roosterman71

Stay unless you know what your at. Things are bought as seen (unless there's time on the manufacturers warranty). Also, the price you bid doesn't include auctioneers fees or VAT. Keep that in mind.

One other thing. The place will be crawling with dealers who will (or at least should) know a bargain. So expect all good deals to be got by them.

flatpack

i was thinking to ask this question as well. and on their web site it says sold as seen and i also think you can not even test drive for few yards.
i think sold as seen mean it may or even may not start

lifer_sean

Sold as seen literally, no warranty, no test drive, no comeback other than if the sale was not legal, ie stolen car or uncleared finance. Cars are unlocked about 10 mins before being driven down to auctioneer. Engines are running but there is so much noise about you cannot really hear any funny mechanical noises unless very bad.

If you buy car and it had a bad gearbox for example there is absolutely no comeback. If it was damaged and repaired, then it's your tough luck.

I bought Mondeo turbo diesel there two weeks ago, private entry. When I collected it I figured out why the seller had sold it at auction ... the dualmass flywheel is knackered, about 1000 euro to put right. I'm not complaining, them's the breaks. You win some, you lose some.

Fees are 5% of "hammer" price plus vat, plus 180 euro (140 on cheaper cars). So if you bid 5000 euro, you pay 5483.75.

colm_mcm

There doesn't seem to be many bargains there, regular punters are paying retail money for the cars.

mickdw

The prices are gone mad there. They seem to have increased while forecourt prices are down. I guess its due to too many private buyers happy to pay almost retail price.

colm_mcm

It's the impression that a bargain is in there that makes people lose the run of themselves, advertised retail prices can be clawed away at, and at least you get to test drive the car, and get a warranty.

flatpack

lifer_sean wrote: »

Sold as seen literally, no warranty, no test drive, no comeback
Fees are 5% of "hammer" price plus vat, plus 180 euro (140 on cheaper cars). So if you bid 5000 euro, you pay 5483.75.

thats too risky m8, i think i should stay away from these type of places.

-Chris-

They provide a service and do it fairly well. You can trust them, if that's what you mean.

As for the cars they sell, you'll need to judge each car on its own merits. Some will be repos, some will be dealer cars.

Bring someone who knows what they're talking about if you go to view a car.

niceirishfella

I've gone to buy some cars for stock and see joe public paying silly money for cars, thinking they are getting a deal.........no value in all cases.

lifer_sean

-Chris- wrote: »

They provide a service and do it fairly well. You can trust them, if that's what you mean.

As for the cars they sell, you'll need to judge each car on its own merits. Some will be repos, some will be dealer cars.

Bring someone who knows what they're talking about if you go to view a car.

+1 to all Chris says. Merlin are straight in that they operate exactly by their rules, which are well documented. My only complaint with them is that they are very disorganised compared with UK auctions. For example, the list for next Wednesday's auction will not be available until about 3pm Wednesday. I have to leave Limerick before the list is out to be sure to have time to examine the cars before the auction. By comparison, I can tell you today what cars will be in any of the big UK auctions next Wednesday, with photos, guide prices, etc. However the UK cars are too expensive at the moment anyway !

niceirishfella wrote: »

I've gone to buy some cars for stock and see joe public paying silly money for cars, thinking they are getting a deal.........no value in all cases.

Some dealers going a bit mad too !
08 Audi A4 2.0TDi, not a nice car (tail-lamp broken, lots of marks on bodywork, diesel / oil spilled in spare wheel well in boot, etc), 44k kms, made 27,000 incl fees last Wednesday night. 1.9TDi's for sale retail on Carzone at 27,000 asking price, and 2.0TDi's starting at 29,995 asking price from main dealers. Why would you bother with an off-ish one out of the auction at that price ?