merlin car auctions

faceoff2k9

Can anyone help me , i am thinking of goin up but dunno if its worth it . can ye give me pros and cons if ye have used the auction

Divorce Referendum

If you dont know your stuff about cars (which may be likely) bring someone that does. There can be some gems in auctions but the likely outcome is that your fingers may get burnt if your not careful. Judging by the opinions of some here the prices that cars are going for arent really worth the risk but others may have found different.

Seweryn

faceoff2k9 wrote: »

Can anyone help me , i am thinking of goin up but dunno if its worth it . can ye give me pros and cons if ye have used the auction

I would suggest to read some previous treads about the Merlin Auctions - there was good few of them...

User Friendly

faceoff2k9 wrote: »

Can anyone help me , i am thinking of goin up but dunno if its worth it . can ye give me pros and cons if ye have used the auction

yip........... if your successful in your bid on a car,drive it 50yrs down the road and the engine blows.......... there are no comebacks as you would have with a garage,

in most Auctions ive been in,your required to leave a deposit,say 500euro,for a bidding number,if you dont get a car,your deposit is returned.

get there early,have a good look around,even then,your taking a chance.

Finally.........gl:p

faceoff2k9

the website offers a 12mth warranty ... its looking good

-Corkie-

I think you will get as good a deal on a private sale op. I have been watching the auctions on line all the time. There is a lot of ropey yokes going through it.

Dont end up buying someone elses problem.

mickdw

If you are looking for any model that may be in demand such as modern small diesels etc I would guess that you will end up paying so close to retail that it makes no sense what so ever given the risks built into this.
If you are buying something not so much in demand, you may appear to be getting a bargain when priced against carzone etc but there is every chance that should you walk into a dealers looking for straight deal on a similar hard to sell car, you will knock lumps off the screen price.

Best thing to do is go to auction a couple of times, record the sale prices versus the general condition of car etc. You will soon get a flavour of the pricing and you can then make a decision on whether you are happy to buy something.

You do need a knowledge of cars and what to look out for. Also in relation to the bidding, they could make a fool of you if you are no careful. The seller and his mates could be throwing an odd bid in and Im not saying merlin do this but auctioneers have been known to take phantom bids from the back of the hall too to keep the sale going if he thought you had a bit more to spend.
If you were to visit a few times, you would get to know a few faces, you will see the same guys in the same position buying the same type of cars - the acutioneer nearly knows automatically who will be bidding on ceertain cars and what kind of money they will go.
Worth a look but be careful

what recession?

Any time I've watched them in the past they were totally silly. People just go insane and bid stupid amounts. In plenty of cases people were bidding more than cars would cost in garages...

L-M

faceoff2k9 wrote: »

the website offers a 12mth warranty ... its looking good

Surely not? I can imagine there being some talks/checks with the seller before the car is auctioned and given that warranty! You could bring your own car up there that's got an engine on the way out, get a friend to buy it and then get that warranty!

Max Power1

-Corkie- wrote: »

I think you will get as good a deal on a private sale op. I have been watching the auctions on line all the time. There is a lot of ropey yokes going through it.

Dont end up buying someone elses problem.

+1

Why is someone putting their car through auction rather than selling it normally? Buying at auction is a major no-no unless you REALLY know your stuff and can spot a succint lemon.

waxon-waxoff

I went out there for a look few weeks back. Two auctions at the same time and bidding lasts about a minute or two so you need to be alert. Big range of stuff from a €300 megane to a €24k BMW 630i. About a third was provisionally sold that day- failed to meet reserve but owner decides if they are willing to sell to highest bidder. Some stuff like Volvo S40's and Almeras went cheapish but generally not far off private sale prices. Big crowds so prices pushed up.