Merlin Car Auctions - Advice?

mhackett102

Thinking about going to the Merlin Car Auction in Naas to see if I can get myself a new car at a bargain price.

Im hearing very mixed stories from here, and often of times you are not really getting a bargain?

Apparently, Audi Ireland sell all their cars at this auction which are 2010 and down (they cannot sell any cars which are over 5 years old) and the salesman at Audi said I should go have a look..

So, has anyone out there ever dealt with this car auction and what was the outcome?

colm_mcm

There's a lot f middle ground between an audi main dealer and buying at auction.

Anything half decent would be pre-sold to the trade by the dealer or before the new car came in.

bazz26

Anything decent I'd imagine will be snapped up by the trade before it gets to auction. Even if they did get to auction the trade will know about them and snap them up well before average joe. If traders are buying large numbers of cars regularly at these auctions they tend to be favoured by the auctioneer over the guy looking to buy one car. Anything that the trade don't want is either not worth buying or the bidding has gone too close to the retail price.

By all means go along for the experience of seeing how these auctions operate but just remember that you are a little fish in a big pool full of sharks.

punisher5112

There is a lot of rubbish sold among some good cars.

I was always shocked to see how much ex garda vehicles use to make as they were driven hard all there life.

I use to be at some auctions years ago and yes some good cars would come through but if you notice a lot are sold as seen and thats the thing as the seller could have a good few cars in there that they could not sell as retail or knew there was a sh1t load wrong with them and just offload as quick as possible.

With the percentage added to value and costs on top I never really saw how it was worth while buying in a lot of cases.

mhackett102

Just looking through the website now and Im not liking some of the "popular questions" which have been asked here .
Im going to go to the auction for a look, but not bid. Just to get an insight into what its like!

arthur daly

Some of the big main dealers send cars to auction just to cut out the hassle of taking up space..
There are bargains at auctions it's where a lot of the cars come from in used dealers it is easy to save a few k but it is just as easy to loose it if your not familiar with cars and potential problems with specific make and model,
Check who put the car in if it's a big main dealer you have less to worry about.
If you do decide you want to try a auction,go a few times and have a look get the feel of how it all works,ask loads of questions do not go to one auction and buy the first car you see this will probably end in tears

joe912

its important to remember the fees are quite high and when added can make what you thought was a bargain look dear. also its easy to get carried away and throw in one last bid just to not be bet.
think of it like this would you go to a private seller and buy a car without a test drive or ten other buyers all standing around to.

cletus

Bought 2 cars at merlin. The first one in 2008, a 4 year old corolla, got it for about half the price of similar mileage models at the time, however, it was a bank repossession, it didnt reach the reserve, but we were lucky that the bank just wanted rid.

Second car was a €500 mk4 fiesta, we had no problems with either car, however there were some serious lemons up there.

What I would say is pick the cars you are interested in before you go, research the going price, set yourself an ABSOLUTE limit for the car, then get there early with somebody who knows about cars and look it over sas much as you can.

Watch the bidding from the start to get a feel for how it works, and always bear in mind you are buying as seen

coylemj

I notice the assurance that the car has been checked for HP, write-off etc, and then there is a vague reference to an 'indemnity fee' which you have to pay yet they conveniently omit tell you what the charge is.

You also have to wonder what level of intelligence they're expecting to turn up when they post this as the first Q&A in the FAQ...

Q. Do I have to pay to watch an auction?
A. No! Of course you don't. It's a public auction and anybody can watch. Entry is by catalogue only (€5)

Of course you don't have to pay - but you can't get in without buying the 'catalogue' for €5 which based on the video is just a few A4 sheets stapled together.

Since it doesn't say so in the FAQ or in the video - what charges does the buyer have to pay over and above what you actually bid? And how much is the deposit you have to pay to get a bidder's number?

wonski

http://www.merlin.ie/buyersfee

€500 deposit to get number btw.

cletus

wonski wrote: »

http://www.merlin.ie/buyersfee

€500 deposit to get number btw.

Yep they take it off the price of the car if you buy, give it back if you don't, and I presume hold on to it if you dick around with your bidding.

One other thing I'll say I'd make sure you keep in mind when bidding, that if it stops with you, you've bought the car, no buyers remorse

James Bond Junior

Watch for bids coming out of the walls. Don't be afraid to ask who you are bidding against. They are terrible for dragging bids out as well. And ask the lads driving the cars in how are the car they are driving in feels. And do not sit in the seats whatever you do! Only the noobs sit up there. I'd nearly go down to where all the dealers stand and ask one to bid on the car for you. The auctioneer is less likely to take the piss. Throwing them 50 quid for the hassle might actually end saving you a few bob. Your eyes and ears are your most valuable tools.

mhackett102

Thanks lads for all the advice, its really appreciated!

Does anyone know how much you would be saving in these auctions regarding €€€? (i.e. Could a Ford Focus be sold by a dealer for €8k, and be sold at the auction for €5k)?

Hopefully I'll get a chance to go in the next few weeks, they've a good line up tomorrow morning for an auction by the looks of it!

Also, can anyone remember the name of the programme RTE done with them? It could of been a couple of years ago now and it may have been a series of shows.. Wouldn't mind sourcing it online to have a look at it again!

joe912

mhackett102 wrote: »

Thanks lads for all the advice, its really appreciated!

Does anyone know how much you would be saving in these auctions regarding €€€? (i.e. Could a Ford Focus be sold by a dealer for €8k, and be sold at the auction for €5k)?

Hopefully I'll get a chance to go in the next few weeks, they've a good line up tomorrow morning for an auction by the looks of it!

Also, can anyone remember the name of the programme RTE done with them? It could of been a couple of years ago now and it may have been a series of shows.. Wouldn't mind sourcing it online to have a look at it again!

you cant compare buying at auction with buying from a dealer. best bet is to buy privately from a genuine owner.
when you buy from a dealer you are paying for a shiny showroom, coffee machine, advertising and a few holidays a year for the owners, oh and some perceived warranty.

goochy

strange that an audi dealer would tell you to go to car auction . i have had a look at merlins stock a few times , much improved over previous years , they are upfront about some cars being clocked ( ' mileage discrepency)have major fault or is cat c or d . but if you see a decent late model car you wonder why its there. i noticed few plp bidding and many cars not reaching reserve and being sold provisionally so hard to know what cars going for !

dont forget Wilsons in kingswood also.

have City car auctions in rathcoole closed ? no stock on website

mhackett102

goochy wrote: »

strange that an audi dealer would tell you to go to car auction . i have had a look at merlins stock a few times , much improved over previous years , they are upfront about some cars being clocked ( ' mileage discrepency)have major fault or is cat c or d . but if you see a decent late model car you wonder why its there. i noticed few plp bidding and many cars not reaching reserve and being sold provisionally so hard to know what cars going for !

dont forget Wilsons in kingswood also.

have City car auctions in rathcoole closed ? no stock on website

Yeah I was thinking the same but he explained how Audi have this certain rule that they cant have anything for sale on there yard which is over 5 years old. He said that they send them all to Merlin Car Auctions in Kildare, which does explain all the Audi's up for auction there.

I remember looking at the website about 2 years ago and the vehicle's up for auction was a mix of terrible cars. Now they all seem like amazing cars up for auction (Audi, BMW, Merc, Volkswagen, Ford etc.)

Do Merlin do a cartell report or do you have to do it yourself, do you know?

Yep Im keeping Wilsons in mind.. Havent heard of Rathcoole in a while!

George Dalton

Audi dealers can't retail any non Audi vehicles or vehicles over a certain age. Audi dealers sell most of their trade ins that don't match their criteria to the trade on a tender basis. So I would imagine that any decent trade ins are bought up by the trade long before the dregs go to auction.

In my experience the only cars worth buying in auctions over the last few years are either the very odd ex-rental that somehow has escaped being wrecked, or sometimes cars from a company that has gone into liquidation can be decent. They often fetch close to retail money though.

mhackett102

George Dalton wrote: »

Audi dealers can't retail any non Audi vehicles or vehicles over a certain age. Audi dealers sell most of their trade ins that don't match their criteria to the trade on a tender basis. So I would imagine that any decent trade ins are bought up by the trade long before the dregs go to auction.

In my experience the only cars worth buying in auctions over the last few years are either the very odd ex-rental that somehow has escaped being wrecked, or sometimes cars from a company that has gone into liquidation can be decent. They often fetch close to retail money though.

Is there any way of telling where the car is coming from?
I know that some company cars often have their signwriting left on the car, so you obviously know its a company car then. But is there any way of finding out whether the car was an ex-rental car / company car / taxi / ex-garda car ?

goochy

cars do come with history checks but that wont cover a hire car only taxis and they will tell you if garda car

James Bond Junior

George Dalton wrote: »

Audi dealers can't retail any non Audi vehicles or vehicles over a certain age. Audi dealers sell most of their trade ins that don't match their criteria to the trade on a tender basis. So I would imagine that any decent trade ins are bought up by the trade long before the dregs go to auction.

In my experience the only cars worth buying in auctions over the last few years are either the very odd ex-rental that somehow has escaped being wrecked, or sometimes cars from a company that has gone into liquidation can be decent. They often fetch close to retail money though.

Herself was looking at a new a3 recently in Audi limerick and I was trying the salesman to put me down for trade sales and he said the joe Duffy policy is to send everything up to merlin that they can't retail themselves. Strange but true. Salesman says he would love to as it can bring in deals that bit easier but his hand ps were tied. And I would have believed him as he was desperate for the sale and would have given anything to make us close it! Monthly target must have been close!

goochy

sorry james bond jnr dont understand 'put me down for trade sales ' you saw a trade car you liked there ??

George Dalton

It is true that some Joe Duffy trade ins go to Merlin but looking through the list of cars that end up there leads me to believe that the good stuff has been cherry picked beforehand

Drummerboy08

George Dalton wrote: »

It is true that some Joe Duffy trade ins go to Merlin but looking through the list of cars that end up there leads me to believe that the good stuff has been cherry picked beforehand

99% of their trade stuff goes thru there alright. By trade stuff i mean anything that cant be sold off a forecourt around the group.

James Bond Junior

goochy wrote: »

sorry james bond jnr dont understand 'put me down for trade sales ' you saw a trade car you liked there ??

I was asking the salesman to put me on his list of traders he could sell his trade ins to. Trade sales refers to stock the dealer doesn't want to retail and sells off to traders/other dealers.

wonski

James Bond Junior wrote: »

I was asking the salesman to put me on his list of traders he could sell his trade ins to. Trade sales refers to stock the dealer doesn't want to retail and sells off to traders/other dealers.

That is a tricky one. Trade sale to general public?

mhackett102

James Bond Junior wrote: »

Herself was looking at a new a3 recently in Audi limerick and I was trying the salesman to put me down for trade sales and he said the joe Duffy policy is to send everything up to merlin that they can't retail themselves. Strange but true.

Phew! Thank god someone has agreed with me on this, I was doubting myself there along with my beliefs in Audi Ireland :pac:

Anyhow, Joe Duffy does have his own auction @ Merlin which includes many Audi's and other vehicles.. By the looks of it, everything in tomorrow's auction seems to be 2010 and under, which seems right considering what the salesman told myself & "James Bond Junior"

A trip to Naas wont go astray anytime soon :P

wonski

George Dalton wrote: »

It is true that some Joe Duffy trade ins go to Merlin but looking through the list of cars that end up there leads me to believe that the good stuff has been cherry picked beforehand

I've been there once and I wouldn't go near anything unless I was an experienced mechanic with a knowledge, tools and time. And I am not.

This market is for those who know what they are doing, not for regular Joe trying to save €€€ imo.
I find it difficult to assess the car without driving it, never mind buying it:D

mhackett102

wonski wrote: »

I've been there once and I wouldn't go near anything unless I was an experienced mechanic with a knowledge, tools and time. And I am not.

This market is for those who know what they are doing, not for regular Joe trying to save €€€ imo.
I find it difficult to assess the car without driving it, never mind buying it:D

Yes Im still very cautious about that rule, where you cannot drive the car for "health and safety reasons".

If I was 100% sure that I wanted to buy something here then I would definitely bring a mechanic to Naas with me to assess the vehicle the day before the auction (therefore you have time to see the car and have a look around it, before it comes into the bidding hall and gone in a matter of seconds).

wonski

mhackett102 wrote: »

Yes Im still very cautious about that rule, where you cannot drive the car for "health and safety reasons".

If I was 100% sure that I wanted to buy something here then I would definitely bring a mechanic to Naas with me to assess the vehicle the day before the auction (therefore you have time to see the car and have a look around it, before it comes into the bidding hall and gone in a matter of seconds).

The way I see it I wouldn't save any money by buying a car that I have no idea how it drives.

There could be a bargain, who knows, but I would rather spend it buying it privately with the same come back options (none in this case).

The trade / mechanics / DIY lads - they have their way. They can take that risk, all it costs them is their time and parts.

James Bond Junior

wonski wrote: »

That is a tricky one. Trade sale to general public?

Trade sales are not to the public at all. Most dealers have only have a few garage men they will sell to. Why sell something good that you're not going to retail yourself to joe public and risk annoying joe dealer who comes in everyday and buys 100 cars a year from you.

lifer_sean

I was in Merlin last night for the first time in a while. Anything any way desirable was very expensive. One or two examples from memory:

2009 Yaris 1.0 5dr, clean car, reasonable mileage (78k kms ?) but timing chain rattling like hell, made 6050 plus fees (approx. 6600).

2006 Hyundai Getz 1.1 5dr, base spec, low-ish kms (70k ?), clean car but needed rear wheel arch repaired and painted, 2500 + fees (approx. 2850).

2004 Corsa 1.0 5dr with alloys, don't recall miles, nice looking car, 2050 plus fees (approx. 2370).

2006 Astra 1.4 5dr, black, looked ok but didn't examine it, 100k kms, 3400 plus fees (approx. 3800).

2006 Astra 1.4 5dr with 315k kms (didn't think they kept running that long !), 950 plus fees, provisional sale.

2006 Nissan Note 1.6, 3000 plus fees.

2008 Qashqai petrol, 7400 plus fees (approx. 8050).

2007 Qashqai diesel, import, 3 owners in Ireland but 62k miles on the clock, 7100 plus fees (approx. 7700).

I don't think I will be in a hurry back !!!