If your hunting for a quality used car, whether it be for second car, first car or too replace your old pride and joy you may have considered buying at auction.
Some people would never consider buying at auction, they probably don't know much about cars and find great comfort in buying from a dealer in the belief that the vehicle is of sound quality, safe and that they have some protection if something with the car should go wrong.
And for this they of course pay a premium.
But many other people, who may know and understand cars well, or they may have a limited budget, or may want to get the most value they can will often be quite interested in public auto auctions.
This may be you.
There are many different types of car auctions held on a regular basis, so which one is right for you? Some auctions are only open to licensed dealers but the bulk are open to public.
Some auctions will be broken into separate sale types, for example ex-corporate cars in one sale, ex-government cars in another, and general vehicles in another sale.
Many people favor the government vehicles due to the fact that they know where the vehicle comes from, its easy to get some idea of what sort of life the vehicle had and they know that it has been under a regular maintenance program.
Most cars in a ex-government sale will not be very old, generally maybe only one to two years with around 70,000 miles, some with less and the odd one with more.
Custom modified vehicles, special purpose vehicles or very expensive vehicles may stay in service longer.
These vehicles generally sell for a substantial saving over buying retail via a dealer and in some cases, some vehicles may even have some factory warranty remaining.
If you're budget doesn't allow for a vehicle so new, or you are after an older car, you may look towards the general vehicle auctions.
But these auctions are where you really need to take care.
Firstly, it may not be clear where the vehicle came from, secondly it may also be unclear on whether the vehicle was well maintained.
Also the vehicle, being older, may also need to have repairs done before being fit for the road.
All this needs to be factored in when bidding.
Many people buy cars from auctions of either type of auction and it's a case of which sale will have the vehicle to suit your needs and budget.
The secret to getting a good vehicle is doing your homework on pricing, checking the vehicle as thoroughly as possible, and bidding accordingly to the vehicle condition and type, not bidding because you want it.