Buying a car can be difficult. Finding the right car for you is always hard. This goes double for looking for cars online and is even more true for looking for cars through a salvage auction. We are here to help you through. Among the thousands of cars available through auto auctions everyday, you are sure to find a few that catch your eye. And even if you don’t have a dealers license, you can be sure there is a broker, like AutoBidMaster, who can help you buy. However, regardless of the auction or the broker, there are a few things you should keep an eye out for before you purchase a vehicle at auction.
1) Inspect the vehicle.
Most importantly, you should bear in mind that these are salvage cars and you will need to take a look before you buy them. Even if the vehicle has a clean title and drives great, it may need work, and knowing how much before you buy is important. Often times people buy cars held in auction facilities near them for just this reason. I spoke in a previous blog post about how to inspect the vehicle yourself. However, if the car is too far away, it can be hard to inspect. Though if you do end up with your heart set on a car and you can’t go see it yourself, we can absolutely refer you to an inspection service.
2) Get a vehicle history.
Learn the full history of the vehicle before you buy it. AutoBidMaster provides you with a VIN and Title Type so you can look up the history of the vehicle yourself and confirm if the vehicle can be registered in your state. We recommend running a CarFax or an Autocheck report using the VIN to get a sense of the vehicle’s history and check the Title type and the rules in your state. Also bear in mind that some states have specific title types, with rules unique to the issuing state.
3) Determine how you will transport your vehicle.
Always remember that you can’t drive the vehicle off the lot directly. You have to at least tow the vehicle off of the lot and we strongly recommend shipping it all the way. Just because a car runs and drives doesn’t always mean it is road worthy and license plates do not come with the vehicles. Also in some cases, such as for cars bought from across the country or designated for export, you will need to ship it the whole way. Always have a sense of how your vehicle is going to get from the auction to you. We can help you find a shipper and we can often get you preferred rates on shipping your vehicle both nationally and internationally.
Buying a car or other vehicle from a salvage auction can be a great way to save money on the car of your dreams. Our goal is to make it as simple as can be. However, at the end of the day buying a car from anywhere means you want to research the car and know before you buy. AutoBidMaster will help you every step of the way and as long as you keep all these things in mind, the opportunities for buying are endless.
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