Public Car Auctions Hype Versus Fact

tunately, there's just not a whole lot ofyour strategy for getting a great price on a car.
"objective" information available regardingAnd these auction web sites CAN make this
open-to-the-public car auctions. The same goeseasier for you. But let's look at both the pros and
for the many websites that claim you can buycons to establish realistic expectations. Then you
cars for as little as $100 ... or pay just 90% ofcan be in a better position to decide if this is
retail.something you'd like to pursue or not.
You've probably seen the ads or visited the sites.First of all, there aren't a ton of open-to-the-public
No question that there's a lot of hype involved.auctions to begin with. This means it's likely you're
And it's too bad. I really think it's a shame thatgoing to need at least some amount of patience.
they oversell themselves so much. They make itSome auctions are quarterly, some are monthly
sound "too good to be true" and turn off a lot ofand there are a few that are weekly. They've
people. It's too bad because there are indeedgot to build up an inventory of cars so it justifies
opportunities to save a lot of money at thesethe cost of putting on an auction. And this takes
auctions. But it's not automatic.time.
And while I happen to be a member at four ofSo, unless you're a bit lucky, you probably won't
these sites, and they're most definitely worthwhilerun out to an auction to get your car this
(some more than the others), the marketingafternoon. I guess what I'm saying is it's not like
hype can't help but create false expectations forvisiting as many Dealerships as you want in a
many people outside the industry.single weekend.
And if you do a search on Google to try to findNext is pricing. There's going to be other shoppers
some information or reviews of these sites, it'sbidding ... maybe even some Dealers. You're not
unlikely you'll find much that is realistic andgoing to get a "good", late-model car for a few
objective. You're much more likely to find a lot ofhundred dollars. That being said, it's not unheard of
the "click here to save 90%" hoopla. I've triedto get a $20,000 car for $10,000 to $14,000 ... or
extensively and the results have been pathetic.a $15,000 car for $7,000 to $9,000. You can
So I thought it would be a good idea to set a fewindeed get excellent buys below trade-in values,
things straight. After all, if people are more awareand sometimes way below. But just forget about
of what to expect, more people may actuallyreal nice cars for "under $500", as is often the
participate and save. At the least, they canhype.
evaluate the opportunity to determine if it's forAre there cars for under $500? Of course there
them.are. And often good buys too. But they are not
Again, I'm not saying that there's not really goodthe late-model cars.
deals at these auctions. There are. But they makeNext, you may have to go a distance. The good
it sound like you join today, either bid on an onlineauctions may not be right next door to you. Many
auction or go to an auction this afternoon andauctions do not have online bidding. They're at a
then drive off in your beautiful 2005 Audi TT forphysical location. So, bear in mind that it may not
$500 ... zip, zap, zoom, you're done.be be particularly convenient.
I can tell you from experience that this just isn'tAll of this being said, it is true that there are
going to happen in the real world. Can you get aexcellent, money-saving deals at public car
great deal on the Audi TT? Absolutely. But it willauctions. But please be prepared to both spend
likely take some time and it's not going to besome time at it and to pay more than the hype
practically free.implies.
So, lets talk reality here. Auctions CAN fit into