how do online auctions work?

[Mashpotato]

Hey Folks i am in the process of purchasing a new vehicle, and was looking into something in my budget (2-4k) so as of today i have not found anything only junk.. well i was told by a friend of mines that he bought a vehicle in an online auction Easy Export so im wondering if anyone has some insights on online auctions.

[Cadillac Jim]

My opinion of buying cars at auction, particularly online, sight-unseen:

Caveat emptor. I would never buy a car without a CarFAX, seeing (and verifying the VIN as the same one that I ran the CarFAX on) and driving the car, running the codes, and having an independent inspection.

For a very small budget, you may not see fit to have the independent inspection done unless you have someone you trust to do it free, but I would definitely get the CarFAX before I decided the final price, and go and see it (bring a code reader with you unless it's a Cadillac), and inspect and drive it myself.

There are lots of reasons to sell a car on an online auction. A lot of them are OK, like people trying to get a wider audience to move the car more quickly or because that's the simplest thing for them for any number of reasons. But there are a lot of reasons to sell a car online that bode ill for the buyer who is not prepared to cut his losses and part out the car. The lower the price of the car, the more likely it is to have little or no usefulness as a daily driver for an individual without significant investment.

People who buy cars online or on the phone from pictures must have the wherewithal and resources to deal with the occasional disappointment and the inevitable issues that arise in assimilating a used vehicle. An individual looking for a daily driver for himself or a household member that buys a car only every few years or so is less able to deal with surprises and issues. That' s why I recommend all due diligence in this case.

Here's my take on the most appropriate sites for your question.

• eBay. They have a lot of protection for the buyer. Lots of dealers sell through them. You can use the record of people who sell through eBay to avoid fraud, and eBay will help you through the purchase process to prevent getting burned (paying but no car) and to make sure that you get what was represented in the eBay posting.
• CragList. Much like an ad in the paper. Caveat emptor. With due diligence, you can find a good car at a good price, with patience. use Kelly Blue Book or similar reference in negotiating prices.
• Easy Export. I don't know much about this site but they seem to specialize in vehicles that have salvage titles, or that have a salvage history. That basically means that they sell junk. It's vaguely possible that you can get a good car that was put together from two or three salvaged cars, say a wrecked car with a good engine and a good car with a blown engine, but you need to understand the origin of all the parts and of the final car. One predictable problem: You may be able to get the VIN of the final car, but you may not be able to get the VIN of the car that the engine came in so a CarFAX will not be able to tell you the whole story. If I was buying a car from them for a daily driver, I would ask that it have license and registration in a state with regulations equivalent to those of my state (i.e., not Tennessee, RI, ND, etc.). If they can't get the car registered, you can't get the car registered. I just looked at several cars featured on their web site, all new low-mileage cars, and all appear to have been totaled out by an insurance company because of damage that could not be repaired at a reasonable cost -- borderline parts cars that would require a lot of money to put back on the road. This site looks like a possible source for parts cars, not daily drivers.

[joeb]

I guess everyone has a budget. 2-4k won't get you much. a nice used low mileage car? not going to happen. certainly not a cadillac. the internet lets you compare many cars at once. miles, age, price. you zoom in on a low priced car and find the reason is because something is wrong with it. mint cars do not sell for low prices.

[Cadillac Jim]

I've found that if you want a good used car at a good price, you go where the market isn't going. For example, about 1982 in the summertime when gas prices were peaking, I got a 1977 Malibu wagon with a 350 cid V8 because it was perceived as a gas guzzler. While no Toyota Tercel, it was certainly no gas guzzler either. Between its age, size and V8, the price was very nice, and I got a good low-mileage car in excellent condition that I drove for several years.

For a good time, you can try doing online searches on eBay or other sites that have some buyer protection. On the Kelley Blue Book site, I clicked on "Used Cars for Sale" link and asked for a Cadillac Seville, and turned up a 1991 Seville for an asking price of $1895 at John Lance Ford in Westlake, OH. The page on this car:

Click Here (long link)

I'ts a 200 hp 4.9 liter, not an STS, with 150,000 miles on it and quite possibly will make a nice daily driver for someone for a few years. I would definitely inspect an Ohio car almost 20 years old for rust before I bought it.

This is just an example. They are out there. Good luck.