By Cruz Lena
Some people think that they will get a good deal on a used car by participating in public car auctions or auctions that feature repossessed cars. If you want to ensure that you find a used car that performs well, you should choose a dealership that offers used cars instead of visiting an auction.
Does Your Car Come with a Warranty?
Cars for sale in Canberra that are featured by new and used car dealers are inspected and come with a warranty. Therefore, if anything goes wrong with the car, you can easily contact the dealer to have a repair made or to work out some kind of arrangement for a replacement. You cannot do this if you buy a car from an auction. When you buy the car, you have bought it. If the car needs repair, you may have to assume a large repair cost.
While many auctions claim that they inspect their vehicles, that inspection is usually rapid when compared to the inspections made by car dealers. Also, auction vehicles are sold “as is,” which translates to “what you see isn’t always what you get.” Therefore, you are out of luck if the car starts falling apart on the way home. You have no recourse and no warranty to cover you if you have to repair the car.
Why Is the Car Being Sold?
Do you consider yourself a savvy buyer? If so, you probably know the value of buying a car from a dealer with a good reputation versus choosing to visit an auction. If you do visit an auction, you have to consider the reason why the car is being sold this way. Car dealers want to make a profit, just as do auctioneers. However, car dealers also don’t want to take unnecessary risks. After all, they have to pay for their overhead and need to make a profit.
Plus, dealerships often find it challenging to get quality used cars in their inventory. That is because they don’t want to sell a car that doesn’t meet their standards. They want to make sure that their customers keep coming back. That is why many dealerships send a car to auction if they find the car has some mechanical issues that cannot be resolved.
Do you really want to place yourself at that kind of risk? If you want to buy a dependable used car, it may be alluring to visit an auction and hear the auctioneer start with a really low bid. However, that low bid is a come-on that gets people involved in the auction process. This does not mean that you cannot get a good deal at an auction. You just need to understand that you have an increased chance of buying a lemon when you choose to bid instead of negotiate.
