Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rick]

.. as in from a real auction, not online

I never have, in fact I've only been to one or two car auctions full stop on the viewing days. Any interesting tales to share?

RJ
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[kevin2306]

Bought an ex electricity board transit and a couple of classic bikes from auctions. No drama just stuck my hand up several times and always paid more than i thought i would.

Kev

[baconsdozen]

Lots of times (although not for past couple of years).
Bought an old ford anglia for a tenner at a small country auction,when I paid for it they gave me the tax disc with six months left on it and it had 3/4 of a tank. Passed an MOT six months later and sold for a fair bit more than a tenner.
I bought a Mk10 jag,watched it drive through. seemed OK,they left it parked up against a wall. I jumped in all full of the joys of spring only to find it didn't have a reverse.
Worst buy by far was a diesel bedford van,mint body,clean as a whistle underneath.Driven in. I took it home and in the morning it wouldn't start. Spent ages pulling things to bits but it never went again. The guy who bought it couldn't get it going either,we came to the conclusion the seller or someone at the auction had doctored the fuel.
Best buy,an absolutely immaculate Granada Ghia estate at a little liquidation auction,we only went in out of curiosity seeing a sign on the entrance to a village hall. I was the only bidder and started at £200. I could have gone £100 and got it.
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Thirty years selling imperial hand tools for old machinery(Now happily retired).

[Ellis]

I bought an ex Water Board Land Rover Defender at auction in Mannheim Auctions in St Helens a few years ago.

Contrary to what many people believe the auction was undramatic. Towards the end of the bidding, I was against two dealers, one looked at the other and shook his head and ten seconds later the Defender was knocked down to me.

Good Defender it was too.
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Starting Handle Expert

1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

[smiffy220]

Slightly off topic, but my father once sold his 1934 Hillman Aero Minx at an auction in Norfolk. Apparently it just reached the reserve price when the auctioneer closed the bidding really quickly and my dad was committed to sell. He thought the whole thing stunk of a fix between the auctioneer and the dealer that was bidding on it, but couldn't prove anything. It went for about £6k, but should have fetched £8k-£9k. I wouldn't sell a car at auction, too dodgy!! The dealer later advertised the car for around £12k!
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Born to rally, forced to work!

1980 Opel Manta 2.0 SR Berlinetta
1934 Morris Cowley Four (my late fathers)

[baconsdozen]

A friend of mine was in the habit of scuttling about in the crowd if he was interested in a car and bidding so it seemed there were more people interested than was really the case. He'd pop up at one end of the saleroom,then in the middle,then the other end and back again.
I don't know if it worked or not but he packed it in after one auctioneer asked him if he could stand still
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Thirty years selling imperial hand tools for old machinery(Now happily retired).

[peter scott]

I once bought an 3.5 litre SS jaguar from Bonhams tent at Beaulieu. It was in parts except for the chassis which was missing. It filled a Mercedes Sprinter. The guys at Bonhams were really helpful especially when it came to manually lifting the engine and gearbox together on a pallet into the van!

Peter
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https://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[V8 Nutter]

I bought a Vauxhall Viva 90 HB as a runaround used it for a couple of years and sold it on for what I paid for it.

I also bought a Fiat 133, looks like a 127 but with the engine in the back, my wife didn't like driving it. I sold it to friend he used for about 3 years and part x it for more than I had paid for it

Best deal was an 8 yearold Plymouth Blevedere £65 at an auction of bankrupt stock. It was worth about £600 at the time. I ran it for about 15 years until the tin worm got the better of it. Sold it for £400

[52classic]

Reckon I must have bought several dozen cars at auctions over the years, having got the bug in early 70's.

I love the atmosphere, 'specially in the independent ones and whilst some of my finds have not been exactly as I thought, I don't recall any total 'lemons' either.

My strangest buy was a Nottingham Corporation dustcart........ Massive Cummins diesel engine and a fully working PD 'Vulture' body....... at little more than a grand I just had to have it! Wife was rather less enthusiastic about it sitting on our driveway though.

Always had an attraction to odd lots but in recent years I think the internet has killed off the spirit of the local car auctions. Last serious auction I used was one of the Jap import ones in Southampton but that was best part of 10 years ago now!

Our current family fleet was sourced from Ebay. Alright I suppose, but I do miss the draughty rostrum, strong tea and a bacon roll.

[Rosco663]

Back in 1993 our finances were looking rosey and it was coming time to be rid of our HZ Premier Holden Station Wagon with 4.2 litre V-8 and 3 speed auto tranny. The old girl wasn't too bad but the fuel economy was nothing to be desired.

So the missus and I took the train into the city to the South Australian Government Vehicle Auction. This was held in a huge covered car park in Adelaide. Amongst the crowd were several hopefuls (we included) and a swarm of used car dealers. We arrived early and started looking at the current models at that time the VP Holden Commodores etc. most if not all had racked up around 50,000 kms and were less than 18 months old. As the hammer fell on these vehicles the average price was wholesale and this was being paid by the dealers present. A few privateers increased some bidding wars and were satisfied with a low kilometre car but at retail prices.

We reevaulated our maximum bid as we couldn't really afford the average selling prices for a current model. So it required us to hurredly look at other options. We then came across a 1990 VN Commodore Excecutive Sedan with 3.8 Litre V-6 auto with air conditioning. It also had a CD player in the dash!! It had only 25,000 kms on the clock and was an unusual color "Seacrest Green" a light green metalic. Interior was immaculate.

Well the long and short of it was we started in a bidding war with a few dealers, who dropped out and we drove home in our "new car". We were well satisfied with the price paid, even though we exceded our limit, being around wholesale for a car of that age. Being a government car it was regularly serviced and had exceptionally good tyres.

That was the first and last time we bought at auction but the adrenaline rush made for quite an exciting day out We kept this Commie for about 8 years and racked up about 190,000 kms before trading it in on a brand new VX Holden Acclaim.

Happy Days
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Rosco

[robo0121]

Ive bought two.time apart but same auction.bought a fiesta.looked really nice.drove home in the dark.next day while having a good look round.noticed a lot of wear round boot area.turned out to be a van with windows.got money back.2nd one was a rover 2300.sd1. totally mint to look at.my bid didnt reach the reserve.half hour later i was told i could have it
Overheated on the way home.bottom end started rattlig.complete nightmare.never again

[welder]

I bought a Triumph 2000 saloon for next to nothing. A dealer beside me told me that it had been put through the auction site more than once and was a wrong un.

As it was road legal I drove it home and was horrified by it's handling characteristics. Upon close inspection I found that it had two cross-ply tyres and two radials, one of each on both axles.

I swapped around to suit and the car was transformed from virtually undriveable to really rather good. I eventually sold it for considerably more than I'd paid for it. Those were the days........

Ian

[gresham flyer]

On balance I would much rather purchase a car privately.

Auctions are good for the trader who does not want to travel the length and breath of the country looking for stock,he is obviously purchasing more cars than we do in a year.
He will have a room full of potential profit sitting there.

On the other hand if like me you purchase occasionally then a trip to view a potential purchase is no big deal.

If the seller is a fellow enthusiast or the family are selling the vehicle for an elderly or deceased relative so much the better.

I like to warm to the sellers,no wheeler dealing hype will cut the mustard with me,I have to like the person I am handing my hard earned cash too

I have walked away before now from a rude,unhelpful or arrogant seller,even if the vehicle looked good. There are others out there to view,owned by more friendly individuals. .

I like a good old fashioned back story to the vehicle being sold,paperwork or photo`s are a bonus.
A good old chat with the sellers and a cup of tea or cake seals the deal.

If you purchase privately you are dealing face to face on your own,if you are a good negotiator you will both meet at a price that suits you both.

On the other hand get yourself into the excitement of an auction house and that £2,000 vehicle can soon creep up to nearly £3,000 before you know it,especially if you do not want that other arrogant bidder to get his greasing mits on it.
I know a few very wealthy farmers who attend a couple of vintage auctions each year near to where I live. They will bid you out of the room if they think you are interested in an item they want,just to say they have it....little boy`s never grow up.

So the true bargains I have fell over are the private sales,not auctions.

G.F

[poodge]

The 2nd hand market in new zealand is now based mostly on imported japanese stock.I went to an auction when we last wanted another car,but came away unimpressed.
By the time you pay your buyers premium,etc.,there wasn't much of a bargain to be had.
In the end,I bought a toyota corolla spacio(verso in uk) off a dealer.It needed a good polish,and a few chips touching up,but it was $2000 cheaper than the cheapest one at the auction.

[baconsdozen]

I bought a volvo estate at auction. The wife came with me so I followed her home in our Granada. I thought the washers had gone wrong on the granada but it was the head gasket on the volvo,water coming out of the exhaust was going on the screen.
After a couple of miles the volvo dies and we towed it the rest of the way. Taking off the head we found the water ways had corroded,I bodged it with chemical metal thinking it would last until we found another engine but it ran like that for a year when we broke it and got back more than we'd paid.
I've had a few bargains and a few disasters,I did better than one guy I knew who bought an automatic after seeing it drive in. It as left parked up against a wall. A pity,as it had no reverse gear.
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Thirty years selling imperial hand tools for old machinery(Now happily retired).