Car Auctions - Ask the Auctioneer

[auctioneer]

Ask the Auctioneer

I work at a car auction. It’s my job to deal with customer complaints. Mainly I deal with people who’ve been burnt by the auction process or are clueless as to the way it works. I’ve found that 99% of the time people can avoid a bad experience if they know a bit about car auctions before they buy. Consequently I’ve decided to make myself available to shed some light on the industry. The idea is simple: Ask me a question about car auctions and I’ll answer it for you.

So who am I to tell you the way things are? I’ve sold thousands of cars at hundreds of sales and worked the floor at hundreds more. I’ve bought vehicles at both dealer and public auctions from Vancouver to Toronto.

Here are the rules. I’ll answer any question about car auctions or the wholesale automotive industry to the best of my ability. However I won’t answer any questions about specific transactions or specific auction customers. Also I won’t respond to pointless bitching and complaining about auctions. If you just want to vent and don’t care to learn anything go tell it to the salesmen at your local car dealership. They’ll be more than happy to listen while they put you together on a brand new vehicle for full tilt retail.

So… ask away.

Auctioneer.

[Destinova403]

what are the auction grades and what do they mean?

[G-ZUS]

Canada doesn't have Auction Grades, thats only in Japan ^

[Destinova403]

Originally posted by G-ZUS
Canada doesn't have Auction Grades, thats only in Japan ^

oh thanks... see i dont know anything about auctions...

[dj_rice]

I'm looking for a luxury car that is repoed from a drug dealer/gangster....when you guys sell it, is it confidential?Meaning can the drug dealer pressure you to give out the information to find me and come get his whip back?I dont want to die

[Palmiros]

and so it begins :D

[auctioneer]

We do get to sell drug seizures from time to time. They always sell unreserved to the highest bid. In the past we've had a '91 (I think) Acura NSX, a '99 Mustang Cobra and more recently an '03 G35 with a wicked supercharger. Usually they're in next to new condition. It seems to me that these guys generally get popped as soon as they start flossing their bankroll so they don't get to drive the cars for very long... should have kept the rusty old Civic I guess. The problem is that the cops generally have to wait a couple years from the time they seize them before they can allow us to sell them. Court battles and all that.

Alberta's privacy laws prevent us from giving out information about buyers or sellers so I don't think you'd have to worry. We've never had problems before. If the guy found you I don't think he'd care, as long as you aren't treating his whip like shit. After all it was the cops that screwed him, not the guy with the same taste in cars.

When we get to sell this stuff we advertise it like crazy. Keep your eye on the auction section of the bargain finder. section 1 page 5 usually.

Auctioneer

[G-ZUS]

What Auction do you work at? Regal?

[auctioneer]

Regal Auctions. Is there any other? - I'm trying not to shamelessly advertise the auction but sometimes it slips.

[TomcoPDR]

Thanks for the contribution :thumbsup: added value to a car minded group.

My question: (without looking like a fool asking the "adults" at Adesa): So with some of these high quality/ high volume auctions like Adesa, what are the membership requirements? Only large dealerships? Or a yearly fee? Secured assets with them?

[legacyturbo]

I am gunna guess regal as they sold a G35 with a supercharger on it a few months back!!!

[auctioneer]

Adesa is a dealer only auction. They're the biggest in Canada but second class in the USA - Manheim is bigger. They have 2 types of sales 1)dealer and 2)factory. Any licenced auto dealer who is regestered with adesa can go to the dealer sales but only factory dealerships can go to factory sales ie. only Ford dealerships can buy at the Ford factory sale. Adesa tried public sales a couple years ago but couldn't make it work.

To get regestered you have to be set up as a car dealer. You need a business licence, an AMVIC licence, a letter from the principal of your company authorizing you to buy on their behalf and a letter of financial reference from your bank. They really don't mess around. Did I mention money? You NEED $$$ cause auctions don't do credit.

[Weapon_R]

Where did you learn to speak like an auctioneer :)

[auctioneer]

Hours upon hours of counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. 10, 20, 30… 20, 10. 5 now 10. 10 now 15. 15 now 20.. etc. I try to get in an hour every day. Little known fact - practicing while driving makes you speed. Ask any auctioneer.

[me&you]

Originally posted by auctioneer
They really don't mess around. Did I mention money? You NEED $$$ cause auctions don't do credit.

Yes they do.

[auctioneer]

None that I've ever been to. AFC (Automotive Finance Corporation) supplies credit for dealers at Adesa auctions but not the auction themselves.

[auctioneer]

Maybe I phrased it wrong. You don't need cash money on you at the auction but you need instant access to money ie. have financing set up not "oh I bought a car, I better go see if the bank will approve me".

[SunniSunShine]

what type of fees are involved when the average joe strolls into an auction?

[auctioneer]

At most auctions expect to pay GST and a buyer's fee on top of the purchase price. At Regal Auctions we charge a buyer's fee between $45 and $295 depending on the purchase price. If you bought at an auction out of province you'd have to factor in PST, transport costs and in province inspection costs too.

[Mr_ET]

awesome thread great info:thumbsup:

[G-ZUS]

what if someone bought a vehicle form the auction and odometer was rolled back on it but it wasn't mentioned, does the auction have to take it back?

[boxer23]

I have always been looking at bank repo's, where are these supposed drug vehicles ?? I haven't ever seen anything rare at bank repos except the odd infiniti and bimmer

[G-ZUS]

Originally posted by boxer23
I have always been looking at bank repo's, where are these supposed drug vehicles ?? I haven't ever seen anything rare at bank repos except the odd infiniti and bimmer

I don't think the drug dealer cars are repo'd by the bank but rather by the po-lice

[auctioneer]

Drug seizures are rare. We might sell 1 or 2 a year. Honestly you wouldn't believe how often these guys get their cars back.

[auctioneer]

G-ZUS,

Odometer tampering is one of the worst forms of automotive fraud. Before you go around making accusations make sure you have all your ducks in order. First confirm the unit of measurement that your odometer is using: Kilometers or Miles. Then check to see if the car has an imperial/Metric conversion button on the dash. Some cars allow you to switch the speedometer and odometer between Miles and Kilometers. Once you know for sure what measurement system the odometer uses check the document that shows the odometer reading at 300,000+ 5 years ago. Make sure it’s using the same measurement system as your odometer. If there is still a discrepancy then its time to start pointing fingers.

The auction you bought the car from didn’t actually sell you the car. They were acting as agents for the seller and are not liable for odometer tampering. However if you just bought the car and they have not paid out the seller yet they’ll more than likely be able to help you out and probably give you a refund. If they don’t have the money anymore they won’t do a thing for you. You have to go to AMVIC (Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council). AMVIC is a government agency set up to police the car business. Call their investigation line and they’ll look into it for you. Their phone # is 1-877-279-8200.

Auctioneer

[TomcoPDR]

Just curious, do you see a lot of private sellers using the auction system to sell their vehicles?

Would it be more of an advantage or disadvantage?

[auctioneer]

You'd be surprised. Quite a few private sellers use the auction. For alot of people it's easier than using the classifieds. You spend a few minutes booking in the car and we do the rest. We can look it over and give you an idea what to expect as far as price. We'll call you only if we have a qualified buyer with a real offer. If you need to negotiate on the price you tell us what outcome you want and we'll negotiate on your behalf. When its sold we take their money and make sure its good before giving you a cheque out of our trust account.

I've bought lots of cars out of the Bargain Finder and lots of sellers complain about the process. Weirdos showing up at their door at 5:00am, peering in their windows, people waisting their time with no intention of purchasing, trying to pay with a cheque...

Of course it's not for everyone. Some people like to do the dirty work themselves.

[Intent_Fire]

You said earlier there was the odd person who gets burnt..
What percentage of sales would you say would be a "good deal"? By this i mean getting a good price and a quality car.

[inline6turbo]

what process do i need to follow to get my car auctioned off? i'm looking to do this fairly soon

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by auctioneer
Drug seizures are rare. We might sell 1 or 2 a year. Honestly you wouldn't believe how often these guys get their cars back.

Okay, but if one were to get a drug seized car, and found 1/2 kg of something behind the door panel... would said person be obligated to turn it in?

Seriously though, how much lower do auction cars usually sell below private sales (on average)? Also, what auction fees are usually associated with a sale? (for the seller)

[auctioneer]

Originally posted by Intent_Fire
You said earlier there was the odd person who gets burnt..
What percentage of sales would you say would be a "good deal"? By this i mean getting a good price and a quality car.

Intent_Fire,

Sometimes people feel that they got a bad deal. Some sales I’ll get 1 or 2 complaints and some sales I’ll get none. At the end of September we ran our 22nd Anniversary Sale and sold in excess of 350 rides. There were only 4 complaints.

Most of the time its due to something we call “Buyer’s remorse”. Basically buyers have a panic attack and freak out once they realize that they’ve just spent a big chunk of their yearly income. It has nothing to do with the vehicle they bought but is purely a mental thing. I mean really, how often do you drop $10,000 on anything? People just need time to come to grips with it.

Sometimes there are problems with the vehicle or the deal itself. If a vehicle is salvage, rebuilt status, non-repairable, out of province or true mileage unknown and we do not declare it we are required by law to unwind the deal and give the buyer their money back. If there is a lien against the vehicle we’re required to have the lien discharged or provide a letter of release. Barring that we issue a refund. If there are major problems with a vehicle we have an arbitration policy in place to either get the seller to help pay for repairs or refund the buyer (NOTE: there are rules and limits to what we cover). We also have something called our 100 day policy. Any vehicle sold for $2,000 or more qualifies. If you don’t like your purchase for ANY reason you can bring it back within 100 days and we’ll resell it for free.

Generally speaking, if you’ve looked over the vehicle (you’d be surprised how many people don’t even look at a car before they buy it) and like the price how can it not be a good deal?


Auctioneer

[mekeni]

nice thread, very informative!!

[auctioneer]

Originally posted by inline6turbo
what process do i need to follow to get my car auctioned off? i'm looking to do this fairly soon

Inline6turbo,

The process of selling your car by auction is very simple. You just need to bring the car down to our facility (Regal Auctions), 2600 7th Ave N.E. (behind T&T Honda) along with your current valid registration and drivers license. It takes about 10 minutes to book your car in. There are two ways to sell 1) with a reserve price or 2) unreserved. A reserve price is like an asking price. If bidding goes to your reserve price or above we’ll sell the car and cut you a cheque. If bidding stops somewhere close to your reserve we’ll call you and see if you want to sell for the lower price or negotiate a counter offer. If you sell unreserved your car will sell to the highest bid whatever it may be. We’ve sold everything from $50 beaters to $50,000 sports cars unreserved.

Before you bring your car down make sure you clean it up. Make it look so good you’d want to buy it again yourself. We have a saying “People buy with the eye”. Bring any documentation you have for your car as well. Service records, repair receipts etc. Anything that paints a positive picture about your car’s life will help it sell quicker and for more money.

We charge $10 every sale to run the car through. You can leave it between sales for no extra fee. When we sell we take 10% or $85 as a commission, whichever is greater. That said, if you have a $30,000 car to sell come talk to me and we’ll do a deal on commission. Nothing has to be paid up front. If we sell we take the fees off your cheque. If we don’t, you pay when you release your car.

We’re open 7 days a week. You can book your car in up until 1 hour before sale time. Sales are Saturday at 11:00am and Wednesday night at 6:30pm. On Wednesday night there’s free coffee and hotdogs (all you can eat – the record is 8) and we do a $1,000 draw at the end of the sale (limited to buyers and sellers – record is 4 wins for one dealer).

Auctioneer

[auctioneer]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


Okay, but if one were to get a drug seized car, and found 1/2 kg of something behind the door panel... would said person be obligated to turn it in?

Seriously though, how much lower do auction cars usually sell below private sales (on average)? Also, what auction fees are usually associated with a sale? (for the seller)

Tik-Tok,

If one were to get a drug seized car, and find 1/2 kg of something behind the door panel, one had best keep their mouth shut and not tell anybody about it.

Auction fees are discussed in my post above this one.

The market dictates what cars sell for whether they’re at the auction or in the paper. The owners set the asking prices and the buyers know their buying limits in both places. The auction is not providing a product but a service, a place for the market to do it’s thing. Picture it like this: Of all the vehicles for sale in the paper right now 30% are grossly overpriced, 65% are in the right ballpark for the condition of the vehicle and 5% are so cheap you could get arrested for autotheft. How many owners would you have to call and houses you’d have to visit to find a steal of a deal? How long would that take? Now imagine that the vehicles are all together in the same place for you to look over, you don’t have to contact anybody because we have a rep right there and we can work with you and use our expertise to help you make a deal. So much easier.

To put it simply, there are deals anywhere there is a big enough collection of cars for sale. The auction just makes it easier and quicker to engage the market and get what you want.

Auctioneer

[2BLUE]

What happen's if you dont have the vehile registered? Or never did and you got a standard bill of sale can you still sell at an auction?

[Kobe]

Great thread!

I know when I was looking at cars at auctions last year, I went to Michener Allen and ran about 20 carfax reports, i think 18 or 19 were all from Ontario.

Do they just buy the cars in Ontario and then sell them here? The auction is only once a month, unlike regal.


Also regarding motorcycles, what is the main reason why sport bikes are at the auctions usually? I rememeber seeing a few every time I went...

[inline6turbo]

Sweet! Thanks for the info, I'll be dropping my car off very soon :)

[auctioneer]

If you don’t have a current reggie (registration) we can’t do business. It’s far too easy for the less ethical members of society to mess with a bill of sale.

Lots of guys use to buy cars across the country and bring them to Alberta but the trend has tapered off quite a bit since the man introduced out of province inspection. Generally these days you’ll see newer vehicles coming in from abroad, more and more from the US with the exchange rate the way it is.

We don’t deal a lot with bikes. Most of the ones we get are Bank Repos. Funny thing, once the snow flies people stop making their bike payments. Go figure. We’ve got a CBR right now that will be going to auction in a week or two. I think it’s an ’04 but don’t quote me. It was abandoned on the side of the road and we’ll be selling it unreserved for the government. Doesn’t look like it’s been dropped…

Auctioneer.

[Kobe]

Any idea what a bike like that usually goes for?

[evo916]

I just bought my car from you guys on your anniversary sale, best auction experience Ive had to date, got the car for a great deal and was very happy with what I paid, but the day after I found out it had some minor transmission problems, they were very helpful and managed to get some coin back from the seller to cover transmission replacement.:thumbsup: to you guys

[2EFNFAST]

What happens with high end drug-repo vehicles? For example, today police seized an M3 and 2 Sl55/65s - do these go to auctions?

[sputnik]

Originally posted by 2EFNFAST
What happens with high end drug-repo vehicles? For example, today police seized an M3 and 2 Sl55/65s - do these go to auctions?

READ THE THREAD! This has been covered a number of times already.

[auctioneer]

Kobe,

I'd expect a bike like this to be bringing close to $4,000 but this one will sell unreserved. Highest bid takes it.

2EFNFAST,

I really don't know what the police do with the vehicles after they seize them. My guess is that they hold them as evidence until a judge decides what to do with them. I doubt the auction sees anywhere close to the number of cars they seize.

Auctioneer.

[broken_legs]

Is there much of a difference between the public and Dealer auctions?

Is it worth it to get incorporated and get the AMVIC license?

Edit:
Do the cars in Dealer/Public auctions come from different places?

What percentage of cars at the public auction are being sold by Dealers?

Thanks

[dieselpower91]

Might be a difficult question to answer but is there much market at auctions for high end and specialty vehicles?
Do they usually get many bids compared to your everyday family sedan or whatever?

[auctioneer]

Originally posted by broken_legs
Is there much of a difference between the public and Dealer auctions?

Is it worth it to get incorporated and get the AMVIC license?

Edit:
Do the cars in Dealer/Public auctions come from different places?

What percentage of cars at the public auction are being sold by Dealers?

Thanks


Broken_legs,

In Alberta there are dealer auctions and public auctions. Nobody does both. The only auction in Canada that I can think of that has both dealer and public auctions is Toronto Auto Auctions in Milton ON.

One main difference between the two auctions is the atmosphere. A dealer auction is not a place to learn the ropes. They expect that their customers are professional buyers who know the ins and outs of automobiles and the automotive industry. Case in point: the auctioneer announces “TMU” on a car you want to buy, how does it affect the price you’ll pay? TMU means True Mileage Unknown, the odometer is broken and doesn’t reflect the true distance the car has traveled. Case in point: the auctioneer announces a “Blue Light” declaration, how does that affect the terms of sale. Blue Light means the car is being sold without a registration. This isn’t a problem in Alberta but just try registering your new car with ICBC in BC without the previous owner’s registration. Good luck. Also consider this. You’re in a room with 200 of the best car salesmen in the province. Many of them have cars for sale at the auction. How long do you have until one of them slams you into a rusty old Lada once they figure out you’re a noob?

At a public auction it is understood that some buyers are new to the process. The policies and attitude of the staff reflect this.

The product (cars and trucks) is pretty much the same at either place. However dealer auctions will have a bigger percentage of late model stock (1 or 2 years old). They do offer BRAND NEW vehicles at the dealer auction but they are sold at factory sales and only dealerships for the selling manufacturer can attend. Lots of dealers will move their stock around to the different auctions. Adesa Edmonton on Tuesday, Adesa Calgary on Wednesday morning, Regal Auctions Wednesday night and then Regal again on Saturday. Next week repeat. The dealer auction doesn’t really expose you to a whole new inventory of vehicles.

All of the cars at a dealer auction are dealer owned and more than half at a public auction. Personally I don’t care if a car is dealer owned or not. If the price is right and you’ve checked the car out and know what you’re buying who cares who’s selling it!

Auctioneer.

[soloracer]

What measures are taken to prevent shill bidding? Of particular concern would be when a make model of car is sold to a shill bidder early setting the price level for that make model of car that bidders to follow may use as a guideline. IE: Selling a 1999 F150 truck to a shill bidder for an inflated value knowing that there are several similar models coming up later in the sale where people may look and say "This one is in better shape than that first one so it must be worth XYZ dollars because the other one sold for XYZ dollars". I haven't heard of this happening here but there are lawsuits alleging this practice at a very prominent high end auction in the US.

[stevelou]

do you guys have a website that potential buyers can look at your inventory?

[G-ZUS]

Originally posted by soloracer
What measures are taken to prevent shill bidding? Of particular concern would be when a make model of car is sold to a shill bidder early setting the price level for that make model of car that bidders to follow may use as a guideline. IE: Selling a 1999 F150 truck to a shill bidder for an inflated value knowing that there are several similar models coming up later in the sale where people may look and say "This one is in better shape than that first one so it must be worth XYZ dollars because the other one sold for XYZ dollars". I haven't heard of this happening here but there are lawsuits alleging this practice at a very prominent high end auction in the US.

What is shill bidding?



Originally posted by stevelou
do you guys have a website that potential buyers can look at your inventory?

www.regalauctions.com

[dj_rice]

Originally posted by G-ZUS


What is shill bidding?






Shill Bidding is bidding that artificially increases an item's price or apparent desirability, or bidding by individuals with a level of access to the seller's item information not available to the general Community

[G-ZUS]

Originally posted by dj_rice




Shill Bidding is bidding that artificially increases an item's price or apparent desirability, or bidding by individuals with a level of access to the seller's item information not available to the general Community

Oh that, I hate that :thumbsdow , Regal doesn't allow owners or their reps to bid on their own bidding.

[soloracer]

How do you know? How do they - or any other auction - stop a friend of an owner from inflating the price? I've seen auctions (not Regal) where it was apparent that the auctioneer himself was bidding against the crowd. Maybe there is a telephone bidder or something but it sure doesn't look good.

[auctioneer]

Okay folks,

I’ve kept my mouth shut on the topic of shill bidding because I wanted to see what everyone else had to say before I threw in my two cents. Here’s the deal. Shill bidding is part myth and part fact.

On the fact side shill bidding does happen at auctions occasionally. Not at Regal though. We hate it and it’s illegal. We have signs up telling people not to do it and we will kick you out if we catch you. We know who the regulars are and who they hang out with. Generally they know well enough not to play any games. Occasionally there will be somebody new who thinks they’ll get away with bidding on their own car but more often than not they get caught. It takes a fair bit of skill to know if the other guy is good for another bid. Most newcomers take it too far and end up being the high bid on their own car. When we punch in their bidder number and their name is the same as the seller they’re busted.

On the flip side shill bidding is also a myth. Other buyers want you to think shill bidding happens. Think about it. The car you’ve been waiting for all day comes into the ring. You start bidding. Some guy walks up and tells you that the owner is bidding you up. Are you going to keep bidding? Probably not. You’re likely going to get pissed off and walk away. The other guy is now free to buy the car himself without battling you for it and paying more money. Some buyers will bid very secretively at the auction to keep the other buyers from seeing them. They bid with a wink or a nod or a scratch of their nose. They’re hoping that when you look around and can’t find anybody bidding against you you’ll assume the auctioneer is bidding you up and you’ll quit.

These are what we call auction games.

Auctioneer

[bituerbo]

This is a really good thread with a ton of great information for anyone thinking of heading out to the auctions.

[G-ZUS]

I was talking to a dealer friend of mine who sells vehicles in a bunch of auctions. A lot of them do let the dealers shill bid, if they win their car back, they have to pay $50 or some shit like that.

[auctioneer]

G-zus,

It wouldn’t surprise me if some auctions operate like that. Until just a few months ago there was one auction in town that would say “SOLD” after every car went on the auction block regardless of whether it was in fact sold. Games like that really piss me off because they make the whole industry look bad. Anyone who’s been to a few of our sales can vouch for me when I say we don’t let owners bid on their own cars at Regal. There have been a few times recently where the auctioneer has caught an owner and really embarrassed them in front of the crowd. It can be pretty funny to listen to at times.

Auctioneer

[auctioneer]

Those of you who’ve been to car auctions before, what do you think we can do better? What kind of services would you like to see from the auctions in the future?

Auctioneer

[boxer23]

get some heaters going, and put a vacuum to the back of a cars exhaust when there are beaters going through, I hate smelling all those fumes:thumbsup:

[G-ZUS]

Originally posted by auctioneer
G-zus,

It wouldn’t surprise me if some auctions operate like that. Until just a few months ago there was one auction in town that would say “SOLD” after every car went on the auction block regardless of whether it was in fact sold. Games like that really piss me off because they make the whole industry look bad. Anyone who’s been to a few of our sales can vouch for me when I say we don’t let owners bid on their own cars at Regal. There have been a few times recently where the auctioneer has caught an owner and really embarrassed them in front of the crowd. It can be pretty funny to listen to at times.

Auctioneer

:rofl: @ the auctioneer embarrassing the owner, I think I was there one of those times

[msommers]

Are you allowed to start up and/or test drive vehicles before bidding?

[ringmaster]

auctioneer, If I am looking for a motorcycle that has been written off, where can I find one at auction? I have tried Graham and was told that they don't do that sort of thing. I forget the name of the other place I tried but they told me I needed a yearly membership to bid, and even then, they didnt usually have motorcycles. There has got to be somewhere that the insurance companies use to get rid of them??

[G-ZUS]

Originally posted by ringmaster
auctioneer, If I am looking for a motorcycle that has been written off, where can I find one at auction? I have tried Graham and was told that they don't do that sort of thing. I forget the name of the other place I tried but they told me I needed a yearly membership to bid, and even then, they didnt usually have motorcycles. There has got to be somewhere that the insurance companies use to get rid of them??

Try Impact!

[ringmaster]

Originally posted by G-ZUS


Try Impact!

Right thats the name of the place I tried! They told me I needed a membership, which to me was not worth it to buy one broken down bike for slightly higher than the membership costs.

[Doh]

Originally posted by auctioneer
G-zus,

It wouldn’t surprise me if some auctions operate like that. Until just a few months ago there was one auction in town that would say “SOLD” after every car went on the auction block regardless of whether it was in fact sold. Games like that really piss me off because they make the whole industry look bad. Anyone who’s been to a few of our sales can vouch for me when I say we don’t let owners bid on their own cars at Regal. There have been a few times recently where the auctioneer has caught an owner and really embarrassed them in front of the crowd. It can be pretty funny to listen to at times.

Auctioneer
Actuallygrowing up,(till grade 5) I lived next to a girl that wound up as a "Nodder" at Adessa Winnipeg for Ford in 1997.

Bear in mind how many Ford lease returns were flowing through the auctions at that time.

Adessa's monthly price guide would have 2 pages of Pontiacs, 3 pages of Chevy's, and 15 pages of Ford's.

Other than that, Dealer auctions are very fair nowdays. Other than a few dealers that purchase vehicles, and resell them the next day at a profit on the other "buy it now" auctions.

[Doh]

Ok auctioneer

How has Ford's Accellerate plan affect the number of vehicles, through your sale recently?

[G-ZUS]

auctioneer plz check pm

[auctioneer]

Originally posted by msommers
Are you allowed to start up and/or test drive vehicles before bidding?

You can get the keys for vehicles and check them out any day of the week up until an hour before sale time. We don’t allow people to drive around the lot or take the cars out on the road. Some people just don’t know how to drive plain and simple.

If you know what you’re doing you can get a pretty good idea of what a car is all about from looking it over and hearing it run. If it’s blowing puffy clouds of white smoke then antifreeze is leaking into the cylinders. If there’s thin blue smoke the car is burning oil. If the engine is stuttering one of the cylinders could be misfiring. If the motor turns over inconsistently (slow turn, slow turn, quick turn) before it fires there may be poor compression in one cylinder. If the check engine light (dummy light) is on then it needs service. If it goes through the auction on a tow truck it probably doesn’t run and drive. You’d be surprised how many people miss that one.

Official policy aside, if you’re seriously interested in a particular vehicle for a fair amount of coin we may be able to arrange a test drive on one of our dealer plates. You have to understand though that we don’t always have the staff or the time to facilitate it but if you’re not screwing us around we will go the extra mile to help you make a good buy.


Originally posted by Doh
Ok auctioneer

How has Ford's Accellerate plan affect the number of vehicles, through your sale recently?

I have to plead the 5th here. I’m not sure what Ford’s Accellerate plan is all about. Manufacturers generally are under contract to only deal with Adesa. As a result any marketing plan Ford would issue would have minimal effect on our sales.

I’ll tell you what does affect us though, housing prices. It seems everyone who can has pulled their newfound equity out of their house and gone new car shopping. The market has been flooded with their traded in vehicles. Kijiji is listing 3000 more vehicles for sale than 6 months ago. Our yard is full to the brim. We’ve been parking vehicles anywhere we can fit them. Twice in the past few months we had to turn away sellers due to lack of space. We’ve never turned people away before in the 22 years we’ve been in business. Prices are down too. More supply = less demand per vehicle = lower values.

Auctioneer

[G-ZUS]

Did you get my pm?

[Moe Man]

Originally posted by auctioneer
Those of you who’ve been to car auctions before, what do you think we can do better? What kind of services would you like to see from the auctions in the future?

Auctioneer

go to adesa..... 100 time better cars and 100 time less of a worry.

i went on a tuesday drove a CTS in the parking lot, wednesday i owned it for 17800

:thumbsup:

oh ya we have a iggy picture from regal, a real one. got it for 300 bux :thumbsup:

[TomcoPDR]

We aren't all previlaged to get into Adesa :(