5 tips for buying the perfect classic car at an auction

If you’ve ever experienced the thrill of bagging yourself a beautiful classic car at an auction, you’ll know what a special feeling it is. Unfortunately, if this is something you want to dip your toes into but have zero experience, your chances of landing a four-wheeled nightmare are unnervingly high. That’s why we thought we’d put together five of our best tips for buying the perfect classic car at an auction. It isn’t an easy game to play, but follow our advice, and you could walk away with an absolute stunner.

1. Don’t be fooled

It doesn’t take much to clean a car and make it look far better than it’s history and mechanical performance suggest. Cars are rarely as good as they look at an auction, so don’t base your bids on visuals only. Use the way the car looks as a starting point - nothing more.

2. Double check the VIN

This is pretty much vehicle buying 101, granted, but it’s particularly important at auctions where a chat with the prior owner isn’t necessarily an option. Make a note of the VIN on the base of the windscreen and check for other places where it might be present. You’ll typically find it on stickers attached to the insides of doors and within the boot somewhere. If the numbers don’t match, this particular vehicle may well be a lemon. Avoid.

3. Be realistic

Sure, this motor looks fantastic, the VIN checks out and the price is right, but it has mechanical issues. Do you have the stomach (and budget) to address them? Are you able to undertake the work yourself or do you have a friendly mechanic you can rely on?

4. Only go with ‘as-is’ if you’re ready for it

Auction cars are sold on an ‘as-is’ basis. That means they come as they are - no warranties (usually) and no handing back if it turns out you don’t like it once it becomes your possession. This makes car buying of this nature inherently risky. If you’re not up for the challenge, walk away. If you are - enjoy the thrill!

5. Watch what others do

If you’re new to car auctions, it pays to watch what other bidders do, because you can learn an awful lot. The way they inspect cars may help you suss out the vehicles yourself, and you should find that it’s actually a pretty friendly community. There will likely be a number of people there who either run car sales businesses or who are hobbyist collectors, and many will happily talk shop with you. They won’t give away their secrets, but you’ll certainly learn something every time you speak to them.

Wrapping up

One final tip: don’t get caught up in the bidding. At an auction, it’s scarily easy to get carried away and end up paying far more for a car than it would ever be worth. Always be ready to walk away. Even if that means grabbing some form of public transport to return home, it’ll be a far better journey than struggling back in a Friday afternoon job! Image credit