Buying Used at an Auto Auction?

Hey everyone, I've been a frequent rennlister for the past few months, and I think I am finally ready to pull the trigger on a new 996. Unfortunately, I haven't had any luck with private sales or dealerships lately, so I've been contemplating going the auto auction route. Has anyone had any experience with this? I am a little uneasy about buying a car without having a Porsche Certified Mechanic taking a look at it, but I feel like the amount of money I could save on the car might be worth it in case I do have a "small" problem in the future. A local guy, who has done a lot of Porsche purchasing over the years would be the one buying the car, but he wants a signed contract and a $2,000 check in order to try and "buy" the car for me. Although, he did say he would let me accompany him to the auction, which makes me feel a little better. Is there any way to build in some sort of inspection to an auto auction purpose? Basically, some way of saying "yes I'll buy the car as long as my mechanic takes a look at it and okays it from major issues". Any help would be GREATLY appreciated, there are a few cars for sale at the auction this Thursday. THANKS!

Not sure what kind of "auction" you are referring to. The auctions where banks and finance companies liquidate cars they cannot otherwise sell sometimes for a fee give a brief (e.g. 24 hr.) time period to return the car. You should your contact about the protocol at the auction you will be attending.

what auction are you going to? the best route is work out a fix number with your dealer friend. he then bid the car for you, after he got the car, you take the car to PPI, if you happy, make a deal. pay him the purchase price + the fix number. if not, he go ahead sell the car on his own(since he buys and sells p-car himself too). and you go back to the next acution date. good luck!

I'd probably wait it out and find a private sale or talk to a Porsche dealership. There are a lot of used cars the dealerships can find for you from other Porsche dealerships which will be certified with warranty. You can also look on the Porsche website and see all used cars available throughout the country.

He buys cars from the major auto auctions that all the dealers use in the Tri-State area. More specifically, the Manheim PA auction and the Manville NJ auction. Also, I am not sure if he will just buy the car outright if I don't purchase it. He wants the signed contract and the 2k deposit in order to act as an agent in my behalf to purchase a car with my specifications.

My understanding of typical reputable auctions is that there's a preview period before the actual auction date which enables the potential bidders to inspect the merchandise. Of course, you'd still have to have a good relationship with an indy shop mechanic for him to accompany you.

I am in the same boat.takes A couple of months to fine the right car.First get what you want do not let four or five grand be the main facter.this is not an investment.buy the car you love you will know it when you see it .As interest rates go up I see 2002 cabs droping ten grand in A year.So buy the car you want and keep it for A while and injoy it on long trips.

Auctions are "as is". If you screw up and buy the car, that's it, you have no recourse. IMO, you'd be foolish to go this route unless very seasoned about the cars you are looking for............... Why do you think he's putting the burden on you. Ask your friend if you'll be stuck with the car or is he willing to own the 996 regardless????? Wait it out and find the right car, even Ebay is smarter than the route you're considering. Also, why are you having such a hard time? These cars are everywhere. What are you looking for? What price range? Maybe someone here can help. Good luck!

Well last time I went to a car auction (7 or 8 years ago), I remember a nice looking 944 that went for a low price, and I also remember how I saw it again after the auction about 3 blocks away, with the hood open and all sorts of steam and smoke coming out, and how it didn't look all that nice after that. Honest story. You be the judge.

I know a local used car lot owner that purchases cars at auctions. A lot of the cars are from lease returns and have about 1 year left on the factory warranty. It's cheaper than going to a Porsche dealer, but I'm not sure how I would feel about having a car that was off a lease. Am and I right in assuming that most people who lease cars have more of a tendency to abuse the cars instead of babying them? What do you guys think.

Unfortunately, I am quite young (25), so people selling p-cars are not very receptive to me. This includes dealerships, private sellers, etc. Heh, no one really trusts me taking it out for a test drive I guess. Actually, I just talked to the auction guy, and I have the opportunity to test drive the car tomorrow morning before the auction takes place. We'll see, I am looking for a very specific car, and when I find it, I'm willing to jump. I will probably get a company to add a warranty to the car, can anyone recommend anyone in the New Jersey area? I'd hate to get stuck with the 8k engine replacement bill....

I dont have a ton of auction experience but my understanding is that, while there is a preview period, there is no option to test drive, inspect, etc so I would question what type of auction it is you are going to. if you have the money, they will take you seriously ... i would worry more about being taken advantage of ....

Just my $0.02. An auction is a gamble. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. There are reason auctions like Manheim are not open to the public. Dealers that buy at auction are stocking up on inventory they plan to resell to somebody else. Even if they pick up a stinker, as long as they can unload it on some unsuspecting SOB, they can make money. If you get stuck with a stinker your only recourse is to fix it or try to sell it. Also, don't forget you aren't really getting the wholesale price, you have to pay your auction agent his fee. Here's another thought, if you are a dealer/bank and get stuck with a lease return/repo car that nobody wants to buy, where would you go to dump it? As long as you are willing and able to deal with the possible downside risk, auctions are an option for you. Here's parting quote: "The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory.”

Another $0.02 worth (enough of these and you could buy a cup of coffee) I would imagine there will be a large number of flood damaged cars showing up in auctions in the near term. I would be sceptical of the "deal too good to be true"

Thanks for the advise so far, I'll be sure to let everyone know how my experience goes tomorrow. I probably won't pull the trigger, but it might be good to have a look. I do have a Porsche mechanic in the family, and he's only a short drive away. We'll see!

PS: RaceCarDriver your mailbox is full. His name is Peter, from Highline Imports.

A couple of years ago, I bought a Boxster from an indepedent used car guy that specialized in Porsches and other high end cars. He turns a 100 or more cars a month and was a good judge of cars from what I could see. Somehow he e knew the history of the Boxster which I confirmed by calling the dealership where it had been serviced The car still had a year of the factory warranty left. He let me have the car for what he said was $600 over what he paid. I drove the car for a year, put 20,000 miles on it without any problems and then traded it on my current C2 at a dealer for a certified car. True cash value at trade in was $500 less than I paid. While I acknowledge this was a super deal, it shows you can really win going this route. Someone who knows the auctions knows how to find out about the car before buying. I imagine the first thing is get a car fax before the bidding. As long as you get a car with a remaining new car warranty your risk is pretty low. Unless the car was in a collision there should be nothing that a new car warranty can't make right.

thanks I just cleared my mailbox, sorry abou that.. I spoke to him as well. Let me know how it goes.

Im about to do the samething up here in MASS... I pulled the trigger...

Bought my 01 996 C2 from Peter... great transaction. Very professional, no problems with car. Price was right, and I purchased a warranty from him (via autosource) which hasnt been fabulous, but is good disaster protection. PM me for more information. Ross

I talked to three porsche dealers in San Francisco area they all said the same thing they buy there used cars at the porsche aution.Also most carfaxs will show most of these cars are lease returns that are on the dealers lot.Very few people buy new 100,000 and up cars new most are leased.after 30,000 miles they turn them in get something new.

Just some pics of some cars from e-bay.

I bought mine from a friend of a friend (a porsche fan who has a dealers license) at an auction for 500.00 over his cost, it had one year left on the fact. wrnty.. I paid about 7k less than the local p dealers were asking. It was from a bank - post 3 yr. lease expiration, one month later I needed a new engine, - luckily all done under wrnty. I then bought an extended wrnty and have been happy since. If the car is still under factory coverage, I think it can be a good gamble, provided you have a porsche knowledgable person buying, and this guy let me take it for a ppi to a local dealer (the car checked out fine) before actually signing it over.

you are very lucky.

I paid about 7k less than the local p dealers were asking. It was from a bank - post 3 yr. lease expiration, one month later I needed a new engine, Hey Bob - Another blown engine to add to your list.

my friend bought a c2 from the manheim auctions. Took it off-roading and cracked the oil pan, lost about 9 quarts of oil driving it home. Fixed the oil pan and put it back into the auction. As the cliche goes - buyer beware.

I bought my 2001 C2 at Manheim Auto Auction summer 2004. My dealer gave me his password to get on the Manheim website to pull up all 911s that would be at the auction. I CARFAXed all that looked interesting. Yes I know CARFAX won't give you every detail but I could find out how many owners the car had, when the had service at Porsche dealerships and if they had been in an accident that was reported to the police. On the website I was also able to find out if a car had been sold at the auction previously. My dealer charged me $1,500 to help pick out, inspect (visual and paint meter) and purchase the car. I narrowed it down to 10 cars before we arrived (saw a couple more when we got there), inspected them and narrowed it down to 3 cars I was interesed in purchasing. I set limits on how high to bid on the cars. After the auction you are allowed to take the car out (the car you won) for a "post-sale" test drive. If there is something wrong with the car during the test drive you do not have to purchase it but I would think there is a fee you have to pay for not going through with the purchase. I ended up getting exactly what I wanted, 2001 blk/blk C2 w/18 inch wheels. I did notice durning the test drive some vibration during hard braking. I ended up having to replace the brakes which yes was expensive but I still paid less after the new brakes and dealer fee than I would have paid a private purchase or buying from floor inventory from a dealer. My car still had some origional warranty left which was helpful and provided me with some piece of mind. Overall it was a VERY positive experience for me. The auction was neat as hell, lots of fun. I did my due diligence before hand and knew exactly what I was looking for. Good luck! Kevin

I highly recommend Dave Maynard of European Locators, He has a website. Google the name European Locators. He is a car broker, and specializes in Porsches for a modest fee, you tell him what car you are looking for and what you want to pay, he will find one for you , deal with setting up PPI PRIOR to purchase, etc. I just bought a car from him and he is thorough!!!

car broker is an excellent suggestion. ALso if you come to NJ and buy from a used car dealer you get an automatic 6 month power train warranty. Takes allot of the fear out of the purchase. I'll be taking a trip to Manheim for my C4s.