To bid or not to bid...

Question

I'm looking 4 a used classic miata, acura or honda. Never bid before, but been following BAT and Cars and Bids for a year now. Really like all the detailed info and pics they provide, way more than say Craigslist ads which seem so scant and shady. But, i can't c auction site cars up front caz they're usually out of state or just to far away. Would u bid on a car that seems great and has tons of detailed info, pics, and a Carfax/autocheck but that u can't c in person up front, or stick with Craigslist where u could c/test it, but get much less upfront info from the seller?? Which is less of a blind alley?? Don't have a ton of $$, and don't wanna get burned!

{pear}:happy:

Dad2LM2 · Accepted Answer

If you find an interesting car on CL but it seems sketchy you can always get a third party inspection. Many local mechanics offer that service, and there are dedicated used-car inspection services like Lemon Squad in most cities. But 2 things: 1) the cost is on you, but is usually only a couple hundred bucks (and can pay for itself if you use the info to negotiate a better price). And 2) if the seller won’t allow it to be inspected run - don’t walk - far away.

scottykilmer · Answer

Not a good idea to buy an auction car especially in out-of-state one even I've been burned on that stuff. Buy local unless you have a friend in another state with a great mechanic who can check it out auction cars are normally problem cars and often they don't even let you do anything more than look at it even at the auction they don't even let you drive on most of them

OldRangerNut · Answer

Protect yourself ! When purchasing any form of major machine, car, boat, tractor, truck, etc, if you can't see, inspect, and test the device/vehicle, don't buy it.

But if you have too much interest, and want to continue anyway, the advice of Dad2pwd above is quite sound.

I would find an inspection service local to the vehicle/device, have them inspect and provide a written condition report.

I would do this prior to any form of bidding or deposit.