Buying from Copart or Similar type places

[cliffords]

I am not a car dealer , I don't want to become a car dealer .

I do have a lot of vehicle repair experience , tools , space and time , and I want to buy four used vehicles for family over the rest of this year .

I would rather buy Trade type deals and prepare them for each family member . I can see that you can buy from Copart as a private buyer , and they have cars that are not categorised to search . I have not done it before and would welcome any advice from those who have Copart or auction alternatives . Other alternatives preferred.

I am in Sussex, can travel have a tow car and access to a trailer . I am now retired so have flexible time .

I am not looking at high cost vehicles all sub £10k value if they were smart and on a gagarage lot

Thanks

[Gary29]

I've done similar, both mine and my partners cars have come from Copart (they were both Cat N Non-structural).

Process was very straightforward, exactly like buying off eBay, I paid a little extra to have them delivered for me.

Fixed each up over the course of a few weeks, both have performed perfectly, well over 2 years now. I prefer paying less for an 'honest' car, than paying a premium for a shiny prepared car off a forecourt, better the devil you know and all that.

You have to pay a membership fee to bid on Copart cars, and then factor in the VAT and auction fees on top of the hammer price, so make sure you've considered the total cost you're going to pay when budgeting, apart from that it's as easy as buying anything else online.

And without trying to patronise you, make sure any parts you might need are definitely available before you commit to buying the vehicle, sourcing the parts is the hardest part in my experience.

Edited by Gary29 on Wednesday 19th March 10:00

[Richard-390a0]

I've let my membership lapse lately as there's so many people jumping onto this now to make a fast buck, there just aren't the bargains there used to be compared to a few years ago.

[speciald]

I looked into this recently as I need a cheap run around for a few months but the costs seemed expensive (final fees, etc).

[eth2190]

There are some deals to be had on Copart but in my experience the cars often don't end up as cheap as you would like. You could be competing with international bidders who push the price up.

It's worth expanding your search to more local auction houses selling part ex stuff. You may benefit from having a much smaller pool of bidders.

With Copart the most important thing to look out for is an "X" on the end of the number on the windscreen. This means it is direct from the insurer, so less likely to be something dishonest with it. Anything else could be doctored to look good in photos, or hiding nasty problems so assume the worst.

Be sure to zoom in on every photo with it set to "HD" and look at all the little details you wouldn't normally pay attention to. You can guarantee the car will look worse than the photos when it arrives.

[paul_c123]

To make Copart worthwhile, you need to "think" like a trader:

1. Be prepared to "eat the cost" of misdescribed cars. They are geared up for trade-to-trade, there is no comeback unless its hideously misdescribed
2. Copart cars never seem to come with service history. Bear this in mind for future plans
3. Don't get attached to wanting a particular car. You need to be prepared to let it go if someone else wants it more and outbids you, or it doesn't make reserve and they don't come down.