The Car Hub

Most drivers have their eyes on more expensive cars than they presently drive so The Car Hub team have some handy hints to help them get that newer car on their driveway.
Drivers of Rollers, Bentleys, Ferraris and other top priced vehicles this article is not for you, time to ask your valet/butler to bring the wine up from the cellar.
Many people in the past have avoided auctions as a way of buying a vehicle, now with online car auctions available it is possible to secure that desired motor much cheaper than at forecourt prices.
Let’s be open minded and switch to the technology available now in 2010, buying used cars at auction does not carry the same risk as it did years ago; the internet has given us all the tools we require to safeguard ourselves. If you are willing to go down the auction road these are the ways to safely secure your new vehicle.
Source your car from either of the big auction boys like Manheim Auctions or British Car Auctions, both these two hold UK wide car auctions in dozens of locations every day of the working week including Saturdays.
Your first definitive move should be to sign up with an auction house for at least a month (cost say £15) before considering buying, you will then have the availability to check all their recent car sales countrywide and most importantly model by model, what price they were sold at thereby providing the evidence of whether you can afford the car/year/model desired and it is within your price range.
It matters not where you are in the country, you can buy from any car auction anywhere. When you have noted a car, or selection of cars, available at an auction you next need to verify these vehicles are worth spending your money on; it may be an extra cost but if you are planning to outlay thousands on a good car they provide vital peace of mind.
Both the AA , RAC plus Autocheck (part of Experian) will carry out on-site inspection of cars, if you’re a member of either the AA or RAC you will qualify for a discount, prices can start at £100 and rise according to thoroughness of test, if you have more than one vehicle for inspection quantity discounts are available. A cheaper option, but more basic and not so thorough, is to have an inspection carried out by the auction house engineers.
You will also need to check the history of your proposed buy, no problem here as there are many free checks available through very reputable companies such as Autocheck. This check will provide you information such as whether there is any outstanding hire purchase, has it previously been written off or if it is a stolen car.
Bidding on line is not difficult, you will need to sign up with the auction house first in order to link into their computer system, then it’s buy time.
You now own your car, the final item is to ensure the future smooth running of it, here is where an extended warranty comes in. As its name implies an extended warranty can provide cover similar to, but probably not as comprehensive as the car manufacturer’s warranty, if this has expired then at the least you will provide yourself with some cover for unexpected failure of parts and likely cheaper servicing costs.
Bill Williams
www.thecarhub.net