Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Buy Repo Cars - Tips Before Buying

When you go to buy repo cars from an auction or online directory, there are many great deals out there. It is very common to get repossessed cars for 90% off of their book value. However, there are a few tips you should know to get the best bang for your buck and to ensure that you have made a smart purchase.

Firstly, you have to understand that many of these cars will have small mechanical problems with them because they have thousands of miles on them. Since you are getting them for way below the book value, it is still worth paying some cash to get these problems fixed. When you buy repo cars, you will still save a ton of money even if the fix costs you a few hundred dollars.

It is very rare that test drives are permitted at these repo car auctions, so you should get to the auction lot as early as you can to take time and check out each vehicle that interests you. If you don't know much about cars it's a great idea to bring a friend that does, so he can point out things that you may not notice. Before you buy repo cars it's imperative that you are confident in it and this inspection before the auction begins will insure that your money is going to a good purchase.

There are online directories available displaying local auctions to buy repo cars in your area. I would suggest getting a list of some cars that you like from these directories and looking up the Blue Book value for each one. Now when you go to look at them on auction day you know how good or bad of a deal you are getting. These online directories also display the starting bid and the VIN of the vehicle.

If you really want a specific car, but you are hesitant because you can't test drive it, you can look up its history report at CarFax with the cars VIN. This will inform you of all the work done on the car in the past and I use it whenever I buy repo cars myself to ensure I'm making a smart purchase.

Always be prepared before going to buy repo cars. Check which cars will be on the auction lot by searching local auto auction databases. The author has reviewed the top repo auto auction websites (with database search) at http://www.risingproducts.com/carauctionreview.html

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