Buying a car at an auction can save you hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars off the price you would normally pay at a car dealer; if you know exactly how to go about finding the car that you want to buy. By the way, car dealers go to car auctions too. As someone that has actually bought a few cars at an auction I can tell you that you can find great deals if you follow the tips I have offered in this article.

In order to find the best deal at an auto auction, you must do the following:

1. Find an online car auction dealer (see the bottom of this article for the best car auction company in the business) who has the widest selection of automobiles that you can view online before you buy.

2. Once you find a website that will let you view the widest selection then search their database to find the car you want to buy. Get car's vehicle identification number and take it over to carfax.com to get the following crucial information on the car you want to buy:

a. TITLE CHECK: Salvaged, Lemon, Flooded, Rebuilt. b. ODOMETER CHECK: Fraud, Rolled over, Rolled back, Broken. c. PROBLEM CHECK: Major accident, Salvage auction, Fire damage, Stolen. d. REGISTRATION CHECK: Leased, Rental, Taxi / Police, Fleet car.

3. Upon completing your search at carfax.com, you are now ready to find out if the car you have found can be seen before the auction begins. Usually most car auction companies will let you see their vehicles before their official auction time.

4. If the car can be seen, make sure you take a good mechanic (if you don't know much about cars engines) who can give the car a once over to make sure that the engine is not missing any crucial parts. Typically, car auction companies may not let you even start the car before the official time the auction is scheduled to begin. 5. Once the auction starts, you will then be able to see how the car drives and sounds. Again, you will not get the chance to drive it yourself. A driver who works for the auction establishment will drive the car slowly through their show room / area and your mechanic can give you his professional opinion of whether you should bid on the car or truck or not.

6. Once the bidding starts you make sure you have your cash deposit ready to place on the car that you end up being the highest bidder on. Usually most auction houses will ask for a $500 non-refundable deposit. So you must make sure you are serious about the car you want to buy before bidding on it.

7. Once you have paid your deposit, you have 24 hours to pay the balance on the car. Be sure to take the vehicle identification number of the car to a car insurance provider so that you can have it insured before you drive off the auction lot. If you already have a car, your automobile insurer can cover your second car for you.

So the most important part of getting the best deal at a car auction is to make sure you start with an online auction house that has the widest selection. Good luck and shop smart. I highly recommend that you start you search with the Online Car Auction House that will help you find a car near you.

Click Here to start you search at one of the biggest Car Auction sites on the internet.

About the Author

Tom Davidson is an auto enthusiast and an expert in automobiles. He writes prolifically about car buying and maintenance.