BCA Auctions

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Has anyone bought form them before ?

I m looking to buy a high mileage 100K miles which is two or three years old - Something like a BMW or a Audi and there seems to be a lot of cars from BCA

Has anyone bought for them and what should i be careful of?

Thanks all in advance
 
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The likes of webuyanycar.com or whatever are usually owned by the big car auction people, which is why they'll take any rubbish.
Not all auctions are available to the public - the trade get in first, cream off the goodies and you'll get what's left.
You won't get a test drive or a warranty in the vast majority of sales - maybe an hours warranty if you're lucky! You need to see the car first and watch it as it goes into the ring....it'll be there for less than a minute! You settle up with cash or debit card before you drive away and it's your job to sort insurance (which you may be able to sort on the spot.)
Damage and other nasties such as mileage (warranted or otherwise) are displayed on a card in the windscreen. You won't necessarily know how many owners it has had or it's MOT or even service history. Recent vehicles will fly out of the door.
Don't expect an absolute steal - if the car hasn't made its reserve then its a lemon. The trade can sniff them out like dirty socks.
Auctions aren't for the shy, do visit them before you want to buy and sit on your hands! Follow the breakneck speed of what's happening and see how it's done.
The good auction stuff will end up in the hands of second hand car dealers who will hike the price, naturally enough but you will get a warranty and maybe finance if you want it.
Auctions are great fun so long as you don't overbid!
Other sources could be the likes of Motorpoint or Car Guru's so I'd recommend a bit of homework.....even Autotrader for a private sale.
Enjoy, and good luck with your search!
John :)
 
I used to buy all my cars at auctions but I would not recommend it unless you know about cars and can mend the inevitable faults yourself - or allow for the repairs in the price.
Having said that, the ones I used to buy were a lot older than three years.

Don't buy anything no one else wants - but obviously this will increase the price.
 
Depends how old you are looking for, but most of the decent German cars get sold in bulk to the likes of BigMotoringWorld etc.. If you are quick you can get details of the car they are selling and access the Auction appraisal on auction view, so you can spot any damage they may have repaired. They sell about 10% markup vs you buying direct as non-trade, but you get the advantage of being able to look the car over and know what price its going for.

They try hard to sell you a warranty and special polish, but those are worthless.

You have to look them over as they tend to go for those with a few drinks and buff them up to look nice, but you will pay a lot less than a dealer will sell for.
 
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Can I have your thoughts on buying a three year old 00k miles car versus a six year old 40k miles car

I think high mileage and new car is better than old with no mileage
 
Can I have your thoughts on buying a three year old 00k miles car versus a six year old 40k miles car

I think high mileage and new car is better than old with no mileage
I would buy a 6 year old 40k mile car over a 100k 3 year old car every time, assuming they were like for like cosmetically.
 
I guess this one could run for a while, but for what it’s worth here’s my pennorth.
If you can find a 6 yr old vehicle with 40k then go for it.....there’s a reasonable chance that it could have been cherished and its overall condition would reflect this.
However, short runs where the car hasn’t been fully warmed up isn’t good either but frequent oil changes would sort that.
I wouldn’t want a 100k plus car that had been driven flat out all it’s life either - although the engine may take it there’s still wear on the running gear, transmission and suspension.....especially if it has a DSG gearbox.
Diesel cars like long runs to keep the pollution controls clean.
Do consider vehicles that have come through the Motability scheme. They will have full service history and well repaired if necessary. Any vehicle you find should have service history but not necessarily from a main dealer, it should have two ignition keys too.
You haven’t mentioned the size of the piggy bank but you do seem to like a prestige vehicle?
John :)
 
Can I have your thoughts on buying a three year old 00k miles car versus a six year old 40k miles car

I think high mileage and new car is better than old with no mileage
Umm, yes, well... 20+ years ago I would go with the high milage younger car if I could see the service history but since the turn of the century factory bodywork protection has improved leaps and bounds.

But at 40K miles you could still be buying trouble, the archtypical low mileage, one lady owner car may not have been serviced properly; the low mileage because it's been driven 2 miles everyday (Knackering) or 100 miles every weekend (Less knackering). If look on this website you will see reports of the work that has been carried out on Dual Clutch Automatic gearboxes - 40K miles seems to be a major service point in the life of such.

Me - I'd go to one of large 2nd car emporiums and find a car you like, get them to take you through owner and service history. Check everything you can, ideally take a friendly car mechanic with you and go for a good long test drive. I did that five years ago - sub 40K car still goes well, running costs haven't been to bad (Back street garage servicing £200 every 2 years >including premium oil<, MOT £55 per year, Cam Belt at 80K - £400, only unexpected bills - 2 coil springs - £80 each fitted, one injector including fitting £350 >Ouch!<). Check for accident damage.

On the whole Bodywork is still the most expensive repair costs.

Aim to buy a car that has done 8-12K per year, full service history on Mid to Premium tryes. If it has a spare then that should have as near new as possible tyre on the rim.

BCA take a lot of ex-fleet or ex-hire cars - some are good, some are absolute wrecks thrashed to an early death.
 
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I guess this one could run for a while, but for what it’s worth here’s my pennorth.
If you can find a 6 yr old vehicle with 40k then go for it.....there’s a reasonable chance that it could have been cherished and its overall condition would reflect this.
However, short runs where the car hasn’t been fully warmed up isn’t good either but frequent oil changes would sort that.
I wouldn’t want a 100k plus car that had been driven flat out all it’s life either - although the engine may take it there’s still wear on the running gear, transmission and suspension.....especially if it has a DSG gearbox.
Diesel cars like long runs to keep the pollution controls clean.
Do consider vehicles that have come through the Motability scheme. They will have full service history and well repaired if necessary. Any vehicle you find should have service history but not necessarily from a main dealer, it should have two ignition keys too.
You haven’t mentioned the size of the piggy bank but you do seem to like a prestige vehicle?
John :)


Thanks yes I am looking for something nice. I saw a nice x5 two years older with 100k on the clock. That will probably go for 20k.
 
Umm, yes, well... 20+ years ago I would go with the high milage younger car if I could see the service history but since the turn of the century factory bodywork protection has improved leaps and bounds.

But at 40K miles you could still be buying trouble, the archtypical low mileage, one lady owner car may not have been serviced properly; the low mileage because it's been driven 2 miles everyday (Knackering) or 100 miles every weekend (Less knackering). If look on this website you will see reports of the work that has been carried out on Dual Clutch Automatic gearboxes - 40K miles seems to be a major service point in the life of such.

Me - I'd go to one of large 2nd car emporiums and find a car you like, get them to take you through owner and service history. Check everything you can, ideally take a friendly car mechanic with you and go for a good long test drive. I did that five years ago - sub 40K car still goes well, running costs haven't been to bad (Back street garage servicing £200 every 2 years >including premium oil<, MOT £55 per year, Cam Belt at 80K - £400, only unexpected bills - 2 coil springs - £80 each fitted, one injector including fitting £350 >Ouch!<). Check for accident damage.

On the whole Bodywork is still the most expensive repair costs.

Aim to buy a car that has done 8-12K per year, full service history on Mid to Premium tryes. If it has a spare then that should have as near new as possible tyre on the rim.

BCA take a lot of ex-fleet or ex-hire cars - some are good, some are absolute wrecks thrashed to an early death.
Thanks for a detailed answer. That’s exactly what I am trying to find out. How can you tell between the motorway cruiser treated nicely and the ex rental car that was thrashed.
 
X5? Youre looking at a high spec 14 plate with around 75k for around 20 grand.
Huge running costs too!
John :)
 
Rental cars are always thrashed and the firm will be mentioned as the first owner/keeper.
Often they are traded on before even the first service is due.....the running costs are so tight.
Cars these days are masters of disguise.....a clever dealer can make an old dog look like the deal of the year to the untrained eye.
At least you can scan previous mots to see if the mileage is kosher.
John :)
 
A lot of X5's were sold recently as a run out model - you could get one for about the same price as an X3 a year or so ago.
Beast of a vehicle but I doubt if you'd crack 40MPG on a run (diesel speak here.)
John :)
 
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