Auctions... Would you?

[insomniac]

Simple question
would you or have you ever bought a bike from an Auction?

Reason for asking is this, there is an auction house not far from me.
I only discovered this after talking to someone who bought 2 bikes for the same price I bought my single one. Theirs are a few years younger than mine as well and both are running ok .
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Most people seem to put in when they've past what so here goes.
CBT: 16/09/12; Theory: 20/02/13 MOD1:20/05/13 MOD2:29/05/13
Suzuki Marauder GZ125; Suzuki Intruder VL800

[stinkwheel]

Yes I would.

I would take the oppertunity to thoroughly view any bikes I was considering buying before the auction. Probably HPI it too.

Many of them are "sold as seen" and it means it. An auction can withdraw your rights under the sale of goods act (they need to tell you this, usually by a notice on the lot in question saying "sold as seen". If the hammer goes down, you jump on the bike, press the starter and it falls to bits like a clowns car, tough shit.

Buying through an auction probably gives you more protection than a private sale though. Not so much with the quality of the bike because it's pretty much always sold as seen but if it turns out there was a legal problem with the bike ownership or it was misdescribed in such a way as you couldn't realistically have known by looking at it*, you have a degree of consumer protection because you technically bought it from the auctioneers, not the previous owner.

*So if it was described as a honda and has suzuki displayed on the engine and tank, it wont fly. If it is sold as a UK model and turns out to be an import when you get the logbook, you have a reasonable argument.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Rogerborg]

Yes, in principle.

In practice haven't done so because the one time I went to the local auction it had half a dozen cable-tied hacks that went for about what I'd expect to hand over to a private dealer in order to get a test ride.

I reckon everyone else there was trade, and expect that those ropey bikes all appeared in their showrooms as "mint example, be quick at this price" with a big markup.

Waste of a day, although I wouldn't rule it out in future.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Poseidon]

Never bought a bike, but bought plenty of cars through auction. All bar one was brilliant and bought at a fraction of the cost of private/trade prices. The one dodgy one had a hooky MOT, and I mean really hooky. It failed on several major points two weeks earlier, yet different garage gave it a pass with the drivers seat not even attached to the vehicle, no headlamp bulbs with one bulb holder missing and steering that jammed half way to left hand lock, needless to say VOSA had a bit of a field day. I actually contacted the auction house who witheld paying the seller until the situation was sorted, so in the end I wasn't out of pocket.

My only advice is go in with your eyes open. Don't bet what you can't afford to lose as it's always going to be a bit of a gamble. The one time I nearly got bitten in the arse I was lucky. Had it gone the other way and left me with a lemon worth fuckall, it wouldn't have mattered too much as I could've weighed it in for scrap and taken it on the chin for the rest (as well as knowing how to find the guy who put it in for auction and the garage who issued the MOT).

The rest of the cars were great. One ended back at auction a year later and I got 80% of my money back. One I sold in the paper 6 months later for 100% profit, another one sold for 50% profit 2 months after I bought it. Two were involved in RTAs, neither was a mechanical failure. One sort of melted when some twat put a new battery in the wrong way around, one was weighed in for scrap for the same money I paid for it and one was scrapped for free, but it only cost me 70quid and I got 10months motoring out of it. None needed any serious work doing either. A couple of back boxes here and there, new tyres, oil changes, spark plugs and a set of discs and pads. but that's it.

[Rogerborg]

^^^
Tempted to rate that OT as my experiences at car auctions were very different to the (one) bike auction that I attended.

The impression that I got was that it was by trade, for trade, and they didn't give a stuff about anything other than shifting all the stock as quickly as possible. There wasn't even any of that "very clean example" jive that you get at car auctions, just "Lot 3, Honzuki Fire-Ninja, bids?"

YMMV, but you'll have to actually try your local one to find out.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[N cee thirty]

unless its really cheap i wouldn't bother, if its got more than 3 moving parts then its usually fucked
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'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30 Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[Poseidon]

[Rogerborg]

Claws away, I said "tempted".

You've got me wondering if I should give my local one a try again. There's only one that I can find, and it's only once a month - it just doesn't seem to be a common way of shifting stock.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[MC]

Are insurance write-offs sold via auctions? Just wondering as some eBay sellers seem to only sell write-offs, untouched, so they must be buying them at a price where they can make a decent profit.
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Yamaha MT-03 '08 (crashed)
Honda XR-125L '04

[Poseidon]

[Rogerborg]

[BravoCharlie]

Sorry for going off topic, but Roger, can i ask where the one around here is?


I think it depends for me. If they let you check a bike over, then at least you might get a general idea and know if it's bargain or a project. I wouldn't mind spending the day at an auction, see what the fuss is about.
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Current: Kawasaki ZL600 Eliminator
Past: Suzuki GZ125, Kawasaki GT550, Kawasaki GPX600R, Honda vrx400,Kawasaki Zephyr 750, Suzuki SV650 K5
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.

[Rogerborg]

The one I went to was Manheim Auctions, first Tuesday Tuesday of the month.

199 Siemens Street
Blochairn
Glasgow
G21 2BU

The bikes seemed like a sideshow, just bang through 'em as fast as possible.

See you on the 2nd?
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[BravoCharlie]

[insomniac]

Thank you all
I think the general consensus is, go try it but be prepared and don't get carried away.
I have never been to any type of auction so it will be an experience if nothing else.
If I do buy anything I'll let you know.
____________________
Most people seem to put in when they've past what so here goes.
CBT: 16/09/12; Theory: 20/02/13 MOD1:20/05/13 MOD2:29/05/13
Suzuki Marauder GZ125; Suzuki Intruder VL800

[N cee thirty]

know your limit, no point buying something and then coming home and seeing you can get one alot cheaper on the Internets
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'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30 Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[blueglue]

[Rogerborg]

Yes, that can come as a nasty surprise, and bear in mind that trade are paying less so you're bidding at a disadvantage.

Do not bring an expectation that you're going to buy anything. Don't settle for the best of a bad lot, or convince yourself that you're getting a bargain. You have essentially no comeback against the auction house if you buy a lemon.

Find out what happens if you can't take the bike away immediately.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike