Buying a car at auction is cost-effective — is it easy?

Looking at the used car market in Ukraine, one might get the impression that every other car on the market was once purchased at an auction in the U.S. and brought to our country with damage.

Incidentally, Bex Auto has been in this business for nearly 10 years and has made a significant contribution to saturating the market with great deals on cars from the U.S. , China, and South Korea .
This has given us extensive experience in selecting, purchasing, and delivering cars from these very auctions, and we’ve decided to share some of that experience with you in this article!

Let’s try to set aside the current situation in the country and the world at large, because since February 24, the list of affordable cars available in Ukraine has shrunk significantly, although some models still offer a price difference of more than 30% compared to the market.

Let’s figure out what you need to know in order to buy a car for yourself as cost-effectively as possible.

1. You need to choose a reliable company staffed by true professionals who are knowledgeable about selecting and purchasing cars—and of course, we hope you’ll call us first )))
2. Tell the sales manager in as much detail as possible about your preferences and exactly what requirements you have for a car. It often happens that you yourself don’t know what you can get for your money, and if the sales manager—who knows the market well— the car, and your preferences, the result will most likely exceed all expectations, you’ll be satisfied, and Bex Auto will have one more happy customer.
3. Should you only look at cars from reputable insurance companies? Not necessarily—it depends on your goal. If you’re committed to finding a car only from a reputable insurance company, it won’t be easy to get one at a low price, since everyone knows about the major insurance companies (State Farm, Farmers, Progressive, etc.) are well-known, and the auction rules dictate that the more people bid on a single lot, the higher the final purchase price—and the auction fee—will be. We recommend approaching each purchase on a case-by-case basis, and if you’re looking for a purchase that must be priced below market value, you’ll also need to consider offers from smaller insurance companies—and possibly even cars from rental companies, such as the world-renowned Hertz. We have purchased cars from this company on multiple occasions—and the cars always arrived without any surprises; they always disclose all information honestly, hide nothing; furthermore, such companies have an extensive network of their own service centers, which guarantees timely vehicle maintenance and good technical condition, even before an accident. The only thing to note is that we do not recommend renting budget-category cars or those with high mileage, since customers’ attitude toward the cheapest rental cars is, to put it mildly, not the most responsible, so the interior may be more worn than that of comparable vehicles that haven’t changed hands as often as a rental car.
4. Which type of damage is the most profitable? The answer to this question varies for each model. Of course, it’s best to choose a car with minimal damage—but here the situation is the same as with major insurance companies: - If it’s obvious that the repair cost isn’t high, there will be plenty of people bidding on that lot, and the price could skyrocket—and skyrocketing prices are always very expensive )) Moreover, based on experience, we can say that the repair costs for cars that look almost intact and cars that are missing half their parts can often be the same. (Insurance companies often remove damaged parts from the car to assess repair costs and decide whether to pay compensation or total the vehicle.) Consequently, you need to find a LOT that doesn’t look very appealing, but an experienced eye will always accurately assess the restoration cost—which means we can buy the car cheaply, saving on the bid, the auction fee—which is tied to the bid amount—and on customs duties, which also depend on the purchase price. Additionally, parts often arrive along with such a car, significantly reducing the total cost of the project.
5. What documents are required to buy a car? The list of documents accepted for exporting a vehicle from the U.S. is very extensive, and not everyone is familiar with it; many documents can be processed at the DMV—the U.S. equivalent of our MREO—allowing you to legally export a car from the U.S. Not all companies are aware of this, which gives Bex Auto a competitive edge. Since we have our own representative office in the U.S. and extensive experience, we can purchase cars with documents that not everyone knows about—this reduces competition and, consequently, increases the customer’s profit!
6. Even the color matters. Statistics show that more than half of all cars sold are white, with black and shades of gray also being popular choices. If you happen to choose any other color, your car will definitely sell for slightly less than the market average.
7. Does the car’s location matter? It’s very important to remember that most customers prefer to buy cars on the East Coast to reduce shipping costs. As we know, the more bidders there are, the higher the auction bids go; so it’s sometimes more cost-effective to buy a car in a northern state or on the West Coast—even if that adds a couple hundred dollars to shipping costs—because it lowers the bid by a couple thousand dollars, which, as we know, results in lower auction fees and customs duties.

These are just some of the secrets known to the experienced staff at Bex Auto, so if you’re willing to wait, buying a car at auction will help you save a significant amount of money and get a high-quality car for less than market price.
You can see our best offers on our Viber or Telegram channels, or give us a call for a free consultation.