unless a car is vintage OR rare collector with history, any buyer is asking for trouble buying a later model car at auction - sellers send cars to auctions to:
1. distance themselves from sale because of mechanical problems/accident history
2. hopefully push car thru w/o PPI inspection
3. dump a lemon

anyone in the car business is aware of this - 99% of auctions are predatory events run by windbags who are too stupid to make a living anywhere else.

 

For traditional car auctions I agree with you. BAT is a selling tool for individuals just like eBay or CL.

That's not to say that there aren't scams and disasters via these, but it's not as bad as what you are thinking.

 

For what these cars are bringing on BaT lately, if I were selling mine, I'd sure as heck list it on there. They are bringing bids above market IMHO. Glad to see it. I think buying from an individual is definitely the way to go in buying a pre-owned Porsche. This appears to be a way for an individual seller to get his car in front of a group of enthusiasts that value buying from another enthusiast.

 

BAT is one of the few places where experts can get together and pick apart a car that is for sale. If something seems suspicious, there's a good chance that it will def be pointed out by someone.

 

get together on the internet and pick apart a car from photos and description written by seller?? you gotta be kidding

 

You mean like we do in the CL thread? The thoughts and opinions given have proven helpful to people there. Might not be the best for the seller, but the buyer is the party interested in protecting themselves.

 

my point is that purchasing a car from internet auction using photos/discussion on internet and not physically inspecting car in person or with qualified PPI shop is just plain stupid - theres just no argument.

CL, autotrader, cars.com are great venues to LOCATE a car but before sending a check, due diligence should be #1 especially those folks who have scraped together the funds to purchase and are on limited budget.

 

I don't argue that, but it is a good way to find out about things you might miss in your excitement to buy or that you should have looked closer.

There was a sub-$20k 40th AE car, for example, that would have looked OK to someone inexperienced, but we picked it apart based on what we were seeing from a dispassionate view.

No argument there and I see BAT as no different. Either you know enough and are comfortable to take the risk for the given price, or you're not.

 

It's my 996 targa for sale on BAT. Yes, the coolant reservoir/tank were done at S-Car-Go. There's no substitute for a PPI of course, but I can hardly think of a better place to buy than BAT. Any listing is subject to the collective wisdom of thousands of enthusiasts who will pick it apart in a public forum. It never ceases to amaze me when I see an ultra rare classic listed and a dozen former owners chime in with "watch out for this and that".

Anyone interested in my car that would like to see it, drop by anytime. You won't be disappointed.

 

This maybe true on common cars, but older, rare, specialty cars, this is the norm. I would say for the most part BAT has the latter. People know some of these just don't popup so they are willng to buy it and fix whatever needs fixing.

It happens all the time on RM, Barrett Jackson, Sotheby's, etc. where you have phone bidders from around the world buying stuff and some just looking at pics online.

 

exactly what i said in several earlier posts - vintage collector cars/etc

 

leaving for airport in an hour - buying my 3rd C4S tomorrow and driving home - purchased sight unseen, had a blind friend take a look at it for me

 

Maybe you should swing by a clinic on the way home and get some help for this habit of yours

Good luck and happy driving

 

thx! excited to have a C4S in my garage for a while - my eventual goal is now to buy either a 997S or 997C4S

initially wanted a 996 turbo but since they are now low $40's, thinking a sweet 997 S with lobster forks is my next car. i like the design better. the 997C4S is a beauty

if you were following my boat chasing escapade, turns out the owner of the 30' Luhrs diesel BS'd me on the cruising speed - this is a boat i have been waiting almost a year to check out as owner lives in alaska 6 mos.. went up with wife to inspect and sea trial last week - boat has 130HP volvo diesel not 240HP as described - boat did max 9-10knots at near max cruising RPM which has windows/canvas rails vibrating like crazy. 240HP would have given nice quiet 16-18knot cruise. so forgetting bigger boat until my daughter graduates college

 

5% "buyer's fee" up to $5,000! Plus $250 flat fee from the seller. Geez, on a $30k car I'd rather purchase privately and use that $1,500 "buyer's fee" on a quality PPI and have $1,000 left over for other things. So this internet website generates $1,750 on the sale of a $30,000 car....nice work if you can get it.