Repo Car Auction websites - 4 real?

[kwl]

/emoticons/blink.gif Hi to all of the fellow members here. As I'm getting my license soon, in 2 months to be exact,
I started to look for a car already and had enough success to only find 1 car of my search range.
I've also ran into some membership based REPO Auction style websites that claim to offer reposessed
vehicles at 20%-90% of retail value, requiring from 30 to 50$ membership fee. As I'm 17 yet, and don't
have much overall experience with such stuff as buying cars, I seek an advice from people who might
have an idea about it. So I've got couple of questions:
Are those sites a scam?
Has anyone signed up for such sites?
Are those sites as great as they claim to be?
How those auctions work?
How long does it take to generally purchase a vehicle?
What pros and cons about repo cars?
Is it worth the one time registration fee?

/emoticons/dry.gif The reason I'm asking all those questions is because I've only found one listing on general dealer
sites matching my price range and vehicle in a radius of 75Miles, visited the dealer and the car isn't in such
condition as I expected it to be. I've waited for a car almost 2 years, and dreamed about having a BMW my
whole life, now that I've got money for it, I need your advice to help me find and purchase it.

/emoticons/cheers.gif Thanks in advance, hope someone out there would at least drop a line or 2 in this topic /emoticons/frusty.gif

[PrintDriver]

You're 17 and dreamin of a Beamer...?
Are you looking for one or just any rig that can get you where you need to go.
Do you have a buddy that can drive you around to the used car lots in your area, you know the ones not affiliated with dealers. Some of those don't get listed on Vehix.com. Check your local version of the Want Ads.
I've had no experience with repo sites but anything on the web that sounds too good to be true generally is just that. If you're gonna go that route, have you tried Ebay or Craigslist.org? Costs less to register there.

PrintDriver is a grande format digital print dude. His advice/opinions may not apply to the 4color/offset/web world of printing

[East of Beautiful]

dont forget that these sites usually require cash and they can (are not always) accident cars, taht have been fixed by a mechanic... always ALWAYS check the history of a car on autoreports.com or whatever that site is... carfax.com? i dont remember... i wouldnt get my hopes up, your best bet is to look on the side of the road for a car with under 100,000 miles, or to go to carmax...

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[kwl]

PrintDriver said...
You're 17 and dreamin of a Beamer...?
Are you looking for one or just any rig that can get you where you need to go.
Do you have a buddy that can drive you around to the used car lots in your area, you know the ones not affiliated with dealers. Some of those don't get listed on Vehix.com. Check your local version of the Want Ads.
I've had no experience with repo sites but anything on the web that sounds too good to be true generally is just that. If you're gonna go that route, have you tried Ebay or Craigslist.org? Costs less to register there.
Yes, /emoticons/blink.gif it's allowed to dream of something as far as I know, isn't it?
I would love to buy one with 4k$ I've got for it.
As for buddies, I've moved here almost 2 years ago from Switzerland, and am originally russian. So I don't have much friends,
only ones I've got are russian guys from my school, but they are either younger than me or the same age without a car. That
makes it difficult to actually drive to those lots and have a look (I would love to if I had a chance, believe me). Free cars classifieds
from nearby stores might be useful, I've taken that to consideration also. As per E-Bay -> I use it, but for much cheaper stuff, and
it's pretty impossible to find migh wish listing (i.e. satisfying my price, in my area). For Craiglist.org, I've never used it before, took
a look and it seems like it's for S.F. bay area, I might need something like that for Chicagoland area :)
Any other ideas?

Post Edited (kwl) : 12/6/2004 11:02:00 PM GMT

[PrintDriver]

Nothin wrong with dreamin. Didn't mean to sound harsh.
When I was 17 it only had to have 4 wheels and an engine, LOL!
chicago.craigslist.org (http://chicago.craigslist.org). I didn't look but give it a shot.

PrintDriver is a grande format digital print dude. His advice/opinions may not apply to the 4color/offset/web world of printing

[Ryan8720]

I got mine through the local ad bulletin. You have a bigger budget than I had, so it shouldn't be too hard. I don't think the internet is a good way to get cars, or anything that can't be shipped inexpensively.

And what about your parents or relatives driving you to various car lots?

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[kwl]

Thanks printdriver, looked through it but unfortunately they don't have any beamer of year 92 or older for 4k$ in my area :(
Ryan, that's why I asked about those REPO auctions sites, they just give out the info to a local auction and depending on how
lucky you are you can get a car a ridiculous price. Otherwise, I'm here w/ my dad only and he is working all the time. So unless
I find a listing of the actual car somewhere (be it internet, local ads, newspapers), then and only then my dad would be able to
drive me to actually look at the car. He's working whole week, except Saturdays and Sundays, he's downtown Chicago 30-40 Miles
from here, so he doesn't come in for lunch or whatever. And as it's late to drive to those lots at around 8PM, I guess the only way
to do it are those Saturdays and Sundays that he's not working. Otherwise he's in Switzerland this week, till Sunday, so I'm in U.S.
all by myself now :) got plenty of things to worry about besides cars for this week.
Anyways, thanks for everyone's input, if you feel like you could drop another line or 2 w/ something useful concerning the topic, you
are more than welcome to do so.
/emoticons/cheers.gif

[Drorain]

hey kwl,
I dont mean to be a little. . .more realistic, but the only teens with beamers around (Boston) here are the Greek's who make the big bucks. I would say look for something a little more. . .lower teir? I think wanting a beamer is great! but personally I'd want it as a second or third car, you know work your way up. Gives ya something to look forward and work to.
OR you could consider talking to any friends parents, maybe someone went to the auctions, or has a dealership licence, buy your car wholesale.

Just want to have you consider it. I got my first car, 97 Grand am, very nice. . .priced 4.4k

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[morea]

also, keep in mind that your insurance premiums as a single male under 25 will be higher to begin with, and if you go for a higher end car they could be through the roof!

I haven't lost my mind... it's backed up on disk somewhere.

[Drorain]

Did a little research this is within 300 miles of chicago ...


*looks (http://used-cars.autos.yahoo.com/usedcars/detail/index.html?cid=0e33a04aa8b97240a663cdbb656938ae&ds t=27.43&rsr=dnR5cGU9YXV0b3MmbWFrZT1ibXcmbW9kZWw9Nz UwMDAwNDEyJmNsX3k9JmNoX3k9JmNsX3ByaWNlPSZjaF9wcmlj ZT00MDAwJmNsX21pPSZjaF9taT0mY2s9Jmd1cj0zMDAmY3N6PW NoaWNhZ28mY2Vfc2w9Jmc9Jm1rPUJNVyZtbz0mc3VibWl0PVNl YXJjaA--)nice*
I used to have one of these Sexy Beasts

Love (http://used-cars.autos.yahoo.com/usedcars/detail/index.html?cid=e8229238f31e280bcf2a1b28908b1e8c&ds t=127.99&rsr=dnR5cGU9YXV0b3MmbWFrZT1uaXNzYW4mbW9kZ Ww9NzUwMDAxNDU2JmNsX3k9JmNoX3k9JmNsX3ByaWNlPSZjaF9 wcmljZT00MDAwJmNsX21pPSZjaF9taT0mY2s9Jmd1cj0yMDAmY 3N6PWlsbGlub2lzJmNlX3NsPSZnPSZtaz1OaXNzYW4mbW89JnN 1Ym1pdD1TZWFyY2g-) this unit

Or you could pimp out a crapbox

What a piece of crap (http://used-cars.autos.yahoo.com/usedcars/detail/index.html?cid=4fce9e4e828dea5c82c8335ba713e65d&ds t=138.35&rsr=dnR5cGU9YXV0b3MmbWFrZT1mb3JkJm1vZGVsP Tc1MDAwMDkxMSZjbF95PSZjaF95PSZjbF9wcmljZT0mY2hfcHJ pY2U9NDAwMCZjbF9taT0mY2hfbWk9JmNrPSZndXI9MjAwJmNze j1pbGxpbm9pcyZjZV9zbD0mZz0mbWs9Rm9yZCZtbz0mc3VibWl 0PVNlYXJjaA--)

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[Big Perm-dizzle]

learn to steal cars - people who drive old benz, beamers, lexus, jags to me try to look like bad asses

have you ever tried to get a beamer repaired???? have fun with those bills

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[Debz]

yah i would reccomend NOT getting a BMW for your first car.. 9 outta 10 used means expensive.. I ended up giving away my 1st car because i just couldnt afford it anymore.

I would highly reccomend going for a KNOWN quality used car.. Car's known for lasting forever (ex. honda civic). I know thats kinda on the LOW end of what your looking for, but... it will save you a LOT of money... maybe not a vic but maybe something else that can take a beating.. do some research.

my 1st car broke down 3 times in a mth with the same problem which cost like $500 to get fixed each time.. I gave up. and now i have a used 01 vic. bought it in 2002.. its not my H2, its not my mustang.. but it gets me from point A to point B.. and its kinda hot ;)

America.. ***** Yeaaaahh!!

[Ryan8720]

You might check the phone book and get the web sites of dealers near you. They usually have thier cars listed online.

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[Silence04]

yeah, you shouldn't EVER buy one of those expensive cars (like lexus, bmw, merc...) unless you are seriously loaded with cash (and have had years of driving experience, for the 'cars' safety)

they are nice and fancy, but remember this: a car that has TONS of extra features have TONS of extra problems/repairs.

and EVERYTHING in those cars are controlled by the onboard CPU, EVERYTHING... and if you though your home Computer repair bills were expensive, wait till you see BMW's computer repair bills.
'oh, so your Seat Memory Button 3 isn't remembering the seat's possition? that will be $900 please...'

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[kwl]

/emoticons/weep.gif /emoticons/weep.gif /emoticons/weep.gif
I am willing to buy up to 12 y.o. car and up to 4k$ in cash.
Keep in mind that cars have not only reliability to consider, well I know reliability is probably one
of the most important things, but let's face the facts, BMW has best handling in sedan category,
their engines are superior to those of Honda's /emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif Honda's had transmission problems
across mutliple car lines and it's only in 2003 when they did complete redesign have those problems
been solved. Then at the last place, there is overall comfort and look of the car, the closest to BMW
could be only Lexus and Benz.

/emoticons/frusty.gif /emoticons/frusty.gif /emoticons/frusty.gif

I'm originally from Russia, and the roads there are not exactly 'heaven' but more close to the hell, with
all those bumps and holes. The interesting thing though, the most purchased and driven foreign cars are
BMW's Benz's and Toyota's with such models as Land Cruiser. I almost never met a used Civic around
there, so it keeps me think about it too. There were much more cars than Honda's such as Toyotas, Audi's,
VolksWagens and Volvo's. Honda was always behind those.... and with such roads I don't get how it could
be possible that so many people would prefer other cars than Hondas............

/emoticons/dry.gif

[shellebelle]

I may be mistaken, but I think it was only the V6 Hondas that have transmission problems. My mom's van was part of the recent recall, but it's okay now (I hope).

I know you don't want to hear this, but you can get a pretty nice 5th gen Civic (1992-1995) for $4k. My '95 has been very good to me, and I drive the snot out of it. Insurance isn't the cheapest, but it's reasonable. The same case for Toyota Corollas.

Also consider the cost of fuel and if the BMW requires premium gas. You'd be suprised how quickly it adds up if you drive a lot.

[Debz]

Yeah and in the 7th gen civic catagory the 01 is the only one with the tranny issues because they changed transmissions when they started with the latest generation vik. They realized their mistake and the 02+'s are fine.

If you wanna find out more questions about civic's try 7thgencivic.com or there are other vik boards around. i wouldnt suggest a neon or a focus cuz yall know the vik is just so0o much hotter.. ;) jp hehe.

vik's last FOREVER. they can last up to or above 300k miles if the car is taken care of.. you wanna buy my car? ;) i need a truck bad!

you should try an old skool domestic that you can fix yourself. car's before 73 (i think) dont require admissions... you'll save a bunch each year there. You can teach yourself how to fix the probs. Or go with an older 80s car.. like a monte carlo ss.. those are hot.

your still young. your first car will drive you nuts, break down, cuz ive been there.. you dont want to hear the Reality of what you SHOULD do. your gonna do what your gonna do.. :)

America.. ***** Yeaaaahh!!