Car Auctions Australia

Car Auctions Australia

Australia is a big country……Or more to the point its a big Continent !

You may have to spend a bit more on transport fees but there’s a good selection of car auctions across Australia and the price difference between auction prices and retail prices can be huge.

Your starting point once you have decided on what you would like to buy is to get a better idea of the market prices. In Australia the market leading car price guide is the Red book. redbook.com.au You will find a free price checking service on their website. Prices are really just an indicator of market value and may be very broad as prices are based on cars offered for sale. However it is a good starting point to work out different costs per model and the site also offers handy information Like manufacturers specs. Green Star rating and ANCAP safety rating.

Glasses Guide have an Australian Pricing service Glass.com.au If you are a car Trader and regularly attend auctions then its a good idea to subscribe to Glass.  The book is currently $468 for a yearly subscription so is for professionals only. Glass provides one-off pricing data to the public through their retail site Mycarpricecom.au. If you really want an official looking valuation for your car then you can use this but at $16.50 per price I don’t recommend it when you can work out car values just by looking about.

One final Car pricing tool is available from RacQ . The website also has lots of handy Australian motoring information. Car data, spec checks, Fuel costs etc.

In the real world the best place to do your market research is by looking through the classifieds and seeing what cars are selling for. Here is a list of the main Australian car classifieds websites:

Carsales.com.au Probably the biggest used car classifieds in Australia with over 200,000 cars for sale. Also has a Redbook Car valuation tool. Carsales have a number of websites covering cars,bikes and trucks for all of Australia.

Carnet.com.au Used car listings, also run some public auctions and run Dealer discount coupons. Worth checking for an offer before visiting a dealer.

Tradingpost.com.au Australian buy and sell classifieds. Sells just about everything but you can find some decent deals mostly from private sellers.

Carsguide.com.au Free Ads for Cars. Usually a good spot to look out for cheap and cheerful motoring over 100,000 cars regularly for sale.

Ebay.com.au is always a great resource to find cars that are selling. Also good for specialist and classic cars.

Drive.com.au for new and used car reviews.  Also have their own classifieds and an Australian motoring directory.

There are loads of other resources but they are mostly repeating the same info. So that should be enough for you to know the market. Once you know what you want to buy and what you want to pay for it then its time to look at auctions.

Established in 1964 Pickles are Australia’s Largest Auction group. They operate out of Twenty Two sites nationwide and sell over 200,000 units a year. You can sign up on their website for a My Pickles account and after you leave a deposit you are able to bid Live-Online. They also publish recent sale prices in their magazine “Prices People Pay” which is a results book similar to The USS Green book published in Japan.

Manheim Are a worldwide concern and they have Ten Auction sites in Australia.  Two in Sydney and sites in Adelaide,Hobart, Newcastle, Perth, Townsville, Darwin, Brisbane and Melbourne. To buy online with Manheim Australia you will need to get full membership which is $548 Dollars this is $48 for your registration fee and $500 which is a refundable deposit to bid with. All Manheim sites run weekly car, bike and Truck auctions. Darwin only runs Truck sales. You will need to become a Manheim member to access Auction lists.

U.A.A United Auctions Australia are another well established Aussie Auction group. They have Auction sites in Queensland, Moorebank, Tasmania and Welshpool. They hold Physical auctions for dealers and general public and also offer Simulcast sales online using the Bidsonline system which is used by some other auctions. Once registered with the bids on-line system you will be able to participate in other auctions such as Alliance in NSW and Brisbane motor auctions.

Auto-Auctions.com.au Have been on the same site in Guildford NSW since 1946. They run three auctions weekly. Tuesdays have up to 500 units , Thursdays around 300 and a small 100 car sale on Saturdays. Full listings on the site and buy it now available.

Valley Motor Auctions in Cardiff NSW hold five auctions a week and also hold Plant machinery sales. Bargain cars on a friday. All cars clearly listed on their site and simulcast purchasing available.

Looking Specifically for Trucks or UTES then check out T.H.A Nationwide in Chester Hill, NSW. Sales held every monday. Check the auction catalogue for full lot details.

Those are the main Auctions in Australia and a few smaller ones. Auction fees change from Auction to Auction so check with the auction house before you place any bids. Some auctions offer warranty or a pre purchase inspection , others make it clear that cars are sold as seen so be sure you are happy with the terms before you bid.

It’s a common feature of Australian auctions to have a buy it now price for a car or for the auction company to negotiate to sell the car out of the sale. If you spot something you want then get on the phone and see if you can buy it before the auction.

Australia produces its own domestic cars and employs a lot of people in the Industry. Because of this Importation laws are very restrictive. Unless you are an Australian citizen returning from overseas with your own car you will find it close to impossible to import a car. The only ease in restrictions is on cars over fifteen years old. If you are thinking about importing you should find out how you qualify for clearance before you do any more legwork.