Used cars

Auctions up quality

The quality of cars available at auction is tipped to improve, thanks to a new deal specifically for private customers

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Ross Pinnock

12th June 2007

Manheim Auctions has signed to sell up to 60,000 cars over the next two years with the Retail Automotive Alliance – an organisation comprising 22 independent dealer groups. And one of its key initiatives will be new ‘ready to retail’ sales.

These will feature forecourt-standard second-hand cars that are fully prepared and valeted. Supplied from garages who have had the cars in stock for too long, or good-condition part-exchanges, they will be of the same quality you would expect to find on a dealership’s used lot.

“Some fleet vendors don’t spend a penny on their cars prior to auction, but these vehicles will be ready to go,” explained a Manheim spokesman. The events will be staged at the auction chain’s facilities in Coventry, West Midlands and Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Meanwhile, rival firm British Car Auctions (BCA) claims it’s experiencing a mini used car boom north of the border. A representative for the firm said: “Business at our two Scottish sites has grown dramatically in 2007, and we are attracting cars and buyers from England because of the interest the auctions are generating.”

The resale specialist has even given its pair of outlets a regional rebranding, as their logos now include the Scottish Saltire. The auction halls, located in Edinburgh and Glasgow, also hold special budget evening sales, where the only cars on offer are those valued up to £3,000.