Read this if you want to be a winner at the Copart Auction: The Definitive Guide

Understanding how the Copart auction works can be challenging.

But, a little knowledge can make buying a car at auction totally worth it.

So, everything that follows will be everything you need to do to maximise your chances of getting those winning bids. It's time to squeeze the most out of your next online Copart auction!

You’ll learn how to bid, the best practices for collection and delivery, and a few research tips along the way.

Research the vehicle you’re considering bidding on in good time.

Thousands of vehicles go through our auctions nationwide each month. Each one has a different level of damage, and unlike new vehicles, no one model is the same. Much like used cars from a local garage, the old adage to "wait for the perfect car to come along" still holds true when purchasing through a Copart auction.

The more research you do beforehand, the easier and faster the process will become. But if you are new to the Copart auction experience, we don't recommend impulse buying. Thorough research before bidding is the way to go! 

Read forums and go to car club websites.

From Audi to Volvo, every car or van has it's doting fans. Car club forums are a treasure trove of information. Discussions from real world users on the best engine, common issues, or even how to install any aftermarket parts. The information you find there can help you successfully navigate your next automotive auction.  It's all part of the fun when looking to buy a new car!

Something to look for when trawling these kinds of pages is how much servicing and repairs costs. This kind of info can be invaluable when choosing what to spend your hard-earned money on!

Get a Vehicle Data Report done the week before you bid.

What's really important to any prospective vehicle buyer is knowing the vehicle’s history. To do this, you can use our free Vehicle Report, which will give you confidence when deciding which vehicle to bid on. This is available on many of the cars that go through our auctions.

These checks allow you to make sure you know exactly what you're buying, and see the car's history, too.

View the car online in advance of the auction.

If you know what you're looking for, then your eyes can be your best friend. Copart's Virtual Viewing service enables you to view the vehicle well in advance of the auction, along with a chat with one of our trained technicians who can answer any questions you might have.

We highly recommend doing this as you will be able to see the condition of the vehicle in real-time. You'll be able to see the engine being turned on and off, and see the extent of the damage.

Remember, even small repairs can add up if there are enough of them!

Make use of the Vehicle Alerts and Watchlist functions.

Our website comes with some handy tools to assist you with your research. You can use the Watchlist function to track vehicles you’re interested in by bookmarking them for viewing later.

Use this in your research so you can track bidding patterns on certain makes and models. You can see an average final selling price, and compare that to the condition of the vehicle. This way, you will know what could be a steal and what isn’t worth your money.

With Vehicle Alerts, you can have an email sent to you whenever a particular make and model goes up for auction. That way you won’t miss out if a rare gem comes up for sale!

Get an MOT check from the DVLA.

This is something else that everyone should do before they should buy any vehicle, damaged or not. Visit the GOV.UK MOT Checker If you see many failed MOTs in a vehicle's past, it could indicate that the vehicle hasn't been looked after.

However, it's easy to see the red "FAIL" and get scared off too easily. So, you should look at why the vehicle was failed.

A vehicle can fail an MOT just for having a baby seat in the back when it gets to the MOT centre, so look at the previous issues that have come up. If there's any serious problems that had to be fixed, then it may be worth another look around.

Learn the Copart auction terms and icons.

These can sometimes be somewhat overwhelming, so it's important that you spend some time to really understand them. They very often determine the status of the vehicle, and exactly what condition the vehicle is in.

For example, a commonly misunderstood term is when a car is described as "Runs and Drives".

What’s crucial to understand here is that this status is the result of a test that our technicians run when the vehicle first arrives at the operation centre.

Our vehicles have all kinds of history, whether stolen and recovered, accident-damaged, or insurance write-offs. As is the nature of salvaged vehicles, things can change in the time between that test and when the vehicle arrives on your drive.

This knowledge alone makes sure that you completely understand of what you are buying, so you can make plans accordingly.

If you're looking for more information on this, you can take a look at the Terms and Icons page on our Support Centre.

Understand how the Copart auction bidding process works.

If you know how the bidding process works, you can use this knowledge to bid shrewdly.

So where do you start?

A great place to look would be the bidding process page on the Support Centre.

When it comes to preparing yourself to bid, “counter bid”, “on approval” and “seller reserve” are examples of terms you need to familiarise yourself with if you want to feel totally comfortable with the process.

Fees

When you buy a vehicle through our auction it’s important to remember that there are a number of fees that come with the purchase.

Take a look at the Bid Calculator on the Lot Details page and use it before the auction starts to show you how much you’ll be spending after all fees are added on. That way, you know your budget including fees, and you won’t have any unwelcome surprises.

We recommend you check out the fees page on our Support Centre to familiarise yourself with how these fees are calculated.

You also have access to the Delivery Calculator on the Lot Details page, which you can use to determine delivery costs before bidding. For example, if you want to save money but also want your vehicle delivered, you might want to consider watching the auctions closest to you, to minimise on delivery fees.

Make sure you follow a checklist when collecting your vehicle or having it delivered.

After you win, we recommend you check the vehicle on-site before you leave. If you are having your vehicle delivered, ensure you check the vehicle before the driver leaves.

The best practices for this are to take images of the vehicle upon collection or delivery, even if you’re happy with the vehicle. You should take pictures of the transmission, the windscreen, any areas of damage, the mileage of the car, and its also worth taking a picture of any keys that came with the vehicle, too.

If you need any help, contact the General Manager of the site where you bought your vehicle, within two working days. So, if you had a vehicle delivered on Friday afternoon, you can contact the General Manager on Tuesday to discuss the issue.

So, there you have it. Access to all the information you could possibly need on how the Copart auction works. Make sure you bookmark this article and the Support Centre so you can access it whenever you like!