A guide to buying

Whether buying or selling, Southampton Motor Auction endeavours to make this as quick and easy as possible.  Our experienced and friendly staff our on hand to help you.

Auction Catalogue
Our catalogue is produced on the day of the sale and this is your guide to the cars available for sale.  A catalogue can be picked up from reception, faxed or viewed on our website (scroll to the bottom of the screen).

Viewing the vehicles
Take the time to have a good look around the cars.  Do not miss this opportunity to examine them thoroughly.  Satisfy yourself that the vehicle meets your requirements.  Look at the windscreen to check the vehicle description on the entry form.  This will help you in making a decision. 

Buyers Premium
Decide how much you wish to spend. Remember that there is a buyer’s fee to pay on top of the hammer price. The buyer’s fee is dependant on the price of the vehicle and is subject to VAT.  A check is carried out to include police check, outstanding finance,  insurance check (total loss), and register of interest.  We pride ourselves and believe we have the cheapest buyers premium and commissions anywhere in the country.

Entry Form
The following details can be found on the form placed on the windscreen of each car.  It is advisable to read the entry form thoroughly before you bid.

• Brief description of the vehicle make, model, date of registration.
• It covers MOT and tax status.
• Whether the car is imported, a total loss or recorded on the condition alert register, been a taxi or police vehicle.
• If the car has service history and the mileage is correct or not.
• If the vehicle attracts VAT – usually only applicable to commercial vehicles.
• A section with details on any extras such as CD player, or additional information on the service history.

Vehicles can be entered into the auction in the following two ways –

Sold as Seen - Such vehicles are sold without warranty by the seller. No sale may be cancelled.

End of Sale Trial - When sold with a mechanical description, vehicles may be test driven accompanied by one of our drivers.  If a dispute arises with regard to the mechanical description the matter is referred to our engineer when a cancellation of the sale may be agreed.

Buying at the Auction
If you wish to bid on a car during the auction, ensure that you can be clearly seen by the auctioneer.  Make sure that your bid is obvious by raising your hand.  Do not be shy!

The auctioneer will indicate whether your bid has been successful and you will need to go straight to the rostrum to pay a deposit and give your name address and telephone number.  You can leave your deposit by cash or credit/debit card.  You will be given a copy of the purchase slip which acts as your receipt for your deposit.  Deposit of £100 if the sale is below £1000, and 10% (minimum of £200) thereafter. You have until 4pm the following day to pay for the car in full.

Provisional Sales
The seller places a reserve price on the vehicle and the auctioneer is not allowed to sell below this price.  Therefore, the auctioneer may provisionally sell the car subject to the seller’s agreement.  If this is the case, the negotiator in the office will need to phone the seller to obtain an acceptable price at which the sale can be finalised.  All standard auction rules apply.

Payment
Make your way to the cash office to the right of the rostrum where your invoice and vehicle documents will be ready.   Payment can be made by banker draft, building society cheques, cash (up to £8,999 in accordance with Money Laundering Regulations 2003), debit and credit card (credit cards attract a 4% handling fee).  Please note that all bank drafts and building society cheques will be verified before the vehicle is released. Title does not pass until funds are cleared.

Taking the vehicle away
Following payment, you will receive a receipt of invoice, and all documentation relating to the vehicle plus a 'pass-out' to enable you to retrieve your keys.  If the car has any detachable items these will also be passed on to you.

Legislation
We remind you that it is your responsibility to ensure that the vehicle complies with the road traffic laws and regulations.