Hi!
Just to give you an idea of the kind of stuff to look for, here's a car auction site that lists various cars along with some info about them:
http://www.goldenbel...com/current.asp
Auctions can get you a really good deal on a car but then again, there are also the ones that are well beyond their useful life.
The first one on the listing (assuming that you follow the link this week) is the Mini Cooper 2006. It is about five years old, so we do know that there would be an availability of spare parts at the workshop if you did get into an accident or need to go in for a periodic servicing. Clicking on it gives you more information about the car. It has got a triptronic transmission, which you can drive even if you have a license for an automatic transmission since a triptronic is basically an automatic with a push-button override for the gear change. The picture provided does not show any signs of damage, though a visual inspection would still be necessary. Most auctions let you examine the car before the bidding takes place so you go get to examine the car for rust and poor bodywork. Many cars that are up for auctions do not have a service history so you don't really know if the owner drove the vehicle on and on and on without going in for the periodic servicing. The mileage on the car is pretty high, so if you are planning to use the car for a commute, you are better off finding a different car. This auction house is particularly better than most because they certify the cars that enter into auctions after a thorough inspection so you do know that the body and engine have been examined. The little note attached to the windshield of the car documents any abnormalities that the car might have.
Anyway, so we scroll further down on the page and look for the Toyota Camry GLX 2009. As the car is last year's model, the car is a good long-term purchase as the workshops will carry the spared for a couple of years into the future. The mileage is pretty good - 10,558km on a used car makes the engine almost as good as new (emphasis on the almost). The car doesn't have a service history, which could mean that an inspection of the engine would be necessary to ensure that the user did actually service the vehicle regularly. Running an engine on old oil can lead to pretty expensive repair work. The rest of the information provided by the auction site tells you about the options that the vehicle has, and the only problem that could prevent you from wanting to buy the car is if a lot of other bidders bid for the vehicle and drive the price up.
For a glimpse at what qualifies as a bad purchase with just the information on the website, scroll down to the BMW Z3 Convertible 1999. The car is from about ten years ago and that would make finding parts difficult, the mileage is quite high, the cost of a service from a local BMW dealership is quite high too. Sure, you could get the car with a low bid but it isn't really worth the amount you would spend on it while driving it around.
For a fair idea of auction prices, ask for the prices that past auctions have been able to fetch and you'll get a fairly good idea of how much to bid for a car.
, Please 
1
Before you buy the car be sure that you see the title to the vehicle first, and ask the owner if they will go to the local courthouse, and make sure the title is CLEAN, make sure the car isn't hot!! If they don't want to take these steps in selling you the vehicle I would consider walking away, and looking for something new. I bought a car without following these steps, and it was the worst idea ever I went to the courthouse to register it, and found out that the car was built with stolen parts so yeah, be very wary of what you buy.
