The daughter of a friend "likes the colour" of this car for sale on a used car dealer forecourt for £12,995.

Registered in September 2016 and described as full service history (yet to be confirmed regarding how full and evidence available). Current mileage displayed as 27,936 is backed up by the last 5 MOT's with tyre wear advisory shown on the last one. Otherwise nothing whatsoever apart from a rectified misaligned headlight which I need to investigate.... Read more

Looking to buy new 2024 hyundai i10 1.2 petrol auto this month, ticks all the boxes except one. I'm concerned about the amt auto box, is amt any good or should I look at another make with cvt? I do not want a hybrid or electric car. Read more

Been a while but I nipped in for a wee nosey at my local auction to see how prices are. Strong money paid for anything with four wheels and a Mot, particularly from online bidders who aren’t seeing the whole picture from their armchairs at home. Got an updated list of fees, which have risen markedly since I was last here, pretty much wiping out any real savings for private punters. A few examples of note.

A 2010 Toyota Avensis 1.8 saloon that had 55,000 miles up but every panel and both bumpers were damaged and the car looked very tired and highly likely to have more miles than it was showing. Exhaust was blowing too. It made £2,700 plus £350 in fees. Someone is in for a nasty surprise when they pick this one up. It’s a £1,200 car in my opinion.

2018 BMW X3 2.0 diesel with loads of kit, 24,000 miles, full history and needing no paint. Just needed a good valet inside made £22,000 plus £1,600 fees - if a private buyer. Too much money.

2015 Skoda Octavia 1.4 TSi SE 5dr - 54,000 miles. Tidy car but had poorly matched o/s wing repaint. Made £5,500 plus fees. Good car for someone who’s not too fussy.

2017 VW Golf 1.6 TDi S 5dr 103,000 miles but tidy and with good history. Made £5,850 plus fees. Emissions warning light on will mean money spent. The Skoda above was the better buy.

2018 Toyota Yaris 1.33 - Low miles but no history and nasty paint job to n/s rear arch that’ll need fixed. Made £8,500 plus fees to online buyer who obviously got a bit over excited.

Noticed a row of Open Reach Peugeot EV vans in on 73 plates for disposal at a commercial vehicle sale. These have done hardly any miles and are essentially new vans. Must not have worked out for the firm so they’re getting shot. Be interesting to see what they go for.

Several Mk I Nissan Leaf’s were lying around looking pretty sorry for themselves. Clearly been doing laps of the hall and not found buyers. Dealers not interested.

A 2015 Toyota Verso 1.6 diesel with 25,000 miles showing was getting interest from private punters but had clearly been clocked. The car was very tatty and neglected looking. More like 125,000 miles and possibly an ex taxi. But 7 seats and a Toyota badge will always draw a buyer. The trade were avoiding it though. Not sure what it made, as we left while it was going through.

As I always say, cars come to auction for a reason. No dealer will punt a tidy part-ex through the ring if it’s sellable. It will be sent if it’s too old for them (you need to know who put it in and their typical stock policy) or if it has a serious fault or mileage question mark. Almost every car that passed through had a problem that would’ve put me off as a buyer. The only car I spotted that was really worth a punt was a 2013 Toyota Auris 1.33 with low miles and good history. Needed a bumper scuff fixed but otherwise very tidy. It was entered by a large chain that don’t stock older stuff like this so I would happily believe the wee car was there for the right reason. Traders were all over it as it passed through so it made near retail money with fees.

Not the same atmosphere as it once was, loads of buyers were online rather than turning up in person (a mistake in my opinion as the car is never as good as the pics or description) and the wee cafe that used to churn out pretty decent chow and plenty of car chat is closed.


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I’m gearing up for a trip to Portugal and stumbled upon a debate about dashcam use there. It seems they’re not allowed due to privacy concerns, and you could even face penalties for having one. However, I’ve heard mixed things about whether this applies to visitors in the same way as residents. If anyone has navigated this situation before, your advice would be invaluable as I plan my journey. Read more

Hi would a single accident knock your No Claims Bonus once or twice please.... Read more