Buying Used Car in Auction House at More Wallet-Friendly Price

Other than visiting a showroom directly, nowadays buying a car through an auction house has become a trend among urban dwellers. Buying a car in an auction house offers many benefits, for instance, the possibility of getting a more affordable price and the availability of more varieties of types.

“One of the benefits is that there’s a big possibility of getting cheaper price than in a used car dealership,” IBID-Balai Lelang Serasi President Director Daddy Doxa Manurung said in Jakarta (Suara.com, October 5, 2017).

Moreover, some auction houses have provided online apps that make it even easier to look for information about the dream car. One of such auction houses is IBID-Balai Lelang Serasi, which provides online platforms of website and application.

Through both platforms, online auction participants can take part as floor bidder in real-time auction along with participants that are present on site. “So they bid at the same time,” Daddy Doxa Manurung said in Jakarta (Kontan.co.id, September 5, 2018).

Some other new features on IBID’s website and application is purchasing Auction Participant Number (NPL) online, real-time notification/tracking transaction process, to saving favorites.

Before joining an auction, a bidder must understand the procedures of an auction so that they won’t be confused once the auction starts. Lately, various information about auction procedure can be found on the internet. The information also includes auction schedule.

If there are things you still don’t understand, don’t hesitate to contact the auction house to get more complete information.

The next step is choosing the car you want. Usually, the auction house issues a catalogue of used cars that will be put on auction on the day, either printed or online. The catalogue is filled with complete information about the car, from type, model, production year, to documents.

After knowing which car you want, you can then check the car directly. Car check can be done three days before the auction day during what is commonly called ‘open house’. “This stage is important to prevent disappointment after getting the car,” Oto.com said on October 19, 2018.

An auction house usually lets bidders turn the car engine on, so they can thoroughly check the condition of the engine. If you do not really understand how to check it, bring along someone who understands cars to help you, or ask for help from auction house staff.

If you want to get a car at a cheap price in an auction house, Doxa gave several tips, including controlling emotions and knowing when to pull out. If you do not do this, you will instead get the car at a price that is higher than the market price.

“Know how much budget you allow for the car. In an auction of seized cars by the KPK, some cars were sold at prices that were not normal,” Doxa said (Suara.com, October 26, 2017).

Established in 2007, IBID is a subsidiary of PT Serasi Auto Raya (SERA) under Astra Group. Everyone can bid in an auction, be they a company or an individual, from buying in bulk to buying by the unit, whether offline or online.

IBID holds auction routinely every week in more than 10 big cities in Indonesia.