If it is your first time of buying a used car or you know very little about cars, then buying from an auction isn't advisable. Perhaps the biggest problem with purchasing a car from an auction is the fact that that you have very little cover to fall back on if there should be any problem with the car. This is usually due to the auction house issuing a disclaimer, which many do, which states something such as ?sold as seen?.

While many goods are covered by the Sale of Goods Act, some of the cleverer auction houses can get around this by altering the conditions of the sale by taking away the buyers rights under the Act.

If you do wish to purchase a car from an auction then it is advisable to visit an auction house several times before actually deciding to bid on a car. This way you can get used to the terminology used and the way auction houses work. It is also advisable to take someone with you who knows something about cars when you do decide to buy.

Most auction houses will hold preview days where you look at the car up for auction prior to bidding. This will give you a good chance to have a look at the vehicle.

You would be wise to consider having a vehicle data check done, which is a service that checks a vehicle's history. It will show up really valuable things such as whether the car has been stolen, or the mileage tampered with etc.

Finally, it is essential that you know your spending limit. Don't ever be tempted to go over that limit no matter how good a deal something may seem.