One of the most underrated warnings in trade is, “if a good is too sweet, think twice.” Unfortunately, not many people take this saying seriously and, more often than not, learn from the experience. If you frequent car auctions, you understand not all cars are safe to buy, especially if the price is crazy low and the car is worth a home payment in full. Sam of Samcrac YouTube channel learned this the hard way after purchasing a 2007 Bentley Continental GT from an auction with only 40,000 miles and two previous owners.
Sam starts his vlog with an essential opening line. “These Bentley Continental GTs, they look amazing considering it costs like near a quarter of a million dollars new. Today, you can pick them up cheap, super cheap. But they’re cheap for a reason,” he said.
You need to note certain red flags when buying a car from an auction. For starters, if the tag says, "sold as is," there’s a good chance the car is a lemon.
Most people sell their cars for cheap because of financial reasons, looking to get out of a loan, some quick cash to sort out a problem, or just to get rid of the liability (expensive to maintain a car). If the vehicle is on sale with an issue, chances are the owner figured it’d be better to sell the car ‘as is’ rather than repair and get the full price.
According to Sam, the only known problem with the car during the purchase was an issue with the convertible top and minor cosmetic repairs. The auction report didn’t mention any mechanical problems with the 2007 Bentley Continental GT.
However, the car was marred with electrical issues common with higher-end Audis and Volkswagens of the era. Sam calls this period the ‘terrible era of automotive excellence.’
After spending a few weeks with his new auction luxury car, he couldn’t find anything pleasurable about owning a Bentley. It had rough idle and super annoying electrical issues with the windows, convertible top, stereo, and the trunk latches.
We recommend watching the video below. You could learn a thing or two about what to expect buying cheap luxury cars in an auction.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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