Buying an ex-lease car at auction in Germany

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Affordable ex-lease cars from auctions with Destacar

In Germany, cars that have come to the end of their lease can be bought at special auctions. These take place online, and nobody apart from car dealers is admitted. Acting as an intermediary, however, Destacar gives anyone the opportunity to buy a car at a German car auction at the best price.

What are car auctions?

A car auction in Germany is a closed website where car dealers can buy used vehicles. A private individual is not entitled to take part in such events under any circumstances.

Admission to the auction, the documents required and the fees are set by the individual platform. Before taking part, check whether it accepts private buyers or only professional traders and which conditions apply to your account.

At a car auction, bidding usually takes place between the prospective buyers and the seller: the sale goes to whoever offers the highest amount. Some online platforms allow a car to be bought outright without bidding, but the user will have to pay a fairly large sum for this.

Why is buying an ex-lease car worthwhile?

Put simply, leasing is renting a car with the option to buy it. It is a combined solution that brings together financial instruments such as a purchase agreement, credit, insurance against financial risks and finance leasing. A large number of companies use leasing to have temporary use of a particular vehicle.

Take a typical example. A company uses car leasing in Germany. When it no longer needs the car, it does not buy it but returns it to the leasing company. The leasing company also wants to be rid of the vehicle, because it has already received the leasing payments. For this reason the leasing company puts the car up for sale at auction at the lowest price that is still profitable for it.

Before taking part, check the rules of the auction platform you have chosen: who may buy, which lots are available and which documents are needed. Agree the intermediary's role and the terms of support before placing a bid.

Buying a car at a used car auction through Destacar works as follows:

• you submit an enquiry;
• we find the car;
• we deliver the car to your country, or you collect it yourself.

Our company also offers additional services for a car you have already bought: interior cleaning (with or without polishing), a change to the tyres supplied with the car, the purchase and fitting of new tyres, and servicing at an authorised dealer.

Details of a lot must be checked against the current auction listing: the bidding deadline, the equipment, the description of the condition and the documents available. The absence of a damage note is no substitute for inspecting the car.