Delaware Auto Exchange Lemon Auto Exchange Felton Delaware

When you buy a car at public auction they as is where is. There is no guarantee, You should have driven the car before you purchased it, They allow you at DAE to look the cars over before the Auction begins.  I was there Thursday of last week. They now sell warranties for some protection. This happens at all auctions not just to the public but the dealers get the same treatment.

When you go Dealer auctions only that are closed to the public you will pay more money. They have certain rules in place, If a car is announced Green Light the seller is guaranteeing that the vehicle drive train and frame are in sound condition 

I have an option of paying 120 dollars for a post-sale inspection.   Sometimes they miss issues with these cars and trucks. Everone thinks that dealers get these cars at super low prices. As you can see when you buy from auctions the deal that seems too good is normally a bad deal.

It is expensive for dealers to operate. You buy a car for $5000 auction fees  $350.00 Transportation fees another $200, Reconditioning. can be as high as 2000 dollars, to make the car right after State inspection and Detailing. Do the math. What is a rip off is Car Max look at thier reviews, No discount and lowsy service, 

Any time you buy a car you should have it checked out by a mechanic and do some internet homework for reviews and issues the car you are interested in buying. Lady the only person to blame is the person you see in the mirror and that is you.  

Please think about the action you took, you are responsible for your own actions. Do not blame someone else. Losers always make excuses winner never have too. 

 The woman who bought a car for less than $2000 is crazy. Who buys a car without knowing if the transmission works knowing that he or she will be relying on it completely??? That's just dumb. Buying a $2000 car privately would be much more intelligent because then you'd actually be able to drive the car, talk to the owner, ask if he or she has maintenance documents, have time to inspect the fluids/belts, bring a mechanic to look at the car, etc. Her purchase was completely blind. What I find fascinating is her ignorance by blaming Delaware Auto Exchange. They simply provide a lot and act as a broker.

Public auto auctions are often dumping grounds for dealers and the public who have difficulty selling vehicles that may have problems and or high mileage. You need to go in and know exactly what kind of car you're looking for, know exactly what the common faults of the car are, know exactly what to look for as far as previous repairs/previous paint/problems, know exactly what to ask the driver when he or she rolls the car through the auction and know exactly what to look for when the car is on.

Some of the things to be on the lookout for may include:

1. Are any of the warning lights on the cluster on? (engine, airbag, srs, etc, oil, oil temp)

2. Are the gauges working or broken? (oil temp, oil pressure, rpm, mileage)

3. Is there any paint over-spray on the car (may indicate a previous reported or unreported accident)

4. Does the car have a jumper pack attached to the battery when it rolls through auction? (sign that battery is dead, or has charging/electrical gremlin issues)

5. Did the car require a jump to get it through auction? (sign that the battery is dead or something is draining the battery when it sits)

6. Does the engine sound weird? Any rattle?

7. Does the transmission seem ok? How is the clutch (if manual)?

8. Is the interior jacked up? (headliner is falling ($$), missing consoles/etc ($), etc

9. (this is a personal preference)....American car over 90k? Japanese car over 120k? German car over 110k? Subaru over 160k?

In my opinion, if any of the above are present, I totally avoid the car. If the car has minor issues, I'm OK with it. I'd much rather buy a car that has interior stains and needs steam-cleaning over a super clean car. At least I know WHY it's there. It's likely going to require hours of cleaning, but I'm OK with this because it likely doesn't have any mechanical problems. Clean cars at public auto auctions can be like cakes with gernades in them. They look great, but can be disasterous...

At the end of the day - know the buyer's premium, fees, etc. Know what your limits are and don't get emotional. It should be obvious, but it isn't....KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR. Bring another trained set of eyes too. If you get desperate like the $2000 car lady and don't know what to look for, then you're going to get burnt.

No AUCTION has a guarantee on the vehicles their customers sell.

An auction is like a broker. They dont own the vehicles, they just provide a platform for buyers and sellers to do business.

They get a lot full of vehicles, then auction them off. It is up to us as buyers to check that vehicle as well as we can.

I regularly buy vehicles from auctions, I have to rely upon what the auction tells us (which comes right from the seller) and what I find myself.

Here are some things you can do before buying.

1. Check the fluids. Make sure the oil is clean, free of metal particles and water. Make sure the transmission fluid does not smell burned.

I personally do not like seeing brand new fluid in vehicles. Its a flag to me to check closer.

2. Get in the vehicle, start the vehicle, push the brake pedal down and keep your foot on it, dont let up. Put the vehicle in drive. Press the gas. If you feel the vehicle lurch forward, it has enough trans to move forward. Repeat with reverse.

Does this mean it has a perfect trans? NO. It tells you that it has enough transmission to drive forward and backwards. Nothing more. But thats more than you knew before.

3. Rifle through the glove compartment. See what service bills you can find. Look in the right hand corner of the windshield for an oil change sticker, compare to the miles. Knowing someone serviced their car regularly is important to me as a dealer.

4. Listen, smell, look. While the vehicle is going through the lane, listen to the engine and trans. Smell the exhaust and look at it. If you smell anything funny...or see blue smoke coming from the exhaust, you may want to rethink your bids on this vehicle.


As is. Used. No warranty explicit or implied. That is how auctions work. If you think dealers get to take back their "lemons", you're sorely mistaken. If you want to get into the game, you have to know the rules.

Rules say, buyer beware. Sorry to hear about your experience, I would suggest going to a dealership to purchase next time. Let the dealers and junk guys buy these cars...find the bad ones...and sell you the good ones.

If you don't want to buy at a dealership, then inspect your vehicles better or dont bid.

Delaware Auto Exchange has served me well for over 8 years. Any crap cars I recieved was because I did not inspect well enough.