Insights
What sold, and what it's worth.
Real auction results, the cars worth buying, and the ones I walked away from — the thinking behind every decision.
This BMW X5 sold for £9,000
The same spec retails around £16,250. A premium SUV people want, bought at the price the public never sees. Here's the full breakdown.
Read the breakdown →
£7,250
gap to retail
£9,000 sold · Examples
— what sold vs what it retails for
Ford Focus
- Sold
- £2,500
- Retail
- £7,500
- Gap
- £5,000
- Gap %
- 67%
- Mileage
- 91k
The default family hatch, discounted hard for its miles.
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Vauxhall Corsa
- Sold
- £3,200
- Retail
- £8,050
- Gap
- £4,850
- Gap %
- 60%
- Mileage
- 34k
Low-mileage supermini everyone learns in, bought wholesale.
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Ford Fiesta
- Sold
- £2,800
- Retail
- £6,800
- Gap
- £4,000
- Gap %
- 59%
- Mileage
- 69k
The most ordinary car in Britain — a real gap on a tiny budget.
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Nissan Qashqai
- Sold
- £6,000
- Retail
- £11,300
- Gap
- £5,300
- Gap %
- 47%
- Mileage
- 51k
Low-mileage family SUV with strong, ready-made retail demand.
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BMW X5
- Sold
- £9,000
- Retail
- £16,250
- Gap
- £7,250
- Gap %
- 45%
- Mileage
- 82k
Premium SUV with an unusually large wholesale-retail spread.
Read →Mercedes A-Class
- Sold
- £8,600
- Retail
- £14,450
- Gap
- £5,850
- Gap %
- 40%
- Mileage
- 64k
Premium badge stretches the same spread across a bigger number.
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Tesla Model 3
- Sold
- £10,350
- Retail
- £16,850
- Gap
- £6,500
- Gap %
- 39%
- Mileage
- 51k
Used EV the room stays cautious on — caution holds the price down.
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Volvo XC60
- Sold
- £11,900
- Retail
- £19,000
- Gap
- £7,100
- Gap %
- 37%
- Mileage
- 80k
Premium family SUV people actively want on the drive.
Read →VW Golf
- Sold
- £13,700
- Retail
- £18,800
- Gap
- £5,100
- Gap %
- 27%
- Mileage
- 25k
Nearly new, the car famous for holding its value.
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Audi A3
- Sold
- £13,500
- Retail
- £18,400
- Gap
- £4,900
- Gap %
- 27%
- Mileage
- 39k
Premium hatch sharing its bones with the Golf — premium badge, same gap.
Read →Opportunities
— the value hiding in plain sightMy first auction car made me £2,000
A 7-year-old Corsa, a weekend of polish, sold in a week for ~£2k profit.
Read → OpportunitiesThe £5,000 opportunity hiding in ordinary BMWs
The real money isn't in the M cars and AMGs. It's in the ones nobody brags about.
Read → OpportunitiesNever pay retail for a car again
Every forecourt car has two prices. Here's how to buy nearer the lower one.
Read → Opportunities5 types of car I'd buy under £10k
The segments where auction value is hiding right now.
Read → OpportunitiesThe business anyone can start with one car
Start small, learn fast, make money on judgement not capital.
Read →Decisions
— cars I bought, cars I walked away fromMarket
— the patterns behind the lotsThe cars dealers buy every day
What's pulling the bids — and the demand logic underneath.
Read → MarketWhy these cars dominate UK auctions
Fleet, rental and finance cycles — the plumbing behind every catalogue.
Read → MarketThe 10 most common cars at UK auction
The bread-and-butter models you'll see in almost every sale.
Read →Learning the basics
— how auctions workThe secret world of car auctions
The wholesale marketplace the public never sees — and the door isn't locked.
Read → LearningHow to win at car auctions: bid, win, sell
The winning loop in three simple moves. Repeat until it's second nature.
Read → LearningHow to read auction condition reports
The reports tell you which cars are good. Here's how to read them.
Read → LearningWhy dealers buy at auction
The people who know cars best buy their stock at auction. Here's why.
Read →Auction questions, answered
— the things buyers ask firstIs it worth buying a car at auction?
The honest case for and against — and when the saving is real.
Read → LearningCan the public buy at car auctions?
Yes — more easily than ever. Here's how to get in.
Read → LearningThe best car auction sites in the UK
BCA, Manheim, Copart and the rest — which suits which buyer.
Read → LearningWhat's the best auction site for cars?
It depends on your goal. How to choose the right one.
Read → LearningWhat not to do at a car auction
Seven costly mistakes that turn a bargain into a lesson.
Read → LearningWhat is the 3-minute rule at auction?
The soft close that kills sniping, explained.
Read → LearningWhat is the 5-minute rule at auction?
Anti-sniping again — and how to bid into it and win.
Read → LearningWhat is the 12-car rule?
The UK trading myth — and what actually makes you a dealer.
Read →Get tomorrow's best cars.
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