Merlin Car Auctions

Merlin Car Auctions runs Ireland's best-known commercial vehicle saleroom, on the Naas Road in Dublin 12. Sales are scheduled rather than continuous — the calendar typically shows two a week, mid-morning — and the stock comes from the disposal side of the Irish motor trade: fleets, banks, leasing companies and ex-contract vehicles.

What you can buy

• Cars: the bulk of each sale, spanning the volume brands from Ford, Volkswagen, Toyota and Hyundai through to Tesla, Polestar and Porsche.
• Light commercials (LCV): vans and utilities from fleet renewals.
• Electric and hybrid models: increasingly present, and filterable as their own stream.

How the bidding works

You register for an account and bid into the scheduled sale; the site also runs a valuation service for sellers. Because sales run to a published clock at a physical saleroom, the calendar rather than the catalogue is the thing to watch — stock is listed against a specific sale date.

What to check before you bid

Irish vehicle auctions move at trade pace, and the inspection window on the day is short: use the catalogue and any published condition report rather than planning to examine the car properly before it goes through. If you are buying to export into the EU, remember that Ireland is right-hand drive, which limits the resale market and should be in the price. Confirm what documentation and service history comes with the vehicle before the hammer, not after.