At the Bonhams Retromobile auction in Paris (Feb. 7) a 1937 Bugatti 57S Atalante Coupe was sold for about $4.4 million U.S. dollars (3,417,500 euros). The car was discovered recently inside the garage of Dr. Harold Carr, a classic car aficionado. The classic auto has been sitting in the garage for nearly 50 years. Carr apparently parked the 57S in his garage in the early 1960s, and it was not discovered until 2007 after Carr’s death.

The value of the car was due to its rare existence. Bugatti only produced 17 copies total of the 57S coupe. This particular model was owned previously by the British Racing Drivers Club president, Earl Howe.

According to sources, the auto remained disassembled most of the time it spent inside the garage, as Carr was planning to rebuild and spruce up the engine. Due to the fact that the engine hasn’t been started in nearly fifty years, the new owner obviously will have to strip and rebuild the engine as well. The entire automotive body, however, is in pristine condition; not a scratch to be seen.

Unfortunately, the new owner has not been named for obvious reasons.

As is also obvious, findings like this are just as rare as the Bugatti 57S Atalante Coupe, but they can happen. So, the next time you find yourself passing by a relative’s old barn, or garage, remember: it wouldn’t hurt to take a look!

We knew that a new car was going to be completely out of our budget so we went in search of a good used car. You have to be very careful when buying used and make sure you do your research. We took our search to a used car lot. Although there are other options like buying privately, we wanted the added assurance of dealing with a professional even if the prices were higher.

When we decided on the car, a 2005 Pontiac Grand Am GT for a really good price from a reliable dealership, these are the steps we followed to make sure we didn’t drive a lemon off the lot.

1) We inspected the inside and outside for rust, cracks in glass, leaks and checked the odometer.

2) We test drove the car listening for unusual sounds, and then we made sure that the A/C, heater, stereo, windshield wipers, and power windows and locks worked.

3) We took the car to our mechanic to have the engine checked out to make sure it was sound.

4) We asked for a vehicle history report. We wanted to ensure that the car didn’t have habitual problems that needed repair, nor been in any major accidents.

Then before you even start to think of signing on the dotted line, consult the Kelley Blue Book and make sure that what they are asking isn’t astronomically out of proportion to what the car is worth — keeping in mind they are a little more expensive bought off a lot.

Used-Cars.org offers free listings for sellers. That is right… completely free listings. There are no hidden charges or fees! You can list your car on their site and have a multitude of buyers look over your listing. They offer lots of great resources and tools for sellers so they can easily sell a used car.

For the buyer, Used-Cars.org provides a clean, well organized presentation of used car listings. You can find categories for every make and model. They also offer international used car listings so that no matter where you live you can find just the right automobile for your needs.

So if you are a buyer or seller, the perfect shopping venue for used cars is Used-Cars.org.