The Daily Vroom

Good morning, Vroomers!

Last week brought in another massive haul—over $46 million in total vehicle sales across all platforms.

But here’s the breakdown that really matters: while the headlines often go to the six-figure cars, they made up just 14% of all sales. The bulk of the market, it’s happening well below that.

Auction Emails Are Boring

I’m subscribed to every auction house out there. Big names, niche players, old-school catalogs, new-school startups. And I get the same style email from all of them. Every. Single. Day.

Here’s what’s for sale. That’s it.

No real context. No real thought. Just a batch-send with a few links and maybe a generic photo header and line or two. It feels cold. Like someone ticked the box marked “daily email blast” and moved on. Not exactly personal to me.

I’m not a marketing expert, but even I can tell these emails aren’t doing much. No perspective. No energy. No real reason to care. They’re sent because they have to be, not because they add value. And in a space filled with passion, personality, and high-stakes moments, that’s a miss.

Where’s the curiosity? The heat? The storytelling? If these platforms want to stand out, they need to stop treating their emails like a filing cabinet and start treating them like part of the experience.

Because right now, most of them just feel like background noise.

Auctions To Keep An Eye On

We started today’s newsletter with a stat: only 14% of last week’s online sales broke six figures. And yet, most of the questions I get? They’re not about $300K Ferraris. They’re from readers who want help finding the fun, interesting, sub-$50K stuff. Real cars. Driveable cars. Cars with stories.

So here’s a few that caught my eye.

They’re not perfect. They’re not Pebble Beach. But they’ve all got something—whether it’s a killer spec, a wild powertrain swap, or just the kind of originality that feels rarer by the day.

Let’s get into it.

There’s something fun about seeing a car like this sneak into the mix. A 1972 Toyota Corolla coupe — nicknamed "Olive" — sitting pretty in Olive Green Metallic, twin-cam swapped, and winning trophies at the Japanese Classic Car Show. This isn’t a survivor or a museum piece. It’s a passion project with just the right upgrades to make it pop without ruining the charm.

Let’s talk about what makes this one tick: under the hood is a Japanese-market twin-cam 4-cylinder built with a 3T block and 2T-G head, breathing through Mikuni sidedrafts. It’s paired with a 5-speed and a Techno Toy Tuning suspension setup with adjustable everything. This thing wasn’t built to sit still.

And it shows. The owner's clearly poured time into this—bare metal respray, reupholstered interior, Enkei wheels, sway bars, even a MOMO Prototipo steering wheel. It’s been driven, shown, and awarded. It even comes with its JCCS trophy.

Sure, there are quirks. The heater’s dead, one of the belts is lazy, and there’s rust in the spare wheel well. But at $5,500 with a few days left, that’s noise.

What you’re getting here is a little slice of old-school JDM done right. Lightweight, simple, analog, and oozing style. A reminder that cool doesn’t have to cost six figures.

Here’s one that’s going to stir up emotions.

A Montego Blue FD RX-7—iconic on shape alone—but under the skin, no rotary. No turbos. Just a Tesla-sourced EV powertrain and a whole lot of engineering courage.

Would I build one like this? Probably not. But do I get the appeal? Absolutely. It’s fast, it’s clean, and it’s clearly been done with care. Coilovers, regen braking, a proper BMS setup… this isn’t a weekend hack job. It’s a real vision brought to life.

And the crowd are kind of surprisingly into it. Plenty of love in the comments. One called it “a sick way to keep the JDM scene alive if everything goes EV.” Another, “Gutsy. Unique. Rad.” Even some long-time FD owners are giving credit where it’s due.

It’s also no reserve, and still under $20K and ends today.

Sure, the purists are clutching pearls—but this isn’t for them. It’s for someone who wants FD vibes with modern reliability. A car that turns heads for more than just nostalgia.

This Acura is special. Milano Red, 5-speed, 62k miles, and bone stock where it counts. You’re not buying a project—you’re getting a time capsule.

Original paint with a few honest scars. Factory cloth seats. That glorious 1.8L VTEC that pulls past 8,000 rpm. Double-wishbone suspension. Cold A/C. Even the cassette stereo’s still in place.

This is what makes the GS-R such a gem—lightweight, analog, and totally dialed in. The kind of car you can drive hard, show proudly, or just stash away and smile at. Ends today, no reserve, and already sailing past its last sale price of $12,500 back in 2018, rightfully so.