The Daily Vroom

Good morning Vroomers,

It’s always encouraging when new platforms break into the Market Leaderboard. Yesterday it was Hagerty and PCarMarket. Today it’s Bonhams Online.

It’s not just about having the right cars — presentation, pricing strategy, timing, photography, audience and many other factors - it all matters. But what this tells us is: they can get it right. The buyers are out there.

Hopefully we’re heading toward a market where it’s not just the usual four dominating, but 8–10 platforms all bringing their A-game and pushing each other to perform.

Yesterday Cars & Bids celebrated a special anniversary. Read my take below and what I think could be a game-changer for them, if they do it right…

MARKET LEADERBOARD

💰 The figures shared below don’t count any other sales such as car seats, memorabilia etc… All online auction sites are analyzed to put this leaderboard together.

I only include websites that have sold 5+ vehicles in the chart below.

YESTERDAY’S TOP 5 SALES

Want to dive deeper into any of these listings? Just click on the car to take you directly to the listing.

Sale of the Day

Back in the late '80s, this was the BMW to get if you were serious about driving. The 325is wasn’t just the top of the E30 food chain, it was the poster child for what made BMWs feel alive. Sport seats. LSD. The perfect balance of power and poise. For a whole generation, this car was the first real taste of what “Ultimate Driving Machine” meant.

And this example, even better because it came home.

This Bronzit Beige 325is wasn’t just owned, sold, and forgotten. It left, came back, got passed to family, and eventually returned again like it never wanted to leave. The kind of car that sticks to a household, not because of rarity or collectibility, but because it meant something. Nearly 30 years of memories bundled into 2,500 pounds of analog perfection.

It’s not a low-mile unicorn, and that’s exactly the point. It earned its $21K hammer with history, story, and soul. And that’s exactly why I’m highlighting this car.

The E30s with the most miles sometimes have the most life—and clearly, the market agreed.

There’s a reason people keep trying to chase this feeling in new cars. Nothing hits like an E30 that’s been properly loved.

Five Years of Cars & Bids

Five years ago, Cars & Bids launched with Doug DeMuro’s own E63 AMG wagon — no reserve, video pitch, tens of thousands of fans queued up to watch. It was loud, confident, and full of promise. Doug had an audience. He had momentum. And by every early measure, he nailed it.

Fast forward to today, and C&B just crossed a major milestone: over 28,000 auctions, $625M in cars sold, and a community that’s still deeply engaged. Not bad for a platform that started with a single Mercedes and a lot of YouTube buzz.

And yet, it hasn’t always been smooth.

Doug eventually sold the business, made life-changing money, as he should and private equity stepped in. Then came the usual post-acquisition turbulence: changes at the top, growth pressures, team shake-ups, strategy pivots. The kind of story we’ve seen before, especially in tech and media. But what matters is how you respond.

In C&B’s case, it looks like they’re back on offense.

Listings are up. Variety is growing. They’re taking on everything from exotics to true classics, even those early air-cooled 911s Doug once said he’d never list. Sure, the sell-through on the ultra-high-end stuff still needs work (not one of their top 10 sales happened in 2025 so far), but at least they’re in the fight.

And here’s what really caught my eye: in-person events.

Tucked into their 5-year recap was a note about bringing the community together offline. If they can pull that off, take their digital ecosystem and layer it with real-world connection, it could be a game changer. C&B has the chance to create a social, physical footprint. That’s a big opportunity.

Cars & Bids was never just about the cars. It was about the vibe. The accessibility. The comments. The quirks. And more recently the podcast. That spark is still there, and if they can turn that energy into momentum, I wouldn’t bet against them.

They’ve hustled their way through five years. Made bold moves. Took some hits. But they’re still standing and still building.

Let’s see what they do with the next five.

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