The Daily Vroom

Good morning, Vroomers!

While the headlines today are buzzing with talk of a potential Nissan and Honda merger, I’ve got a different take. For me, there’s never just one big story—there are countless fascinating ones, each tied to a unique listing on the auction sites. Every car tells its own story, and I can’t resist diving into as many as I can each day, not to mention analyzing the data behind them. Speaking of data, we’ve got some intriguing insights to share today after Doug DeMuro’s recent comments stirred the pot.

Enjoy, and I’ll catch you tomorrow!

Sam

YESTERDAY’S TOP 5 SALES

On Monday, we saw four different platforms cracking the top 5 sales—a real mix of action. Yesterday, though, BaT swept the board with all five spots.

Some fascinating numbers to dive into. Down below, we’re highlighting the Carrera, and there’s also a Weissach—that has been on the auction block for the 2nd time. It pulled in just $3k less than its 2022 sale, even with an extra 3,000 miles on the clock. The seller might’ve been hoping for a little more, but considering the spec and all, it’s a fair deal for both sides.

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

What a ride!! Yesterday, this stunning backdated 1990 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.8L 6-Speed sold on Bring a Trailer for an eye-watering $413,000. But the story doesn’t stop there—it’s the journey that really makes this one fascinating.

• February 2021: Sold on BaT for $265,000.

• April 2024: Listed elsewhere for $359,000—no takers.

• Mid-2024: Headed to Porsche ‘specialist’ site PCarMarket, where it sold for $262,250.

• December 2024: Back on BaT, now achieving a jaw-dropping $413,000.

That’s some serious appreciation. I can only imagine the seller is over the moon—and honestly, who wouldn’t be?

This sale highlights something I’ve said before: A car’s value is what someone is willing to pay for it today. Yesterday’s price - doesn’t matter. Tomorrow’s price - that’s anyone’s guess.(although we have a tool… that’s another post!)

What we saw here was a car finding its moment—and the right buyer—on BaT.

It also shows how the platform matters. BaT’s massive audience and passionate community created the perfect storm for this 911. A car that sold for $262k earlier this year just crushed it at $413k. Timing, platform, and presentation (very important) all played their part.

Doug DeMuro Weighs In: Are Cars & Bids Listings Really More ‘Special’ Than BaT’s

Before I begin, the image you see above are the favicon’s from both BaT & Cars & Bids. For those that don’t know the favicon is the small icon displayed next to a website's name in a browser tab. The BaT one is brand new, ( I like it) go have a look on your computer to see how it looks in real life. Just wanted to share. Right now to the article.

Doug DeMuro, the founder of Cars & Bids, is a figure I admire. He’s carved out a niche in the online auction world and built a platform that’s clearly successful. But when you stack it up against Bring a Trailer, there’s no avoiding the reality – they’re playing on different fields.

BaT currently has 896 live auctions compared to under 100 on Cars & Bids. That’s the kind of scale that makes it tough for anyone to compete. But both platforms succeed in their own ways. And as Doug says the market is way big enough for them both to be very successful.

Recently, Doug was on The Smoking Tire Podcast, and as always, he didn’t hold back. He was very complimentary of BaT, even saying he visits their premium section daily. But he also shared his views in a way the Cars & Bids team might not say – or might not want to say – out loud.

Doug’s take - Certain cars, like, FJ Cruisers, Boxster’s and Caymans, feel less “special” on BaT. He points to the smaller images and the sheer volume of listings, which he feels can bury cars that are bread-and-butter for Cars & Bids. On his platform, where there are fewer cars, those same listings stand out more.

Being the data guy I am, I had to check that out and examine 2024 sales:

Let’s start with two of the models Doug mentioned – FJ Cruisers and Boxster’s:

• FJ Cruisers: Cars & Bids sold 72% of their listings this year.

  BaT… they sold 92%. And BaT listed 165% more FJ Cruisers overall.

• Boxster’s: Cars & Bids sold 86%, while BaT sold 85% – basically the same. BaT listed 260% more Boxster’s.

So does “special” translate to better results? Not really. The data suggests otherwise. Cars & Bids does a great job making each car stand out with its layout and larger images, but performance-wise, it doesn’t necessarily beat BaT, even with cars Doug says are their bread-and-butter.

And yes, BaT’s scale comes with challenges. Doug’s point about cars getting “lost” on BaT has merit. With nearly 900 cars listed at any given time, it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. That’s where BaT’s community – its rabid commenters, bidders, and enthusiasts – picks up the slack. Still, I think as do many that BaT could improve its design and UX to make browsing and discovery a lot easier. (imagine what the sell-through would be like then!)

Perception vs. reality is what this all comes down to. Doug’s perception is slightly different to the reality in the data. To be fair to him, he’s not building the site anymore, so he’s not as close to it as he probably was and just assumes that certain things are true based on what he see’s. We all do this to a certain extent in our own lives, it’s natural. But for me, I’m always examining the data, to get the facts.

I for one love Cars & Bids site, probably the best online auction site out there. They create a more curated, boutique experience because they have fewer listings. That doesn’t necessarily mean better results, but it does mean a different feel.

BaT, on the other hand, proves that high volume doesn’t have to sacrifice performance. They manage to sell a ton of cars while maintaining extremely solid results.

At the end of the day, Cars & Bids is a great business, and Doug deserves HUGE credit for building it & then selling it.

But it’s now owned by private equity, and steady growth – selling 20 or so cars a day – is definitely not enough for them.

I’m fascinated to see what they’ve got planned for 2025. Do they stay true to their niche, do they partner with someone (mmm…) or do they make a push to scale up and take on BaT more directly through other ways?

Time will tell – and we’ll all be watching.

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