The Daily Vroom

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.

Auction To Watch Today

If you grew up watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, this 1985 Modena GT Spyder California is the dream. It’s not just any replica—it’s the movie car, or at least one of the few built to the same spec. Unlike most kit cars, Modena built these from the ground up, with a custom tube-frame chassis designed by an IndyCar engineer, a 5.0L Ford V8 with four Weber carbs, and a 5-speed manual. It’s a stunning tribute to the Ferrari 250 GT California, but one you can actually drive without sweating every mile.

Bidding’s already at $90,500, and these have hit $150K+ before. With ‘80s movie nostalgia and Ferrari prices both soaring, this could go even higher.

If you’ve ever wanted to be Cameron Frye (without the garage disaster), now’s your shot.

Nearly Sale of the Day

This 1995 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe in Iris Blue Metallic is a 993 stunner—6-speed manual, 39k miles, and that raw air-cooled magic. Imported from Japan with a clean title, it’s got some wear, a repainted panel, and no service history, but even in winter’s slow season, a $103,993 bid turned heads.

The seller, he kind of brushed it off defensively.

Fair enough—it’s their car, their call. Maybe they’ve got more into it than they’d like to admit, or maybe they’re just hedging their bets, thinking another platform might bring a better result.

A low-mile, rare-color 993 will always have its audience, even with sketchy paperwork and a few dings. The market’s still strong on these air-cooled icons, and with the top bidder still circling, there’s interest left on the table.

Wouldn’t be surprising if this one pops up again soon.

Is the Market Softening?

I keep hearing it: "The market is softening." But what does that even mean? Compared to what? If people are thinking of 2021 prices, then sure, we’re not at that level anymore. But let’s be honest—those prices were wild. A pandemic-fueled surge where everything, from vintage Porsches to used Honda Civics, was selling for Monopoly money. So if that’s the benchmark, yeah, today’s market looks softer. But that’s a generalization that doesn’t really hold up.

Take these two recent sales:

• 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Split-Window Coupe 327/300 4-Speed – Sold for $205,000. The same car went for $162,000 back in August 2023.

• 5k-Mile 2009 Ferrari F430 6-Speed – Sold for $430,000, with four bidders at $400K or more, showing just how strong the demand is for rare gated manual Ferraris. It sold for $340k back in September 2023.

Two big results. Two very different cars. So what’s going on?

The Reality: It’s Not a One-Way Market

It’s easy to cherry-pick data to fit a narrative. Yes, some segments—modern exotics with high production numbers, older muscle cars with no special provenance—are down. But when we see record-breaking sales happening daily, it’s clear that demand is still alive and well.

A common counterargument is that some of these sales aren’t real market indicators, just cases of two bidders going head-to-head and pushing the price beyond reason. But here’s the thing: that’s exactly what makes the auction market. Whether online or live, emotional bidding drives prices. Maybe someone had too much fun at Barrett-Jackson, maybe two collectors refused to lose—but the final bid is still the real-world number.

A Market Defined by Passion, Not Just Data

People love to say, "That sale was an outlier." But when enough outliers keep happening, they aren’t anomalies—they’re trends. Does this mean every car is climbing in value? No. But calling this a "soft market" across the board is too simplistic.

The Data Nerd's Perspective

Look, I’m a data nerd. I don’t just react to one sale or one auction—I look at long-term data, trends across platforms, and model-specific movements. That’s how you get a true pulse on the market. The reality - some cars are cooling off, others are surging, and overall, we’re settling into a more sustainable space.

The takeaway- Today’s prices are today’s market. People bid with their hearts, sometimes with their egos, and if they’re at Barrett-Jackson, maybe after a few drinks. That’s how auctions work.

For now, the market isn’t collapsing. It’s just evolving. And if you’re selling, picking the right car, the right platform, and the right moment still makes all the difference.