The Daily Vroom

Good Morning Vroomers,

I think I may need to start posting more on Saturdays. The response to yesterday’s newsletter was overwhelming and I mean overwhelmingly negative toward Mecum. I had no idea so many of you carried such strong feelings about them.

I’ve been around the block a few times, spoken to plenty of people at auctions, and seen some crazy things go down at live sales. But the sheer volume and passion of the feedback tells me this struck a nerve. Today I’ll be sharing some of your thoughts directly.

At the same time I want to balance that with a positive story. Hagerty has quietly been stepping up their game in a big way, and this week they’ve shown why collections matter and how to market them right. I love to see platforms raising their standards and giving buyers and sellers a reason to get excited. Hagerty has done that, and it deserves attention.

Your Mecum Feedback

After our piece on what went down at Mecum over the weekend, the inbox lit up. Hundreds of comments and emails poured in, and the poll results tell the story, you all have very strong opinions on this one.

They’ve clearly lost business from this as this commenter wrote ‘This video evidence and their response turned me off. I have a collection that I would have considered them. No longer.’

I’m pretty pretty sure they don’t care based on their ‘official’ response and silence after.

A few days have passed and Mecum has stayed silent. Looks like they’re hoping it blows over. That’s the exact opposite of how the online houses handle controversy. With lower fees and real transparency, it’s hard to see why anyone would send a sub-$100k car to Mecum. Seven-figure blue chips? Sure, there’s a case for Gooding, RM, the usual suspects. But for everything else, online feels like the smarter play.

Saturday’s poll - “Do you trust Mecum?” drew the biggest response we’ve ever had. Normally I pick a handful of comments to highlight. This time, with the volume and passion behind the responses, I’ll be sharing a lot more. 

Hagety’s New Strategy?

At the beginning of the year I was questioning whether Hagerty’s online auctions were just a vanity project. It felt like they didn’t really care. But slowly and surely I’ve seen more effort on their part, and now this week they’ve got four different collections ending in the same week. So it seems like they are stepping up their game.

The Rocket City Collection is the headline act. More than 50 cars from Huntsville, Alabama, tied to the region’s NASA heritage and every single one selling at no reserve. From prewar Cadillacs to DeLoreans, pace cars, drag racers, and even oddballs like the Chevy SSR, it feels more like a spectacle than a sale.

The SugarCreek Collection is smaller but just as interesting. Nine cars out of a private Ohio garage with its own restoration shop. Lincoln limos, a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, a Cadillac Seville, even a Saab 900 Turbo Convertible. All no reserve.

Then there’s the Burnyzz Collection, a 100,000 square foot hot rod heaven being sold off. Corvettes, Mustangs, a Maserati MC20, a Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo race car, VW buses, Fiats, American classics. A dream garage turned market event.

And finally the AACA Museum Collection from Hershey, Pennsylvania. The museum is a Smithsonian affiliate and one of the top automotive museums in the country. Hagerty offering cars from its curated displays is a big statement.

On top of all that there are another eleven no reserve listings running right alongside these collections. It feels like Hagerty are leaning into something bigger here. positioning themselves as the collection site, and maybe even the no reserve site. For buyers that is a very attractive prospect. For sellers it is visibility and momentum.

Whether this is a permanent shift or just a strong week remains to be seen.

No Reserve Auctions To Keep An Eye On

I’m not sure if I like this or not. A 1997 Mercedes-Benz SL500 wrapped and hand painted by Joshua Vides, turned into a living comic book. On one hand it’s a high mile R129 with 225k miles that most people would scroll past. On the other hand it’s now an art piece, and you can’t argue it isn’t unique.

This SL was part of Vides’ Check Engine Light pop up, sitting in a black and white set alongside a Civic and a 911. The wrap covers everything, even the grille, so it’s more spectacle than driver. And that’s the point. It’s a rolling conversation starter, the kind of thing that would draw a crowd instantly at Cars & Coffee. If that’s your thing, this is your car.

I’ll admit I can’t decide if it’s cool or if it’s a gimmick. But it is definitely a talking point. In a sea of safe builds and same old cars, this stands out. At no reserve someone is going to walk away with a piece of art history for used Civic money. Love it or hate it, you can’t ignore it.

A Shark Blue 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 with a six speed manual and 22k kilometers on the clock. One of the most celebrated driver’s cars of the modern era. This Belgian based example comes loaded with the right spec: carbon roof, front axle lift, Bose, Sport Chrono, carbon interior, and that all important manual gearbox. It is no reserve, which makes it even more tempting.

But here is the catch for our American readers- Importing a car like this from Belgium is not a simple “ship it over and register it” process. U.S. DOT and EPA standards make modern grey market imports almost impossible without spending tens of thousands to federalize the car. For all practical purposes, the cost is prohibitive. Unless this one hammers well below current U.S. market value, it will not make sense to bring it stateside.

That does not take away from what it is: a stunning Shark Blue GT3 with a flat six that revs to the moon, one of the best steering cars in the world, and the rare chance to buy one at no reserve. For European buyers it is a headline opportunity. For us Americans it is more of a window shopping moment unless the price craters.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen this before on BaT. A car with three days left and not a single comment. Not one. (at the time of writing Sunday evening)

That alone makes this 2003 Mazda MX-5 Miata Special Edition worth paying attention to. Usually when a listing is this quiet it means one of two things: the seller phoned in the photos and description, or the market just has not noticed yet. And sometimes that is where the opportunities sit.

This second generation Miata is one of just 1,550 Special Edition cars built for 2003, finished in Strato Blue Mica with gray leather and showing 52k miles. It has all the right ingredients: six speed manual, limited slip diff, Nardi steering wheel, Bose stereo, and it is selling at no reserve.

Now it is not the best presented listing. The photos are not going to win any awards, and the write up is just average. But for a clean, low mile Special Edition Miata, that is exactly when you lean in. BaT is full of people chasing perfect presentation and shiny marketing. The smart buyers know the real value is sometimes hiding in the quiet auctions that nobody is talking about.

Three days left. No comments. No reserve. If you are a Miata person, this might just be the sleeper buy of the week.