The Daily Vroom

Good morning Vroomers!

Let’s come back down to earth for a second. We spend a lot of time worshipping the high end of the market but the truth is it’s more fragmented than it looks. Yesterday alone, (see below) just over 43 percent of all sales were under $20K.

You see a stat like “average sale price $48K” (which was yesterday) and it feels like the whole market is buying six-figure cars daily. They’re not. Affordable deals are moving every day. Some are even bargains if you know where to look.

Yes, we highlight the top five sales because they drive headlines. But it’s the sub-$20K stuff that drives volume. That’s where the real churn is. That’s where most people live. And that’s still the heart of the market.

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

This one was bought with emotion. And that’s exactly what made it great.

A triple white Super Beetle. Original owner since 1979. Repainted in Alpine White by the owner himself. Refreshed interior. Smog-ready. Clean title. Sold with records, manuals, original pink slip, and no reserve.

But what made it really stand out was the buyer. He bought it as a birthday gift for his mom. Her first car was a triple white Bug. This one was local. The moment lined up. And he made it happen.

That’s not speculation. That’s not a flip. That’s someone buying with their heart. At $30K, it was the right price for the right story. Final-year convertible. Documented. Honest. Loved.

You can’t fake a listing like this. Or a handoff like that.

Great car. Great story. Great son.

Built To Last, Meant To Be Driven

I saw a gorgeous 190SL over the weekend and it stuck with me. The shape, the presence, the restraint. It reminded me just how much soul old Mercedes cars carry when they haven’t been overpolished or overexplained.

So when I sat down to pick a few listings to share this week, I couldn’t help but lean into that feeling. Three Benzes, all wildly different. One’s got pop culture cred. One’s been in the same family for nearly 50 years. One’s a heavy-hitter project that still turns heads in primer.

None of them perfect. All of them real.
And that’s exactly why they’re worth talking about.

Let’s dig in.

China Blue. Gracie Abrams music video. Reviewed by Doug. Towed a race kart. No reserve.
This 300D has a resume.

It’s a W123 so you already know the deal. OM617 turbodiesel. Indestructible build quality. The kind of old-school charm modern cars can’t touch. This one’s got 105K miles, working A/C, sunroof, MB-Tex, Becker stereo, full service history, and almost 500 photos.

The seller is one of the staffers at Cars & Bids. Knows the platform, knows the car, and it shows. This is how a proper listing should look.

Flaws there are plenty.
Cracked dash. Faded trim. Oil leaks. A few rust spots. Cruise doesn’t work. The engine keeps running for a second after you shut it off. That’s not a bug. That’s just W123 life.

And yes, it was featured in a Gracie Abrams music video.
I’ll admit, I had to look her up. Turns out she’s a big deal. Grammy-nominated. The video is below. The car’s in it. Soft focus. Dreamy vibes. Very W123.

If you’ve been eyeing a classic you can actually drive, not baby, this is it. No reserve. Real ownership history. Internet cred baked in.

I love when a car comes with a story. This one has nearly five decades of it

Gifted as a graduation present in 1976 and kept in the same family ever since. Not tucked away. Not over restored. Just lived with. Maintained. Driven. Loved. That kind of ownership doesn’t just add value. It adds meaning

This 1959 220S isn’t a trailer queen. It’s a proper Ponton sedan. Red with cream seats. Repainted and reupholstered in the 80s. The kind of updates that were never about resale. Just keeping it on the road.

You get the original charm. Chrome bumpers. Fender mounted signals. Four on the tree. A dash clock. An eight track radio. Real wood trim that could tell its own story if it still had a voice.

Yes there are imperfections. The fuel gauge is off. The wood needs love. There’s rust by the trunk. But I’ll take that over a soulless respray and fake patina any day. This is a car with memories built in. And it's still got more to make.

Power comes from the old M180 inline six with dual Solex carbs. Shifts through a column mounted four speed. The seller says it clicks into gear cleanly. That matters more than the horsepower ever did.

If you’re the kind of person who buys cars for the way they feel and the history behind them this is one of the most honest classics on BaT right now.

It’s sitting at under five grand. That’ll change. But it’s not about the price. It’s about the next chapter.

Someone’s going to buy this and instantly become part of a story that’s been unfolding since the summer of 1976.

And that’s the kind of car I want to write about.

Every project like this should be no reserve. You can’t price potential with a calculator. Let the market decide. Let the bidders fight.

This one’s a 1965 600 SWB. Moss Green over Tan. Parked for 25 years. Still runs. Still complete enough to matter. Still wearing decades-old satin black primer like it's waiting for the comeback tour.

Restore it. Part it. Either path makes sense. The body’s straight. Trim is off but included. The chrome is clean. Bumpers and headlights are there. Minimal rust. No crash damage. Just a big heavy icon waiting for a plan.

Inside, it’s mostly there. Door cards are solid. Wood looks good. Seats need help. Dash is pulled but parts are laid out. You’ll need to hunt a few bits. But this isn’t a basket case. It’s a paused project with good bones.

The engine is a 6.3 M100 from a 300SEL 6.3. Not original, but it turns over and runs. That’s a win already. You’re not buying a dream. You’re buying a starting point.

The 600 wasn’t just a car. It was a message. A postwar flex. Mercedes at its most obsessive. And even as a shell, it still has presence.

This one’s ready. What it becomes is up to whoever grabs it first.