💰 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+ cars in the chart below. Which means Hagerty, Hemmings and many others did not sell 5 vehicles yesterday!

Yesterday's auctions nearly matched the previous day's, totaling just under $6 million in vehicle sales. It seems we're seeing a return to steady sales figures. Broadly speaking, the market divides into three tiers: at the top, high-end sales consistently take place on platforms like Collecting Cars & Bring a Trailer. The middle tier, where Cars & Bids shines, frequently showcases vehicles in the mid-six-figure range, with a noticeable uptick in listings for cars exceeding $100,000. Then, at the entry level, Car & Classic stands out for its regular offerings (including a fair share of mid-range vehicles). I've opted not to mention some of the other big names, as they don't show enough consistency for me to group them into these categories.

Just click on the image, and boom, you're right at the listing.

Last week, I briefly touched on the auction of a 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre Launch Package, a sale that, from the start, seemed destined to fall short of expectations. Yesterday, those suspicions were confirmed when the auction closed with a highest bid of $451,000 – a figure not even close to the car's MSRP. With a staggering 278 comments & counting and significant viewer engagement, it was clear that potential bidders had far too many questions and concerns, preventing any serious bids from approaching a purchase-worthy amount.

Vehicle Overview: For those that don’t know the car. It’s a pinnacle of luxury EVs, showcases dual synchronous motors, a 120-kWh battery, and an exquisite Tempest Grey finish paired with Scivaro Grey & Charles Blue leather interior, making it an embodiment of sophistication and sustainable innovation.

Despite these luxurious features and the car's undeniable appeal, the auction's outcome was underwhelming. The seller massively let down this auction with every aspect of this listing which for deterred serious bids. This comment pretty much sums it all up and I couldn’t have put it better myself!

Analysis: It's not just about the car – the seller's intent and engagement play a crucial role in successful high-stakes auctions like these. In this case, it's hard not to wonder if the seller was genuinely interested in parting with the vehicle or had ulterior motives for listing it. (free advertising) For a high-value, luxury EV like this Rolls-Royce Spectre, a fully committed and transparent seller is not just an advantage but a necessity.

As a commentator and observer of the market, it's intriguing yet disheartening to see such a remarkable vehicle fail to meet its reserve, especially when the main underlying issues seem to stem from factors beyond the car's quality or desirability.

On a lighter note, remember how I shared that the CEO of Rolls-Royce was on a mission to slap a permanent ban on anyone daring to resell their ride within the first year? Well, looks like this particular seller dodged that bullet – every cloud…

A question that often pops up here at The Daily Vroom is about how the mid-range cars stack up in the online market. Just yesterday (or today, by my clock), I was glued to a bunch of auctions and couldn't help but notice this eye-catching (pictured above) 2002 Mercedes-Benz SL500 with impressively low mileage, snagging a cool $37,250. That got the gears turning in my head about the SL500 scene. So, I dove into the numbers, starting from June 1st, to get a clearer picture. Here's the scoop on what I found about the SL500 market.

Below are the 5 platforms who have sold the most SL500’s from June until Feb 5th.

1. Bring A Trailer:

   • 25th Percentile: 25% of the SL500 sales on Bring A Trailer were below $14,500. This indicates that a quarter of the vehicles were sold at prices lower than this amount.

   • 75th Percentile: 75% of the SL500 sales on Bring A Trailer were below $24,492. This means that three-quarters of the vehicles sold at prices lower than this, and only the top 25% sold for more.

2. Cars And Bids:

   • 25th Percentile: For Cars And Bids, 25% of the SL500 sales were below $10,000, suggesting that most vehicles sold for more than this price.

   • 75th Percentile: 75% of the SL500 sales on Cars And Bids were below $18,525, indicating that the top 25% of the sales were higher than this price point.

3. Car & Classic:

   • 25th Percentile: On Car & Classic, 25% of the SL500 sales were below $9,500, implying that a majority of the sales were above this price.

   • 75th Percentile: Similarly, 75% of the SL500 sales were below $18,266, meaning the highest-priced 25% of the vehicles sold for more than this amount.

4. MB Market:

   • 25th Percentile: For MB Market, 25% of the SL500 sales were below $17,000. This suggests that most of the sales were at higher prices.

   • 75th Percentile: 75% of the sales were below $31,812.50, placing the top 25% of the sales above this price.

5. Bonhams Online:

   • 25th Percentile: On Bonhams Online, 25% of the SL500 sales were below $8,629, indicating lower prices for a quarter of the sales.

   • 75th Percentile: Conversely, 75% of the sales were below $13,841, meaning most sales were below this price, with the top 25% exceeding it.

These percentiles help understand the spread and skewness of the sales prices on each platform, showing where the majority of the data points lie and how they are distributed.

Overall: The chart indicates that the average selling prices of Mercedes-Benz SL500 models vary with the year, reflecting the car's evolution, the introduction of new features, the mileage and the changing collector market. While newer models tend to fetch higher prices due to their modernity and condition, older models have a market that values them based on their classic appeal, condition, and unique characteristics.

The market for the Mercedes-Benz SL500 shows fluctuating prices over time without a clear long-term trend, no market softening here. The prices are subject to change based on a variety of factors with each vehicle listing.

The top-selling model year for the Mercedes-Benz SL500, based on the number of sales in the dataset, is 1999. In that year, there were 34 sales recorded, with an average selling price of approximately $19,166.85 and a median selling price of $16,675.

Regular readers of The Daily Vroom are probably familiar with my stance, supported by data, that weekend sales hold their ground quite well against weekday sales when it comes to pricing. The chart above clearly illustrates this point, showing that Saturday sees the highest average sale prices for the SL500.