The Daily Vroom

Second Chances

Today we’re all about second chances. That could mean a car getting re-listed (see below) Or it could mean a car like this one coming back to auction after a few years off the radar. And sometimes, it’s just the second shot someone needed to actually buy the thing.

This 1972 Porsche 911T last sold in 2021 for $95K. It just hammered down yesterday for $116K. Not because the market’s on fire. Because this car was well-presented, lightly improved, and sold with proper context. Engine-out reseal, sorted suspension, fresh tires, clean photos. No fluff. No oversell. Just a strong longhood with MFI, Fuchs, and a documented California-to-Oregon life.

People love to say the market’s down. And in some spots, it is. But we can show examples every single day that are up. That’s why we never generalize. Each model lives in its own lane and every car within that model has its own story, its own price, and its own momentum.

This one was quietly well bought and well sold. No drama. Just execution.

This 1993 Mustang SVT Cobra sold on BaT in May 2023 for $62,500. Yesterday it came back and bidding stopped at $56,000. Reserve not met.

Same car. Same miles. Now with a dry-ice-cleaned underside and full documentation. It was clean, original, and clearly prepped to move. But it didn’t.

Why? Could’ve been timing. Could’ve been a thin bidder pool. Could’ve been anything. It’s easy to speculate when a car stalls out.

But here’s a little truth that doesn’t get talked about. There are patterns. Signs. Tells. You can often read an auction and know, within reason, if it’s going to sell that day. Engagement levels. Bidder types. Timing of the first real offer. Even the seller’s tone in the comments. Most of it’s readable.

What’s not? A stubborn seller.
When a seller assigns value based on emotion instead of market, there’s no data model that can predict the outcome. Unless… you’ve tracked the seller before.

Will this one come back again? Maybe. And if it does, we’ll be watching.

Wagon Delight

Forget second chances. This one’s a gift the first time around.

A no reserve rear-drive Nissan Stagea 25T RS-V with a 5 speed manual swap, RB25DET power, R34 GT-R front end, and a US title. That’s not just rare. That’s borderline unfair.

This isn’t your usual wagon. It's a Skyline in long-roof form, built when Nissan still did weird wonderful things for the home market. And this one hits every note. Z Tune style kit. Rays wheels. Thule roof box for maximum dad-spec menace. Even the interior's clean and simple. Just enough wear to prove it’s real. Not enough to kill the vibe.

Sure it’s not perfect, but I love imperfection! The head unit’s dead and the tires are aging. Who cares. It’s a manual Stagea that looks like a GT-R mule and sounds like boost. And it’s going to sell.

Some cars are about value. Others are about taste. This one’s about fun. And it’s all upside from here.

The Z8 That Came Back Swinging

Over the last two weeks, we've been harping on about second chances. What it takes to relist a car. Whether it’s smart strategy or just seller denial. The pros, the cons, and everything in between. If you’ve missed any of it, go back and catch up at thedailyvroom.com. It’s all there.

This Z8 is the perfect case study.

It first ran back in April and stalled out at $196,000. RNM. At the time we wondered, was that a misstep? Was the seller crazy to turn it down? Did timing kill the sale? Would it ever do better?

Well, they didn’t flinch. They relisted. Same platform. Still with a reserve. Ballsy move, and kudos to Cars & Bids for letting it happen. To push things further, C&B even did a full-blown marketing video. So the question was, would that bring a new wave of bidders?

You could argue conditions were better this time around. George Foreman’s Z8 had just sold for $295K on BaT. Summer heat. New day. New week. New energy.

And yet... this relist pulled in almost the exact same number of views as the first one. Even with all the marketing muscle behind it.

So what changed?

Everything and nothing. The car sold this time for $251,000.

A win for the seller. A win for Cars & Bids. But maybe most interesting is what happened under the hood of the bidding.

The winning bidder was a new user. Just joined the platform this month. That’s right, sometimes all it takes is one new set of eyes.

But even more fascinating? The runner-up had already seen the car. He bid on the first listing back in April. His top bid then? $150,000. His top bid this time? $250,000.

So what happened? Was it regret? Peer pressure? Summer bonus? Market confidence from Foreman’s result? Who knows. But that $100K swing tells you everything about how fluid auction psychology really is.

This wasn’t about mileage or spec. It was about context. Momentum. Energy.

Which is exactly why we keep saying, no two auctions are ever the same. You can’t predict final prices in a vacuum. And you sure as hell can’t just plug comps into a spreadsheet and think you’ve got the answer.

This Z8 reminds us that auction success is about more than the car. It’s about timing. Platform. Presentation. And whether the right two people show up.