The Daily Vroom

Good morning Vroomers,

Yesterday was on the quieter side, with just over $8.1 million in total sales and no seven-figure headlines to speak of. Looks like the big-money cars decided to take the day off. The action was all in the middle of the market, where the real bread and butter lives, the $40K to $45K range, which is right in line with the overall daily average across all auction platforms.

Things are busy behind the scenes here at The Daily Vroom (more on that soon), so today’s edition is a slightly shorter run than usual.

As always, keep the questions, tips, and feedback coming, we read and appreciate (and reply) to every single email you send our way.

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.

Cars & Bids Events

Cars & Bids Finally Adds an Events Page (But There’s a Catch)

If you’ve been reading me for a while, you’ll know I’ve been banging the drum for Cars & Bids to start running events. Earlier this month, they did just that with a trackside Cars & Coffee at Road America. Fifty cars filled their exclusive corral, from overlanders to exotics, thousands of race fans stopped by, and all of it unfolded with IMSA prototypes screaming past at 150 mph. Porsche, BMW, Corvette, Lexus, Acura, Cadillac, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, McLaren, all on track. It looked epic.

Now they have quietly rolled out an events page on their site showing upcoming and past gatherings. I love that this is becoming part of their brand and I hope to get to one in person.

But here’s my small gripe, and it’s only said out of wanting a better user experience, Unless you have the direct link you will not find the page. It is not in the navigation, it is not in the footer, it is just out there. If you are a casual visitor who is not registered and not on the email list, you will have no idea these events even exist. And while we are at it, yes, there are some real interesting links hidden at the bottom of the site, and I am not a fan of burying key info there. Most people will never scroll that far.

I am no UX or UI expert, but an Events link belongs up top in the menu.

This is not a major complaint. It is more of a nudge. Cars & Bids is onto something here and the more visible these events are, the bigger the community they can build. Road America was a great start. Now let’s make sure everyone knows where to find the next one.

Sale of the Day

Here’s one for the “how is this even possible” file. This 2010 Jaguar XKR Convertible, a 510-hp, Ian Callum–penned grand tourer with the looks to rival anything in the valet line, just sold for $18,650. That’s used Camry money for a car that will hit 60 mph in the mid-4s, top out over 170 mph, and do it all with heated and ventilated seats, a Bowers & Wilkins sound system, and 20-inch Kalimnos wheels.

In terms of performance and presence, it’s playing in the same league as cars that regularly trade for two or three times this price. Jaguars from this era tend to fall off a cliff in value, which makes them one of the most compelling used buys if you’re willing to live with the running costs.

It just had $14,000 worth of suspension and mechanical work done under Carvana’s warranty, everything from control arms and mounts to pumps and sway bar links, so the next owner gets a basically new suspension. Mileage is a reasonable 46,600, and it comes with all the right options.

These cars never got the love they deserved when new, but as a used buy, they’re an absolute bargain. Today’s winner picked up a drop-top with serious speed, luxury, and pedigree for less than the price of a base Civic. That’s the kind of depreciation curve you dream about. And for those of you that made it to the end, I can’t believe that I’m writing about my 2nd Jaguar in one week!

No Reserve Wild Card

Every so often something pops up in the feed that makes you stop scrolling. This is one of those listings. A 2009 Mercedes-Benz G550, V8 power, 4WD, triple locking diffs, at no reserve and currently sitting at $18,500. On paper, it is the full G-Wagen experience, Southern-owned, unmodified, and wearing that familiar Deep Black over black combo.

The catch is that this one comes with a colorful history. It was declared a total loss in Louisiana after hurricane weather sent objects flying into it, leaving it with salvage branding on Carfax but somehow a clean Texas title. It has also been in a string of prior incidents, from very minor to moderate damage, and the gallery even shows the 2021 hit that led to its insurance write-off.

If you only read Doug’s review, you would not know any of this. The write-up hits all the spec and equipment highlights but skips the accident and salvage story entirely. To be fair, the rest of the listing and Carfax history do lay it out, but you have to dig to see it.

I always say there is potential in cars like this if you look hard enough. This is exactly the sort of deal where I would want a full pre-purchase inspection, and to ideally see it in person, before wiring a dime. A G-Wagen at this price might be a dream for the right buyer, but the story behind it means you need to go in with eyes wide open.

That is the beauty and the risk of no reserve. Someone is going to get a G-Class for well under the going rate. The question is whether they will also get all the surprises that come with it.

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