The Daily Vroom
Good morning, Vroomers!
A warm welcome to all our new community members—great to have you on board! This is your space to connect, discuss, and share everything you love about the world of online car auctions. If you have any questions, ideas, or suggestions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected]. We’re all ears and always looking to make The Daily Vroom even better.
Now, let’s talk about yesterday—it was a big one. A whopping $7.6 million in total sales crossed the finish line, with the average sale price coming in just under $62,000. That’s a solid day by any measure and well above the average.

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, so if you don’t see a Hagerty, Hemmings etc.. it means they haven’t sold 5 vehicles.


YESTERDAY’S TOP 5 SALES
Yesterday the top sale, a 2021 Ford GT Carbon Series sold for $915k, down from its previous $975k sale.
But honestly, the price isn’t what stood out—it’s the seller’s attitude. He couldn’t care less about the drop, and his outlook is just refreshing. He said, “I started a company with a credit card in my garage, worked my way up for 34 years, and now I get to enjoy the cars I once dreamed about. As for a tax write-off, maybe. I don’t really care either way. Having too much fun enjoying the cars I could only dream about when I had nothing.”
It’s not often you hear that kind of perspective in this space—it’s a reminder that for some, it’s not just about the dollars, it’s about enjoying what they’ve earned.
Want to dive deeper into any of these listings? Just click on the car to take you directly to the listing.

Online vs Live Auctions

For longtime readers, you know we focus on online auctions here. But every now and then, live auctions become part of the conversation—especially when there’s a direct comparison to be made. I’ve shared plenty of data proving that online platforms are steadily eating into the traditional auction houses’ business. That said, live auctions aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. There’s still a massive market for them, and they’ll continue to thrive for years.
I still believe there’s room for an online platform to pull some of the high-end sales away from live auctions. We’ve talked about the advantages of selling online many times—lower fees, a global audience, more transparency—but the assumption I keep hearing is that live auctions bring in higher prices because the buyers have deeper pockets. I don’t buy it. It’s not about wealth—it’s about who is buying. Many of the bidders at live auctions simply don’t engage with online platforms. Some aren’t even aware of BaT, PCarMarket, or Collecting Cars (hard to believe, but true). Others are die-hard traditionalists who prefer the experience of a live auction. And then, of course, there’s the social aspect, these are incredible event weekends.
With that in mind, I wanted to take a hard look at the numbers. How do cars that previously sold online compare to their prices last weekend at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale?
Huge thanks to Ralph from Harbor Motor Cars for providing the raw data.
For this, I’m sticking to cars that previously sold on BaT since it had the most comparable sales. There was one sale last weekend that was previously from Collecting Cars and one from PCarMarket, and both of those ended up selling for significantly more than their original auction price.
Here’s the raw breakdown of sales prices between Bring a Trailer and Barrett-Jackson for the same cars. There were 12 cars in total that were previously on BaT and were then sold on BJ this past weekend. No fees, no adjustments—just the hammer prices.
Now, obviously, there are always outside factors when a car hits the auction block again—seasonality, presentation, seller credibility, and so on.
At first glance, it’s an even split, with six cars selling for more online and six fetching higher bids at the live auction. This alone challenges the narrative that live auctions always bring higher prices.

But, as always, the devil is in the details. Some of the biggest differences come down to the type of buyer, the setting, and how the cars were marketed. A high-energy, in-person auction can create bidding wars, while the slower pace of online sales gives buyers more time to think. Yet, despite the hype around live auctions, plenty of these BaT cars held their own when resold at Barrett-Jackson.
And then there’s the question of who actually walks away with more money—the seller or the auction house? That’s where things get even more interesting…
Now, let’s take a closer look at the percentage differences between these sales. Seeing the raw numbers is one thing, but breaking it down by percentage really highlights where the biggest gaps are.

Some of these cars saw only marginal differences, while others had massive swings between their BaT and Barrett-Jackson results. This next chart lays it all out—who won where, and by how much.
And once we have that, we’ll get to the real question: where do sellers actually walk away with more money? Because as we all know, the hammer price is only part of the equation.
Now that we’ve seen the raw numbers and percentage differences, let’s take it a step further and factor in the actual seller payouts—because a big sale price doesn’t always mean a bigger payday.

For this, we’re accounting for Barrett-Jackson’s 8% seller fee versus BaT’s flat $99 listing fee. While Barrett-Jackson does have additional seller costs, they vary depending on the deal, so I’ve left those out for consistency.
Looking at the numbers, BaT came out ahead in 8 out of 12 cases, while Barrett-Jackson provided better payouts in 4 instances. This suggests that while sale prices were evenly split between the two platforms (6 vs. 6), BaT's lower seller fees resulted in a better net payout for sellers more often.
Now let’s flip the perspective and look at it from the buyer’s side. While sellers focus on their take-home payout, buyers are always looking at the total cost to own—and that’s where auction fees make a major impact.

For this breakdown, we’re using BaT’s old fee structure of 5% capped at $5,000, (when the auctions took place) whereas Barrett-Jackson buyers are hit with a 10% fee on top of the hammer price. For high-value cars, that difference adds up fast.
Looking at the data, BaT offered better deals for buyers in 9 out of 12 cases, while Barrett-Jackson buyers came out ahead in just 3 instances. This confirms what many already suspect—the lower buyer fees on BaT translate to a better overall purchase price in most cases.
Key Takeaways from this subset of auctions:
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Sellers generally fare better on BaT due to lower fees, with 8 out of 12 cases resulting in higher take-home payouts.
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Buyers also tend to get better deals on BaT, with 9 out of 12 cars being more affordable after fees.
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While sale prices were evenly split (6 vs. 6), BaT’s fee structure makes it more favorable overall for both buyers and sellers.

A Tale of Two S/Ts: One Sells, One Doesn’t
It’s rare enough to see one Porsche 911 S/T hit the market, let alone two auctions for this ultra-exclusive model running nearly side by side.
At first glance, these two Porsche 911 S/Ts seem almost identical. Both are part of the exclusive run of 1,963 cars celebrating 60 years of the 911. Both feature the same 4.0-liter flat-six engine, six-speed manual transmission, and lightweight design that make this model in my opinion the best ever 911. So why did one sell for $430,700 while the other stalled at $676,000?
Dealer vs. Private Seller
The UK car, sold via Collecting Cars by a private seller, hit reserve and sold for $430,700. The seller set a realistic reserve, making it clear they understood the market and were motivated to sell.
Contrast that with the US car, listed on PCarMarket by a dealer, where bidding stopped at $676,000—far short of the post-auction asking price of $800,000. Dealers, as we know, often aim high, maximizing profit with a markup that can feel more opportunistic than market-driven. In this case, it feels like they’re going for the throat, banking on the car’s exclusivity and rarity to justify a price nearly double what the UK example achieved.
My 2 Cents
As I’ve said before, sellers can ask whatever they want—all they need is one buyer to bite. But $800,000? That’s not just ambition; it’s bordering on wishful thinking. Yes, PTS Auratium Green adds some uniqueness, but it’s a stretch to say it justifies such a gulf in expectations.
The UK sale shows what happens when a seller meets the market where it is. The US listing, on the other hand, feels like a classic case of dealer markup overreach. Whether or not they find someone willing to pay that price, it’s a stark reminder of how dealers often test the limits of what a car enthusiast might pay for exclusivity.

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