The Daily Vroom
Good morning Vroomers!
Weβve got clarity. The White House just locked in the 25% import tariff on foreign vehicles, and it applies to used cars tooβnot just new. Thatβs on top of the existing 2.5% for most European imports, meaning a 2010 911 from Germany is now looking at a 27.5% tariff at the port.
The only carve-out is age. Vehicles 25 years or older dodge the new tariff completely. So yesβyour dream R32 Skyline, J80 Land Cruiser, or vintage Alfa still gets through untouched. Anything newer, itβs getting taxed.
Thereβs also a path for partial relief under USMCA (Canada/Mexico), but itβs not automatic. Importers have to prove U.S. content to get a breakβand it only applies to that portion of the carβs value.
So what does this mean for global auction platforms?
Buyer pools just shrank.
If you're listing a car in Germany, the audience just got smaller. U.S. biddersβpreviously a major market for Euro classicsβmay well start tapping the brakes. That means softer demand, less bidding pressure, and possibly lower prices on cross-border listings.
Platforms like BaT, whoβve been ramping up European listings, will need to pivot fast. Itβs no longer just about onboarding international sellersβitβs about attracting local bidders in those markets, because the U.S. crowd may sit this one out.
Meanwhile, if youβre a non-U.S. buyer, this could play in your favor. With less competition from across the Atlantic, you might score that 964 or E24 for less than you expected.
This changes the mathβfor buyers, sellers, and platforms alike. Weβll keep watchingβand if the policy shifts, youβll hear it here first
Now that the 25% import tariff is confirmed, would you still buy a βnewerβ (under 25 years old) car from abroad?

YESTERDAYβS 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
Built by Special Edition, Inc. and specced to the moon, this Beck 904 replica brought $140Kβand in todayβs market, thatβs looking like a deal. Powered by a 2.7L Porsche flat-six with ported heads, PMO carbs, and a rebuilt 5-speed, itβs basically a vintage race car that somehow still has A/C and Burberry plaid seats. Zero expense spared, zero corners cut.
My 2Β’:
If you're someone who values the look, feel, and sound of a proper mid-engine iconβbut doesnβt need the seven-figure bragging rightsβthis was a no-brainer. A real 904 is museum bait. This, you can actually drive it hard without worrying about the insurance premium or provenance police.
And letβs not ignore the timing: Beckβs waitlist is measured in years, not months. Build cost is easily $160K+ if you started today, and thatβs before you even think about sorting the drivetrain. So at $140K, this was a fast pass to the front of the lineβand a few grand saved in the process.
A smart buy, clean execution, and honestly way more car for the money than most restomod 911s pulling similar numbers.

Auctions Under The Radar
This truck is basically a brand-new time capsuleβ1,400 miles, never modified, showroom clean, and still owned by the Chevy dealership that sold it new. It even comes with the SLP performance upgrades done by Southern Coach, which just makes the whole thing even more of a unicorn.
Hereβs why this matters:
These trucks are from the last era before modern tech took overβno screens, no sensors, no gimmicks.
Itβs loaded, itβs clean, and it still has that old-school GM feel that new trucks just donβt deliver.
You couldnβt spec this today if you triedβand if you found something close, itβd cost double and wouldnβt be half as cool.
This is the kind of listing thatβs easy to scroll past because it looks like βjust a truck.β But look closerβitβs the kind of thing collectors will wish they grabbed five years from now. Low miles, perfect condition, right story. One of one.
Hereβs the kind of wagon that slips past casual scrollers but gets hardcore BMW nerds frothing. A Granite Silver E34 Touring, 5-speed manual, all-wheel drive, no sunroof, cloth sport seatsβand offered at no reserve.
Imported from Switzerland, featured on Lifeβs Too Short for Boring Cars, and owned by one of the most respected indie BMW shops in the country (shoutout Glen Shelly), this is equal parts quirky and cool. It's not perfectβthereβs rust, some quirks, and a few creaks and rattlesβbut thatβs exactly the charm. A properly sorted, rare-spec long-roof from BMWβs most underloved era.
Why it matters:
Manual. AWD. Wagon. No sunroof. Thatβs bingo for E34 diehards.
Already in the U.S. with a clean Colorado title. No import headaches.
Sellerβs a known enthusiast, not just flipping metal.
You can actually use itβdrive it to the ski hill, grocery run, or Radwood.
If this sells anywhere south of $10K, someoneβs going to feel very smug a year from now. These never show up, and this one has real story baked in.
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