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The Daily Vroom

Good morning Vroomers,

Well... that was fun.

A 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition has just become the most expensive Ford GT ever sold on Bring a Trailer, changing hands for an incredible $2,101,000. There were nearly 2,000 comments along the way, but what I found just as interesting was what people were saying afterwards. Nobody suddenly thought every Ford GT was worth $2 million. In fact, the winning bidder was one of the first to say exactly that, reminding everyone that unless your car can replicate this one, don't get any crazy ideas. I thought that was a pretty sensible take.

It also got me thinking about something I've gone backwards and forwards on for months. If one extraordinary result doesn't suddenly make every similar car worth the same money, then how much value is there in a tool that tells you your car is worth exactly X? We could build one ‘tomorrow’ if we wanted to, but the more I think about it, the less convinced I am that's actually what people need. I'd genuinely be interested to know whether you agree, so I've shared a few thoughts on that below.

The other thing I can't stop checking this week is Dutch Auto Auctions who I wrote about the other day. I've found myself refreshing the page far more than I probably should, watching the prices tick down every few seconds and wondering whether somebody's finally going to pull the cord and buy the car. It's completely different to every other auction platform, and I still have no idea how buyers are going to behave. Maybe they'll wait. Maybe they'll panic. Maybe they'll get it completely wrong. Either way, I'm fascinated to watch the first few auctions play out.

YESTERDAY’S TOP 3 SALES

Want to dive deeper into any of these listings? Just click on the car to take you directly to the listing.

2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition $2,101,000 (8 miles)

2009 Ferrari 430 Scuderia Spider 16M $947,000 (5789 miles)

1993 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6 $718,000 (44,751 miles)

💡 TDV Tip

If one of today's cars has caught your eye, don't just look at the hammer price.

Importing? Check here the true landed cost.

Buying within the U.S.? Get a free shipping quote (with our tool) in under a minute. No email. No phone number. No sales calls.

Why There Isn't a Valuation Tool on The Daily Vroom... Yet

Why isn’t there a valuation tool from TDV. One question I've been asked quite a few times over the last few months is, "When are you going to build a valuation tool?"

It's a fair question. We've built shipping calculators, a jobs board and plenty of other tools, so you'd probably expect a valuation tool to be next.

The truth is, one of the reasons there isn't one isn't because we can't build it. It's because I'm still not convinced it's the right tool to build.

Now don't get me wrong. We could absolutely build one. We've got auction results, historical sales, AI and more data than I've ever had before. We could probably tell you that the last ten 2018 Porsche 911 GTSs sold for somewhere between X and Y, and we'd probably be pretty close.

But does that mean your car is worth that? I don't think it does.

The more I've looked into it, the more I've come to the conclusion that there are simply too many variables. Mileage, colour, options, documentation, ownership history, originality, modifications, where the car is located, what time of year you sell it, whether there are three others on the market at the same time, what's happening with the economy, the stock market, a war somewhere in the world, which platform you choose, who's selling it, how well it's presented, how quickly questions are answered... you can probably think of another ten variables yourself.

Take two identical cars, same year, same model, same mileage. One is photographed beautifully, has a detailed listing, a great video, a responsive seller and is represented by someone who sells that make and model every week and already has buyers following them. The other has a handful of average photos, a basic description and an owner who's never sold a car online before.

Are they worth the same? Maybe. Will they sell for the same amount? I wouldn't bet on it.

Then you've got timing. You only need two determined bidders on one particular day for a result to blow expectations away. Equally, if those two buyers happen to be away that week, or another similar car comes to market at exactly the same time, you can get a completely different result.

That's why I've always struggled with the idea of saying, "Your car is worth exactly $183,472."

I just don't believe anybody can know that. What I do think is valuable is showing you what similar cars have actually sold for, where they sold, how they were presented, what the bidding looked like and, perhaps most importantly, who consistently gets the best results selling cars like yours.

To me, that's much more useful than a single number. Maybe I'm completely wrong.

Maybe all you want is a quick ballpark figure before deciding whether to sell, what reserve to set or whether it's even worth putting the car on the market.

So I'll throw the question back to you. A valuation tool isn't currently on The Daily Vroom roadmap because I think there are other tools that would genuinely help people more. But if enough of you tell me you'd use one, then perhaps I've got this completely wrong.

No Reserve Auctions To Keep An Eye On

Earlier I briefly mentioned the Ford GT that crossed the block for around $2 million yesterday. Incredible car, nearly 2,000 comments, huge interest... and yes, it's the sort of auction everyone ends up talking about.

But if I'm honest, the listings that really get my juices flowing are often the complete opposite. Take this 2010 Volvo XC70.

I get it. It's hardly the most inspiring car in the world. It's not rare, it's not particularly fast and I doubt many of you woke up this morning hoping I'd write about an old Volvo wagon. But hear me out.

The more I read through the listing and the comments, the more I started thinking this is exactly the sort of auction where opportunities can appear. Why? Because there are just enough unknowns to make a lot of buyers nervous.

The Carfax says the car hit an animal back in 2018, but nobody seems to know whether it was a squirrel, a raccoon or a deer. One bidder asked what sort of fuel economy it actually gets. Again, no real answer. There are a few other questions where the seller simply doesn't have the information buyers are looking for, and I completely understand why that would put some people off.

But then I look at it another way. The accident happened nearly eight years ago and the car has carried on driving ever since. If there had been some major issue because of it, you'd hope it would've shown itself by now. Then you've got the naturally aspirated 3.2-litre inline-six. These engines aren't the ones people usually complain about. In fact, Volvos like this have built a reputation over the years for doing exactly what Volvos have always done... quietly racking up miles without making a fuss.

Could the seller have answered a few more questions? Absolutely. Would that probably give buyers more confidence? I think so. But this is exactly why I enjoy looking at listings like this.

Sometimes the best opportunities aren't the cars with 2,000 comments that everyone is fighting over. They're the ones where a few unanswered questions scare enough people away that the remaining buyers start looking a little more closely.

If you've been thinking about buying an XC70 anyway, I'd definitely spend a few minutes on this one. It may turn out to be nothing special, or it may end up being one of those auctions where everyone was so focused on the unknowns that they forgot what these cars are actually known for... just quietly running and running.

I've always had a soft spot for the V12 E-Types.

Yes, I know the earlier six-cylinder cars tend to steal the limelight, but if your idea of classic car ownership is actually getting out and using it rather than chasing concours trophies, these make an awful lot of sense. This one certainly has.

Rather than spending decades hidden away in a collection, the previous owner bought it from a neighbour and proceeded to add around 40,000 miles touring Europe, exactly what I'd argue a car like this was built for. The current owner has carried on that philosophy, freshening up the interior, sorting a few mechanical items and improving it without stripping away its character. It's matching numbers, benefits from an upgraded cooling system, stainless steel exhaust, recent alternator and battery, and comes with a history file that stretches back decades.

I also quite like that it isn't pretending to be a concours queen. There are a few cosmetic jobs the next owner could tackle if they wanted to, but equally you could jump in it tomorrow and point it towards the south of France without feeling guilty about adding another thousand miles.

And for those of you outside the UK, don't forget we've got our free Import Shipping Calculator. Before you get carried away bidding on any overseas car, it's always worth knowing what it'll actually cost to get it onto your driveway, including shipping, import duty and the other associated costs.

If you're in the market for an E-Type to enjoy rather than polish, I think this one deserves a closer look.

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