A few years ago these were just used cars.

Today, clean W211s are starting to get the appreciation they deserve, and this no reserve E350 is a great example of why.

No, it's not an AMG. No, it's not especially rare. But sometimes the best enthusiast cars are the ones that simply do everything well. This one has spent its life in California, covered under 100,000 miles and comes finished in a fantastic black-over-Amaretta spec that looks far more expensive than the final sale price would suggest.

What I liked most here was the seller. ThePhotographersGarage is one of the better powersellers on C&B and once again was all over the comments, answering questions about everything from road trip readiness to the infamous M272 balance shaft issue. That's exactly how listings should be run.

The final price was just $6,900.

For that money you're getting a comfortable, well-equipped Mercedes that can happily chew through highway miles all day long. Try replacing it with anything modern and see how far $6,900 gets you. There are plenty of bargains out there…

Cars & Bids recently sent out a quarterly update from Matt Robinson, CRO and Head of Auctions, and while there wasn't a huge announcement hidden inside it, I actually think it highlights a few things they're doing right.

Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, not everything has to come from Doug DeMuro.

Doug built the platform and remains the face of the business, but he's not involved in the day-to-day running of auctions. Having updates come directly from the people who are actually operating the business, talking to sellers, reviewing listings and watching bidding activity every day adds credibility. Matt isn't trying to sell readers on a dream or a vision. He's simply sharing what the team is seeing on the ground, and I think that's valuable.

The second thing that stood out was the continued growth. According to the email, every month of 2026 has been better than the one before. That's an impressive statement considering the amount of discussion around the collector car market slowing down. Whether you're a fan of C&B or not, consistent month-over-month growth suggests they're doing something right.

The third point, and one I've been preaching for years, is the investment in events.

Bring a Trailer has understood this for a long time. The best platforms don't just facilitate transactions, they build communities. Cars & Bids seems to be leaning heavily into that strategy with events at Velocity Invitational, the Petersen Museum and now on the East Coast.

To me, that makes complete sense. People don't just buy and sell cars. They buy and sell within communities. They make friends, build relationships, meet other enthusiasts and eventually those enthusiasts become sellers, buyers and repeat customers. Friendships turn into listings. Listings turn into revenue. It's one of the most natural growth strategies available to any auction platform.

The final thing I liked was the market commentary. Most auction platforms have access to an enormous amount of data, but that data doesn't always help the average enthusiast. Graphs, charts and percentages can sometimes make a simple story unnecessarily complicated.

What I appreciated here was how straightforward the commentary was.

"We're seeing renewed interest in BMW M2 Competition models."

"Attention appears to be shifting from the 996 Turbo towards the 997 Turbo."

Simple. Easy to understand. Actionable.

Whether you agree with the conclusions or not, readers immediately know what Cars & Bids is seeing on its platform. That's useful information.

The reality is that all auction platforms ultimately want the same thing. More buyers, more sellers and more transactions. But I think the best way to achieve that isn't constantly telling people to buy a car or list a car. It's helping enthusiasts understand what's happening in the market and making them feel part of a community.

I'd personally like to see more emails like this. More observations, more trends, more market commentary & more insights from the people actually running the auctions every day.

Because whether you're buying, selling or simply watching from the sidelines, that's the kind of information enthusiasts tend to remember.

I love a wagon, I really do. And will spend way too much on one’s I like. Plenty of stories there for another day.

And if you're talking wagons, it's hard not to love a W123 Mercedes.

This 1983 300TD Turbo ticks a lot of boxes. Champagne over Palomino is probably exactly how I'd want one, it's got the legendary OM617 turbodiesel under the hood, and perhaps most importantly, it appears to have the paperwork to back it all up.

What stands out to me isn't the car itself, because we already know these are great. It's the service history. Original window sticker, service booklet, records going back years and a seller actively engaging in the comments. That's the sort of stuff that gives buyers confidence.

The mileage discrepancy on the Carfax will probably be discussed right up until the auction closes, but the seller appears to have documentation supporting the mileage and the updates look consistent over a long period of time.

At just $5,000 with nearly a week to go, I suspect this one won't stay there for long. Nice W123 wagons have quietly built a huge following over the last few years and every time I think values have got ahead of themselves, another good one comes along and proves people still want them.

Maybe it's the engineering. Maybe it's the simplicity. Maybe it's just because wagons are cool.

Whatever the reason, if you're looking for a classic Mercedes you can actually use, there aren't many better places to put your money.

If BMW built the perfect daily driver, Alpina probably improved it.

This B3S Touring is one of those cars that just gets better the longer you look at it. Alpina Green, cream interior, 435hp, rear-wheel drive and enough space in the back to make most SUVs completely unnecessary.

What caught my attention here wasn't just the car itself, but the listing. The seller has been incredibly active in the comments and, even better, the original owner has jumped in too. We're getting details about the original specification, the paint, the leather, the PPF, ceramic coating and the options list directly from the person who ordered the car new. That's the sort of stuff enthusiasts love to see and exactly why online auctions work so well.

The colour combination is what really does it for me though. Most modern performance wagons are black, grey or white. This feels special. The sort of car you'll find yourself turning around to look at after you've parked it.

I say it all the time, but if I had to own one car, it'd probably be a fast wagon. This is exactly the sort of car that reminds me why.

Three wagons in a row might be pushing it, but I couldn't leave this one out.

The W124 wagon sits right in that sweet spot for me. Modern enough to use whenever you want, old enough to still feel like a proper Mercedes.

This one has covered just 58,000 miles and looks exactly how you'd hope a low-mileage W124 would look. Smoke Silver over Parchment is peak 1990s Mercedes and the optional rear-facing third-row seat is a reminder of a time when wagons were expected to do absolutely everything.

What I like most is that the comments section is discussing exactly what W124 buyers should be discussing. Wiring harnesses, self-leveling suspension and head gaskets. No nonsense, just people talking about the known issues and what prospective buyers should be looking out for.

One commenter summed it up perfectly when he said people loved these so much they drove them forever. That's exactly why finding one with mileage this low is becoming increasingly difficult. Most were bought to be used, and used they were.

The W123 may get most of the attention, but don't sleep on the W124. They're fantastic cars, fantastic wagons and every year it gets a little harder to find one that hasn't been driven into the ground.

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