Cars & Bids now allows pre-1981 vehicles, expanding into the classic car auction space.
The auction platform is currently selling a classic Corvette, Mercury, and restored Bronco.
Older vehicles were previously excluded due to 17-digit VIN standardization from 1981.
In the growing world of online car auctions, platforms catering to enthusiasts are multiplying, each trying to stand out in its own way. Among them, Cars & Bids has become a familiar destination for buying and selling enthusiast vehicles. But unlike its larger and more established rival, Bring a Trailer, it had limited listings to cars built from 1981 onward. That’s now changed. With the addition of pre-1981 vehicles, classic car buyers have another platform to consider.
According to Cars & Bids founder Doug DeMuro, the reasoning behind the original cutoff was simple. Starting in 1981, all vehicles were required to have a standardized 17-character VIN. That consistency makes it much easier to track a car’s history and run a Carfax report, which helps streamline the verification process for both buyers and sellers.
There’s also a less technical explanation: the site probably wanted to build its identity around a younger audience. In doing so, it set itself apart from Bring a Trailer, which has long been the go-to platform for classic car auctions and attracts a broader, often older collector base.
Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures
Since its acquisition a few years ago, Cars & Bids has struggled to match the momentum of Bring a Trailer. The company has gone through a few rounds of layoffs recently, and its performance metrics reflect the challenges. According to The Daily Vroom, which tracks online auction sites, Cars & Bids recorded average sale prices in March between $23,000 and $27,000. That’s a noticeable gap compared to the wider market, where average sales tend to fall between $42,000 and $50,000. The difference suggests that high-end buyers are still gravitating toward other platforms.
Looking at volume, the contrast is even sharper. This past week, for example, The Daily Vroom reported that Bring a Trailer moved around 120 to 130 cars per day. Cars & Bids? Just 20 to 25. That gap isn’t minor, and it shows how far not just Cars & Bids but the rest of the competing platforms still have to go compared to Bring A Trailer in building scale and buyer confidence.
Source TheDailyVroom
Regardless, while excluding cars built before 1981 inevitably made things easier during the website’s formative years, it meant it was missing out on a large section of the classic car market some of its competitors have been operating in. Ultimately, it’s good news for both buyers and sellers, increasing competition among auction houses.
What’s On The Menu?
Cars & Bids
Even so, Cars & Bids has kicked off its pre-1981 era with three classic car listings. The first is for a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible that’s been thoroughly restored and modified. It packs a 6.2-liter LS3 V8, a five-speed manual transmission, Wilwood brakes, and Vansteel coilovers.
The second classic car up for grabs is a 1970 Mercury Cougar. It’s painted in a bright shade of blue and retains the original 5.8-liter Cleveland V8 with 300 hp. This engine is coupled to a three-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels. A look at the odometer reveals the car has been driven 96,800 miles (~155,700 km), and it looks to have been well cared for over the past 55 years.
A restored 1969 Ford Bronco is also available. It too is painted in blue and rocks a new Edelbrock intake manifold, a 3.5-inch lift kit, a roll cage, and 15-inch Mickey Thompson wheels with 33-inch BFGoodrich tires.
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