What's Cars & Bids?
Cool Car Auctions
Auction your modern enthusiast car — anything cool and exciting from the 1980s to the 2020s.
Low Fees
Buyers pay a 4.5% commission, capped at $4,500. Sellers list for free and receive 100% of the sale price.
More Information
We provide vehicle history reports for every vehicle listed on Cars & Bids — for free.
Easy to Use
We’ve developed several new features that innovate buying and selling enthusiast cars online.
Doug & Bids
Car reviewer Doug DeMuro brings a huge audience to Cars & Bids
— along with his commentary.
About Us
Over the last few years, many car enthusiasts have started turning their attention to recent vehicles – cars from the 1980s, 1990s, and beyond. Automotive reviewer Doug DeMuro realized there isn’t yet a specific place that’s focused solely on buying and selling these modern enthusiast cars, but there should be – so he and a team created Cars & Bids, with its simple name modeled after Doug’s famous pursuit of “quirks and features.”
Cars & Bids is the best online auction marketplace to buy and sell modern enthusiast cars – and that means pretty much anything that’s cool from the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, or 2020s. To us, “cool” ranges from the obvious (a Ferrari F355 or a Lamborghini Gallardo) to the esoteric (a pristine Dodge Dakota Convertible or a Mercury Capri XR2) to the traditional fun cars that enthusiasts love (a Mazda MX-5 Miata or a Porsche 911). Basically everything that’s exciting, fun, interesting, or quirky is welcome here – as long as it comes from the modern era.
Although there are many places to buy and sell a special car, Cars & Bids offers significant advantages over other websites. Here are just a few of our benefits:
- We’re focused on modern enthusiast cars: the 1980s to the 2020s. That means anyone interested in the next era of exciting cars will come here first to buy and sell.
- Our fees are low. Sellers list for free, and the buyer's fee is just 4.5%, with a minimum of $225 and a maximum of $4,500 — far below other auction houses and enthusiast car auction websites.
- We believe that every vehicle should come with a vehicle history report – so we provide one, for free, instead of asking sellers to pay for their own.
- Doug DeMuro will bring extra eyes – and extra buyers – to your cars, periodically reviewing cars offered on Cars & Bids. If your car is chosen, you’ll get far more eyes on your vehicle than any other auction platform on earth.
- While other car auctions take weeks or even months to get your car listed and available to buyers, we’ll get your car listed quickly – and we’ll even take your input on scheduling your car’s auction.
- Cars & Bids makes it easy to submit your car for sale. We value your time by asking for only a few crucial details before letting you know whether or not we’re accepting your vehicle. That means you don’t have to waste your time providing initial information only to have your car rejected.
- Cars & Bids is the most user-friendly online automotive marketplace, with easy sorting and searching – and simplified auctions that tell you exactly what you need to know about each vehicle.
- Our post-auction support is unmatched. Cars & Bids SafePay makes completing your transaction fast, easy, and secure. If you prefer to handle the transaction yourself, we’re always here to answer your questions and lend a hand.
How It Works
Buying a Car
Once you’ve found a car you’re interested in, here are the steps you should take to bid confidently and, with any luck, win the auction!
1. Register to Bid
To contact the seller directly and place bids, you must first with a valid credit card and phone number. Winning bidders pay Cars & Bids a 4.5% buyer’s fee on top of the winning bid amount (minimum of $225, maximum of $4,500).
2. Perform Due Diligence
While we’ve tried to make buying a car online as safe and easy as possible, it’s ultimately your responsibility to perform your own due diligence and make sure that the car you’re considering is right for you – prior to placing a bid.
- Review the listing thoroughly, including known flaws, the vehicle history report, the vehicle inspection report (if applicable), recent maintenance, photos, etc.
- Ask the seller – via comments, Seller Q&A, or the “Contact” feature – any questions that you may have about the vehicle.
- Arrange to inspect the vehicle in person, or work with the seller to schedule a detailed pre-purchase inspection (“PPI”) at a reputable shop in their area (at your cost).
3. Arrange Financing and Logistics
To ensure a smooth transaction, you should have the following organized prior to placing a bid.
- To facilitate your purchase, we’ve teamed up with LightStream to make financing easy and fast for users with good to excellent credit. You can check out rates and payments - and apply for a loan - directly from each auction! LightStream financing is not tied to a specific vehicle, and you can get your loan funded - and money deposited into your account - as soon as the same day you apply.**
- As a reminder, if you plan to finance this purchase, work with your lender to get your financing approved ahead of time - and keep in mind that some lenders may require specific vehicle information and may have year and mileage restrictions.
- Discuss transportation and storage timelines (if applicable) with the seller, and if you’ll be shipping the vehicle, get a quick and easy shipping quote directly on the auction page before bidding.
4. Bid
We’ve made bidding easy, and we’ve explained it in a short video tutorial:
- When you bid, we place a hold on your credit card for the buyer's fee – if you win, your card will be charged and you will pay the seller directly for the vehicle, otherwise, the hold will be released at the auction’s end.
- Bids are binding, so only bid if you fully intend to purchase the car and you have performed the requisite due diligence, because you might end up as the high bidder and there are no refunds.
- To ensure the bidding process is fair for everyone, bids placed within the final minute of the auction will reset the auction’s time remaining back to 1 minute – giving others the opportunity to bid.
5. Win the Auction
To buy a car on Cars & Bids, you must win the auction by ultimately being the highest bidder – and, if the auction has a “Reserve,” by placing a bid that meets or exceeds the seller’s hidden “Reserve” price. If the auction has “No Reserve,” then the highest bidder wins it regardless of the amount they bid.
After the auction closes, you’ll have the option to use Cars & Bids SafePay to complete your purchase quickly and securely, 100% online. You’ll also receive the seller’s contact information (and vice-versa) in order to finalize the details and logistics of the transaction. Buyers are expected to pay for the vehicle in-full within a week of the auction closing. Learn more about Finalizing the Sale.
Selling a Car
Cars & Bids is the best place to sell your modern enthusiast car – and we’ve made the process easy.
1. Submit Your Car
It’s free to submit your car. We simply ask you for a few details – including the VIN, some photos, and a brief description of the car. You can also choose whether you want to set a reserve price, or if you want your vehicle to be sold with no reserve. A reserve price is a minimum value you’ll accept in order to sell your car – and while a reserve auction may seem like an appealing choice, we’ve found that vehicles offered with no reserve get more bids, more interest, and more attention.
If you choose a reserve auction, we’ll ask you to suggest a reserve price – but, based on market conditions, we may ask for a lower one before accepting your car. Keep in mind that all of our auctions start from $0, regardless of whether or not they have a reserve.
Our experienced auction team will review your submission and may ask you some follow-up questions. We will do our best to give you an answer within a business day. Not every car is right for Cars & Bids, but we always appreciate you taking the time to submit your car to us!
2. Prepare Your Listing
Once your submission is accepted, we’ll need some additional information from you – like detailed photos, service and ownership history, etc. Don’t worry – we’re here to help you throughout the process!
- Before you can sell on Cars & Bids, your car must not be listed for sale elsewhere – meaning you’ll have to remove any other advertisement for your car and you cannot accept offers outside of the auction.
- Take excellent photos of your car to get top dollar – hire a professional photographer or review our photo guide before snapping your own pics.
- Film a quick video walk-around and cold-start – just shoot them on your phone in landscape mode and upload to YouTube or Vimeo.
- Have your car inspected to get top dollar – you can order your inspection after your submission is accepted, and once you approve your inspection report we can include it with your listing.
- Review the process for transferring vehicle titles in your state – and, if you have a loan on the vehicle, review the process and timeline for paying it off with your lender.
- Get ready for a thrilling 7-day auction and be prepared to engage with the community and answer questions as they arise.
3. Finalize Your Auction
Once you’ve provided us with all of the necessary information and photos, we’ll create a draft of your listing for you to approve. Once you’ve reviewed and approved it, we’ll work with you to schedule your auction, and it will go live shortly thereafter!
4. Participate in the Auction
- Timely and positive seller participation in the auction – responding to comments and questions, providing additional pictures or videos as needed, etc – is crucial to a successful auction. Good seller participation will result in additional interest, more bids, and a higher final sale price.
- Interested bidders may contact you directly via email using the “Contact Seller” feature, allowing them to schedule test drives, pre-purchase inspections (at their cost), and ask additional questions.
- Enjoy the final minutes – many of our auctions end with thrilling bidding wars, so get ready!
5. Auction End
After the auction closes, you’ll have the option to use Cars & Bids SafePay to complete your sale quickly and securely, 100% online. You’ll also receive the buyer’s contact information (and vice-versa) in order to finalize the details and logistics of the transaction. Learn more about Finalizing the Sale.
If your auction had a reserve and it was not met, we’ll reach out to you and the highest bidder to see if we can help make a deal!
Finalizing the Sale
Immediately after the auction closes we connect the buyer and seller so they can complete their sale. They can choose to use Cars & Bids SafePay to handle payment, documentation, and title transfer quickly and easily, or they can use our custom checklist to ensure a smooth transaction. Here are our recommendations and tips for a successful post-auction sale – and remember, we’re here to help!
1. Make Contact
- Reach out to the other party to introduce yourself as soon as the auction ends, and remember to stay polite and positive to ensure the process goes smoothly.
- We recommend that the seller provides proof of ownership to the buyer – usually, that’s a photocopy or picture of the title and registration.
2. Payment & Documentation
- Buyers are expected to pay for the vehicle in-full within a week of the auction closing.
- If there’s an outstanding loan on the vehicle, Cars & Bids SafePay is a great option to ensure that the loan is satisfied and the title is transferred to the buyer. Otherwise, the buyer and seller should discuss how it will be paid off and the specific next steps, so that the buyer can complete the transaction safely.
- If the seller has funds to pay it off, they should do so as soon as possible, and provide proof from the lender that it has been paid off.
- If the seller does not have the funds, the buyer may be able to pay the outstanding amount owed directly to the lender and then pay the remainder of the purchase price to the seller.
- An accurate Bill of Sale should be created, including the terms of the transaction, to be signed by both parties; we recommend checking with your state DMV for Bill of Sale templates and requirements.
- Cars & Bids SafePay will securely transfer funds from the buyer to the seller. Alternatively, we recommend wire transfers or cashier’s checks for payment, but there are many possible options – including meeting at the buyer’s/seller’s bank to draft up a cashier's check, withdrawing the funds directly, or completing an electronic money transfer.
- Arrange for the car to be picked up and finalize the transaction. If the buyer plans to ship the vehicle, they can book shipping directly through the winner’s page or by contacting our shipping team at [email protected] or (978) 955-2355. The vehicle and title should only be released once the seller has the full payment in hand. If the transaction is happening remotely, the seller should mail the signed-over title to the buyer via courier service with a tracking number once payment is in hand.
3. Share your Success Story
Email the Cars & Bids team a photo of the handoff to share your success story – we’d love to hear about it!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the fees for the buyer on Cars & Bids?
In addition to the final purchase price paid to the seller, buyers pay a 4.5% buyer’s fee to Cars & Bids. The buyer’s fee has a minimum of $225, and a maximum of $4,500.
How much does it cost to sell a car on Cars & Bids?
Listing a car on Cars & Bids is completely free — and sellers receive 100% of the final sale price!
What is Cars & Bids SafePay?
SafePay, powered by KeySavvy, is a 100% online platform that securely processes the payment from buyer to seller and handles title transfer from seller to buyer. Learn more about SafePay.
How do I contact Cars & Bids Shipping?
Our shipping team is available any time at [email protected]. You can also call our team at (978) 955-2355 during regular business hours.
Are there rules to follow when commenting or posting in the community?
Yes! Aside from common-sense rules like language and personal attacks, the conversation should be focused on the vehicle at hand in auctions, and focused on vehicles in the community. We want to ensure the Cars & Bids community remains an open and positive place to spend time with fellow enthusiasts. A partial list of things that are frowned upon (and will be moderated accordingly) include:
- Foul language
- Personal attacks
- Attempting to share your personal contact information
- Spamming
- Asking the seller about their reserve
- Calling out the price you think the vehicle will sell for
- Inappropriate images or descriptions in your profile
- Plugging your personal business, website, social media handles, etc.
- Sidetracking the conversation about other vehicles or topics unrelated to the vehicle being offered
- Linking to inappropriate videos/webpages/content
- Linking to other vehicle for sale ads
How can I sign in?
You can sign in using either an email address and password, or one of multiple Sign On platforms (Google, Facebook, or Apple). Simply click the “Sign Up” or “Sign In” button at the top right of your screen. If you see the Sign Up screen, click the “Sign in here” link to go to Sign In. There you can enter your email and password, or select the Sign On platform you have linked to your account.
Is Cars & Bids currently hiring?
We are frequently adding new positions and any openings can be located on our LinkedIn. We also recommend keeping an eye on our social media as we often post new jobs there!
**You can fund your loan today if today is a banking business day, your application is approved, and you complete the following steps by 2:30 p.m. Eastern time: (1) review and electronically sign your loan agreement; (2) provide us with your funding preferences and relevant banking information; and (3) complete the final verification process.
