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Auction sites like Bring a Trailer and Cars & Bids are great places to look for a fun car. They avoid the stress of dealerships and the shadiness of private sellers, all with the dangerous level of convenience only the internet can provide. More importantly, they connect buyers and sellers who know the value of cars non-enthusiasts might not realize. Even if you don’t intend to buy, browsing these sites is tons of fun because of the cool and interesting things on offer. Or at least, it usually is.
Mixed in with the enthusiast fare on Bring a Trailer this week was a 2018 Ford F-150 XLT Crew Cab painted Oxford White with a Dark Charcoal interior. As used F-150s go, it’s pretty nice. It has the twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, 10-speed automatic, and four-wheel drive, as well as the FX4 Off-Road Package, Max Trailer Tow Package, and a host of convenience features. And while it has 93,000 miles, it’s a one-owner ex-dealer demo vehicle that looks immaculate in photos. But why is it on an auction site and not a regular old used-car site?
Bring a Trailer
The seller, who is handling this sale on consignment for a Nevada dealership, jumped into the comments to explain. They acknowledged that there are “probably hundreds” of similarly-equipped 2018 F-150s for sale today, but noted that they’re being sold by franchised dealers who will subject buyers to the usual rigamarole that is perhaps the best argument for Tesla-style direct sales. Private sellers are less likely to put in the effort of cleaning up a truck, fixing any problems, or even publishing accurate ads, the seller of this truck argues.
“What makes this truck special is my attention to details [sic] and making sure a serious buyer really can’t find a comparable quality anywhere but here… without negotiations just a willingness to bid a fair price that will more than likely exceed our low reserve,” the seller wrote.
Bring a Trailer
There’s definitely some sense to that argument, and this seller isn’t alone in hoping that auction-site shoppers will agree. At the time of publication, BaT auctions on a 2018 Audi Q7 and 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV had just closed. Like the F-150, these are just normal used cars that you don’t need to go to an auction site to find. The Q7—a heavily-optioned Prestige model with 75,000 miles—sold for $19,250, beating a Kelley Blue Book estimate of $14,400 to $16,800 for a similarly-equipped model in “very good” condition. The Escalade was a Platinum model with just 4,500 miles and the winning bid of $44,500 was about $15,000 more than what KBB estimated for a similar model in “excellent” condition.
So auction sites can be a great thing for sellers, but is the encroachment of boring cars a good thing for buyers? If you’re willing to pay extra for the nicest example of the used car you want, perhaps. It’s also worth noting that the boring used cars of today can become the collectibles of tomorrow, especially as younger generations start looking for a nostalgia hit. Models from the late 2010s—like the ones mentioned here—are on the bubble for that. Until that generational shift happens, though, I hope these listings won’t crowd out the truly unusual stuff that made Bring a Trailer so charming and useful in the first place.
Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he’s not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read.
