The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Selling My Volkswagen GTI on Cars & Bids

There are now about 2 billion auction sites out there where my clean-ish, 48,000-mile Volkswagen GTI (with DSG transmission) could have sold. So, why C&B? Simply put, the vibe was right. Doug’s site hosts newer enthusiast cars (we’ve all heard the line), and a quick look through the site’s history with MK6 generation GTIs like mine revealed my car would likely be one of the nicest, lowest mileage MK6 GTIs listed in the site’s history, even with its cosmetic flaws. Plus, I had solid service history to entice buyers to a car that is known to have some issues. So, I decided to snap some pics and get THIS car submitted.

Submitting my GTI to Cars & Bids

The submission process started before I had even sent an email to the site. Photos are king on auction sites, and I am lucky enough to have a small degree of talent in that area. When you test cars for a living, you’ve also got to shoot cars for a living.

With that done, I contacted C&B. Some basic information is initially sent in, like your VIN, the car’s year, make, and model, and a bit of personal info. I also had to send in the title, which ended up causing some problems. C&B accepted the car almost immediately, but the title was an issue that I had created for myself.

See, in certain states, you’ve got 60 or so days to get your car titled properly at the DMV. I hadn’t done that yet, and C&B needed the previous owner (my dad, thankfully) to go get a clean title made up without our signatures on it, even though it was still “my car.” This added about a week to the process, as my dad isn’t a journalist working odd hours like me. He has a real job- a 9 to 5- and getting to the DMV takes time.

But, with that out of the way, the car was submitted for auction. The site did have some notes, asking for angles of the car that I had forgotten about, like the underbody. Cold-start and walkaround videos must be filmed, and if you’re not tech-savvy, this can be tough. Frankly, if you aren’t savvy with any kind of camera, it may be worth hiring someone for this. It’s only a few hundred bucks and my buyer even said that the photos drew him to the car. Plus, C&B even offers photographers for you to use.

Pre-auction fiddling

After the GTI was accepted to the site, I had to provide yet more information for the listing. This included service information that either I or Cars & Bids had forgotten to verify was uploaded, including the all-important timing chain service receipt. Without that service, the GTI’s engine would’ve gone “bang” a while ago. It’s a known problem, and Cars & Bids made sure the records were there and legit.

This leads me back to the issue someone without any photographic talents may have- your photos will look a bit crap and the folks over at the auction site will constantly be asking for more pictures and more information. I felt I was extremely prepared, and even then, the amount of information Cars & Bids wanted was enormous. Obviously, all that means is that when the time comes for the auction to go live, the listing is as complete as possible.

Before it does, C&B asks if you want to set a reserve. Frankly, I don’t know how much of a difference it would’ve made. I chose not to at Doug’s recommendation. I also did not want one so that the car was guaranteed to sell. Frankly, I didn’t want to own another VW, with this MK6 GTI being my second, and the car sort of fell into my lap. I had my sights set on something else, simply because variety is the spice of automotive life. With that done, I knew I was taking a gamble on having the money I needed for my next car.

Regardless, DeMuro harps on the benefit of no reserve, supposedly because it drives more bidders to the auction, and the site recommends it when the time comes. To be clear, I was not pushed toward this decision by anyone at the company. Still, site has an interest in the car being no reserve. They get that all-important sale and their cut of the auction, which at the end of the day, is how the lights stay on. But the buyer has to be careful. More on that in a moment.

Auction time

One day, I woke up to an email telling me that the car was scheduled for auction. Dates and times are provided, and before a listing goes live, you have to sign off on it. After some back and forth over more small details, like clarifying I had not tinted the windows, I approved the listing and the car went live shortly after.

Here’s the scary part: no one tells you that people generally don’t bid until the last possible second. So, for almost a week I sat and watched bids trickle in every so often, sometimes going days without bids, wondering if my car would bring the money I wanted. It was getting close, but with the GTI’s cosmetic damage (general dings, dents, and scratches throughout the body), I was nervous. This is real money, and it all seems fun until you realize your no reserve auction may not bring the dough.

I’d have been even more nervous had Doug himself not explained this phenomenon in a video he put up on his YouTube channel. Without that bit of inside baseball, I’d have likely shot off a message through the site’s chat function to see what was up.

That, by the way, works very well. The folks Doug employs are awesome, and they can be extremely helpful. Messages are answered promptly, and any questions sellers may have are usually a few quick clicks away.

Closing the auction

The last moments of an auction are a massive time sink, which no one tells you. Frankly, I should have taken work off to see the auction close. Bidders are asking questions, but not bidding just yet, so you’re nervous. Sometimes, someone may reach out to you privately to ask questions, which is yet another thing to tend to. In my case, multiple bidders asked for information I and C&Bs forgot about, even with 200+ photos. I had to take tire tread depths and a video of the sunroof operation with 40 minutes to go on my auction. But then the bids come in.

Bidders wait until the last few seconds to get into it. By this time, all the tire kickers and random commenters have bowed out. Sometimes folks pop in just to offer their opinion on your car, which can be a little annoying with the stress of getting real buyers comfortable with your car. One hopped in to simply say that the next generation of GTI was miles better to drive, but not to look at. which got to me a little, admittedly, and I think that kind of thing may detract from an auction, no matter how true or false the comment may be.

My auction specifically was down to just one or two serious buyers, having garnered some 5,000 views over the week it was live on the site. This is where the rubber meets the road, and having not done this before, my heart was pounding. Just minutes were left at this point, and I needed the cash to buy my next car. If my car didn’t bring the money, I had gambled and lost.

The money

My GTI sold for $12,500 in “overtime.” Basically, the clock had hit 0:00, but buyers always have a few seconds to get another bid in, which was the case for my auction. Now, to be clear, I had listed the car a few other places before going with Cars & Bids. They make you take these listings down, but just before I did, I got an offer for $14,500. Now, who’s to say if that buyer was serious? It’s all speculative, but that number has stuck in my head since the auction closed. I suppose it is my fault for going no reserve. I gambled, and while I didn’t totally lose my ass, I potentially could have sold my car for $2,000 more.

But, that’s all speculative. After the auction ended, I was put in touch with the buyer. We talked cars a little, then got to business. Luckily, he was a cash buyer, and he wanted to get the car soon as he could. Less than 48 hours after the auction closed, I picked up him and my wad of cash from the airport. After answering a few questions, I sent the buyer on his way. Obviously, this part of the process will be different for everyone, and I won’t get into the particulars of that here.

Yes, I would have loved more money for my car. Who wouldn’t, especially after getting a higher offer days before gambling on a no reserve auction? But the simple fact is that Cars & Bids did everything right, my individual circumstances notwithstanding. Even with the missing info, it’s impossible for me or the site to know who is going to ask what about the car. It is up to you and Cars & Bids to be preventative in this regard. But, the auction closed, and I got paid. The market spoke on my car, and I made what I made. Luckily, should be just enough to get my next purchase done.

Would I do it again? I don’t know. More than anything, it depends on the car. If you have a more desirable enthusiast car, the money will no doubt be better. My GTI was pretty well maintained, but I believe the cosmetic damage let the car down a little. Some parting advice- if you go no-reserve, be aware you are gambling on your bidders, and some may not be comfortable with that. Outside of that, be aware you could be unhappy with the money, but I could not be happier with the service. For now, it’s on to the next for me.