--- title: "Bring a Trailer Commenters Know Your Car Better Than You Do" date: "2026-10-29" modified: "2026-10-29" authors: - name: "Joel Feder" job_title: "Director of Content and Product" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/joel-feder.md" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/bring-a-trailer-commenters-know-your-car-better-than-you-do" categories: - "Culture" - "News" --- # Bring a Trailer Commenters Know Your Car Better Than You Do ![Bring a Trailer comments hero FINAL]() I still remember when Bring a Trailer was a blog that was just throwing up Craigslist and eBay listings on a WordPress site that you might as well have been texting your buddies. I also distinctly remember the week and experience of selling my 1991 BMW E34 M5 on BaT, and everything that came with it. What ties both together is the comment section. On the [latest episode of *The Drivecast*](), Howard Swig, who is now the President of Bring a Trailer, told *The Drive*, "Obviously the comment section has become the secret sauce of what makes it fun and the community component" when asked what's the biggest factor for how BaT evolved from its early days to the Goliath it is today. Listen below from the moment Swig addresses commenters, the community, and how it sets Bring a Trailer apart. Swig recapped the early days of Bring a Trailer by saying, "As you pointed out, it started early days as a pretty simple WordPress blog and online newsletter that was kind of right in the middle of what I’d call the kind of golden era of eBay and Craigslist when there was a ton of real gems out there and guys like Randy wanted to share their passion with the world and was and is still addicted to hunting around the internet and finding these treasures buried on websites and under rocks. So starting in ’07, he was featuring cool cars around the web, primarily eBay, Craigslist, but elsewhere too. Those were also peak times for these marque specific forums. We could, I’m sure, list those off with a smile on our face." But the secret sauce for Bring a Trailer started almost immediately, and sustains the site today in the [face of competitors like Cars & Bids](). "This kind of very enthusiast following started to build. Obviously the comment section has become the secret sauce of what makes it fun and the community component," Swig said. But it's not just about fun. The comments section of BaT serves a business purpose that benefits the site. Swig noted, "Obviously the comment section serves as a own policing force." He's right. When I sold my E34 M5 on BaT a decade ago, in the early days of auctions on the site, a rabid commenter base immediately jumped in and started vetting the car. The community asked questions, one commenter that is prolific in the E34 M5 community ran the car's VIN and listed the entire car's build configuration in the comments. These people know specific cars and marques, and they do the due diligence pro bono. It's almost like a sport. Though, that kind of public community isn't for everyone. Swig noted, "Yeah, there’s definitely subset of individuals who want privacy, want maximum discretion, and Bring a Trailer is a very public forum, right? So that’s great. If you have a car that you know is awesome, you know a lot about it, and/or you have people that can support you in answering questions. Some cars don’t require a whole lot of Q&A, like a brand new 911 Turbo, it’s almost a commodity. You can talk about the options, it’s a PTS color, here’s why it’s awesome, but it’s a pretty known thing. A car that’s 80 years old, that’s been smashed and restored three times and has a mix of original and new parts, that obviously is I think where we can shine. And as a buyer, you love to read a week of comments before placing a bid on something that’s old and has history. I always make the joke that there’s this irony, people want a car with great history, but no stories. Well, you can’t always have both of those." And for those sellers that don't appreciate the public scrutiny, Swig said, "Yeah, there’s probably folks that would rather sell their car in a forum where there is not a public ledger of people’s opinions and comments. But I think as time has marched on, people realize that if they prepare properly for… If you just throw your car up with junk photos and the car has issues and then you’re chasing all this stuff while the auction is live and you’re behind the eight ball, that’s probably not going to be a great experience for you and your result is probably going to reflect your lack of effort leading up to the auction. But I think most people understand and it takes work, right? Buying a car is super fun. Selling a car is hard work and can be a pain in the butt. So if you put in the work beforehand to present your car in a condition and with the proper supporting documentation and work that was done, then it’s a lovely experience and hopefully your result is going to reflect that." Moderation of the comments on BaT is an entire controversy on its own, as it is with any online forum. "Well, commenters and the comment section can be amazing first responders to major issues. It’s not always this juicy controversy where people want to peel back the curtain and we’ve had a few of those, you guys have reported on a few. We still have a self-policing system where if someone says something crazy or inappropriate or profane, we can remove that. We have obvious things that wouldn’t be allowed, those can get booted. The community can flag comments as not constructive. That’s been in place since early days. Some people get upset when their comment gets flagged and disappears. Very often that’s because other community members didn’t like it and they clicked that button enough times that the comment went away. But yeah, comment moderation and what we call the broader umbrella of community management is tricky, man. You’re kind of an umpire calling balls and strikes and you try to be fair and you stick to your values and get it right most of the time, but especially in cases where there’s a buyer or seller or a previous owner or a commenter, everyone can hang their hat on some valid point of view and sometimes our decision to take action doesn’t leave everyone super stoked and that’s kind of the business we’re in. It doesn’t always feel great, but we kind of have to use our best judgment and make a call. And sometimes people have different opinions of how we could have handled something and I’m sure that they have a valid point of view on that," Swig said. At the end of the day the commenter community on BaT is unlike any on the Internet. It's become a spectator sport. The voyeurism of people spending money on wild things like [$87,000 for a 1992 VW GTI]() brings all the hot takes to the public courtyard. But that's the Bring a Trailer experience. *Got a story? Send us a line at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Overseeing what you see, read, touch, hear, and interact with from the vast lakes of Minnesota, Joel Feder shapes how The Drive looks and operates as the head of content and product initiatives. On a daily basis, Joel leads the newsroom and editorial staff playing point on both short-term coverage and long-term strategic plans. His mission is to help ensure The Drive shapes the future of automotive media by helping the team execute original reporting, breaking news, and exclusive opportunities. Regarded as an industry insider and recognized by colleagues, fellow journalists, and manufacturers as a point-person and leader in the industry, Joel owns and runs the largest automotive professionals group on Facebook in an effort to serve and help others. Joel serves as a juror for the World Car Awards. In addition, he sits on the Board of Directors for Move Forward MN, a local non-profit that helps at-risk youth with barrier-free mental health and housing services. While you’re reading this he’s either on his computer or iPhone chasing the latest news or drafting a story. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]() [Bluesky]() [Email]() ## More - [Money No Object, Which Race Track Would You Rent for a Day?]() - [This Couple and Their Pair of Nissan 300ZXs Make an Unforgettable Wedding Photo]() - [Mopar Built an Electric Plymouth GTX Restomod With Less Power Than Stock]() - [Indy 500’s ‘Paper Boy,’ a Speedway Legend, Has Died at 71]() - [Did You Know Racing Legend Carroll Shelby Helped Found Chili’s?]() - [Yes, Someone Really Made a Dodge Challenger Limousine With Quad Gullwing Doors]() - [Buy This Tan 1991 Acura Legend With a Manual, Become an Acura Legend in Your Neighborhood]() - [Some Rich Guy Is Flipping His 1,035-HP McLaren Speedtail for Nearly $5M]()