Blogging my nationwide hunt for affordable CarMax enthusiast cars. Automotive Unicorns.
Here’s the short version – the details are in the pages above. I was surprised to find that CarMax carries real driver’s cars, enthusiast’s cars, and has them at decent (for me) prices, with reasonable mileage, and offers spectacular extended bumper-to-bumper warranties that makes owning these cars affordable. I call them “CarMax Unicorns”. I am not affiliated in any way with CarMax and I suspect I’m one of their worst customers. Continue reading “Welcome to the CarMax Unicorn Blog”
It started with my pursuit of a fun car to replace my 2013 BMW M3 convertible (hint hint – up for sale soon with MaxCare!). I searched for a yellow manual-transmission car under $40,000 with 70,000 miles. Up popped this adorable 2026 Toyota GR86 “Yuzu” Edition. What on earth is a “Yuzu” edition, I wondered. And there the descent began. Took me down the trail of collaboration between Scion/Toyota and Subaru and a bunch of limited-run, special-edition cars that seemed like unicorns, but left me wondering. Here’s what I learned: some of it accurate, all of it new to me. Maybe you knew this? Holler if I got it wrong.
The 2026 GR86 Yuzu Edition is indeed one of 860 offered this year, all of them in “Yuzu Yellow”, with matte black 18-inch wheels, yellow interior stitching, a GR cat-back exhaust, and a year of NASA membership included. Turns out that’s the National Auto Sport Association, not the space folks. It starts at $37,560. Same 228-horsepower 2.4-liter boxer as other current GR86 special editions. It’s the newest, the most expensive GR86.
The Yuzu Edition gets Brembo brakes, SACHS dampers instead of shocks, 18″ wheels instead of 17’s, and the cool exhaust. And it’s yellow. But a Premium GR86 can be optioned with the same performance package for $1,500, and you can have it in any color you want. But who wouldn’t want their sports car yellow?
The motor is a 2.4-liter “Boxer” making 228 horsepower, and here’s where it starts to get interesting. A little research suggests the boxer is special because its pistons move horizontally left-and-right (like two boxers punching each other’s gloves) rather than up-and-down like a normal car engine. This flat design allows the entire engine to sit incredibly low in the car, lowering the vehicle’s center of gravity and improving handling. Only Porsche and Subaru make boxer engines anymore, and, surprise, this motor is a Subaru block. While all Subarus have a boxer engine, this boxer is not the same one – made especially for this line of cars.
The 2026 Toyota GR86 Yuzu Edition is here in Puyallup, Washington.
Stock No: 28816614 VIN: JF1ZNBM17T9076070
In fact, much of the car is a Subaru, a derivative of the BRZ. And the GR86 (and 86 before that) is a cousin of the defunct Scion FR-S, also a BRZ (mostly). All three are made in a Japanese Subaru plant, with all their VIN’s beginning with JF1 – the global code for Subaru. In short, Subaru makes the engine block and chassis, and Toyota makes the dual-fuel injection system, transmission, and design.
The “Yuzu” part caught my attention, so I went to the web to learn what it was all about. And bingo! The “Yuzu” comes from the 2015 Scion FR-S “Release Series 1.0”. Scion, in its final year as a brand, built exactly 1,500 of these: bright yellow “Yuzu” paint, Toyota Racing Division (TRD) lowering springs, TRD exhaust tips, a TRD shift knob and steering wheel, red-stitched black seats, HID/LED headlights, and a numbered aluminum plate on the console. It started at $29,990; manual was standard, automatic a $1,100 option. The 2.0-liter boxer made 200 horsepower. When Scion folded in 2016 and the car became the Toyota 86 for 2017, this yellow send-off edition is the one Toyota would eventually return to, eleven years later, to pay tribute with the 2026 GR86 Yuzu Edition. And CarMax had this one for sale, #0874 of 1500, when I started this piece. But it just sold for $21,998 with only 21,000 miles. And it was an automatic.
The 2015 Scion FR-S has only 21,000 miles, was here in Tampa, and was just sold.
Stock No: 70171269 VIN: JF1ZNAA14F8706393
But there’s way more to the story! In 2015, Subaru matched the Toyota/Scion limited-edition action with the BRZ Series.Blue*** – 1,000 units total, half in WR Blue Pearl and half in Crystal White Pearl, with STI-branded 17-inch wheels, red brake calipers, STI aero underspoilers, blue Alcantara-and-leather seats, and revised dampers — Subaru’s version of TRD parts, just badged STI. Same 2.0-liter boxer engine, same 200 horsepower, but manual transmission only; Subaru never offered an automatic on this one. It started at $29,490 — a touch less than its Toyota-badged twin. If you want the manual-only, no-frills version of this story, this is it.
***I could not find why these are called “Series.Blue”, other than maybe the WRX STi rally cars were blue.
A bit rare at 1,000 total – 500 units in each color- and my lucky day, CarMax has one of each! The white one sells for $25k and the blue one for $24k – not much depreciation for these limited editions.
The white 2015 Subara BRZ Series.Blue is on hold here in Columbus, Georgia.
Stock No: 70141669 VIN: JF1ZCAC1XF9601290
The blue Series.Blue (duh) is here in Renton, Washington.
Stock No: 70048642 VIN: JF1ZCAC1XF9601239
The 2017 Toyota 86 860 Special Edition is where the number “860” actually comes from — and unlike everything that followed, it was a marketing flourish and a headcount. Toyota built 860 units in Supernova Orange and another 860 in Halo White, 1,720 total, each with orange-stitched black leather, heated seats, 17-inch wheels, LED fog lights, and a numbered console plaque.
I couldn’t find the numbered plaque in this one’s pics. It started at $29,155 with the manual, $29,875 with the automatic. The 2.0-liter boxer made 205 horsepower with the manual, 200 with the automatic. Every “860” special edition since has been chasing this car’s exact production number, whether or not it says so on the badge. CarMax has this one listed at $26k. Again, very little depreciation.
The 2017 Toyota 86 860 Special Edition is here in Murrieta, California.
Stock No: 28772078 VIN: JF1ZNAA13H9707189
The 2019 Toyota 86 TRD Special Edition is the one member of this family that isn’t actually about being rare — it’s also about being good to drive. Toyota built 1,418 of them, all in Raven Black, and instead of spending the budget on paint and interior trim, put it into Brembo brakes (12.8-inch front rotors, 12.4-inch rear, four-piston calipers), SACHS performance dampers, and a full TRD aero kit. It started at $32,420. Same 205-horsepower 2.0-liter boxer as other manual 86s. If everything else on this list is a special edition you’d want to keep low-mileage, this is the one you’re supposed to actually take to a track day. This one is also selling for $26k. I’m seeing a pattern.
The 2019 Toyota 86 TRD SE is here in Southlake, Georgia.
Stock No: 70164333 VIN: JF1ZNAE11K9702588
The 2020 Toyota 86 Hakone Edition is the first car to be named after a place instead of a person, a paint code, or a production run. Hakone is a mountain toll road outside Tokyo, near Mt. Fuji, well known in Japanese driving culture for its hairpins. Toyota built 860 for the US (plus 30 for Canada) in Hale Green Pearl, with bronze-finish 17-inch wheels and Ultrasuede seats. It started at $30,825. Same 205-horsepower 2.0-liter boxer. This is the quiet one on the list — no graphics package, no anime reference, just a genuinely nice color combo.
The 2020 Toyota 86 Hakone Edition is here in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Stock No: 29113873 VIN: JF1ZNAE15L8750411
The 2023 GR86 10th Anniversary Special Edition marks ten years since the original 86/FR-S launched for the 2013 model year***, and it’s the first special edition built on the second-generation GR86, with the larger 2.4-liter boxer making 228 horsepower. Toyota built 860 of them in Solar Shift orange, with a Gazoo Racing-tuned cat-back exhaust, matte black 18-inch wheels, and a black duckbill spoiler. CarMax has one. Original pricing was maybe $33,175. If you want the newer engine and still want orange, this is the one — the Hakone and Yuzu editions both went in other directions with color.
***CarMax no longer sells 2013 models of anything, going back only 12 model years, so no original 86/FR-S cars for sale here – they do have some 2014’s though.
Gen 2 of this platform brought us a completely redesigned interior, with digital displays and modern technology. Credit to the CarMax photographer for this colorful shot! More importantly, the additional horsepower reduced 0-60 mph runs from the low sixes to 5.4 seconds, as tested by the Car and Driver folks.
The 2023 Toyota GR86 10th Anniversary Edition is coming soon here in Puyallup, Washington. Same place that has the 2026 Yuzu!
Stock No: 70136216 VIN: JF1ZNBH16P8754863
TRUENO, like Hakone, flummoxed me. Maybe the 2024 GR86 TRUENO Edition is built for people who’ve never heard of a Trueno and don’t need to have. Some research noted this car recreates the black-and-white “panda” livery of the 1986 Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 — the car made famous by the manga-and-anime series Initial D — on just 860 US-market cars (plus 50 more for Canada), with black 18-inch wheels, red-stitched Ultrasuede seats, a red-badged shift knob, SACHS dampers, and standard Brembo brakes. It started at $34,720. Same 228-horsepower 2.4-liter boxer as other second-generation cars.
Whether or not the reference lands, the two-tone paint alone makes it the most visually distinct car on this list. I’ve never been a fan of black hoods. They remind me of cars from my childhood that had been wrecked and body panels replaced but not painted. But I don’t think the TRUENO Edition is for 66-year-old dudes.
The 2024 Toyota GR86 TRUENO Edition is coming soon here in Kansas City, Kansas.
Stock No: 29064344 VIN: JF1ZNBM13R9751065
The 2025 GR86 Hakone Edition is a direct sequel to the 2020 car: same name, same mountain-road reference, updated for the newer platform. Toyota built 860 of them in matte Ridge Green, with satin-bronze 18-inch wheels, heated Ultrasuede seats, and the larger 8-inch touchscreen that came with the GR86’s mid-cycle update. It started around $36,405. The engine is the same, so by now you probably don’t want pics, if you ever did. If the 2020 Hakone was the quiet one, this is its equally quiet successor — still no graphics, still no anime reference, still just a color other special editions weren’t using.
The 2025 Toyota GR86 Hakone Edition, Gen 2, is coming soon here in Norcross, Georgia.
Stock No: 70216279 VIN: JF1ZNBM10S9750400
The 2025 Subaru BRZ Series.Purple is the most limited in this entire family of limited editions — just 500 units, fewer than any Toyota, Scion, or Subaru special edition on this list, 860 club included. It debuted in Galaxy Purple Pearl, a color nothing else in the lineup has touched, with satin silver 18-inch wheels, black Ultrasuede seats with gray stitching and gray leather bolsters, an STI short-throw shifter, an STI Flexible V-Bar chassis brace, and an STI logo on the red engine start button and aluminum shift knob. Like the original 2015 Series.Blue, it’s manual-only — Subaru has never once offered an automatic on one of these. It started at $35,445. Yes, the same 228-horsepower 2.4-liter boxer as the current GR86. If you wanted the single hardest one of these ten cars to actually find, this is it.
STI Flexible V-Bar: The engine bay looks wildy different for the Purple. I exaggerate. As I understand it, this is a specialized, pivot-jointed strut tower brace installed directly under the hood. Unlike completely rigid bars, it flexes longitudinally to maintain ride comfort while remaining stiff sideways, which sharpens steering response and locks the front end tightly into corners. How special is that?!
Finally, the 2025 Subaru BRZ Series.Purple is coming soon here in Omaha, Nebraska.
Stock No: 70213592 VIN: JF1ZDBE15S9702389
None of these are must-own cars — underneath the paint, every one of them is still an economical rear-wheel-drive coupe that started around $30,000 new. But that’s sort of the point. The TRD Special Edition is the one to actually drive hard. The TRUENO is the one to park at cars-and-coffee and watch people who grew up on Initial D lose their minds. The Yuzu is the one that’s rare today and will be rarer in five years, once people can no longer find one with the yellow interior stitching still perfect. Toyota figured out that scarcity is a cheaper way to make a good car interesting than horsepower is. And 860 units a year, apparently, is the exact right amount of scarce.
I wondered how rare these are, or did Toyota and Subaru only ever sell a handful of these cars to begin with? Depends entirely on the year. Across its whole run, Toyota (and Scion, before the badge switch) sold about 68,250 FR-S/86 coupes in the US from 2013 through 2021, plus roughly 46,500 GR86s from 2022 through mid-2026 — call it 115,000 Toyota-badged cars, total, over thirteen years. Subaru sold another 58,300 or so BRZs across both generations in that same stretch. Add the three badges together and this entire family amounts to something like 173,000 cars sold in the US, ever — not a huge number, which is exactly why an 860-unit special edition can matter enormously some years and barely register in others.
In 2017, the 860 Special Edition’s 1,720 units were roughly a quarter of that entire year’s 86 sales. Remember, that was 860 in orange and 860 in white – cheating, sort of? In 2019, the TRD Special Edition’s 1,418 units were something like 42 percent of all Toyota 86 sales that year — 42 percent of the niche little sports car, not of Toyota the company, which sold well over two million vehicles total that same year. But within the 86’s own tiny world, “special edition” and “most of what was actually selling” were nearly the same thing by the end of the first generation. The GR86 sells better than the old 86 did, so its specials are more genuinely rare in context: 860 units usually works out to somewhere between 6 and 11 percent of a typical GR86 sales year, depending on how the year went. Numerically, 860 was never really the point — it’s a small slice of an already small pie, and how small a slice depends entirely on how big that particular pie was. And then Subaru went and undercut everybody: the 2025 BRZ Series.Purple was capped at just 500 units, the smallest number on this entire list, 860-club included.
Here’s the part that actually matters if you’re shopping and not just collecting trivia: these cars don’t depreciate like a normal used sports coupe. The 2020 Hakone, the 10th Anniversary, the TRUENO, and the 2025 Hakone are all currently asking more than their original window sticker on CarMax — some with under 20,000 miles. The almost brand-new 2026 Yuzu is pricing almost exactly at MSRP despite already carrying 6,000 miles. Only the original 2017 car – the 860x 2- and the 1,418-unit TRD Special Edition are the only two priced meaningfully under sticker. More units built, less mystique, ordinary used-car math. And regardless of the rarity, I suspect they are just fun to drive.
And finally, skip MaxCare. These aren’t expensive cars and should be reliable as hell!
Portmanteau – blending the sounds and combining the meanings of two others. I learned this from my review of the 2016 Cadillac CT6….with the “Panaray sound system“, a combination of panoramic and array. In this case, NISMO is a portmanteau of Nissan and Motorsports. Not terribly exciting. Is this 2017 Nissan Sentra NISMO exciting? Yes and no. It’s a 6MT and low-production car, so perhaps it’s a unicorn after all?
For starters, I didn’t even know there was a Sentra NISMO, so I was a little surprised to see it on the CarMax website while searching for interesting manual-transmission cars. The web tells me there aren’t firm numbers on Sentra NISMO’s, just that of the 200,000 Sentras sold that year, maybe 1% were NISMO’s, and of those, very few were 6MT models. And the Sentra NISMO was only imported for three years. That, and all the red trim, won’t get you much gawkin at cars and coffee.
Is the Sentra just an appearance package, like Chevy’s RS and Ford’s Pony trim? Nope. Well, yes, the engine is unchanged and pumps a piddlin’ 188 hp through the front wheels. “Sprints” to 60 mph take an even seven seconds, and top speed is a governed 131 mph. But Nissan beefed up the Sentra’s handling and braking considerably. Car and Driver suggested…”Instead, focus on the NISMO’s reinforced cowl, floorpan, and rear bulkhead. Notice the new rear dampers, and the revised tuning of the front struts and electrically assisted power steering. The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires, in size 215/45ZR-18, are an inch larger and 10 millimeters wider than what’s available on any other Sentra.” The Sentra NISMO also braked from 70 mph in 156 feet for Car and Driver, which put it at the top of its class. So I’m on board that it’s more than an appearance package. You won’t see them at Barrett-Jackson auto auction, and there are maybe 15 for sale nationwide on Cars.com and Autotrader.
(CarMax has a second Sentra 6MT listed as a NISMO, but it is not – just a vanilla Sentra.)
Inside, we got red trim and some carbon-fiber accents to set the NISMO apart from regular Sentras. Car and Driver notes the seats are impressively comfortable and supportive, and “the NISMO’s ride is well controlled and comfortable, tauter than that of a Volkswagen GTI but without punishing the occupants.” That said, their summary included: “LOWS: The styling of 2017 wrapped around a 1980s GM interior, it’s not a VW GTI.” For comparison, a 2017-2019 GTI with about the same mileage will run you a $ 3,000 – $5,000 premium.
In addition to the 6MT, you get seat heaters, a rearview camera, Bluetooth, and a CD player. And unlike the GTI, a trunk. With fold-down seats, so kinda hatchy, except for the wheel wells.
Again, the engine is a turbocharged and intercooled 1.6-liter four-banger good for 188 hp. If you’re into it, chipping this stock turbo, injectors, and intercooler, people are realistically landing in the 240–250 hp range. Now that would make this a hoot to drive.
This 2017 Nissan Sentra NISMO sold for maybe $26,000 new nine years ago. It’s not as discounted as I would like at $20,998, and yet there’s only one with lower mileage on the major websites, from a private owner, and it’s selling for less. I’d keep an eye on this one and see if it lingers here at the Dulles, Virginia CarMax. It’s a one-owner, accident-free southern Virginia car, and if it drops in price into the teens, it could be fun. I’d skip MaxCare on this mostly analog car. Enjoy.
Stock No: 70075877 VIN: 3N1CB7AP2HY300042
My hobby includes thinking up new and interesting ways to harvest the CarMax app for unicorns. As you probably know, in the phone app you can only sort by two-year pairs (2014-2015, and not 2014 only), but on a desktop more flexibility. On the desktop, mileage range is 0-130,000. On my phone, the sliding bar sometimes shows 939,999 as an “Under” filter. They don’t have any cars above 130k. Dumb.
CarMax has 94,000 cars in the fleet as of today. I saw a neat Mercedes diesel on Marketplace and wondered what diesels CarMax has, and there are over 700 of them. I also look for manual transmission cars, and of the 94,000, only 1,800 are manuals. I’m also curious: with 2014 being the oldest year carried, how many are European? There are 29 of the 1,500 2014 cars left. And overall, CarMax has just under 1,200 convertibles of the 94,000. Combining all of that, the unicorn popped out as interesting to me. (As an aside, there are only three 2014 manual transmission convertibles at CarMax – a Mustang, a Miata, and this VW – and of course, this is the only diesel!)
A 2014 Volkswagen Beetle TDI convertible with a six-speed manual transmission. It’s rare for a bunch of reasons, not all of them good. The most public, the 2015 VW diesel scam. This engine was part of the roughly 475,000-vehicle EA189/EA288 emissions cheating scandal. The cars could detect when they were hooked up to emissions testing equipment. During testing, the software activated full emissions controls so the car passed. On the road, in normal driving, it dialed those controls back — which boosted fuel economy and performance but let the cars emit nitrogen oxide (NOx) at up to 40 times the legal limit.
The EPA caught it in September 2015 after West Virginia University researchers noticed real-world emissions didn’t match lab results. VW admitted to it, and it became known as “Dieselgate.” (My son pointed out the silliness of adding “gate” to scandals – Watergate, the hotel break-in political scandal of 1972 that started this, was not a scandal about water.) VW’s settlement gave owners a choice — sell it back, or get the free, regulator-approved two-part fix (done 2017–2019) plus cash restitution. Same for Porsche and Audi diesel owners – maybe 585,000 cars overall and a $2.7 billion restitution program. (EPA and DOJ are the sources for much of this.)
Let’s presume this car was fixed. (Many weren’t – bought back, scrapped, and crushed). My best bud had an Audi A6 diesel, took the payout and the fix, and loved driving it until a deer ate the front end. What makes this car rare is that it’s the only DIESEL CONVERTIBLE ever to be sold in the USA! How cool is that? I really don’t know. Maybe it’s notable, rare like the scam, but not great? Maybe it allows you to drive with the top down and accumulate diesel fumes in your hair?
I don’t have any reliable numbers. The VW Beetle TDI convertible was only sold in the USA 2013-2015. VW sold about 94,000 Beetles of all kinds over those three years. Maybe 10-15% were convertibles and diesels. Most people wanted the DSG snap-shifting automatic, so no idea how many convertible diesel manual transmission cars are out there. Autrotrader has six, Cars.com three, and CarMax one.
Is the car any good? The 140 hp / 236 lb-ft, 2.0L turbodiesel was noted for low-end grunt, as turbodiesels are, but 0-60 mph was a sluggish nine seconds. Mileage was a decent 28/41, although gas and hybrids get that. And diesel, at the moment, ain’t cheap. Reviews say it doesn’t handle badly, and it is on the same platform as the GTI and Golf, but higher center of gravity and bracing for the drop top gives it more of a comfortable sedan feel than a nimble German hatchback. It’s got seat heaters….and a CD player, and Bluetooth, and not much else. Diesels are better for road trips than for stop-and-go errands. The rear trunk holds more than you think – it’s twice the size of my former 911’s front boot, and that held a full-size suitcase. For what it’s worth.
This 2014 VW Beetle TDI has only 43,000 miles on it. Single owner, accident-free. Colorado car always. My guess is it was well loved – someone bought it the year before the scandal and stuck with it even though they could have bailed. Didn’t drive it much but maintained it and owned it for a dozen years. Nothing wrong with that.
The car sold new for perhaps $ 29,000 and has retained much of its value at $19k now. It’s by far the lowest mileage one compared to Autotrader and Cars.com, and for $19k the best you could do there is 66,000 miles. Not sure about a collectible, but you probably won’t see another at Cars and Coffee. It’s “On Hold” at the moment here in CarMax El Paso, Texas. I understand TDI-specific parts (injectors, DPF/emissions hardware post-fix) aren’t cheap, so spring for the MaxCare.
Stock No: 70077288 VIN: 3VW6L7AT1EM805610
Back in February 2022, I found my first Mille Miglia 417 — one of only 417 special-edition SL550s Mercedes built to commemorate a 1955 race win nobody saw coming, sold new for around $123,000, half that six years later. That car felt like a fluke. Of the 417, Barrett Jackson estimated maybe 100-150 made it to the USA. Finding one at all was the whole story. Now there are two more of these unicorns, on two different CarMax lots, at the same time. Pretty rare.
To recap, these are two of 417 special edition models commemorating Mercedes’ unexpected win in the 1955 Italian road race called the Mille Miglia. Sixty years ago, a Mercedes 300SL was driven by a pair of Americans to a first place in class and fifth overall over the 1,000-mile road course. The race started at 4:17 am and the 300 SL’s race number was 417, hence the “417” moniker.
“The Mille Miglia (Thousand Miles) was a legendary open-road endurance motorsport race that took place across Italy from 1927 to 1957. Established by a group of young Italian visionaries, the epic figure-eight route stretched from Brescia to Rome and back, serving as a grueling test of speed and automotive engineering. The original speed race was discontinued after a fatal crash in 1957. The race was permanently banned as a speed event in 1957 after a tragic accident when driver Marquis de Portago blew a tire at high speed, crashing into a crowd and killing himself, his co-driver, and nine spectators.” – Wiki.
The 2016 Mercedes-Benz SL550 Mille Miglia 417 Edition was a $15,400 upgrade over the regular SL550, bringing the car to an MSRP of about $123,000. Not quite a $150k SL63 or the beast, a $217k SL65…..so a reasonable price? Worth the money?
Inside, it looks like some fancy aesthetics; AMG Performance seats feature deep black Nappa leather bolsters paired with red leather side wings. The center inserts include a custom diamond-quilted pattern. The headrests are custom embroidered with a striking red “Mille Miglia 417” emblem. All standard wood or aluminum trim panels across the dashboard, door panels, and center console are swapped for matte carbon fiber weave.
The entire interior is stitched with contrasting red thread, with red leather piping on the floor mats and specialized deep-red seatbelts. The flat-bottom sport steering wheel is wrapped in high-grip black perforated leather with a designated red leather strip marking the 12 o’clock center line. The 417 package included the hardtop with built-in Magic Sky Control variable tint, active multi-contour seats with dynamic bolster massage, and standard Airscarf® neck-level heating system. How cool…or hot is that?
Outside, the car got an exclusive Designo black matte finish and some more red piping. But the 417 wasn’t just an appearance package. True, the drivetrain was untouched, but the car got plenty of other upgrades. Staggered tires with AMG wheels. Adaptive adjustable damping system and ESP® Curve Dynamic Assist (brief, targeted braking intervention to the inside rear wheel, countering understeer under hard acceleration), and perforated and internally ventilated brake rotors clamped down by performance four-piston calipers.
The car wasn’t any quicker because both models share the exact same 449-horsepower M278 bi-turbo V8 engine and 7-speed automatic transmission – 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds and a governed top end of 155 mph. Not spectacular numbers, to be honest. Unfortunately, I can’t find any record of anyone testing the handling or braking of a 2016 Mercedes-Benz SL550 Mille Miglia 417 Edition against a base SL550.
The two 417’s currently on CarMax lots are identical in trim: adaptive cruise control, automated parking, Designo trim, Driver Assistance Package, seat massagers, Harman Kardon sound….although CarMax botches the listings for both cars. The $52k/18,000 mile car in Virginia omits the Designo Trim. The $48k/44,000 mile car doesn’t note adaptive cruise control. Gotta wonder if the discrepancies affect pricing?
The 2016 Mercedes-Benz SL550 Mille Miglia 417 Edition above is the low-mileage one here at Dulles, Virginia. Four owners since new in Ohio in 2016, by way of Texas and now Virginia – all accident-free.
Stock No: 70129351 VIN: WDDJK7DA9GF039564
The one below is here in Nashville, Tennessee. Identical, albeit with 26,000 more miles. But only $4,000 in savings. A case could be made for spending a few more dollars to get an ultra-low mileage car. A case could also be made for saving the $4,000 and putting it towards MaxCare, since these cars aren’t cheap to repair.
Stock No: 28924072 VIN: WDDJK7DA9GF039659
Of course, a case could be made to ignore the whole Mille Miglia 417 package, pick up the 2015 SL550 below for a cool $36k, and “drive rich” for a whole lot less money! It’s a five-owner, accident-free West Coast car here in Centennial, Nevada.
Stock No: 28773838 VIN: WDDJK7DA1FF030064
One of my favorite Chevrolets. Many of you already know this, but since they stopped production almost a decade ago (the same year I started this blog!), let’s recap. The Chevrolet SS was Chevy’s four-door sleeper: a rear-wheel-drive sedan with a Corvette-sourced 6.2 liter V8 hiding under styling so plain it looked like a Malibu. It wasn’t totally American — it was a rebadged Holden Commodore, built in Australia and imported here for exactly four model years, 2014 through 2017, before Holden shut the factory down entirely. GM only brought in 12,924 of them total. And if you wanted a manual transmission — the one enthusiasts actually wanted, or should have wanted — you were choosing from an even smaller pile. The stick wasn’t offered until 2015, and across the three years it was available, only 2,645 SS’s got one, about one in five.
Today, CarMax has eight Chevrolet SS models on its lots, and two are the more coveted manual transmission unicorns – a 2016 above and a final year 2017 below. Back in 2017, when these were still available new and a couple of months into blogging, I wrote this crappy simple post to note CarMax had a whopping 24 Chevrolet SS models in inventory. I even drove a new one and loved it, but instead bought Etta, my used Porsche 911. It was an $18,000 savings and I am too vain to drive a Chevy when I could have a 911.
MSRP was about $48,000 when new, and at times, these were deeply discounted to move them on. The final-year enthusiasts panicked, ordered a bunch, and even more manual transmission ones than before. In 2016, only 711 manuals were sold, and in 2017, that number increased to 1,310. Makes our 2016 model rarer, perhaps offset by 2017 being the final year?
Inside, both cars carry the same well-equipped-for-the-money spec Chevy gave every SS regardless of year: leather seating with heated and ventilated front seats, an 8-inch touchscreen with navigation and a 9-speaker Bose stereo, a head-up display, remote start, and memory seat settings. The safety suite is surprisingly modern for a car this age — forward collision alert, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and automated parking assist all came standard. What you won’t find is Apple CarPlay or Android Auto — the infotainment system predates both. It’s a handsome GM interior.
The 2016 shifter on the left above looks standard – the 2017 on the right is modified with an eight-ball grip. For what it’s worth. The 6.2-liter motor below made 415 naturally aspirated horsepower. Car and Driver’s testing confirms the numbers: 0–60 mph in 4.5 seconds, the quarter-mile in 13.0 seconds at 111 mph, and 0.96g on the skidpad — figures that put the SS ahead of a V8 Dodge Charger R/T and within range of the more aggressive Scat Pack, despite giving up nearly a liter of displacement to the Hemi. They also called the SS “…a V-8-powered aberration to GM’s four-door plan…” and said it “…had staffers talking resurrected E39-generation BMW M5…” – not bad company.
Both of these cars are one-owner, accident-free CarMax unicorns. They’re not cheap, but when I look at the dozen manual transmission Chevrolet SS’s on Autotrader today (nine of which are 2017 models), they are comparably priced. Hell, there’s even a 2017 6MT with only 920 miles on it selling for $75,000! Of our two here, the 2016 has 46,000 miles and is offered at $45,998, and the 2017 has a very low 18,000 miles, and is $9,000 more. There were no changes between the 2016 and 2017 models, other than the paint chart — “Orange Blast Metallic” (my fav) and “Nightfall Gray Metallic” in, “Some Like It Hot Red Metallic”, “Jungle Green Metallic”, and “Mystic Green Metallic” were dropped. Clearly, White survived.
The 2016 Chevrolet SS above spent its life in Bellevue, Washington, and is offered here in Puyallup, Washington. Stock No. 70075651 VIN: 6G3F25RW0GL228603
The 2017 model below has always been in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is for sale here at CarMax Salt Lake (South Jordan), Utah. Stock No: 70072052 VIN: 6G3F25RW1HL300801
MaxCare? You can buy it for another five years of coverage and up to 150,000 miles – stunning to cover a nine-year-old Chevy for another 132,000 miles of driving! Is it needed? The LS3 is a proven, simple pushrod V8 — not a warranty-anxiety motor on its own — but both cars are now roughly a decade past GM’s factory coverage, so it’s a reasonable hedge on the 46k-mile 2016, less necessary on the 18k-mile 2017 in my opinion. The cars have Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) adaptive suspension and Brembo brakes – neither of which would be covered under MaxCare anyway – but not too much else expensive, sophisticated stuff that would be covered. Maybe save the MaxCare money for when the MRC goes?
CarMax has 95 Porsche Cayennes in inventory today, out of 91,843 total vehicles. Sixteen are V8’s. This is the cheapest of those 16 — and it’s a Turbo. Down below, I’ll share a comparison with the second-cheapest Cayenne V8 CarMax has, just north of our totally made-up cap of $45,000 for a unicorn. This one is a better deal, I think you’ll agree.
The 2017 Cayenne Turbo started at $116,500 new, with the Sport Package and Premium Package pushing real-world stickers well north of $125,000. At $38,998 with 52,000 miles, that’s a minimum $77,500 discount on 520 horsepower, a 4.1-second sprint to 60 mph, and a top speed of 173 mph. In a five-seat SUV. With a tow hitch. The Sport Package adds Porsche Active Suspension Management and sport exhaust; the Premium Package brings the panoramic sunroof, ventilated front seats, and rear sunshade. This one also has Apple CarPlay, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, a Bose sound system, and adaptive air suspension.
This one is “Coming Soon” to Tuscaloosa, Alabama (where my 2021 Mercedes GLE63 was made, I should note!), which means you can track and grab it before anyone else does. Here’s the link, then we’ll get on with the comparison.
Stock No: 70019150 VIN: WP1AC2A2XHLA92718
Another 2017 Porsche Cayenne Turbo, albeit with only 30,000 miles – but priced at $46,998. The 52,000 mile one is $38,998. Surely, this low-mileage SUV is a better car? Not so fast. Well, the Porsches are…our conclusions are not.
Higher mileage console with wood trim – lower mileage not so much.
Both SUV’s have twin-turbocharged 4.8-liter V8’s arriving at full torque — all 553 lb-ft of it — at just 2,250 rpm, meaning it doesn’t need to be wound up to move.
“The Cayenne Turbo is heroically, stupidly, unbelievably fast.“— Car and Driver
But let’s look side by side.
The Dulles car has 22,000 fewer miles, and CarMax is charging $8,000 more for them — about $364 per thousand miles of difference. No idea if that’s a lot, but it intrigued me. For a Porsche with a clean history and a single owner, that might be a defensible premium. But the Dulles car has a reported accident and multiple owners. The Tuscaloosa car does not. That changes the calculation a bit.
Porsche buyers — and Porsche repair bills — are not forgiving of undisclosed history. An accident on a Cayenne Turbo can mean anything from a minor parking-lot scuff to worse. The Dulles car may be perfectly fine. The Tuscaloosa car has the Sport Package, Premium Package, tow hitch, rear sunshade, and lane departure warning that the Dulles car is missing. On paper, the “expensive” one is actually the less-equipped of the two. And it’s coming soon – the Dulles car is reserved.
If you’re still interested in the lower-mileage 2017 Porsche Cayenne Turbo, it’s here at Dulles, Virginia. Near my home. I’ll go test drive it for you, for a beer.
Stock No: 70082741 VIN: WP1AC2A29HLA92984
Not ready for Porsche money? I recently covered a 2015 BMW X5 xDrive50i at $25,998 — 445 horsepower, single owner, white over tan, at CarMax Serramonte. A different kind of performance SUV at $13,000 less. Worth a look?
In 2012, I worked with a young man named George, who drove me to a meeting in his used BMW X5. It was quite nice, and I remember thinking it seemed expensive for someone at his level. Suspiciously expensive. But he explained CarMax and MaxCare — how pretty much every repair, no matter how expensive, was covered. That conversation led me in 2013 to buy Guenther, my 2004 Mercedes S55, in 2018 Etta, the 911, 2019 the Mercedes S600, 2022 my BMW M3, and eventually this blog about unicorns. This X5 reminds me of George’s X5 and the beginnings of my CarMax infatuation.
This 2015 BMX X5 XDrive50i is priced at $25,998 — a $49,000 discount off its original $75,295 sticker. It’s a great daily driver with AWD and a beefy V8. Low miles – less than 44,000. 2015 was the second year of the F15 generation (which ran 2014–2018), and eventually succeeded by the X5 M50i for all V8 X5’s.
The xDrive50i came standard with 19-inch wheels, beuatiful tan leather multicontour seats, keyless entry, and a rearview camera – a $600 option back then, since rear view cameras weren’t mandated until 2018. This one adds Harman Kardon audio (with bonus retro CD player!), a heads-up display, blind-spot monitoring, panoramic sunroof, front and rear seat heaters, and a navigation system. It’s not stripped — it’s just been priced like it is.
CarMax’s ad includes this: “Why you’ll love this X5. Performance: A luxury crossover with sport-sedan feel, SUV versatility, and a 0–60 time of 4.7 seconds“. It’s like they’re writing my stuff for me! Most people shopping a used BMW X5 are buying the six-cylinder — a perfectly reasonable car that gets 21 mpg combined and does 0-60 in around 6 seconds. This is not that car. The xDrive50i is a true sleeper: a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8, 445 horsepower, 480 lb-ft of torque arriving at 2,000 rpm, and a 4.7-second sprint to 60 in a five-passenger AWD SUV.
A 2015 BMW X5 that’s a single owner, accident free California car seems like a decent pedigree. For the buyer who wants a luxury ride, with genuine performance numbers at used-compact-car money and doesn’t mind a trip to the Bay Area. It’s here in Serramonte, California. Of course, as I write about this inexpensive SUV in San Fransisco, I’m thinking of the article I read in the New York Times this morning about the explosion of AI stocks and brand new millionaires offering Anthropic or Open AI stock instead of cash for homes, and wondering who would stoop to paying “only” $26k for a used BMW?
“An SUV that handles more like a sleek sports sedan — as good as it gets.“— Kelley Blue Book
Stock No: 70028615 VIN: 5UXKR6C57F0J74907
My hobby, as regular readers know, is hunting CarMax’s inventory for unicorns — rare, interesting, high-end, deeply depreciated enthusiast used cars at reasonable prices – protected from expensive repairs by MaxCare. But sometimes the hunt turns up something that isn’t a unicorn at all. Sometimes it’s a mystery. And sometimes the mystery solves itself before I finish my first cup of coffee.
CarMax North Houston has six brand-new 2025 Kia K4s on its lot. Under 50 miles each. Three LXS models, three EX models. All six came from Parkway Family Kia in Humble, Texas — a short drive up the road, close enough that you can probably see the CarMax sign from the Kia lot on a clear day.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Parkway Family Kia currently has sixty — 2026 K4s on their lot. Zero 2025s. Not one.
The mystery isn’t really a mystery. Parkway probably took delivery of too many 2025s before the 2026s arrived, and the moment a fresh model year showed up in force, those six 2025s became essentially unsellable. No customer walks past sixty shiny 2026s to pay full price for a year-old model. Every day those cars sat on Parkway’s lot they were accumulating floor plan interest and occupying space a 2026 could fill. I suspect selling them to CarMax down the street solved the problem quickly, cleanly, and without an auction house taking a cut.
So Parkway ate the loss. CarMax got six nearly-new Kias. And now here’s the part that should give you pause before you head to North Houston to snap one up.
The 2025 K4 LXS had an original MSRP of roughly $23,165. Two of the three LXS units are asking $25,998 at CarMax — about $2,800 over sticker. The third LXS is $24,998, which is still above what it cost new. The three EX models, which stickered around $24,890 and are the nicer cars by a meaningful margin, are all $25,998 as well. Parkway ate the depreciation. CarMax is keeping it. You would be paying above original MSRP for a technically used car, without manufacturer incentives, without Kia’s new-car financing rates, and without any ability to negotiate.
As for the cars themselves — they’re genuinely good at what they are, which is affordable, well-equipped transportation. The 2.0-liter four makes 147 horsepower and gets to 60 in around 8 seconds. It’s not an enthusiast car. It’s a comfortable, efficient, tech-laden commuter that earns a Top Safety Pick+ from the IIHS and returns 30 city / 40 highway. The 12.3-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a full suite of driver assists are standard even on the base trim. Kia builds a lot of car for the money. At the right price. My wife has one – lots of technology standard we pay extra for on European cars.
If you’re set on one of these six, and I’d be surprised if you were, the EX is the obvious choice at any price point. Same $25,998 as two of the three LXS units, but with 17-inch wheels instead of 16s, dual-zone automatic climate, a wireless charger, and nicer interior materials. The LXS adds blind-spot monitoring over the base LX, which matters, but the EX has all of that plus a meaningfully better cabin. At equal money, it’s not a close call.
But here’s my actual advice: call any Kia dealer. The 2026 K4 starts at $22,190, dealers are sitting on inventory, and a 2025 at above-sticker on a used lot is not the deal it appears to be. Parkway Family Kia solved their problem. Don’t let it become yours – unless you have maybe sextuplets yourself and need graduation presents.
Stock No: 28939780 VIN: 3KPFT4DE7SE237058 (Cheap LXS at $24,998)
Stock No: 28939783 VIN: 3KPFT4DE4SE235042 (EX)
Stock No: 28939781 VIN: 3KPFT4DE5SE237057 (LXS)
Stock No: 28939598 VIN: 3KPFT4DE5SE234286 (LXS)
Stock No: 28939787 VIN: 3KPFU4DE7SE230155 (EX)
Stock No: 28939786 VIN: 3KPFU4DE2SE229284 (EX)
Here’s a link to a similar, larger trove of new used cars I ran into in Maryland – Nissan Rogues.
The GL63 AMG was Mercedes’ answer to a question nobody asked politely: what if you took a seven-passenger family hauler and dropped a hand-built, twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8 into it? The result was 550 horsepower, 560 lb-ft of torque, and a 4.8-second run to 60 mph — impressive numbers competitive with most sports cars a decade ago, while leaving room for the kids’ soccer team in the back two rows. Mercedes retired the GL nameplate entirely after 2016, replacing it with the GLS. This is the last of that breed. At this price, a unicorn.
At $119,450 new, the GL63 was never cheap. At $38,998 with 39,000 miles — just dropped another $1,000 this week — it’s a bargain. How fast a six-figure German luxo-barge falls off the depreciation cliff. (Don’t I know it?) That’s an $80,000 discount to drive something with more power than a same-era Porsche 911 Turbo, with the full AMG package: sport-tuned adaptive suspension, Active Curve System anti-roll stabilizers, flat-bottom steering wheel, sport exhaust, and 21-inch AMG wheels. This one also comes loaded with multicontour front seats — heated, ventilated, and massaging — plus rear seat heaters, a Harman Kardon surround system, power-folding third row, tow hitch, and a sunroof. I don’t think anything was left off the order sheet.
This 2016 Mercedes GL63 AMG is a two-owner, accident-free car that’s been in Minnesota and North Carolina for the last ten years, and is now here in Raleigh. For darned sure you’ll want Maxcare.
“The 550-hp 5.5-liter V8 at the heart of the GL 63 AMG — a case of admittedly thrilling overkill.“— Edmunds
Stock No: 70030336 VIN: 4JGDF7EE1GA677961
Had a bunch of convertible unicorns saved in my CarMax profile in addition to the 2016 Mercedes E550 from earlier this week – under $45,000 and 60,000 miles, and thought I would do a dump here so I can move on to other cars next week. Trying to keep this to more limited models, so while they may be great cars, no Mustangs, Camaros, or Miata convertibles since they are just too plentiful. See what you think of these. Cheapest to most expensive.
Okay, right off the bat, I’m vulnerable to getting my chops busted for a Mini. CarMax has 448 of these little German impressions of a British icon. But only 38 John Cooper Works models. And only three with a manual transmission. The John Cooper Works is a different animal entirely — BMW’s performance division, 228 turbocharged horses, a chassis tuned at the Nürburgring, and a 6-speed manual gearbox in a convertible.
Yeah, a six-second 0-60 mph time, but Car and Driver called the JCW “the most fun Mini ever built.” Black on black with 28,000 miles and a $21,998 price tag on a car that stickered at $35,000 makes this one of the best performance bargain on the list. Amused CarMax has an “imperfection” sticker on the shifter. This 2017 Mini Cooper JCW is a one-owner, LA car currently reserved here in Clermont, Florida. How it went coast to coast to be sold, I don’t know.
Stock No. 28740784 VIN WMWWH9C51H3A78568
2018 Buick Cascada Sport Touring. Four thousand miles. On an eight-year-old car. Someone bought this, drove it to the vineyard twice, and turned it in. The Cascada is a German Opel in a Buick costume — built in Poland, sold in the US only 2016–2019, and now extinct. Heated seats, heated steering wheel, a soft top that folds in seconds, and a red-over-black color combination on an essentially new example. When it launched in 2016, buyers balked at the price for a Buick. At $24,998 – $10,000 less than when new – with virtually no miles, that argument is long gone.
The Opel Buick has a 1.6-liter turbo four good for 200 horsepower and a middling 7-second 0-60 mph “sprint”. Not a performance convertible by any means. Consumer Reports summed it up well: “The car isn’t particularly quick or fuel-efficient… but if you don’t mind those compromises, you’ll have the wind in your hair without breaking the bank.” Reminds me of the VW EOS, without the hardtop. It’s a one-owner, accident-free Illinois car that’s now reserved here in Rivergate, Tennessee.
Stock No. 28625372 VIN W04WJ3N5XJG083436
Still in the category of “Cute Red German Convertibles for $25,000, Alex”, here’s another hardly driven, totally adorable little drop top. Tan over red outside, pretty much the same scheme inside, and among the most cheerful pairings in the CarMax inventory, consisting of mostly black, white, and silver cars. Fifteen thousand miles in twelve years. Roughly 1,400 miles a year — a Sunday driver’s Sunday driver. The A5-generation Beetle convertible was discontinued after 2019 and won’t return, making low-mileage examples increasingly collectible. The 1.8T is no muscle car at almost eight seconds to 60, but the Golf platform underneath it is sound, and the car simply hasn’t been used.
Oddly, this car is selling for only $4,000 less than when new a dozen years ago. Didn’t know Volkswagens that weren’t Golf R’s held their value like this. It’s also on the cusp of CarMax extinction as 2014 models of European cars are phased out – of the 1,500 cars from 2014 in the CarMax inventory, only 37 are European. It’s a one-owner, one-accident VW also reserved here in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Stock No. 28763216 VIN 3VW517AT4EM819566
Sticking with the red unicorn theme for a bit. I actually saved this in my profile as a possible and unlikely replacement for my M3. Here’s why. Manual transmission. Oddly, adaptive cruise control, heated seats and steering wheel, automatic headlights…many of the things I’d like in a modern car, and didn’t know they were available in the Jeep Wrangler. Pleasantly surprised. And legit 4×4 offroading credentials to get me into trouble. Here is a Wrangler that can’t decide what it wants to be — and that’s exactly what makes it interesting. The Wrangler is the only car on this list where you can drop the top, remove the doors, engage 4-Low, and ford an actual creek. Most convertible buyers will never do that. But knowing you could is half the appeal. “The most capable off-road vehicle that also happens to be a legitimate convertible.”— Car and Driver.
The Jeep is powered by a 3.6-liter six cylinder making 285 horsepower. Not bad. It does 0-60 mph in 7.4 seconds, quicker than the Beetle, but not why you buy a Wrangler. I abandoned the idea of this as a replacement for the M3, as much as I want a manual transmission convertible, for one reason only – I want a manual drop top to handle well, sprinting around country roads, and a Wrangler ain’t that. Otherwise, it’s a very well-equipped daily driver. It sold new for about $38,000 and is now $27k with 29,000 miles. Accident-free. Two owners. Find it here in Smithtown, New York.
Stock No. 27795027 VIN 1C4GJXAGXMW534240
Needed to include a hard top convertible and elected to add this sleek SLK300 rather than an M4, since I already have two BMW’s on this list. A 2016 Mercedes SLK300, that, like some of the others, has hardly been driven – 7,000 miles in a decade. The 2016 SLK300 was a genuine refresh: a new 2.0-liter, 241-hp turbocharged four-cylinder replaced the old, anemic 1.8, and a 9-speed automatic replaced the previous gearbox. It surprises me with a 0-60 mph time of 5.1 seconds. The folding hardtop means you get a proper coupe in winter and a roadster in summer, with no wind buffeting, although a slightly compromised trunk. The Mercedes hard top convertibles also have the built-in skylight – a bit unusual. Red over cream is a striking, classic pairing on a car this small and this tidy. The VW Beetle’s prettier twin? AutoGuide noted the SLK “builds speed in an effortless, assuming way” — which is another way of saying it’s faster than it feels.
This is a one-owner, accident-free car from the southeast, and sold originally for nearly $50,000. At the moment it’s here in Palmdale, California, north of Los Angeles.
Stock No. 70003630 VIN WDDPK3JA7GF123017
I promise this is the last red convertible. It’s maybe as unwelcome in the enthusiast car community as Tim McGraw’s hit, “Red Rag Top”, was in country music radio back in the day. IYKYK. Here’s a historical footnote most buyers will miss: 2018 was the final year Nissan offered the 370Z Roadster with a manual transmission. After this, you could only get the automatic in the drop-top Z. That makes this the last of a lineage stretching back to the 1969 Datsun 240Z. Sadly, this example is an automatic, but the context matters — the 370Z Roadster in any guise is an adequate sports car, increasingly hard to find. The naturally aspirated 332 hp, 3.7-liter V6 revs to 7,500 rpm, sounds genuinely good, and pulls a very strong 5.1-second 0-60. Touring trim means Bose audio, leather, and navigation. Red on black. 19k miles. An almost future collectible at a practical-car price.
The 2018 Nissan 370Z sold for over $40,000 new and is now a reasonable $29k. Ultra low miles. It’s a two-owner car from the south that’s now here up in Albany, New York. The 370Z has not gotten much love from car enthusiasts, but it’s for the Z purist who wants an analog sports car at an analog price.
Stock No. 28000973 VIN JN1AZ4FH4JM520035
Here’s a 2017 BMW 650i Convertible. Grand Tourer. The 2017 is the last model year of the F13 6 Series — BMW discontinued the body before the 8 Series replaced it. One of the newest examples you’ll find, 27,000 miles, original sticker close to $96,000. The twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 makes 445 horsepower and covers 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. Massaging heated and cooled seats. Bang & Olufsen audio, Apple CarPlay. A heads-up display. White over black is clean, fast-looking, and anonymous — nobody knows it was a near-six-figure car until you accelerate. Careful when turning – it’s a big one, though.
This is my second-favorite unicorn from a value/depreciation perspective. It’s selling for almost a third of its MSRP. Perhaps some reliability issues can be addressed with Maxcare. The BMW also gets around – five owners up and down the East Coast, but no accidents. It’s here at the moment in Columbus Sawmill, Ohio.
Stock No. 28795814 VIN WBA6F5C58HD996808
Now going with a red, white, and blue theme? No apologies on this one. A legit driver’s car. 2017 BMW M240i. “The M240i is the best-driving BMW you can buy for the money — perhaps the best-driving BMW, full stop.”— Car and Driver. A turbocharged inline-six convertible, 6-speed manual, 10,000 miles, in blue over red — which is to say, the only color combination with any conviction — at $35,998. The M240i was the spiritual successor to the beloved M235i: smaller, lighter, more analog than the M4, with almost as much performance and considerably more soul. BMW discontinued the 2 Series convertible after 2021. This configuration — manual gearbox, soft top, barely driven — is a bit rare.
When new, the 2017 BMW M240i sold for perhaps $51,000. It’s held its value at $36k, and the ultra-low miles mean you can drive it another 115,000 miles under MaxCare. It’s a two-owner California car available here in Pleasant Hill, California, between Oakland and Sacramento.
Stock No. 28586314 VIN WBA2L1C33HV668771
And now my favorite from a depreciation point of view, a 2017 Jaguar F-Type R AWD – $108,000 new. A supercharged 5.0-liter V8, 550 horsepower, all-wheel drive, a 186 mph top speed — for $40,998. The F-Type R was Jaguar’s attempt to prove it could build a streetable supercar; it succeeded. White over red is a dramatic pairing that suits a dramatic car. The AWD variant is the rare configuration — most F-Types were rear-drive — and provides genuine all-weather usability that the rear-drive R doesn’t. The exhaust note at startup is legitimately startling. A $108,000 car for the price of a loaded Accord. MaxCare is not optional. Budget for tires.
The 2017 Jaguar F-Type R rips to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. “Not a sports car that compromises. Simply the most exciting Jaguar since the E-Type.”— Car and Driver on the F-Type R. Unlike the Jaguar XK, which had a pseudo-rear seat that allowed me to recline the driver’s seatback and generate a little more hip room, the F-Type is a true two-seater – meaning I don’t fit. (And I haven’t seen an XK on the CarMax page in months – wonder if they’re no longer carrying them?) This is a two-owner, accident-free car that spent its time in Virginia and Florida, and is now here in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Stock No. 28753705 VIN SAJWJ6HL0HMK38378
Having just driven the Mother Road, I thought I should end with an American V8. The C7 Stingray is a complete sports car argument in one package: 460 naturally aspirated horses, 3.8-second 0–60, magnetic ride control that reads the road 1,000 times per second, and a Bose audio system audible at speeds no one should admit to. Black on black is the Corvette’s most serious look. At 20,000 miles and $43,998, this hits the unicorn threshold nearly to the dollar and mile. The soft top power-folds behind the seats in seconds. This is the American sports car at a practical price.
This 20,000-mile, 2015 Corvette Stingray got its start in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, no less, and had four owners in the Midwest before returning home for sale here in Louisville, Kentucky, not far from where every Corvette has been built for the last 45 years. It sold new for perhaps $60,000 and has retained its value quite well.
Stock No. 28268814 VIN 1G1YF3D75F5120892
Ten convertibles, ten completely different answers to the same question: what does open-air driving mean to you? The JCW says it means a clutch pedal and a grin. The Cascada says it means a Tuesday afternoon with nowhere to be. The Wrangler says remove the doors entirely. The F-Type R says 550 horsepower and an exhaust note that sets off car alarms. None of them are wrong. The unicorn threshold isn’t just about price and mileage — it’s about finding the car that fits the specific kind of freedom you’re after. Probably one of these ten does exactly that for a car and CarMax enthusiast?