BMW Unicorns – $24,000 M6’s, $30,000 750’s, and Other Highs and Lows from Munich.

I just passed on the $23,998 2007 M6  above with 44,000 miles and wondering if I blew it.  Not often you get a chance at a unicorn  like this.  Even with a $6,400 MaxCare warranty to cover me for five years and up to 100,000 miles, this was a good deal.  But even though the V10 revving to 8,000 rpm made me silly, the suspension beat the hell our of me much as the M5 did on a test drive last year, so I opted out for my daily commuter.  Mistake?  I don’t know.  It vanished from the internet within minutes of me releasing my hold.  I documented the car when it was in NJ before it moved to VA, and you can only see the price from my appointment confirmation. 9/22/2017 Update – I just passed on this car a second time.  It resurfaced in Maple Shade, NJ and I went and drove it.  Fantastic car – no blemishes.  Finally learned to soften the suspension and I think I could get used to the double-clutching automatic.  Sales rep showed me the CarFax – car spent its life in Georgia for the most part and bizarrely, its last 16 months in my town in Virginia.  Intrigued.  BUT…while it has Bluetooth it’s voice only – no music, and virtually no modern infotainment.  Picky, but I passed.  Would have been $31,000 out the door with five-year warranty.   Sigh.  

Take comfort, as of this writing the convertible M6 at left was still available!

So check out these other BMW’s available below for cheap on CarMax.  I picked the highest and lowest priced of about a half-dozen or more enthusiast cars and I could own almost any one of them as a daily driver!

 

Let’s start with almost everybody’s favorite sports coupe, the M3.  CarMax has 29 of them on the lot as of early September 2017, some as low as $26,998 but stupid high mileage, and a 2017 for $66,000 (and a Frozen Limited Edition for $47k – what the hell is that?).  But in our unicorn world of $35,000 or less and 60,000 miles or less there are only five, and not much spread between them.  The 2011 on the left has been on the market for a few weeks at $31,998, and the 2009 on the right just popped recently at $34,998.  I defer to BMW pros on why the 2009 is worth more.  

At the other end is the executive’s motoring car, the 750i.  With 17 BMW 750 unicorns nationwide I’ve picked the cheapest and the newest and I’ve thrown in a ringer just for fun.  The 2008 on the left seems to be a bargain at $18,998 and 45,000 miles, but hey, it is in Las Vegas and who knows what’s gone on in that sedan?  On the right is a 2014 that has the bigger 445hp V8 and a nice price of $33,998 and 50,000 miles.  The ad says it still has manufacturer warranty but don’t be fooled.  It has a year left on the warranty but checking the Carfax you can see the mileage is 49,093 – there’s less than a thousand miles of manufacturer warranty.  But that’s still a slight bonus – the MaxCare warranty – sometimes a chilling $9,000 for 750’s, will be cheaper because for the next thousand miles you can break the car on BMW’s dime.  I recommend that.   Last, I offer you an Alpina B7 that does not make it into unicorn status just yet at $39,998….but what a car for less than $40,000!  Enjoy.

So if you’re soft like me and can’t handle an M6, how about a big coupe 650?   Most of the CarMax 650’s are convertibles.  One the left below is a nice 2009 model almost identical to the 2007 M6 I gave up, for exactly the same price.  For that price I forgive BMW for the Pep Boys cup holder.  On the right is a modern 2013 650i in LA that’s loaded – auto cruise control, blind spot, lane departure, seat massagers, and an espresso machine built into the steering wheel that sprays coffee mist into your nose.  Might have gotten the last one wrong.  But it sure is nice.  If only it had night vision!

Last but not least, just so you know I’m not only about V8’s (I like V10’s and V12’s, too!) here are three six cylinder unicorns that would be a hoot for commute.  I once owned a 330CiC and pound for pound I’m not sure I had a more fun daily driver.  Other than the M235, there are just too many Z4’s and 3-series cars reasonably priced, with low miles, to really consider them unicorns.  But these are surely good deals with lots of road trips left in them.  

And for your amusement, here’s the screen shots of assorted MaxCare plans for BMW’s I’ve explored over the past few months.  Gives you an idea of the range of pricing and coverage.