This car surfaced in November 2017 in Cranston, RI with a price tag of $19,998 (see ad at the bottom). Disappeared from my radar a couple of times, and is now in Omaha, NE with a $4,000 price reduction – $15,998. From what I can see, the interior looks a little tired – is that a respray or melting plastic on the PRNDS console? Seats are weathered. It was a two-owner car – Brooklyn and Philadelphia, and me thinks a city car. And above all, it’s an automatic, albeit a DSG. Bummer. But so is Etta – my 911 CarMax unicorn.
But it is a real MK5 VW R32, with all-wheel drive, DSG sequential shift transmission, and a REAL narrow-angle VR6 250hp six cylinder power plant. The car does 0-60 in roughly six seconds – not terribly impressive by today’s standards, and handles well. And holds a ton of crap in the hatch. And, with only 5,000 imported, is a bit rare.  The car was $35,000 new. Not sure at $15,998 it will sell to an average buyer looking at GTI’s given it’s about the same in performance, and for folks in search of hot hatches there are hotter cars out there.  But there’s something special about stuffing larger-than-normal engines in cars, and maybe there’s an R32 enthusiast out there who will want this. It’s 10 years old, and the MaxCare warranty will cover it until it’s a whopping 15 years old, and easily another 100,000 miles. All around I’m thinking it’s a but of an affordable, vintage hot hatch for the right enthusiast? Find it here – if the link is dead the car is sold, on hold, or being transferred – again.
What is the average cost for the CarMax warranty? Theres doesn’t seem to be an easy way to find this info out.
You’re spot on Brian – no easy way to know. It takes a sales rep to pull up that information for you. I’ve called dealerships around the country when interested in a car, said I would only buy a car if I knew the MaxCare price and terms, and asked for screenshots. They have ALWAYS sent them. MaxCare costs are based on the specific car, the mileage, how many miles you want covered, and the deductible. For example, cars with less than 50,000 miles often have a choice of 75,000, 100,000, 125,000 and 150,000 miles of coverage (all odometer limits). Cars just over 50,000 miles start at the 100,000 mile threshold. With both my unicorn purchases if was all about getting around 50,000 miles of warranty for me. That said, I shot too low on my S55 at 100,000 miles. Had I gotten more warranty I would have kept the car. Deductibles are $50, $150, $300, and $500. Prices of the warranty drop roughly 30% between the $50 and $500 deductible. CarMax waives $50 of the deductible when you go to them for service. I got the $50 deductible on both may cars, making it $0 when I went there. For my 2004 Mercedes S55 I paid $2500 I think, for the 911 $3500. For both cars I made that back in my first repair. BTW – all of the warranties are for 5 years from the time you buy the car, not from the date of manufacture like most dealer Certified Previously Owned (CPO) cars. That’s huge for older cars. Last, warranties are significantly cheaper if there’s still some manufacturer warranty left. But a high end car with manufacturer warranty is usually too pricey for me, and not the bargain I’m looking for. Hope this helps.
Great info! Thanks. I find CarMax prices are higher than average, so finding that one low priced car is key
Cool car, but I’d be wary of a city car from the rust belt. There are likely some bits that don’t well upon close inspection.