I have nothing against Camrys and Accords and have owned both. Mostly I liked the value and reliability. But they were cookie cutter and that was before I stumbled on CarMax unicorns and the MaxCare warranty that allowed me to own a (once) $120,000 Mercedes S55 AMG beast, Guenther, for less than I paid for either the Camry or Accord. Changed my life. If I only has $20,000 to spend on a daily driver I would seriously consider these.
I have always loved the lines of the W212 Mercedes E550, understated and elegant before Mercedes went all sharp and scary in 2010. Not as high end as the S-class, but a decent daily driver with 380hp and a sub-5 second 0-60. And this one has such low mileage the V-8 isn’t even broken in. Here’s a Motor Trend review of this once $70,000 car from back in the day. It’s now a $17,000 2009, two-owner Illinois and Pennsylvania car is all wheel drive and should be affordable to drive for another 100,000 with the MaxCare warranty. Find it here in Charlotte, North Carolina. If the link is dead it’s sold, on hold, or being transferred.
The E65 2008 BMW 750 Li, on the other hand, is a little slower, a little older, a little uglier (I hate the bubble butt trunk), has higher mileage, and yet looks to be a decent cruiser. And it’s cheap. And it’s the long wheelbase model, so like a living room on wheels. It’s a two owner Texas and Vegas car. Jalopnik noted, “You don’t look at the car and think “beautiful.” But if you think about it, you think “perversely attractive.” It has the loathed I-Drive knob. But at $17,599 it still seems like a bargain. I should note, every BMW 7 series I looked at the MaxCare warranty was significantly higher (perhaps double!) than comparable sedans. If that’s the case….not so much of a bargain. Find it here in Georgia.
