The 755 hp 2019 ZR1unicorn is the fastest Corvette to date (the C8 variants out in the spring will likely equal or exceed the 2019 ZR1) with a top speed of 212 mph and a 0-60 run in 2.8 seconds. Supercar fast. The Corvette team chief called this Corvette “the most we know how to do” according to this Car and Driver review. Corvette folks know tons more than me about ZR1’s. I love watching Corvette’s whoop far more exotic and expensive cars at Le Mans and Daytona but have given up on owning one – at 6’4″ I just don’t fit behind the wheel.
I’m thinking the gas mileage is N/A because it doesn’t get any?
I’d have to be to pay this much!
The 2019 Corvette XR1 sold new for over $120,000. Not much depreciation here? This is the most expensive car I’ve seen at CarMax in the three plus years of tracking unicorns.
As an aside, the most expensive CarMax car I’ve seen before this ZR1 was an almost new 2017 Mercedes AMG GT with only 2,000 miles on it. Listed for $114,998 and over a couple of weeks dropped regularly in price and may have finally sold for $104,998. Here’s the link to that saga. We shall see how long this Corvette stays on the market.
The most likely view I’ll ever have of this car – as a passenger.
This single-owner, low mileage (5,000) hot rod is still under Chevrolet’s warranty for another 31,000 miles and 24 months or so. I would still spring for MaxCare – a car like this needs to be driven hard and fast. That’s what it was engineered for. No need to tell CarMax about your track days when you blow it up. On the other hand if you can afford a $120,000 car maybe you can afford the repairs. Find this ZR1 here in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The Short Version: No decision after driving the 2010 Mercedes S65 yesterday and a 2012 Audi A8 W12 stand in last week. The S65 remains on hold through Sunday 10/25 when I gotta make the call and probably move on. Sigh. The longer version below includes TWO more Mercedes V-12’s that have surfaced since I posted this dilemma two weeks ago bringing the CarMax V-12 inventory to four. Ugh.
CarMax lets us test drive without the sales rep, so of course I brought the car home for a photo op!
After a thoroughly confusing week trying to sort out what car, if any, I wanted, it’s come down to do I want this S65 or not? I drove it on the same roads I travel in the S600 on a regular basis, and honestly it wasn’t all that different. Starting the car makes a nice rumble and roar (WordPress won’t let me upload the video of gunning it in my garage) but cruising at 70-80 mph the engine was only slightly audible. My worries to date had been that perhaps I’ve gotten spoiled by the tomb-like S600 and the S65 would be annoyingly loud. Not at all. What I could hear more than anything was tire noise. The S65 has hard summer tires, and last year I mounted ultra-quiet all season tires on the S600. I suspect I could do the same on the S65, but that would diminish the performance vibe of the S65.
Riding in the S65, everything was familiar given the identical setup as the S600. The seats have a different pattern and the speedo dials to 220mph vs 160 in my S600. What attracted me to the 2010 Mercedes S65 was three attributes; it’s a 604 hp V-12, the car cost over $200,000 new (I am that vain), and it only has 35,000 miles on it – half what I have on the S600 and an opportunity to reset the clock with MaxCare.
My neighbor, a Washington Football Team linebacker, parks his Bentley Bentayga near the community mailboxes when he needs to extract his McLaren from his garage. Thought I’d show off too!
What’s driving me to probably pass on the 2010 Mercedes S65 is nothing more than it is just too similar to what I have. Also, after checking the few comps on Autotrader, I’m guessing it’s a $20,000 gap between what I can sell the S600 for, and the $36,998 purchase price of the S65 plus taxes and MaxCare. (Now if one of you want to offer me $36,998 for the S600 I’d be up for revisiting that.) I still have 40 months and 54,000 miles of MaxCare on the S600 and perhaps will drive it another two years before putting it up for sale. Time will tell. Should I pass on the S65 there’s one reader out there who already wants to transfer it his way. Would make me happy to keep it in the unicorn family.
But what about the 2012 Audi A8 L W12 that was offered here in Puyallup, you ask? Well first, it’s currently unavailable as I botched extending it and someone else has it on hold or bought it. I had it reserved under another name, extended it once, and could not extend it a second time. I was deeply disappointed as there’s another reader who wanted this car if I didn’t buy it and I let him down. I hope it comes back on the market. I found in Philadelphia a nearly identical W12 at a Porsche dealer and traveled there last Friday – a lot closer to Virginia than Puyallup. I drove the Audi A8 W12 in the rain around the Philly suburbs and the car was wonderful, but again strikingly similar to the S600 experience I already have.
The selling points for the 2012 Audi A8 W12 at CarMax Puyallup were the back seat, the ultra low mileage at 15,000, the $36,000 price, and the exclusivity and sophistication of the W12 motor. It really is a tremendous motor. Smooth as silk. Quiet as a deaf man in an empty church. I stole that from someone and hope it’s not offensive. I plan to drive my wife and daughter to Florida for Christmas break and had visions of them watching movies in the back seat of the Audi while I motored south in peace.
But as with the S65, I just can’t see laying out a lotta cash to migrate from the S600 to the A8, even though it would be resetting my five year Maxcare plan. If I didn’t own an S600 it would be a no brainer to buy either the S65 or the A8 W12. They are both wonderful cars – one more brawny but not overly so, and the other far more sophisticated. Both felt nearly identical in performance and ride as my S600.
And then there’s this very special 2015 Mercedes S65 Coupe that came on line in California while I’ve been sorting out my V-12 options. A reader put it on hold for me as a continency, since he knew all about the nearly identical car I had on hold last year but lost when CarMax mistakenly sold it to someone else. (The best they could do as compensation was to offer me one free transfer, which I used on the 2010 S65.) Anyway, this car is still available as of this writing so here’s the link if you’re interested. This coupe is available for $84,998. It sold new for probably more than $225,000. It’s a rare, high-performance coupe with 621 hp. It’s fully loaded and I still can’t get over the heated arm rests. I gotta have those.
Only two things keep me from buying this car. One is the price tag. Perhaps I could sell both my 911 and S600 and make this my daily driver (I’d have to add a $50,000 loan!) but with Maxcare and taxes probably looking at the high $90,000 mark. At that price I lose the unicorn bargain mantle. I’d also start being the guy that parks at the far end of the Walmart lot so no one dings my car, and I don’t want to be that guy. I’m too lazy to walk that far. Second, while car critics gush over the looks I find Mercedes coupes look way too similar – the C-coupe, E-coupe, and S-coupe (to me) share the same lines. Why can’t I get the S-class interior in the AMG GT?
Was thumbing through the reservation I have on the 2010 Mercedes S65 and stumbled on what appears to be a new capability to access MaxCare selections and pricing right from the CarMax website. Previously the MaxCare tab only described the warranty program in general, and to get the specific mileage, deductible, and pricing menu on a specific car I had to call a sales rep and ask for a screen shot of the menu only he or she could see. Looks like this direct access is only available after putting a car on hold and booking an appointment time. Still another arrow in the quiver when hunting unicorns! Here’s the results for the S65.
Hope you all got a bit of a break this Columbus Day. Sadly there just aren’t any good Italian cars available at CarMax to make this post meaty. Guess they know better than to sell the Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio – a truly hot car and unreliable car that would bankrupt MaxCare. The Fiat 124 Spider is made in Japan, and the 500 Abarth in Mexico. But the Jeep Renegade is made in Italy, so there’s that. Enjoy!
This is one handsome, mid-sized Mercedes Benz unicorn, luxuriously equipped (hence the model “E550 Luxury”), at a ridiculously low price. Adaptive cruise control? Check. All wheel drive? Yup. Adjustable suspension? Absolutely. Blind-spot, lane departure, rear view camera, Bluetooth, Harman Kardon sound, panoramic sunroof, air-conditioned and heated seats….it goes on and on. Check out this little graphic included in the CarMax ad!
The 2011 Mercedes E550 packs a 5.5 liter V-8 rated at 382 horsepower. Mated to a seven-speed automatic the sedan is good for a 0-60 mph run in a hair over five seconds. Here’s a lengthy NewCarTestDrive.com review of all the 2011 E-class lineup, including details on the E550. Looks like from their notes this car sold for over $60,000 new nine years ago, and driven only 4,000 miles annually seems to be a damned good deal. Of course there are cheaper, comparable E550’s out there but none that are eligible for MaxCare protection against out of pocket repairs. You want MaxCare. There will be repairs.
The features on this car remind me a great deal of the S-class cars I’ve owned. I’ve been corresponding privately with some readers pondering the German unicorn market and enjoying depreciated, luxury rides protected by MaxCare. I would very much recommend this car as a safe entry into the market. Find this well-appointed, single-owner 2011 Mercedes E550 here in Frederick, Maryland.
When it rains it pours. Eagle eyed blog reader Mustafa brought this rare as hell Audi W12 to my attention. He has one. I want one. It’s reserved (sort of) for me. Now I’ve got to choose between the Mercedes S600 I own, the Mercedes S65 being transferred in for me, and the Audi A8 W12 on hold. Good problem to have but even more stuck.
Not much distinguishes a W12 from a mortal A8. Even the S8 has more flair.
Mustafa has shared with me the engineering marvel that is the W12. A high tech pair of V-6’s is how I understand it. It’s a good 500 hp from a normally aspirated 6.3l motor.
Maybe I need a chauffeur?
Creature comforts in the A8 are probably better than the other cars. This one is not as fully outfitted as It could be (no Exclusive package) but it ain’t stripped. But as with the other cars it’s often just me driving solo in these. My S600 is my “company” car.
Minimal indicators this isn’t an S8.
So here’s where we are: 2010 Mercedes S600 I own is paid off, and with 71,000 miles I have another 40 months and 54,000 miles of MaxCare. It’s speedy and serene. The S65 is a 600hp speed racer version of my car. It once cost over $200,000, and that intrigued me somehow. Also only 35,000 miles, so I can reset with MaxCare for another five years and 90,000 miles. But the A8 W12 is even more rare, more quiet, and has an accident free 15,000 miles on it. I dig that luxury back seat and I’ve never owned an Audi. And I can reset MaxCare to five years and probably 110,000 miles! But the transfer fee is $2,000. Ugh. All three cars have significantly different V-12’s but are almost the same in speed – the “lightweight” all aluminum Audi makes up for lack of torque with weight savings. Will probably transfer it in. Would be a dream to have all three side by side for a drive! For what it’s worth the S65 and A8 are about the same price – $35k or so.
Saw this $86,000 Mustang show up today and wondered at the price. Googled it and sure enough it’s a 760hp exotic Mustang GT500. That’s Hellcat territory. Just days after I brag about the 662hp 2014 Shelby GT500 being the most horsepower you can buy from CarMax!
The car sold new at $81,000 if its a base model or $95,000 if its a CFTP (carbon fiber track pack). I can’t tell. But it’s $86k now. Here’s the gushing Car and Driver review where they tried hard to tame the wheel spin to get a 3.7 sec 0-60 run. The car is here in Gainesville Florida.
If you guessed 662 horsepower you’d be right! The 2014 Mustang Shelby GT500 with a supercharged 5.8 liter V-8 tops the General Motors’ 6.2 liter motors in the Corvette Z06’s, the Camaro ZL1’s, and the Cadillac CTS-V by 12 horsepower. And while I search everyday, CarMax has yet to carry a 700+ horsepower Hellcat from Dodge. Even the sixth generation Mustang Shelby GT350’s available at CarMax only ponied up 526 horsepower. So this is as good as it gets for car peeps who want a unicorn with straight line wheel spin bragging rights!
Ford produced 5,730 Shelby GT500’s in 2014, 4,816 as coupes and the rest as convertibles. Haggerty lists them as collectibles. Maybe so – they sold new in the mid-$50,000 range and CarMax is offering this one for $50,998 – not sure I’ve ever seen that little depreciation in a six year old car.
This Car and Driver review of the 2013 car (largely unchanged for 2014) notes a 3.5 second 0-60 mph run, and surprising to me, a 1.0g on the lateral skidpad. I was under the impression live axle Mustangs handled horribly until the 2015 models went independent. But what do I know?
Find this old-school, low mileage hot rod here in Charlotte, North Carolina. You may want to spring for MaxCare, then head to the drag strip quick-fast!
I love my 2010 Mercedes S600 unicorn, purchased in February 2019 and chronicled here. Last week I returned from a 6,700 mile road trip in the S600, driving over 100 hours from Virginia to Oregon and back. Had some 10-12 hour days behind the wheel and out west some high-speed cruising (admitting NOTHING here!) and could not have been more comfortable. But a nearly identical 2010 Mercedes S65 AMG surfaced at CarMax this week and I have it on hold. I am paralyzed by this choice and welcome comments.
My 2010 S600 has a 5.5l twin-turbo V-12 offering 510hp and 612 lb-ft of torque. The 2010 S65 AMG pumps out 604hp and 738 lb-ft of torque from a hand-built 6.0l twin turbo V-12. Always wanted a 600hp car. I can vouch for the silky smooth acceleration and ride of the S600, and I’ve read the S65 is more aggressive and snarly. Performance-wise the reviews suggest they are almost the same despite the horsepower difference. The S65, like me, carries some extra weight. Price-wise, the S65 cost about $50,000 more than the S600, meaning someone shelled out a good $200,000+ ten years ago for this S65. I do get a little giddy driving cars I can’t afford new.
The 2010 S65 is selling for $35,998, a little more than what I paid for my S600 about 20 months ago. It’s a one-owner, one-accident Florida car. My S600 is (counting me) a two-owner Pennsylvania-Virginia car and is (knock on wood) accident free. The kicker is the S65 has only 35,000 miles on it and I just turned over 70,000 in the S600. Buying the S65 would be resetting the clock for me, giving me another five years of MaxCare and perhaps 90,000 warranty miles. My S600 has another 40 months/55,000 miles of transferable warranty. And I just did the $2,500 Service B before going on the coast to coast trip. What to so?! Of course, would offer the S600 for sale here first, with the same terms I sold my S55 AMG – car guys don’t screw car guys. Will tell you everything I know about the S600. As of this writing I’m working on transferring the S65 from Florida to Virginia. Will decide when it gets here. Until then feel free to chime in with wisdom.
