Quick Hit – Two of 417 (or 150?): A Pair of Mercedes SL550 Mille Miglia 417 Unicorns Show Up at Once at CarMax!

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

July 15, 2026July 14, 2026

Quickly – A Rare Pair of Manual Transmission Chevrolet SS’s

Only one photo needed – they’re identical twins one year apart.

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.

**6.2L LS3 V8 out of the previous-generation Corvette, naturally aspirated, no turbo**.

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?

July 11, 2026July 9, 2026

The Bargain – $38,998 520 hp 2017 Porsche Cayenne Turbo

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

Same Car · Different Story – Two Cayenne Turbos, $8,000 Apart: Why the Cheaper One is the Better Buy

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?

July 9, 2026July 9, 2026

Quick Hit – $25,998 2015 BMW X5 XDrive50i Sleeper

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.

No third row seat in this X5. Plenty of space that looks hardly used.

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