Author: Chuck Banks

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1 of 5 in US/300 Worldwide – 2019 Jaguar XE SV Project 8?!

img_1881-1Another “didn’t know these were a thing” unicorns.  Looks like a street legal Jaguar race car, and understand it’s the fastest Jaguar street-legal car they’ve ever put on the road.  The beast has a 592hp V-8 (never in an XE before), sub-4 0-60mph, and claimed 200mph top speed.  Check out this Motor Trend review.  Splitters and diffusers and wings and everything but a roll cage!

The dealer told me its one of five in the US (and I can find only four others for sale around the country as of this writing so maybe so!).  Personally eyeballed this at the Jaguar dealer in Chantilly, Virginia for sale for $188,495.  Posting here because A) in three years I hope to find one on a CarMax lot for $75,000 B) I was actually at the Jaguar dealer to test drive a used Mercedes S65 prior to requesting a CarMax transfer of a similar S65, and C) it’s just too damned cool not to share!  Here’s the odd thing.  I eyeballed the blue model and yet online here’s the listing for an identical car at the dealership – it’s a Valencia Orange Ultra Metallic model.  Hmmm….perhaps the blue one is already gone and replaced?

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10 Low-Grade Low-Priced Unicorns Somebody Wants. Maybe You? (If not I have 10 more!)

Doing a bit of house cleaning.  Have over 200 unicorns in my profile, some more intriguing than others, and thought I’d get 10 of them out here for you to pick through.  In my years as an auto enthusiast I’ve learned there are car fans and car clubs for pretty much every car out there.  These caught my eye – some I’d actually own – and others because they are an interesting combination of price, performance, mileage, and maybe extinction?  Anyway will keep the writing short and get them to press.  Here we go.

G37 side

2011 Infiniti G37X

Only 6,000 miles on this modest beauty.  Not yearly – total!  A decent 328hp and AWD.  Here’s an Autoblog review.  This two-owner Maryland car sold for almost $40,000 when new eight years ago and is available here in Midlothian (near Richmond) Virginia for $20,998.  Nice car and thought the depreciation would be more.  The crazy low miles are to blame.

2011 Infiniti G37X $20,998 6k Midlothian

S5 side

 2010 Audi S5 4.2 Prestige  

Drove one of these before I bought my 911 and was really impressed with the all around poise and performance.  Reminded me of my old Camaro with the long nose and two door look.  Except that was a slow six cylinder.  Anyway, this 2010 is both low-priced AND low miles AND pretty well equipped – seat heaters, blind spot monitors, rear view camera and AWD.  Sold new for about $58,000.  Has the 354hp 4.2l V-8 also found in the Continue reading “10 Low-Grade Low-Priced Unicorns Somebody Wants. Maybe You? (If not I have 10 more!)”

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Quick Hit – 2010 Mercedes S63 AMG – 500hp of Fun For $35k ($135,000 New!)

2010 S63 SideWell, this unicorn is so hot off the press it doesn’t even have photos so stole the one above from the web.  This low-mileage 2010 Mercedes S63 AMG is selling for $34,998 and will be gone soon.  That’s a small price to pay for S-Class luxury and Corvette performance.  The hand-built 518hp twin-turbo V-8 is good for a 4.5 second 0-60 mph run.  Check out the 2010 Car and Driver review here.  This is a two-owner Nevada car driven only 51,000 miles.  Addd MaxCare for another 100,000 miles of risk free high speed driving.  Find it here in Reno.  If the link don’t work someone beat us to it and it’s sold, on hold, or being transferred.  2010 S63 $34,998 51k RenoS63

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1 of 100 in US – 2014 Jaguar XFR-S. Crazy Fast. Relatively Cheap. Stolen Once.

xfrs 34Thanks to car spotter Hans Mertens for sharing this 2014 Jaguar XFR-S unicorn with me.  Didn’t know Jaguar stuffed the 550hp supercharged V-8 in this mid-sized sedan.  Car and Driver review estimated a low four second 0-60 run and a top speed of 186 mph.  The wing was optional and functional.

Suspension is upgraded significantly over even the XFR.  The interior is pretty standard XF/XK with some better seats with XFR-S logos.  Believe this was a $100,000 car five years ago, and you can find it here in Reno for only $40,998.  It’s a two owner car (California and Nevada) and not sure if that includes the thief who stole it for three days in 2015.  Wouldn’t matter to me – kind of adds to the mystique! Buy the MaxCare warranty and drive it until it blows up.

2014 jaguar XFR-S $40,998 45k Reno

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$15,998 Nissan Juke Nismo RS – Ugly Unique Unicorn (and Extinct)

Juke sideNissan imported a good 200,000 plus Nissan Jukes into the US, but only about 2,285 were the Nismo RS unicorns during the 2014-2017 run for the RS. Owners on the Juke Nismo forum think the six-speed manual model to be fairly rare.  Nismo of course stands for ニッサン・モータースポーツ・インターナショナル株式会社 Nissan Mōtā Supōtsu Intānashonaru Kabushiki-gaisha, or Nissan Motorsport per Wiki.  The plain Juke and Juke Nismo came with a 188hp turbo four, and the Juke Nismo RS beefed up to 215hp.  See, its not all about the red mirrors!

The crossover was available with a 6-speed manual transmission and all wheel drive and good for a 0-60mph in an okay mid six second run.  The suspensions were quite tweaked and lowered for the RS models, but I don’t get lowering an elevated crossover that started out as a much lower car in the first place?   Here’s a review from Autotrader.

The Nismo RS got good marks for the shit-hot race car seats and for being fun to drive. That said, Car and Driver named the Nissan Juke as one of the 20 ugliest crossovers and described it has “frog faced”.   Beauty is in the bug eyes of the beholder, I guess.

New Nissan Juke RS models sold for almost $30,000 so would have liked to have seen these for cheaper at CarMax, but the price isn’t that far off of the similarly low mileage comps on Autotrader.   Unfortunately this model is 2WD.  CarMax has a 4WD Nismo RS but it’s automatic.  Will be on the lookout for a 6-speed 4WD model and update if I find one.  Find this low-mileage, two-owner 2014 Nissan Juke Nismo RS here in Boynton Beach, Florida. 2014 Nissan Juke Nismo RS

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1 (or 2) of 1,972 – Almost New 2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT (Plus a Cheaper One!)

ext 1 side poleThe Wiki on the third generation Cadillac Escalade EXT – a more elegant Avalanche – says it was the General’s answer to the “failed Lincoln Blackwood”, and fails to mention the EXT was not exactly a success.  Only 1,972 were sold in its final year – 2013 (there were 52 2014’s sold, making them real unicorns!).

This single owner California truck, though, has only 7,000 miles on it and is really quite nice.  Sold for maybe $70,000 when new, so not thrilled with the minimal depreciation – the low mileage I guess keeps the price high.  That’s why I threw in the $35,000 model at the bottom of this post.  The Mexican-made 2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT had a 403hp 6.2 liter V-8 and a six speed transmission, and Motor Trend gave it fairly high marks for performance in this review.

It also had the “Convert-a-Cab” composite pickup bed that can be expanded into the truck’s cab through a bottom-hinged door – per Wiki.   Yes, there are almost 200 of these third-generation EXT’s available on cars.com, but none are even close to this mileage, and one with 16-30,000 miles are selling for more.  Not saying it’s a deal, but it’s not crazy if you like these.  Find this truck here in Fresno, California.

2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT 1 $49,998 7k Fresno

2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT $35,998 72k Milwaukee
THE MUCH CHEAPER BONUS TRUCK!
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Quick Hit – 2011 Jaguar XJ Supercharged for $25k. Pretty Good Deal?

XJ SideThis 2011 Jaguar XJ Supercharged has been on and off the website for a few weeks, and it always vanished before I could catch it for a blog post.  So thought I’d do a quick one.  The four most attractive things about this unicorn are that it’s a big luxurious Jaguar, it has a 470hp supercharged V-8 engine, it’s a single-owner California car, and it’s only $24,998.

Very few supercharged XJ’s on CarMax drop to this price.  It was once a $90,000 Jaguar.  The down side? It’s not an XJ L, if that matters to you, and the plastic “stay the hell outta here” plastic engine cover is really dusty.

The MaxCare warranty is a must to shift the repair risk to CarMax, and no idea what that will be.  Other than that, there’s a lot to like about this car.  Check out this Car and Driver review for an expert opinion.  Find this car here in Los Angeles. 2011 Jaguar XJ Super $24,998 55k LA

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Quick Hit – Cheapest Range Rover in Years at $16,998

Not much to say and not much time to say it. Don’t believe this low mileage, two owner, 10 year old Range Rover Sport will be on the market long.Only a 300hp V-8 but can’t imagine a better SUV for this price – provided you splurge on MaxCare. A money loser for CarMax but a helluva beater. Find it here in Parker, Colorado.

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