Chuck Banks – Page 32 – The Carmax Unicorn Blog

July 5, 2019

Quick Hit – 2010 Mazda 3 Mazdaspeed Manny – $19k – 10,000 Miles

Mazda3 side Zoom zoom. Found this Mazda unicorn today, and thinking it’s a wee bit special because of the low miles, one owner, 263hp four-banger, six speed manual transmission, and because Mazda doesn’t make this car anymore. Mazda 3 int side It’s a second generation Mazda 3 Mazdaspeed, good for a 5.2 second 0-60mph and crazy 155mph top speed! It’s a bit high priced, since it sold for just under $30,000 new (with the optional Bose system and other goodies) but it looks extremely clean and fun – except for the terrible torque steer noted in more than one review.

You could spring for the Maxcare warranty if you plan to run it hard and blow it up, but I wouldn’t bother. Driven just over 1,000 miles a year I’m thinking it has plenty of trouble free road time ahead. Find it here in Chicago…..if the link is dead it’s sold, on hold, or being transferred. 2010 Mazda 3 Mazdaspeed $18,998 10k Chicago

July 5, 2019

Zombie Unicorns – Back From The Dead 2011 E63

This 2011 Mercedes E63 unicorn popped up in my search already bookmarked – meaning I had tagged it once before in my saved cars. Sure enough a good four months ago I recommended this to a reader but it disappeared from the web before he could see it. Not sure where it’s been and why, but it’s here in Illinois.

I love a “cheap” E63, with the gnarly, handmade 6.3l, 518hp V-8, and actually bought one two years ago (see the whole sorry saga here). Unfortunately I love my V-12 S600, too, but at times I don’t love the bulk of my big car and think an E63 (or CL65?!) would be more practical. Wouldn’t own either one without MaxCare! This is a three owner Florida car with decent miles that’s made its way to Illinois. Enjoy.

2011 Mercedes E63 $32,998 54k Glencoe, ILL

June 15, 2019

Quick Hit – Nice $26k CL550

Not a lotta Mercedes CL’s out there so this relatively cheap one caught my attention. The coupe version of the S-class is well appointed with AWD, heated steering wheel, night vision – all the necessary stuff for a luxury cruiser.It’s a five owner east coast car. It only has the 382hp V-8, though, but it’s $10,000 cheaper than this 2013 in Georgia – a nicer, more powerful car that started at $40k months ago and has inexplicably dropped to $36,998 and still not sold. Find the 2010 CL550 here in Frederick, Maryland.

June 5, 2019

Quick Hit – Fastest (Rare) Wagon Ever? – 2018 Mercedes E63 S for $92k

E63 CarMax had a Mercedes E63 wagon for sale last month for $70,000 or so that came and went so fast I couldn’t write about it. This 2018 E63 S is a bit more pricey at $91,998 and fortunately (for me) it’s lingered for a week or so. This wagon is spectacular on every level. Twin turbo 4.0 liter V-8 pumps out 603hp, nine speed automatic, good for a 3 second 0-60 mph time and a 180mph top speed. All wheel drive. Distronic auto cruise control. Automated parking. I could go on and on.

Only a couple of hundred make it to the US. Here’s the gushing Car and Driver review. Or the equally exceptional Jalopnik review. Everybody loves this car. It’s a single owner car, still under manufacturer warranty, so not sure I’d spring for MaxCare. It sold for maybe $130-140,000 last year and is now available for $91,998 here in Los Angeles. 2018 E63S $91998 15k LA

June 4, 2019

Quick Hit – 2008 Jeep Wrangler X Driven 10 Miles PER WEEK!

Jeep Side I’ve driven a Jeep off road (tons of fun) and on the highway (lotta noise) and not really for me. But for a brand that has survived being owned by American Motors, Chrysler, Daimlier, Fiat, and maybe Renault next, and a World War, it must have something going for it. Was surprised to find this 11 year old, lovely yellow, 2008 Jeep Wrangler X unicorn sporting less than 6,000 miles on the CarMax website today. That’s 10 miles per week of driving!! But here’s the downside; per this Car and Driver review from 2008, it looks like this car is actually listing at CarMax for the same price as when it was new!

It’s a manual transmission, six cylinder legit Jeep. With a bad ass subwoofer. Surprised this little box weighs in at 4,200 pounds. But it’s a real Jeep. And with these miles, you could buy the MaxCare warranty for up to 150,000 miles. Think about it – you could drive five more years, almost 30,000 miles a year, worry free with a bumper-to-bumper warranty. That would be a rough 30,000 miles of highway driving annually! Find it here in Los Angeles. 2008 Jeep Wrangler X $21,998 6k LA

May 27, 2019February 10, 2026

Remembering and Honoring Those Who Have Fallen for America – Five American Cars for Memorial Day

God bless America. Thought I’d take a moment to pick out a handful of unicorns that fit this holiday. Start with that American icon, the Jeep Wrangler Freedom edition. Six cylinder, six speed manual transmission, real four wheel drive, cruise control, found here in Albuquerque. Continue reading “Remembering and Honoring Those Who Have Fallen for America – Five American Cars for Memorial Day”

May 18, 2019February 10, 2026

Quick Hit – Misnomered 2015 Jaguar XF Supercharged

This 2015 Jaguar XF Supercharged is posted as a six cylinder but is clearly a 5.0l V-8. All the other CarMax XF’s are sixes, and this one might be a bit underpriced for a 470hp mid-sized sedan. Here’s a review comparing the XF’s – not as fast as an XFR but not a slug at 4.9 seconds to 60! Find it here in Henderson, Nevada.

May 16, 2019

Quick Hit – One of 500 in US: 2012 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP

Mini side Eagle-eyed blog reader Hans Mertens, owner of a first generation 2006 GP1, sent me this unicorn. Had no idea the GP package was something special for the diminutive hot hatch, but read this Car and Driver review that echoed Mr. Mertens enthusiasm for the track package that turns the Mini into a street-legal race car. Not terribly fast – only a handful more horsepower, but handles like hell.

Among the many suspension tweaks, the car is lowered, with six piston brakes vice four on a normal Mini Cooper John Cooper Works, diffuser, wing, and a cool brace in the rear hatch that I thought was for hanging suits and shirts for an I-95 trip to Florida.

Car and Driver moaned about the high purchase price (about $40,000 new) but you can have it for half that at $19,998 here in Los Angeles, California, and be one of 500 owners in the US! It’s non-transferrable, but select CarMax locations can override that (my guy Si Sultan here at Dulles is one of them!). 2013 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP

May 15, 2019May 15, 2019

Bullitt Update – Another One at 50% More!

New Bullitt Posted the 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt selling for $15,998 – way underpriced – with only 23,000 miles last month here. It was in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s on the left below. Today an almost identical 2009 Ford Mustang Bullitt showed up in Greensboro, North Carolina for $22,998 – 24,000 miles. I knew the first one was a bargain! It’s on the right below. I so need a reader to partner with me to flip unicorns when CarMax gets the prices wrong. Second time I’ve seen a Bullitt for thousands under market price, and there have been others. Sigh. Find this Bullitt here – not as good a deal but still a nice retro Mustang. Pair of Bullitts

May 8, 2019

One of 334 (in silver) ….or 1,829 – 2009 Pontiac (Holden) G8 GXP

gxp side Understand GM only imported 1,829 of these Holden Commodore based Pontiac unicorns for two years (and 334 in silver!), and while the 410hp V8’s are impressive, wondering why they hold their value so damned well. The 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP sold for just over $44,000 ten years ago, and this one is selling for $26,998 – they are usually in the $28-29k range on CarMax. Even more puzzling, for just a few thousand more you could buy this 2014 Chevrolet SS, which is to me a nicer, newer, Australian equivalent.

Hoping readers can educate me on what makes the GXP so special – perhaps it’s that Continue reading “One of 334 (in silver) ….or 1,829 – 2009 Pontiac (Holden) G8 GXP”