Makes my day when a reader finds and buys a unicorn that makes them happy. Even better when they let me know – never sure if I’m hitting the mark with this blog. (As of today have 177 people signed up for email updates and yet getting almost a thousand visitors a month here.)
Got this email and well-one video from Isaiah that really surprised me. He found a really low mileage, low price 2013 Mercedes SL63 AMG and with his permission have uploaded his video here. Isaiah is a far better story teller than I am and I highly recommend watching – he is a savvy buyer, navigated some CarMx hiccups, and did a great job buying this car with surprisingly affordable MaxCare. Thank you, Isaiah for sharing (especially the Mexico vignette!). You did two things for me; reminded me why I write this blog, and inspired me to resume my search for a unicorn to replace my 2010 Mercedes S600. I want to “drive rich” like you!
Was surprised to find a pair of these on CarMax lots as the 2013 BMW 135is was a one year only model, a US-Canada only model, and according to the BMW forums only 230 convertibles (and 586 coupes) were imported to North America. Makes this little drop top a bit of a unicorn? Review after review refers to the 135is as excellent example of the ultimate driving machine, a driver’s car, and a wonderful follow on to the E90 3-series – albeit almost six inches shorter. Alas, it is not a 1M – I’ve only seen one of those by CarMax.
The 2013 135is was pretty much the 135i with the M Sport Package and a not insignificant additional 20 more horsepower – 320 total, from the twin-turbo 3.0 liter inline six (N55). Mated to the dual-clutch transmission the 135is will do a mid-four second 0-60 mph run and top out at a governed 150 mph. The interior (above) is almost identical to the one in my 2013 M3 in layout, except for the goofy M6-style cupholder, guaranteed to dump your Big Gulp into the passenger footwell. Unlike my M3, there’s no “M” button on the wheel – this car is in sport mode all the time.
This blue 135is is an accident-free, two owner car from Florida and Massachusetts. Snowbirds? The 2013 BMW 135is sold for $45,000-$50,000 depending on options. Ten years later this drop top is on the lot at the CarMax here in Wayne, New Jersey for $27,998. It only has 40,000 miles. MaxCare is available until 125,000 miles and a full 60 months – a lotta motoring left to do. Thinking put the top down, thrash through some windy roads to a winery and slow down to watch the fall foliage. Any takers?
Not sure there’s all that much more to say, other than I think as far as I can tell this is the Chrome Appearance Package available on the Chrysler 300C in 2018, and it’s not for me. There was such a package, although it probably didn’t come with the Buick/K-Mart bullet portholes on the front fenders. It’s a real bright shiny unicorn.
Motor1 noted the Chrome Appearance Package was a $995 option, and wrote the upgrade includes “…..a distinctive chrome radiator grille and surround trim, chrome Chrysler wing badge, additional “300” badges, and chrome side mirror caps.” – although there’s a whole lotta chrome added above and beyond.
This is a new thing I’ve seen on some CarMax offerings – “by appointment only”. I do not know why. Perhaps this is for cars in high demand? What I do know is that the resurrected Chrysler 300 series has been around since 2005 and is only on its second generation in 18 years. The interior is dated, but every time I rent one of these I find it comfortable, roomy enough, and familiar. This 2018 model has Apple Carplay, adaptive cruise control, heated and air conditioned seats, a heated steering wheel, and a panoramic sunroof. Not a bad cruiser.
The 300C is also powered by the familiar 5.7 liter V-8 hemi rated at 363 horsepower and as far as I can tell does 0-60mph in 5.3 seconds. Not great but good enough. Same motor I had in the Jeep I owned briefly this year, and found myself wanting for more power more often than not. I first drove a Jeep with the 5.7 liter motor in 1998 – gotta believe the bugs are worked out, and with both the car and drivetrain, you might not need to spend on MaxCare. If you do, it’s a bonus that the car only has 11,000 miles on it, and MaxCare is available for another five years and up to 150,000 miles.
The 300C has had a good run. Chrysler….er, Stellantis, is ending the model again after 2023. That car will sell for probably $60,000 and have the 485 hp motor from the SRT in it. Understand only 2,000 will be sold, and probably are already spoken for. You know I’ll be looking for one to show up at CarMax. This 2018 Chrysler 300C with (I think) the Chrome Appearance Package sold for perhaps $50,000 five years ago. If this package speaks to you, the car is here in Columbia, South Carolina, and remember – it’s by appointment only.
With the novel done on my Mercedes S600 sale it’s time to get back to blogging about cars. And as much as I wanted to get one unicorn on the page (honestly it’ll be the ONLY post for September – pitiful blogger!) I stumbled on a couple similar cars that may be of interest, so without further delay here’s three BMW convertibles just in time for fall motoring.
This hot red coupe is a 2012 BMW M3 with the venerable V-8. It’s a hard top convertible with a dual-clutch transmission. BMW made the M3 with a V-8 from 2007-2013 – models before and after were all six cylinders. The M3 coupe pulls low-to-mid four second 0-60 mph sprints, but the hard top convertible’s several hundred pound additional weight unfortunately puts this M3 at five seconds flat. More later on why that’s okay with me.
The M3 interior is nondescript and yet comfortable and purposeful as with all BMW 3-series. Cupholders are crappy extensions from the dash and guarantee spillage on the transmission tunnel and passenger door. Seats have the usual Pop Tart holder seam between the legs.
There are three reasons to advocate the E9X series BMW M3. The biggest is the motor above. It’s a naturally aspirated 4.0 liter V-8 rated at 414 horsepower @ 8300rpm! The second is the hardtop convertible. Drop the top and you can hear that raucous engine wail. Top up it’s a fairly civilized coupe – just a few shakes and rattles over bumps although not bad at all. The third is – I own the one below and absolutely love it. Can’t say enough good things.
I have amateurish phone videos of me trying to wind out the gears in my M3. The YouTube video below is not me – it’s too well done. It captures the raw thrust and racket of the V-8. Makes me giggle.
This pretty red M3 sold new for maybe $65,000 a decade ago and is now here in Norcross, Georgia for $34,998. It’s a bit high in mileage – I paid $7,000 more for my 2013 and it had only 34,000 miles. If I wasn’t a procrastinator I would have shared yesterday a 2012 M3 for $32,998 with I think 37,000 miles. That would have been a steal except it sold today. I can share with you that I’ve put 5,000 miles on my M3 in five months as a daily driver and two road trips and it has not been back to CarMax for a single major repair. I bought MaxCare, though, and I’ll do my best to break it….in.
Between Autotrader and this blog I had three genuine contacts about buying my 2010 Mercedes S600, and days before I was to auction the car on MB Market one of them became most intriguing. A young man named Jared Harris in Arizona found the S600 on this blog and we corresponded a bit before we got serious. Sent Jared photographs of the underside of the car as requested and some details on MaxCare, and then he sweetened the pot. He knew from the blog I dig road trips, he wasn’t much interested in booking a car hauler, and suggested I drive the car to Phoenix! He got my attention. I love this country and seeing it by road is a very special way to appreciate it. I also love this car on the road.
I really wanted to do this, although I had angst over what happens if I drive all the way out there (almost 2,300 miles) and for whatever reason, the deal doesn’t happen. I’d have to fly home to make a previous commitment here and fly back at a later date to retrieve the car and drive it back to Virginia. In addition to the cost and putting the car over 100,000 miles on the odometer, I’d have to suffer shame and embarrassment telling friends and family (and you!) I went ahead with this crazy plan. But on the phone the buyer seemed like a good man who shared my values that car guys don’t screw car guys, and Jared even Venmo’d me a decent deposit to cover my outbound expenses and lessen my stress. We each signed a deposit form I found on the internet, and we were all in. The price? The amount I had planned as my reserve on MB Market. Seemed fair to all.
Before I left, I had the car’s exterior detailed again, and even though the Mercedes wasn’t due for Service D for another couple of months I figured with a 2,300-mile drive upcoming I’d hate to deliver him a car and the light come on not long after. So, the day before I left, I dropped another $300 on an oil change and brake flush. I had a music gig to play in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia the night before, so I loaded up the Mercedes in advance and took my M3 to the gig. I had three days to get to Phoenix, another day to clean the car there (killed a lotta bugs), and a day to fly home. No margin for error.
(If you have no time or interest in the drive itself, scroll to the bottom to see how the sale turned out.)
Just hit the five year anniversary of the CarMax Unicorn Blog and thought I’d take a minute to say thanks to the folks who are still reading this from time to time as I still enjoy writing this from time to time. The numbers say I’ve only blogged 31 times so far this year and I normally do 60-80 posts annually so I have some catching up to do. Admittedly, when I’m obsessively searching for my own unicorns I don’t get around to blogging about yours as much as I’d like. And this year not only did I buy two of them (the M3 and the CT6), I sold my 1971 Fiat with a little coverage here and I’m still working on selling my 2010 Mercedes S600 (having conversations with several of you on that car now!). Still getting 2-3,000 visitors a month so will keep this going another year! And oddly, the 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis LS posting here retook the lead from a Cayenne as the blog with the most views ever. Sigh.
When I married my wife in 1996 I started commemorating anniversaries by doing a one of something gift for year one, a pair for year two, three of something for the third anniversary and on. Was easy to be imaginative up to year 12 (particularly enjoyed linking gifts to the nine planets for our ninth, before Pluto dropped out) but I was totally out of ideas as we celebrated our 26th this summer. Maybe I didn’t think we’d make it this long when I started the tradition?
Anyway, for the fifth year of the blog thought I’d go with five unicorns that were actually brand new cars back when I started the blog and are now interesting used cars. Thanks for hanging in there with me and hope you like them.
I like this 2017 Audi S8 a lot, given that it checks (almost) all my boxes for an S600 successor. Fully loaded with Apple CarPlay, adaptive cruise control, seat massagers, and over 600 hp from a twin turbo 4.0 liter V-8 powerplant. And since I started this blog post a few days ago, it dropped $1,000 in price! But I’m hanging in there for the most autonomous driving capability I can get (the Cadillac CT6 spoiled me) and my amateur take is for the German car makers 2019 was a generational improvement. I cannot tell how much auto-driving is available on this Audi.
This car sold new in 2017 for almost $120,000. It sprints to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. Yup – 3.3 – supercar speed in a 4,700 lb sedan. Oh so tempting. Find this 2017 Audi S8 here in Irvine, California.
Stock # 23108469 VIN # WUAJ5AFD4HN901220
I also like this 2017 Corvette Stingray with less than 2,000 miles. It packs a big 6.2 liter, 455 hp naturally aspirated V-8. Why don’t people drive their cars?! This one looks as clean as when it was new. A bit old school with the motor in the front!
Someone paid about $60,000 for this Stingray in 2017. It hasn’t depreciated at all. This stupid low mileage Corvette moving here to Hillside, Illinois but you can still track it.
CarMax inventory is returning to pre-pandemic levels – about 60,000 as I write – and things are changing. Not easy to see, but perhaps you can tell what the cars above have in common? If not, they’re 2023 cars – used cars – at CarMax lots. Only a handful, and yet it means CarMax is moving into a new inventory year and will be jettisoning some from long ago. Traditionally, CarMax says they offer European cars up to 10 years old, and all others up to 12 years old. In the five years I’ve been blogging, that really hasn’t been the case. There are (technically) 12 year old European cars still in the fleet, although not many. Of the 519 2011 model year cars nationwide there are only 41 European cars left. At some point there will be none. Some of the more interesting ones I’ve included below. For non-European cars, there are a whopping 156 cars from 2010 – two offered below. As you know, I love that CarMax will sell nearly bumper to bumper MaxCare warranties for cars that are now up to 13 model years old! And as part of this nostalgic post, here’s the link to last year’s post when 2009 models were sunsetting.
I (almost! Update below.) missed the opportunity to write about a 2011 Mercedes CLS550 available last month. It’s significant because 2011 was the last year for the C219 “shooting brake” model before it was redesigned in 2012. Maybe CarMax will get one last one. For now, here’s a 2011 Mercedes SL550 with an unbelievably low 17,000 miles on it. It’s being transferred at this time. MaxCare available for another 108,000 miles. With a 5.5 liter V-8 making 382 horsepower, heated and cooling seats (with massagers), Bluetooth, air scarf – it’s a fairly nice old convertible.
I believe the car is headed to Irvine, California. Here’s the link if you want to track it.
Stock # 22955064 VIN # WDBSK7BA1BF161828
UPDATE. Here’s the 2011 Mercedes CLS550 I thought had been sold. It’s back for $23,998 at 53,000 miles. Nice four door coupe. It’s back in Phoenix. Stock number 22953003.
What we have below is a truly obsolete car – a Saturn. Thought I had seen the last of these at CarMax some time back, but here’s an Outlook from 2010 – the final year of manufacture. It’s not the greatest SUV every made and only 3,600 were sold in the final year. It has a modest 281 hp 3.6 liter six cylinder and not much technology. It’s definitely cheap by CarMax standards at $10,998. Surprisingly, there are only about a half-dozen cars less expensive than this one out of 60,000 in the inventory. Used to spot unicorns for half this price.
Interestingly, CarMax is going to 150,000 miles for MaxCare but only 36 months. This 2010 Saturn Outlook is priced at $10,998 and in being transferred to Houston, Texas. Here’s the link.
Stock # 21947867 VIN # 5GZLRUED3AJ197696
The year 2010 also saw the last Cadillac DTS roll off the line, and this one’s a beauty – if you can get over the fake convertible vinyl top that takes us back to the 1920’s and 1930’s when automobiles hoped to replicate the style of horse and carriage coach builders. While you probably think I have a deep knowledge of these automotive topics, I stole this vinyl top background too from an eBay Motors blog. Odd it has a sunroof in the fake convertible roof. No shame.
This 2010 Cadillac DTS is less than $20,000, really low miles, and for an old GMC has some surprising features; seat massagers, lane departure and blind spot warnings, heated and cooled seats, Bluetooth, Bose sound – but no rear view camera. It does have the anemic 275 hp Northstar V-8, and it also has about 122,000 miles and 60 months of MaxCare available! It’s a platinum edition here in Southlake, Georgia.
Stock # 22551884 VIN # 1G6KP5E9XAU133371
Not obsolete, but this 2011 Mercedes E550 is just one handsome, 14,000 mile German family car. The 382 hp V-8 ain’t even broken in. It’s nicely appointed, with a Harman Kardon sound system.
This 2011 Mercedes E550 Sport is a one owner, accident free car available here in Doral, Florida.
Stock # 22844553 VIN # WDDHF7CB1BA420943
While on the subject of beautiful, low mileage German cars, how about this 2011 BMW 328 with less than 9,000 miles! Not even driven a thousand mils a year. Looks almost new inside. The 328 has a 230hp inline six cylinder not unlike the one in the 2002 BMW 330, and the 1992 525i I once owned. In all of them I could not understand the strong acceleration from such little horsepower. The car is selling for $26,000 a dozen years old.
This 2011 BMW 328 don’t have much in the way of modern technology – seat heaters and parking sensors and Bluetooth – but it has a ton of personality. Find this one owner, California car here in Burbank.
Stock # 22905123 VIN # WBAKE5C59BE755035
If you’re aware of specific models that are about to sunset (European 2011’s and non-European 2010’s) please let me know. Will do my best to track them. Thanks for reading.
*** Before we get started on this car, I just want to let everyone know my 2010 Mercedes S600 luxo-rocket is still available, although I have begun the process to auction it on MB Market next week. Dropped the price to $25,900 OBO! Still has 28,000 miles / 19 months of MaxCare warranty! Here’s the link once again.
“The fourth Inspiration Series vehicle from Lexus, the LS 500 is the first sedan to get this exclusive treatment. It starts with a unique new exterior color, Deep Garnet. Garnet, a deep, metallic shade of red that shimmers in direct sun yet has a deep, lustrous tone in the shade. The vibrant color is complimented by standard 20-inch wheels finished in Black Vapor Chrome. Like the Deep Garnet paint, these wheels glimmer in the sun yet retain a polished, subdued look in the shade that accentuates the LS 500’s elegant proportions.”
That was the Lexus press release from 2019 introducing the limited run 2020 Lexus LS500 Inspiration Series. Always intrigued when CarMax offers an exclusive run unicorn even if it’s mostly a trick paint job and some exotic interior trim. I’m going to have to take their word for the changing hue Deep Garnet red – it looks kind of brown in the pictures. The release says it’s the fourth Inspiration Series vehicle and I can only find the earlier 2019 LC500 Inspiration Series and the later 2021 LX570 Inspiration Series. Shouldn’t be this hard!
CarBuzz described the interior as “white semi-aniline leather …. offset by Kiriko glass trim and ornamentation, black instrumentation and carpeting, and a blue LED Kiriko-design display panel on the passenger side. It’s not all style and no substance, as the Inspiration Series equips a 2,400-watt Mark Levinson surround sound system with 23 speakers, strong enough to inspire even Beethoven.” Hmmm – what’s this Kiriko glass, you ask?
If I remember right, Kiriko, a unique Japanese tradition of hand-cutting delicate patterns into glass, produces stunning reflections of light, depending on the angle of both the light and the viewer’s gaze. Examples can be appreciated in vases, sake glasses and traditional glass ornaments. Totally bluffing. I plagiarized that from the Lexus Enthusiast website, and they actually have a great description of how Kiriko glass came to be in the Lexus LS500 – here’s the link if you’re interested.
I’m fascinated and flummoxed by the Lexus engine bay panel. If you don’t want us in here, why not secure the hood in such a way that only a Lexus mechanic can open it?
While the Inspiration Series is a limited edition run of 300 cars with some high end trim enhancements, like all LS500’s it’s still a very strong car. It’s powered by a 3.5 liter twin turbo, 416 hp six cylinder connected to a ten-speed transmission, and will hit 60 mph in the mid-four second range. Damned quick for a 4,700 lb car. It’s fully loaded, and even has seat massagers. The car sold new for about $100,000 just two years ago, and has depreciated almost a quarter in value. I like depreciation. I doubt that I would even spring for MaxCare – although CarMax indicates this car’s manufacturer warranty has expired I’m skeptical – my understanding is Lexus provides a 4 yr/50,000 mi basic, and 6 yr/70,000 mi powertrain warranty. This car is two years old and has 9,000 miles. If you want an exclusive run car and dig the Lexus LS500, you can find this single owner, accident free one in Duarte, California here.
Three random thoughts before getting to the Jaguar below.
1) Remember when dealerships neared the end of the month and salesmen pleaded with us, that to meet their monthly quota they were going to offer us ridiculous discounts? Monthly stats seemed to drive everything. Well, here we are near the end of July and I realize I’ve only blogged a pitiful two times. My excuse is that preparing to sell my 2010 Mercedes S600 and replace it with another unicorn has made me weary. Believe it or not, this last week a 2015 Mercedes S65 sedan surfaced that a blog reader snagged and bought before I could (I had a BMW M5 being transferred and couldn’t move the S65), and a 2011 BMW Alpina B7 at a ridiculously low price of $32,998 was located and bought by another blog reader who saw the car before me. Great cars that I should have written about, but snoozed and lost. In August I may experiment with very, very brief pieces on unusual cars to just get them out there to you with little to no witty commentary.
2) CarMax’s 24 hour test drive now has limitations. I transferred a loaded BMW M5 from a Maryland dealership to my Dulles, Virginia location and went in for a 24 hour test drive, only to be told there’s a new policy. Cars over $60,000, and a whole bunch of muscle cars, are no longer eligible for 24 hour test drives. That’s what my sales rep told me when I showed up to take the M5 home. I noted that’s not what’s on the web and the rep apologized, but I couldn’t take the car home. So I said forget it – not buying a $90,000 car after a drive around the block, and left in a huff. Looked up the latest web policy, and it says “Please note, not all cars qualify for a 24-hour test drive, and customers may only take two 24-hour test drives within a 30-day period.” I guess they can make the rules. That said, I have learned so much more about a car with a 24 hour test drive rather than the loop around the dealership, that this will give me pause. Also, one reader tells me his dealer still lets him take care home for a 24 hour ride. Guess it’s negotiable.
3) CarMax inventory levels are ballooning to the 60,000 car level, up significantly over the last few months. Starting to see a more interesting mix of unicorns – high end cars, older European sports cars, low mileage muscle cars – than I’ve seen in a while (even if I didn’t get around to blogging about them!). I’m going to be more vigilant in August and post twice a week come hell or high water! Hang in there with me, please.
My unicorn to close out the month is a 2014 Jaguar XFR. It’s a handsome sedan with the same drive train and interior as the svelte XKR, but you get four doors and a decent trunk. If you’re a regular reader you know I’ve toyed with more than one XKR purchase as the supercharged motor is just barrels of British fun.
The interior is neat and tidy, with heated and cooled seats, Bluetooth, Meridian audio, navigation and a sunroof (you cannot get a sunroof in an XKR).
Decent sized trunk – I think that’s a ski/passthrough access point in the back?
The heart and soul of the Jaguar XFR is the supercharged 5.0 liter aluminum V-8 powerplant. The last Jaguar XFR I covered I said, “the 5.0 liter supercharged V-8 runs through a six-speed automatic transmission. Depending on the review, the car sprints from 0-60 mph in the low to high four second range. Wish I could be more precise, but web info says the sedan tops out at 155 (limited), 174, and 186 mph. If you own one and hit top speed let me know. We’ll keep it between us.” No need to reinvent the heated steering wheel – all still applies to this car!
This 2014 Jaguar XFR is available here in Laurel, Maryland – not far from me! (And not far from you, Scott. This will fit in your garage?) It’s a one owner, accident free Virginia car with MaxCare good until 125,000 miles and five years.
*** Before we get started on this car, I just want to let everyone know my 2010 Mercedes S600 luxo-rocket is still available, and I even dropped the price to $25,900 OBO! Still has 28,000 miles / 19 months of MaxCare warranty! Here’s the link once again.
Now about this 2016 Nissan 370Z Sport unicorn for sale, with only 908 miles on it. Like the 378 mile 2013 Dodge Charger R/T Max I covered earlier this month, this sports car is really only mostly of interest because of the peculiarly and unusual low mileage. Check out the trip odometer below – if I’m reading the left one correctly the car has been driven almost 84 hours covering only 908 miles! Average speed 10 mph? Where has this car been going and why?
The interior is as pristine as the day it came off the dealership lot five years ago. But it’s a 2016, you say, isn’t it six years old? Oddly the car was shipped to the Illinois dealership in March of 2016, but didn’t sell until June of 2017. (There’s an entry in the vehicle history of 8,000 miles during emissions testing in 2022 – clearly a typo.) Why didn’t it sell?
The 2016 Nissan 370Z Sport sold for maybe $45,000 new. It’s an okay sports car. The best reviewers can say is it’s “balanced” – decent handling and acceleration, but offset by a harsh ride, limited space (although leg room up front is fantastic), and a high price tag. Per Motor Trend, “the Sport trim adds a limited-slip differential, 19-inch Rays forged alloy wheels, the SynchroRev Match feature on the manual gearbox, sport brakes, and a Bose audio system.” This car had the rear view camera option added, but not much else.
I have to say in bright red this little sports coupe is not unattractive. I wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seem in it. Wheels are funky, styling muted – spoiler doesn’t exaggerate or suggest it’s faster than it is.
The 370Z has a hatchback, but that big ol’ bar across the shock towers doesn’t leave much room back there for stashing stuff. So no back seat and no storage space. Disappointing.
The 3.7 liter V-6 is actually a solid engine with 332 hp, and mated to the six speed manual it’ll run a 4.7 second 0-60 mph – pretty darned good for a naturally aspirated six cylinder. My hunch is it’s got all the kinks worked out and is pretty darn reliable. The 370Z has been around since 2006 and was terminated in 2020. It had a good run. You buy one and you know what you’re getting.
Bonus points if you read this far and know this obscure country music performer I dig. His name is Jimmie Dale Gilmore, from Texas. Spent some time in a Colorado ashram studying metaphysics before launching a mediocre career. I once saw him play in Atlanta, where he introduced a song by suggesting we not really focus on the lyrics too much, that wouldn’t be fair. Then he said actually don’t focus on the music much either, just sort of take in the experience.
That’s how I feel about this 2016 Nissan 370Z – ignore the pedestrian parts and the unremarkable attributes and just enjoy a decent enough sports car that really nobody has driven. Hell, you could buy this and have 149,000 miles of MaxCare coverage over five years if you wanted. What’s hard to ignore, though, is the price – it’s pushing $37,000 – not much discount from new. In fact, to show how used car prices have skyrocketed, check out this post of mine from 2019 (scroll way down) – a nearly identical 2014 Nissan 370Z 6MT with less than 2,000 miles was offered by CarMax for $10,000 less! But if you like Z-cars, this single owner, accident free one is available in Omaha here at the moment.
