Quick Hit – 1 of 62! 2018 Cadillac ATS-V Manual Transmission Sedan. (And Bonus Heads Up – S600 Cross Country Trip Starts 3/1)

Last spring I covered not one but two of 89 2017 Cadillac ATS-V’s with manual transmissions here. Thought they were pretty exclusive unicorns until this 2018 model posted and learned it’s only one of 62 ATS-V manual transmission sedans sold that year. THAT’S exclusive! Manual transmission coupes were even more scarce for 2018 at 54 units sold. Will keeping a lookout for those.

The twin-turbo V-6 makes 464 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque and with the six-speed manual cranks out sub-four second 0-60 mph runs. It also tops out at 189 mph and pulls 1g in lateral handling. Badass numbers all around for an American six-cylinder. I have a soft spot for Cadillacs after going to the 24 Hours of Daytona the last six years and watching the black Caddy’s win overall four of the last five years (second this year). Some serious engineering chops.

This 2018 review in CarBuzz gave the car tremendous props for performance, but dinged the Cadillac for a below grade interior for the money. I’ve plopped my butt in a fair number of Cadillac CTS-V’s and have to agree that the interiors don’t impress me neither. That said, the “for the money” part becomes more interesting when taking into account the car sold new for maybe $70,000 just two or three years ago. Used, with 20,000 miles on it $47,998 makes it seem like a bargain and the interior more defensible. And while I normally almost always advocate for MaxCare, this car is likely still under GM warranty. Find this single owner, accident free Cadillac ATS-V here in Kennesaw, Georgia.

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Tesla Returning to CarMax?

Just got word from a well intentioned but not yet validated kindred CarMax guy (sorry for all the qualifiers) that CarMax intends to resume offering Teslas. I stumbled on CarMax Teslas almost three years ago and posted this blog piece, but not much into electric cars and lost interest. When my friend called me about CarMax carrying cars again I acted all seasoned and wise and pointed out my blog piece from 2018, as if I knew what I was talking about. The young man said well yeah, they used to offer them in California only but now it would be nationwide. Humbled. Hope to learn more about MaxCare options for Teslas soon.

So I dug deeply into this tonight, meaning I Googled it. Found this Business of Business website that explored the Tesla-CarMax relationship in this piece, and this piece. If you read them you’ll learn that CarMax once had over 300 Teslas for sale after I wrote my 2018 blog, and by late 2019 CarMax slammed the gullwing door on selling these cars. We’ll ignore that if you read these pieces you’ll know I REALLY am not a serious journalist. I’ve said it before though – I’d pay good money to have coffee or drinks with the CarMax guru who decides what cars to sell and what to avoid. Still curious on Alfa’s, Acura NSX, and Nissan GTR’s! I do know that CarMax sells over 700,000 cars a year, and must have incredible analytics on what’s working and what’s not. If I didn’t think it would affect my credibility even just a little bit, I’d be buying CarMax stock.