Category: 5/2020

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First One – 2019 BMW M850l X Drive!

M850 sideNot a lot to cheer (or write) about with CarMax unicorns lately.  Inventory has dropped to the low 30,000 car level from a high of over 70,000 cars just as the coronavirus hit, dealerships went on lock down, and employees were laid off.  But out of the blue comes this beautiful 2019 BMW M850l X Drive, the first of its kind with CarMax.  Technically not in my unicorn range at $81,998, and yet it’s pretty special so here it is.  And it’s hot off the press – it’s listed a “Coming Soon” – a new feature on the CarMax website.  Oddly I can see this car on my laptop but not the iPhone app.

Anyway, this BMW M850 is all wheel drive and cranks 523hp out of its 4.4 liter twin turbo V-8.  Good for 0-60 mph in 3.3 seconds.  Here’s the full Car and Driver review.  The highs – “Brilliant driving dynamics in the right context, sweet mother lode of torque, gloriously impractical.”  The lows – “Lacks visual drama, can be claustrophobic, gloriously impractical.”  One reviewer thought it looked like a Honda Accord coupe from the side.  I think the rear looks like a Lexus LC500.

The verdict – “A half-price grand tourer with full-price performance.”  The car sold new for maybe $120,000 and is now a third less.  Love depreciation.  For what it’s worth, the BMW M8  won its division at the 24 hours of Daytona the last two years, over my beloved Continue reading “First One – 2019 BMW M850l X Drive!”

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Yet Another 1 of 248 – 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis With Ultra Low Mileage*

MarquisStill intrigued with these Panther-platform dinosaurs, especially the ultra rare ultra low mileage ones.  Only 248 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis models made in the final year.  This one has only 14,000 miles (*although sadly during one of those drives in 2018 the car was in an accident in Florida).  And the 4.6l V-8 only packs 224hp – just a few more than a four cylinder VW GTI of the same era.

But that big beautiful (heated) bench seat, column shifter, and four-dead body trunk (or suitcases and golf clubs) takes me back to another time. Here’s the last 2011 I posted about two years ago…lower price but higher miles.  If you can get over the accident, this one’s way nicer.  And just for fun, the great NY Times review “Heavyweight for a Requiem” from back in the day is to good not to reprint.  My favorite lines:

  • It’s the kind of car dad bought because his buddy at the Kiwanis Club owned the
    dealership and he didn’t want something flashy like a Lincoln. A car you could wear
    a hat in.
  • Wallowing anachronism that it is, the Grand Ma has its charms. It rides as if the tires aren’t just smothering out the road’s divots, but giving each of them a somber, dignified burial.
  • The engine’s initial response is strong, but it quickly runs out of breath and by 5,500
    r.p.m. it’s exhausted. The transmission sort of slides at that point into the next gear
    and heaves a sigh of relief.
  • InsideLine.com clocked it accelerating from a standstill to 60 m.p.h. in a leisurely 9.3 seconds; it also plowed through a quarter-mile run in 16.8 seconds while reaching 83.9 mph.
  • Somewhere along its developmental journey the Grand Marquis
    picked up power rack-and-pinion steering that is shockingly sweet, with good oncenter feel, precise calibration and good feedback. 
  • This is a car unconcerned with carving corners or blitzing across the
    autobahn. It’s built for people who have lived long enough to have already had all the drama they want in their lives.
  • INSIDE TRACK: You may miss it, but you didn’t really want it.

Find this 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis LS here in Orlando.  Where else?!

2011 Mercury Marquis $15,998 14k Orlando May 2020

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Quick Hit – 2009 BMW 750Li for a Stupid $15,998.

BMW 750 sideAgain, to quote one of our readers, “driving rich” is the whole ides of this blog – acquiring high end, highly depreciated unicorns from CarMax and leveraging their bumper-to-bumper MaxCarewarranty to protect against extraordinary repairs. I wish I could remember who sent that to me.  Anyway, this low mileage, 11 year old long wheelbase BMW 750Li is very, very nice for a stupid low $15,998.  It’s also the first year of the fifth generation, no bubble-butt trunk lid.

Here’s the review from Car and Driver when the car was new.  When the car sold for just under $100,000.  And here’s a long term testfrom Automobile magazine.  It’s modestly equipped with blind spot monitors, lane departure, rear DVD, and seat massagers,  and also comes with a 4.8 liter twin-turbo V-8 good for sub-five second 0-60 sprints.  This is a real autobahn cruiser at a used Corolla price.

I would not own this without MaxCare, and my experience is that MaxCare for 750’s is expensive.  But with a starting price of $15,998 it’s worth a try.  Think about it – the warranty can protect you until the car is 16 years old, and for maybe almost 100,000 more miles.  That’s driving rich.  Find this two owner, accident free luxury car here in Pleasanton, California. 2009 BMW 750 $15,998 54k Pleasonton

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Quick Hit – Nearly New 2011 Nissan Cube Krom. Someone Somewhere Likes This.

Cube sideAdd the Nissan Cube Krom to the list of cars I didn’t know existed, perhaps for good reason.  I like looking for older, ultra low mileage cars in the CarMax inventory and this little unicorn just keeps catching my eye.  Turns out Nissan’s Krom editions were opportunities for buyers to choose lots of accents and options that weren’t available on the run of the mill cars.

Back in 2011, when this car was new, someone actually spent about $22,000 and made the choices you see here.  Not sure what they really thought of that choice, since the car was only driven 10,000 miles in the nine years since.  I love the color and I love the ballsy faux chrome front end, and I love that 2011 was the last year for these Krom cars.

Here’s a review from Automobile Mag back in 2011.  Cubes in general never sold very well.  I suspect there are not a lot of Cube Kroms out there.  It comes with a 1.8 liter 122hp four banger.  I wondered at the “Power/Cycle” knob by the shifter and had to Google it – turns out it rotates through accent lighting.  Who knew?  Why?

Rental cube Full disclosure, because my then-teenage daughter suggested it, on a vacation to Texas I actually rented me a Cube.  In the land of pickups no less.  The things we do for love.  Don’t tell my wife I posted this.

 

 

If a Nissan Cube Krom is your thing this is a nearly new one for half price. Find it here in Athens, Georgia.

2011 Nissan Cube Krom $12,998 10k Athens 5-20

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Happy Mother’s Day – The Queen’s Range Rover (Sorta) for $23,998!

My mother never had a license or drove a car in her life, and passed away last year at 92.  And here’s Queen Elizabeth II driving a Range Rover at the ripe old age of 93 (when the photo was taken I think – she’s 94 now!).  Ignore the media hullabaloo that she’s not wearing a seat belt, it’s still impressive.  Live on the edge at that age!RR Side So to celebrate here’s a low mileage 2012 Range Rover Sport HSE unicorn at a bargain price.  Once sold for about $80,000 and is now $23,998.  Or less than 20,000 British pounds if you’re so inclined.  This Range Rover Sport is adequately equipped, with four wheel drive, optional nine speed transmission (not sure that’s accurate – thought they only had an optional eight speed?), heated steering wheel and so on.

Not tremendously equipped, but good enough.  Same with the 375hp 5.0 liter V-8.  Good enough, although I’d have to wait on the occasional supercharged Range Rover that drops into the $25,000 range (like this one from last year).  Or if supercharging is too much oomph, this stupid cheap one at $16,998 that stayed on the net for a very short time would do. Here’s the review from 2012 in Top Speed.  Of course, I’d especially want MaxCare to protect myself from repair bills.  Find this two-owner California car here in Loveland, Colorado. 2012 Range Rover $23,998 45k Loveland

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