Monthly Finds (…but unicorns move fast! These may be gone.) – Page 12

June 15, 2021June 15, 2021

1 of 400 – The Best “M” Ever? The Best BMW Ever?

Not my claim – I’m certainly not qualified to make such a bold statement about any BMW. But the editors of Motor Trend were thinking this may be the best M, the best BMW sports coupe, or maybe even the best BMW ever when they tested and reviewed the car here in March. They thought the one year only 2020 BMW M2 CS was even better than the BMW M4 GTS I posted last week. For what it’s worth, that M4 was one of 300 in the US, and this M2 is one of 400. Both are beyond my price cap at $90,000, but certainly unicorns.

It all starts with the motor. The twin-turbocharged inline six cylinder is rated at 444hp. With a six-speed manual like this one, it’s good for a 4.0 second 0-60 run. The seven speed twin clutch automatic does it in 3.8. seconds. The car weighs about 3,500 and pulls 1.02 lateral g on the skid pad per Motor Trend. It has the M adaptive suspension – first time in an M2.

Carbon fiber inside and out, and a subtle CS logo on the dash. Otherwise a nifty little all around coupe. The car sold new less than three months ago and is now here on the Dulles, Virginia CarMax lot near me – where I’ll be test driving another car shortly. It’s listed in the “Less than 1,000 mile” category and I’ll see if I can find out what’s on the odometer. New the car was maybe $95,000 and is now $89,998 so not much of a price break – but good luck finding a comparable one!

June 8, 2021June 8, 2021

A Puzzling CarMax Offering – 2014 Mercedes E63 AMG S RENNtech!

Saw this car on the web but I would have missed the significance had it not been for a text from one of my favorite readers, my CarMax coach, and a true CarMax unicorn collector – Mustafa. Otherwise, I would not have known this was a (W212) Mercedes E63 AMG S RENNtech! I’ve heard of RENNtech but hadn’t paid much attention to them. I get BMW and Alpina, but not RENNtech. Turns out RENNtech is the one and only Stuart, Florida based tuner created and owned by former AMG master Hartmut Feyhl. So…this is not a factory tuned E63 AMG? What it IS is a 679 hp and 749 ft. lb of torque race car posing as a family hauler. A “stock” E63 AMG S pumps 577 hp, for comparison.

Handcrafted by Stephan Durr – in my top ten AMG builder list! (I made that up)

Looks like any other E63 inside – although this allegedly has a Designo interior.

As far as I can tell this car was sold by Driving Emotions in Lake Park, Florida, less than an hour south of Feyhl’s RENNtech shop, with 43,500 miles on it, and sold again by SSC Sales in Pleasanton, California with 52,000 miles. The CarMax description of the car is drawn from their templates and doesn’t do it justice. Here’s what Driving Emotions posted when they sold the car:

2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG-S RENNtech!Black with Black Nappa Leather and Contrasting Silver Stitching Interior! Only 43,500 Miles! SHOWROOM CONDITION!! (The dealer must buy exclamation marks in bulk?) Loaded! Parktronic! Keyless Go! Silver Stitching! Silver Seat Belts! Panorama Sunroof! Rear View Camera! Carbon Fiber Trim! A/C & Heated Seats! Electronic Trunk Closer! AMG Red Brake Calipers! 679HP! & 749 ft. lb of Tq! Upgraded RENNtech Package! RENNtech Stainless Sport Mufflers! RENNtech Carbon Fiber Front Splitter! RENNtech Carbon Fiber Rear Diffuser! RENNtech Carbon Fiber Rear Deck Lid Spoiler! RENNtech Carbon Fiber Engine Air Box! AMG 19 10 Spoke Titanium Wheels! AMG Performance Steering Wheel! Illuminated Star in Front Grille! Black Ash Wood Interior Trim! Astonishing $102,595 MSRP! That MSRP is before the RENNtech upgrades, by the way! SSC claims the upgrade is valued at $20,000.

I’m curious why CarMax chose to include a trunk photo like this. Any ideas? Any of this stuff unusual? Nitro?

In all fairness, the only real visual cues that this is a RENNtech are the discrete badges on the front fenders and rear deck (not unlike my S600). And Mustafa is a third my age so of course he can spot stuff I can’t. That’s my story. Hard to tell how rare this car is or whether this price is good. RENNtech has a similar car offered on their website for $68,000. That said, this one is in fact a one accident car, something neither Driving Emotions or SSC acknowledged. CarMax shares the history. Also no idea what MaxCare would cost, but it’s a must. Find this four owner car here in Modesto, California.

June 7, 2021June 9, 2021

1 of 300 in USA (and 700 Worldwide) – Nearly New 2016 BMW M4 GTS

Warning! Not the actual CarMax M4 GTS for sale! Pix haven’t been posted yet so I borrowed these.

Add the 2016 BMW M4 GTS to the category of “unicorns I didn’t know were a thing”. But when I saw a five year old M4 with less than 1,000 miles on it selling for almost $100,000 I suspected there was something special here. And sure enough, it’s a 1 of 300 in the USA BMW M4 GTS that sold for (get this) over $135,000 new in 2016. Faster around the Nürburgring Nordschleife than a Porsche Carrera GT, McLaren MP4-12C, and the Ferrari 458 Italia. The BMW has a 190 mph top speed, 1.4g lateral grip, and a mid-3 second 0-60 time according to Motor Trend. How do they do that?!

BMW uses a 5.0 liter rear mounted tank to inject water (yes water) into the 3.0 liter twin-turbocharged inline six cylinder motor, boosting power to 493 hp. Motor Trend will tell you “Essentially, above (approximately) 5,000 rpm, water is sprayed into the intake plenum via three injectors. (They’re actually steel-tipped diesel injectors.) The water evaporates instantly, cooling the post-intercooler air by about 80 degrees to around 115-120 degrees.” My pea brain would think the tank is bigger than the motor, so I’m the wrong guy to explain how water injection works. I do think it’s cool (ha ha) that water injection was used on the 1962 Oldsmobile F85 and the Saab 99 Turbo. Neither were this fast.

The BMW M4 GTS has no back seat. Non-US BMW M4 GTS models came with a fully functional roll cage. The US model, pictured above, did not. Instead it has a neato-speedo looking faux cage installed not for safety, but to keep passengers out of the non-seat belted back seat. The car has tons (?) of carbon fiber to reduce weight, and seemingly infinitely adjustable dampers to modulate handling.

The BMW M4 GTS also has a decent rear wing and a front splitter that combines for 210 lbs of downforce at 186 mph. That may be, but at my age I just CANNOT have a daily driver with a wing. I also can’t spend $96,000 on a slightly used race car, and of course I’d have to add another $5,000 (estimated) for MaxCare. Sure as the morning sun rises over Munich I would blow this car up revving high and puttin’ away wet. Water injected wet. Find this pristine one owner 2016 BMW M4 GTS car here in Richmond, Virginia. Will update photos if and when posted by CarMax (but wouldn’t be surprised if it sells first).

May 27, 2021May 27, 2021

Four Chevrolet Unicorns That Are NOT A Bargain (But They Are Collectables!)

I’ve covered these unicorns a few times over the last few years. Once I found CarMax to be loading up their inventories and wrote here about the hoarding. They went from a handful to 24 units almost overnight. Sometimes they have none. Occasionally they score a rare manual transmission version and those sell faster than the cars drive. Only a couple of hundred were imported yearly by Chevrolet. Yes, imported and so I just gave it away. The Australian Holden sports sedan imported and rebadged as Chevrolet SS models from 2014-2017. The list price (MSRP) was between $40,000 and $48,000 when new, although they didn’t sell well and were deeply discounted. I’ve read by as much as 20% to clear them from the lots. Chevrolet projected sales of 12-15,000 cars a year and sold maybe 3,000 annually. There were lots of articles on why the SS did not sell well. Poor market positioning. Looked like a Malibu. Overpriced. Now there are lots of articles on what a great enthusiast car this was, with a 6.2 liter naturally aspirated V-8 rated at 415hp, and good for mid-four second 0-60mph runs. Brembo brakes. Adaptable magnetic suspension. Great reviews. And now these once shunned cars are selling at a premium. More than they sold for new, and sometimes more than the MSRP Chevrolet never got. When I started this blog in 2017 Chevrolet was still trying to unload new SS models for under $40,000 and CarMax had low mileage used ones for around $30,000. Now CarMax has a low mileage, but still used 2017 SS offered at $54,000! And it’s not even a manual. Well, enjoy these four collectable Chevrolets. I had hoped there would be one from each model year offered but it was not to be, and if I wait even these may be gone.

The pretty blue 2017 Chevrolet SS with 15,000 miles selling for $53,998.

The 2015 model with 28,000 miles for $45,998. This was the first year for adaptive suspension, btw.

The first year in the US – 2014 – and selling for a whopping $42,998 with 34,000 miles.

Another 2017 for “only” $45,998 with 40,000 miles! And yes, it looks like a Malibu.

Pretty sure the interiors looked the same for all four years?

The motor. Not high horsepower but plenty, and a raucous rumble.

Here’s the link to the expensive 2017 in Knoxville.

Here’s the link to the 2017 in Pineville, North Carolina.

The link to de one in Des Moines. (Seeing if anyone is paying attention.)

And finally, the link to the first year car in Kansas City.

May 21, 2021May 21, 2021

Quick Hit – Last of the CLS550 (W219) Shooting Brakes

CarMax generally carries cars up to 10 years back, so they tell me, although at this moment there are 124 of their 30,000 cars on lots that go back to 2009 – 12 model years’ old. None of them are European cars. There are another 249 2010 models at dealerships, of which a whopping 22 are European (sneak peak – here’s the link to a 2010 Mercedes CLS550 for only $23k coming soon!). And finally, 2011 models – now 10 years old, account for another 350 cars of the 30,000 – and only 39 of those are European. And truly really finally, 2011 was the last year for the lovely first generation Mercedes CLS550 (W219) “shooting brake”. Last year manufactured by Mercedes, and 2021 should be the last year offered by CarMax. A unicorn.

The CLS550 four door coupe is pretty much a more shapely E550 platform, with seating for four, and less room. I’ve been in them and in the E550’s and yes, the sloped roof intrudes on headroom. Everything else is the same, including the 382hp 5.5 liter V-8 that will still get you to 60mph in under five seconds. Not bad. Here’s a link to one of the last CLS550’s I covered – has all the performance info you need!

This 2011 model is selling for $27,998 – pretty high if you ask me even thought it only has 42,000 miles. No auto cruise control but most other luxury features included. Most of the CLS550’s of this era were selling for significantly less at CarMax, including this nice one for only $19,998 just a month ago. MaxCare going to run another $3-5k. But this 2011 CLS550 is a two-owner accident free car from New England, and you can see it here. If it were a CLS63……?

May 12, 2021May 12, 2021

A Really Good Deal on a Jeep SRT-8 (and why I haven’t blogged in weeks)

Oh I so wish this 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 fit the bill for my next family SUV. It’s a damned good unicorn. Over the years I’ve been surprised how much these hot Jeeps retain their value, often costing much more than this one and having far more miles. As of this writing CarMax has seven other Jeep SRT-8’s available or coming soon, ranging from $49,000 for a 2014 model with 56,000 miles to $64,000 for a low miles 2019 model. This hot rod is $38,998 and has only 40,000 miles. That’s a deal.

For 2012 the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 was redesigned with a bigger motor, now 6.4 liters and 470hp, and good for a 4.6 second 0-60 mph run. The Jeep got great marks for handling with AWD and adaptive dampers. Here’s what Motor Trend had to say (I could hardly understand it myself but maybe you will) “The rear-mounted electronic differential also uses clutch packs to send power side to side. The torque vectoring keeps the Jeep turning even when the front end is losing grip. It felt much more natural on the racetrack than it did on our figure-eight. In big sweepers, it is tough to keep a steady speed as small inputs in throttle will cause torque vectoring, but as soon as neutral throttle is needed, the added turning force goes away.” Remarkably, the Grand Cherokee SRT-8 handled as well in the slalom and on the track as the Charger and 300 SRT-8 sedans. The Brembo brakes stopped the 2 1/2 ton Jeep from 60 mph in 106 feet – less than comparable Porsche Cayennes and BMW X5’s. What was unimpressive in the reviews was the outdated five speed automatic transmission with no rev matching on downshifts.

As impressive as all the oomph and performance and raucous V-8, the interior features surprised me at this price point. Auto cruise control. Air conditioned and heated seats. Heated steering wheel. Panoramic sunroof. Carbon fiber trim as standard. This Jeep sold new for just under $60,000. While $38,998 may not seem like much depreciation for a nine year old Jeep, given the prices of all the others on the lots it’s damned good. And with 40,000 miles, add on MaxCare and this thing is good for 85,000 more worry free miles. And yes I checked – accident free and only two owners! Find this 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 here in Torrance, California.

April 28, 2021April 28, 2021

Very Quick Hit – 2010 Mercury Grand Marquis LS. Like New Panther.

Sample photo “borrowed” from the web. Photos aren’t yet available for this car.

Many thanks to Hans for bringing this car to my attention this morning. Would normally wait for photos (and will update when available) but this unicorn may not be around that long. And I don’t quite get it, but when I post about Ford-Lincoln-Mercury Panther line cars readers go batshit. My blog stats skyrocket, especially when linked to David Fesz’s Unique Cars 2.0 Facebook page (check it out). This post on the final year cars is unmatched. The Panther line hadn’t been updated in years and expired in 2011. The V-8 makes four cylinder power and six cylinder torque. But is has a bench seat and folks love it as a comfortable, reliable highway cruiser. Here’s why this one rocks:

Only 16,000 miles in eleven years! And it’s less than $16,000. The car sold new for almost $30,000. AND as you can see CarMax is offering the MaxCare warranty for another 134,000 miles until the car is sixteen years old. Not sure MaxCare is even needed given this car’s bullet proof history, but why not? Here’s the cost and coverage options for this car:

Again, a borrowed photo until the real ones are available but suspect it looks like this inside. Gold over tan car, with golf clubs in the trunk and blazers hanging from a rear seat coat hook bar would make me feel so retired. Here’s the link to this two owner, accident free family sedan currently in Knoxville, Tennessee. Enjoy.

April 25, 2021April 25, 2021

Quick Hit – 1 of 711 (or 1 of 40?) 2016 Chevrolet SS Manual Transmission Collector (And Bonus 2017 SS)

Manual transmission Chevrolet SS models are the most sought after of the Australian Holdens rebadged and imported to the US from 2014-2017. And two of the five Chevrolet SS cars on CarMax lots are 6-speed manuals. Fortunately, GM releases production numbers for these cars by year, color, and options. Chevrolet sold 2,202 SS models in 2016, 711 with manual shifters. Only 168 in Red Hot Red. It gets harder after that – 13 with sunroof, inflator, and manual transmission, and 27 with sunroof, a spare tire, and manual. So… this 2016 Chevrolet SS is at a minimum 1 of 2,202. Or 1 of 711. Or 1 of 40 (I can’t tell if this has a spare or inflator!), or at best, 1 of 13. All of them say unicorn to me.

Just over three years ago, while Chevrolet was still importing and selling SS models, I wrote here about the inexplicable boost in SS inventory at Carmax – they normally carry a handful and in December 2017 had a remarkable 24 units on lots. Maybe they knew something. TheSS listed new in 2016-2017 for $42-48,000. They also came with significant rebates making them ridiculous values. What’s surprising to me is they are selling now, four years after extinction, for almost what they sold for new. Very few used cars are retaining value like that. This low mileage model is surely selling for at or above its new car price.

The Chevrolet SS was powered by a 6.2 liter naturally aspirated LS3 V-8 pumping a decent but not spectacular 415 hp. Car and Driver still made a 4.6 second 0-60 mph run – no slouch – and just short of 1g lateral handling on the skid pad. Respectable numbers. The car has adaptive suspension and is adequately appointed but by no means loaded. I doubt SS owners care. Find this low mileage, one owner accident free 2016 Chevrolet SS here in Hartford, Connecticut.

April 22, 2021April 22, 2021

Quick Hit – 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera Black Edition. Slightly Unique. Slightly Inexpensive.

Porsche offered only 1,911 “Black Edition” 911 models in 2012, one of almost two dozen 911 variants for the final year of the 997 line. I always have to doublecheck the 2012 911’s – Porsche also replaced the 997 with the all new 991 line in 2012 so you can find both listed as 12’s. This 2012 911 Black Edition is a beauty and a bit of a unicorn.

Few cars have such a sleek silhouette to me!

Visually, the only way I can tell the 997 from the 991 models is the totally redone interior. I know Porsche pros note all the exterior cues but I’m not one of them. This interior layout is identical to my recently-sold 911 and a bit plain for me. The Black Edition adds a Bose 13 speaker audio system, monochromatic interior with specially trimmed door sills, gauges, sport steering wheel, emblems, and other cosmetic doodads. So far, the Black Edition seems to be mostly an appearance package.

It would be totally okay to ignore whether the Black Edition is special or not. The car is still a Porsche 911 and a wonderful driving experience. The 3.6 liter naturally aspirated motor runs a 4.4 second 0-60mph sprint, drawing on 345 hp and a seven speed PDK automatic transmission. As I’ve described in my road trip with Etta, my 2008 911, the handling is astonishing. I’ve been on the fence on whether to buy another 911 and as I write I’m feeling the enthusiasm to do it again. Not this car – I need a 991.2 – and yet this car is right for someone at only $47,998. It was once close to $90,000 new, and with only 36,000 miles it’s not a bad deal. My 2008 car was $34,998, purchased in 2018, and since then very few 911’s have been offered by CarMax for under $50,000. Only a handful under $60,000. MaxCare? I’d say yes. My plan was $3,500 I think, and while I did not have enough repairs to cover that cost, CarMax refunded $1,100 of pro-rated MaxCare when I sold the car. Why not? This 2012 Porsche 911 Black Edition is offered here in Renton, Washington (was in California last month). Enjoy.

April 17, 2021April 17, 2021

Quick Hit – Old School BMW 650i Makes Me Rue The M6 That Got Away

Surprised to see a 2010 BMW 650i unicorn pop up at CarMax this week. This is a second generation E63 as BMW folks know, and the last year for this model. This 11 year old offering gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance coming to score a CarMax E63 M6 of fabled V-10 fame, aka the one who got away from me when I was looking to replace Guenther. It was this 2007 BMW M6 selling for $23,998 and only 44,000 miles. Still kicking myself.

I never liked the lines of the trunk, but could get over it for the right car. Car and Driver called it “semi-demented”.

I’ve test driven a couple of these big (4,400lb) coupes and they fit me like a glove – better than a 3-series by far. Cup holders suck. If you really REALLY want to see an in depth review of this car here’s a NewCarTest review from 2010. The 2010 BMW 650i sold new for upwards of $80,000. This one is just over $20,000 and eligible for MaxCare until it’s 16 years old. Still amazes me. Suspect CarMax will go to a 125,000 miles cap but that’s still plenty of driving miles left. The 650i has a 360hp V-8 that will only get you into the five second 0-60 mph zone, not terribly quick. Find this four owner, accident free beauty here in Athens, Georgia.