Category: Monthly Finds (…but unicorns move fast! These may be gone.)

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Quick Hit – Luxury Commuter Unicorn. 2010 Mercedes S400 Hybrid – $19,998

I used to commute to work on Rt 267 in Virginia, a toll road between Dulles Airport and I-495, the Capital Beltway around Washington DC. The toll road often backs up, but the high-speed, High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes include exemptions for clean energy/hybrids. Always got a kick out of 20 mpg SUV hybrids in those lanes, saving the planet. Now you can too with this flagship Mercedes S400 Hybrid unicorn. Looks the same inside and out as my V-12 S600 (with the exception of no night vision).

The hybrid S400 has a 3.5l V-6 good for 295hp – not a lot and the car isn’t fast, and yet it’s as comfortable and smooth as any other S-Class. This Car and Driver review back in 2010 noted the car was only good for a seven second 0-60mph run. This was the “cheapest” S-Class back in the day at $94,500, and is a real bargain at $19,998. Find it here in Norwood, Massachusetts.

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Quick Hit – Legitimate Unicorn. 2009 Mercedes SL63 AMG for $100,000 Less Than New

Unlike my last couple of posts, about the Kiplingers promo and Labor Day work truck, this one is about a no kidding unicorn. A 2009 Mercedes SL63 AMG selling for only $31,998, and with only 47,000 miles. And of course, an 11 year old European sports car you can protect with MaxCare until it’s a sixteen year old luxury hot rod. The car sold new for over $140,000. That gets you a hand-built 6.3L naturally aspirated V-8 good for 518 hp and a 4.4 second 0-60 mph run. Gets you the facelifted 2009 model that’s pretty darned gorgeous. Gets you a hard top convertible AND a sunroof, and the Mercedes Air Scarf neck warmers for top down driving as fall approaches. Bluetooth, seat heaters, power lift gate, and a Harman Kardon audio system.

The Car and Driver review from 2009 was pretty favorable despite the car’s 4,400 lb bulk. What’s even more fascinating to me is while I’m pleased to see CarMax inventories increasing – up to 54,000 cars today from a springtime pandemic low in the 20,000 range, giving us more unicorns overall, I’m saddened that CarMax is enforcing their model year limits and the older unicorns are truly going extinct. Generally CarMax offers European cars up to 10 years old, and all others up to 12 years old. With 2021’s coming off the line already, there are ZERO 2008 cars for sale by CarMax – even the 2008 Chevrolet HHR SS I covered two weeks ago here is gone.

Tonight there are still 190 vehicles available from 2009, and this Mercedes SL63 is the ONLY European car for sale. Because the car showed up tonight already saved in my profile, it means I’ve seen it before. I suspect it has been on the move being held or transferred and could very well be the last 2009 Eurocar we’ll see? (Just for fun, check out this 2009 Mercedes SL65 AMG CarMax offered just last summer! It was once a $188,000 V-12 beast. But I digress.) Find this 2009 Mercedes SL63 AMG, an accident-free unicorn here, in Gaithersburg, Maryland….only 15 miles from my home. I hope it sells quick.

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Labor Day Truck for the Working Man (and Woman)!

Happy Labor Day. Thought I’d do a quick search of the CarMax inventory for a suitable Labor Day truck. Not quite a unicorn, but of the 200+ pickups that met my search criteria – 4WD, V-8, tow hitch, and American-made – along with my unicorn threshold of 60,000 miles and $35,000 max – this 2015 Ram 1500 Tradesman is my choice. Not just because it has a 375hp, 5.7l V-8, and it’s a single-owner Texas truck, but it’s the ONLY one of the 223 pickups that already has a brush guard on the front! Good for nudging cattle and push starting tractors, and cowboy stuff like that. Still having trouble thinking of Ram as a separate “brand” in the Fiat Chrysler family but it is. If y’all are in need of a good work truck, this one is here in San Antone.

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Quick Hit – Another Chevrolet HHR SS for Cheap. (And One More Coming Soon)

HHHR sideIn November 2018 I wrote about a 2008 Chevrolet HHR SS and was pleasantly surprised to find that one of the readers here bought it.  At the time I wrote that I didn’t know these HHR SS’ were a thing, and was impressed by the pretty good 2008 car magazine reviews of this sporty little wagon.  Check these out; Car and Driver, Motor Trend, Road and Track, and even Popular Mechanics.

The HHR SS was only made for two years, and with a 2.0l 260 hp turbocharged four and “race-tuned” suspension, it was more than just an appearance package.  Not a rocket, but more oomph than a regular HHR and a bit of a unicorn.  The last one I wrote about sold for just under $14,000 with lower miles, and at $9,899 and 66,000 miles this one looks like a bargain.  The Chevrolet HHR SS sold new for about $24,000.  Of course, buy some MaxCare that will protect you until this car is an incredible 17 years old!HHR Int This 2008 Chevrolet HHR SS is here, near me in Charlottesville, Virginia.  Tempting.  Also, at the bottom of this page is a link to another HHR SS in the CarMax “Coming Soon” section of their website.  Not as good of a deal though.  Also in the for what it’s worth category, there are only 18 of these on Autotrader nationwide, all very high mileage except for one in Hampton, Virginia with similar miles for $2,000 less – but not MaxCare eligible.   There is one for twice the price with an astonishing 6,500 miles.  Oddly, it’s in Eldersburg, Maryland – putting all three cars within my reach.  An omen?2008 HHR SS $9899 66k Charlottesville 8-30

Continue reading “Quick Hit – Another Chevrolet HHR SS for Cheap. (And One More Coming Soon)”

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Quick Hit – Low Production Jaguar XJR

XJR SideThe 2016 Jaguar XJR L is a pricey unicorn at $55,998, way over my self-imposed cap of $35,000 (okay, my wife-imposed cap), but it sold upwards of $125,000 just four years ago and XJR’s, and especially XJR L’s, are very low production cars.  And a very fast car with a sub-four second 0-60 mph and sub-nine second sprint to 100.  Lots of aluminum keeps the weight down to just over two tons, and the 5.0l 550 hp supercharged V-8, with an eight speed automatic, keeps the speed up.

Jaguar XJ’s in general haven’t sold well of late, and yet they are wonderful opportunities to “drive rich”.  Car and Driver in this review noted, “The upside of it not being a big sales success is that you won’t find yourself parked next to its doppelgänger every time you go to Starbucks.”

Autoweek’s review thought the XJR to be equal to or better than the Mercedes S63 and the BMW 7 series.  Yes, I recommend MaxCare for this “nuclear” Jaguar, and yet I was surprised to see CarMax is advertising this XJR L as still under the manufacturer’s five year, 60,000 mile warranty.  MaxCare might be cheaper than expected.  Find this beautiful car here in McKinney, Texas. 2016 Jaguar XJR $55,998 26k McKinney 8-20-20

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The CarMax Unicorn Blog – Three Year Anniversary and Thank You!

Yellow GSFThis August is the three year anniversary of launching this CarMax Unicorn blog, my passion for deeply depreciated, high-end cars matched with the MaxCare extended warranty to protect against astronomical repairs, a passion that turned into this hobby.  Costs me very little to do, and I make even less on it (like zero).   I want to give a special shout out to the 120+ readers (so far) who have signed up to follow and get email updates on blog posts.  I am grateful for your interest and your comments.  Back when there were less than a hundred I thought I’d send a nice note or gift to whoever logged on as number 100, and thought I had plenty of time to plan for that, only to learn this month we blew through 100 to over 120.  Waylaid by procrastination. My Christmas gift cards to readers last winter didn’t go so well so maybe that’s a blessing.Red CorvetteWordPress stats tell me there are far more than 120 readers, though.  I did 22 posts in the four months after launch in 2017 and had 1,100 visitors.  Hit second gear in 2018 with 75 cars covered and over 10,000 visitors.  Double-clutched into third in 2019 with 83 posts and almost 17,000 visitors.  Hit some Covid-19 curves in 2020 with only 42 cars to date and still over 11.000 visitors so far.  Since March of 2020 many dealerships shuttered due to the pandemic and CarMax inventory dropped to all time lows in the upper 20,000 range – far fewer unicorns to write about.  May have had the flu funk myself (tested negative twice so far) but the CarMax inventory is recovering rapidly – 38,000 cars earlier this week and over 46,000 as of 8/21/20 – and so is my enthusiasm for blogging.  Stay tuned for a cheap supercharged Jaguar, a reasonable Mercedes ML63 AMG, and yet another 1 of 249 low mileage Mercury Marquis.E63I’ve made a few virtual friends here and had a couple of live in person coffee meets.  Scott, Hans, Mick – appreciate your support.  Always fun.  I’ve enjoyed corresponding directly with about a dozen readers who have actually bought cars I’ve written about or similar unicorns based on my scavenger strategy.  I always ask that readers tell me if their experience differs from mine – that as a seller CarMax can be as squirrelly and devious as some private owners, but when push comes to shove they have ALWAYS honored the warranty and fixed my car at no charge.  So far so good.  A special shout out to reader Mustafa, a young man who must have a half dozen or more CarMax unicorns (including an Audi W12!) and unselfishly points out specialty cars that end up on CarMax lots.Unique Cars 2.0And I absolutely have to give another endorsement to David Fesz’s “Unique Cars For Sale 2.0” Facebook page – when I find a particularly unusual car David allows me to link this blog to his page and my stats skyrocket.  Check it out.  I also owe my sons Chris and Alex for their support – Chris gently provided technical help on the web page (I think he told me publishing car photos as PDF’s made me look sketchy and suspicious).  Alex offered me encouragement and a Mr. Rogers’ quote about his sketching – “I’m not very good at it, but it doesn’t matter. It’s the fun of doing it that’s important. No matter how good anybody says it is, it feels good to have made something.”1920

Since I started this nlog in 2017 I sold Guenther, the 2004 Mercedes S55 AMG and my first unicorn, and picked up Etta, a 2008 Porsche 911 in January 2018.  A year later I splurged and picked up a 2010 Mercedes S600 V-12 as my business car.  Putting my money where my mouth is.  My plan remains to sell these with at least a year and 10,000 miles left on the transferable MaxCare warranty – could be as early as this fall for the Porsche. S600 The S600 has 3 1/2 years and 60,000 miles left on the warranty so may be enjoying that longer. CarMax generally offers European cars up to 10 years old, and domestic and Japanese/Korean cars up to 12 years old.  Sad that some models I once blogged about are already falling by the wayside.  Not seeing any more V-8 powered Audi S4’s.  This should be the last year for V-10 Audi S6’s or BMW M5/M6’s.  But pleased that newcomers like the BMW M850 and the C8 Corvettes are showing up.  Would love to see a Hellcat, Acura NSX, or Nissan GTR.  Unlikely, but CarMax carried Teslas briefly so who knows?  I will let you know if they do.  

Just for fun, here are the top 10 posts visited over the past three years.  Some are surprising.

2008 BuickSEPTEMBER 22, 2019 – 1 of 2,500 – 2008 Buick LaCrosse Super. $11,599 Sleeper. https://thecarmaxunicornblog.com/2019/09/22/1-of-2500-2008-buick-lacrosse-super-11599-sleeper/

2011 Gand Marquis LSMARCH 5, 2018 – 1 of 248 – 2011 Grand Marquis LS. https://thecarmaxunicornblog.com/2018/03/05/1-of-248-2011-grand-marquis-ls/

Marquis 34MAY 24, 2020 – Yet Another 1 of 248 – 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis With Ultra Low Mileage* https://thecarmaxunicornblog.com/2020/05/24/yet-another-1-of-248-2011-mercury-grand-marquis-with-ultra-low-mileage/

xjss 34JUNE 16, 2020 – Quick Hit – Exclusive (and Cheap) Jaguar XJ Supersport – When Normal Supercharging Isn’t Super Enough. https://thecarmaxunicornblog.com/2020/06/16/quick-hit-exclusive-and-cheap-jaguar-xj-supersport-when-normal-supercharging-isnt-super-enough/

2008 VW Eos VR6 $12,998 58kDECEMBER 31, 2017 – Five Obscure Unicorns for $10-$24k……. or Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder? https://thecarmaxunicornblog.com/2017/12/31/five-obscure-unicorns-for-10-24k-or-beauty-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder/

S600FEBRUARY 10, 2018 – Cheap V12 Executive Race Car – 2007 S600.  https://thecarmaxunicornblog.com/2018/02/10/cheap-v12-executive-race-car-2007-s600/

Hummer 34OCTOBER 5, 2019 – 1 of 48 and The Only One For Sale – Final Year 2010 Hummer H3t Alpha – $31,998. https://thecarmaxunicornblog.com/2019/10/05/1-of-48-and-the-only-one-for-sale-final-year-2010-hummer-h3t-alpha-31998/

760 sideAPRIL 10, 2020 – 2015 BMW 760 Li V-12 Reduced to $44,998 (and CarMax Covid-19 Impact). https://thecarmaxunicornblog.com/2020/04/10/2015-bmw-760-li-v-12-reduced-to-44998-and-carmax-covid-19-impact/

2012 E63 sideSEPTEMBER 18, 2019 – 175mph/Sub-4 0-60 mph Family Wagon for Fast Vacations: 2012 Mercedes E63 AMG. https://thecarmaxunicornblog.com/2019/09/18/175mph-sub-4-0-60-mph-family-wagon-for-fast-vacations-2012-mercedes-e63-amg/

911 34 2DECEMBER 10, 2019 – Quick Hit – Hot Hardly Driven 2010 Porsche 911. https://thecarmaxunicornblog.com/2019/12/10/quick-hit-hot-hardly-driven-2010-porsche-911/ 

 

And also just for fun, here are the three most rare/limited production CarMax unicorns in the past three years.

jag xf sideMARCH 25, 2020 – Quick Hit – 1 of 20! Jag Wag. Sportbrake. 2018 Jaguar XF S First Edition. https://thecarmaxunicornblog.com/2020/03/25/quick-hit-1-of-20-jag-wag-sportbrake-2018-jaguar-xf-s-first-edition/

GS460 SIDEAUGUST 24, 2019 – 1 of 23 in the US! 2011 Lexus GS460 $21,998.  https://thecarmaxunicornblog.com/2019/08/24/1-of-23-in-the-us-2011-lexus-gs460-21998/

2015 LR 34SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 – 1 of 25 in US: 2015 Range Rover Autobiography – $110,000 Less Than New! https://thecarmaxunicornblog.com/2019/09/27/1-of-25-in-us-2015-range-rover-autobiography-110000-less-than-new/

S600 2

 

As always, I’m winging it here and welcome suggestions, comments, or advice on bow to make this blog informative and entertaining.  Thanks again for reading and I’m looking forward to jumping back in with more cars shortly – Chuck.

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2007 BMW M6 CarMax/MaxCare Resale Up for Auction! (Bidding at $12,500 as of 8-4)

ObVI1X5r2zRThis is a little different in that this fabulous 2007 BMW M6 unicorn is NOT on a CarMax lot.  It was purchased from CarMax three years ago by one of my blog readers (full disclosure – he’s a virtual car buddy friend now and way better at sniping CarMax hot rods than I) and is now up for resale on Doug DeMuro’s “Cars and Bids” auction site.  The MaxCare warrantyis transferable, and this sale should support my strategy (and your’s?) of buying high-end but depreciated cars from CarMax, transferring the repair risk to CarMax via the MaxCare warranty, driving “rich” for a few years, then selling the car and transferring the warranty for a new owner’s peace of mind and moving on to the next.

That’s what this owner is doing with the beautiful BMW.  He’s had $25,000 in repairs done (I had $35,000 on my 2004 Mercedes S55!) and there’s still two years and 30,000 miles left on the MaxCare warranty.  Like all good car guys (and gals) the seller has been quite candid about qualities and cosmetic flaws on the car (I would have recommended replacing the tires rather than note they will need replacement but that’s just me.)  The seller provides 159 photos and great history and detail on the car at Cars and Bids (link below).

Doug describes the car as “These are very special vehicles, and the V10 powerplant is impressive. The transferable warranty makes this one very appealing, as it’s hard to find warranties for these anymore — but my own experiences with MaxCare suggest this is a very good thing.”  FWIW – I learned after I started this blog that Jalopnik columnist Doug DeMuro wrote about a Range Rover he bought from CarMax and was stunned how many repairs they covered under his MaxCare warranty.  He now sponsors this Cars and Bids website, a bit of a competitor to Bring a Trailer.  I like them both. M6 34 I also love this BMW and it once again reminds me of this 2008 BMW M6 I passed on– low mileage and $23,998.   The V-10 was nothing but brute force and a sweet song at 8,000 rpm.  Sigh.  Take a look at this 2007 model still under MaxCare here at Cars and Bids.  I wish the seller well – would bode well when I sell my 911 this fall.  2007 BMW M6 Cars and Bids

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First 2020 C8 Corvette (Off and) On at a CarMax Lot – $94,998

COrvette sideSurprised to see this 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 unicorn pop up this afternoon on the CarMax website.  I titled this “off and on” because the car does not show up on the CarMax app on my phone, and only shows up on my laptop depending on how I search for cars.  Bizarre.  Regardless, it’s a stunning red over black mid-engined race car that could easily be confused for a Ferrari for non-car people.

The ribbon of controls for the electronics are unlike anything I’ve seen.  Unsure on the PRNDL levers below but what the hell.  I like the dashboard center angled towards the driver, and love the engine bay.  The car is listed at $94,998.  I do not know Corvette lingo so had no idea where an “LT” model fits in against Z51, Stingrays, and Z06’s and was baffled since the 2020 Corvettes start at $60,000.  The CarMax “features and specifications” page for the car is fairly boilerplate and documents normal accessories, but not Chevrolet-specific trim.

Well, between this flattering review in Automobile Magazine and doing a VIN search, I was able to see this car has the 3LT Z51 package and likely sold for it’s asking price here, plus or minus a few grand based on options I cannot see.  Corvette experts probably can.  I’m not an expert, but I am a fan.  I’ve watched Corvettes dominate endurance racing at Le Mans and Daytona over the past decade-plus, and got to see the C8’s debut at the 2020 24 Hours of Daytona.  Didn’t go great, but they are doing far better now.

This C8 is a sub-three second 0-60 mph supercar, and a bargain compared to its competition.  Hard to call a $95,000 car a bargain, but you’d have to pay two or three times that for a comparable 911, Ferrari, or Lambo.  And this is under manufacturer warranty, so no need for MaxCare!  See, I just saved you thousands. My guess was the car is a repossession but the history report says no.  And no accidents.  The 2020 C8’s sold out before production began, and rumors are Chevrolet didn’t allocate the whole 40,000 production run of 2020’s that was expected.  Find this sexy red car here in Hartford, Connecticut.  The link may or may not work, depending on the app, the car’s availability, and Hurricane Isaias’ track? Enjoy.2020 Chev Corvette LT $94,998 4k Hartford 8-3-2020

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Coming Soon! 1 of 884 Gentleman’s Jaguar to Georgia – $19,998

xj8 sideBetween us, there’s a new “Coming Soon” category on the CarMax website.  That’s where I spotted this 2019 BMW M850i that sold quickly, and today the above beautiful ultra low mileage 2009 Jaguar XJ8 L unicorn.  Only 22,000 accident-free miles by a single owner in Georgia.  It’s a nice gray over tan sedan with bluetooth, heated and cooling seats, adaptive suspension, and Alpine sound system.  Big back seat, and big four-body boot for you mobsters.

xj8 shiftIt’s not a fast car with the 300hp 4.2l V-8 with a mid-six second 0-60mph run, but it’s fast enough for motoring down the interstate.  Here’s a lengthy review from The Car Connection.  Jaguar folks know it as the X358.  I know it as the last year for this model before the XJ became a sleek, angular and more modern car.  Seems Jaguar only sold 884 of these in 2009.

Interesting that CarMax generally limits European offerings to 10 years old or less, with a few stragglers.  At this time there are a total of 11 European cars from 2009 on the CarMax lots and this beauty will hopefully be one of them.  And the beauty is that CarMax will still sell you a 10 year, 100,000 mile MaxCare warranty on this 11 year old Jaguar – guaranteeing you no massive repairs until the car is 21 years old!  Almost vintage.  Probably a $75,000 car new and not cheap at $19,998, but unique.  Find this lovely car here soon just outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

August 2019 – 2009 Jaguar XJ8 L – $20,998.

May 2019 – Unloved 2009 XJ8 – $19,998. Continue reading “Coming Soon! 1 of 884 Gentleman’s Jaguar to Georgia – $19,998”

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Quick Hit – Another 1 of 500 BMW Alpina B7 L Models for “Cheap”

B7 SideThis is the newest BMW Alpina B7 unicorn I’ve seen CarMax offer, a 2014 “L” model for $39,998 – a good $100,000 less than when new just six years ago (or the price of a new Camry?).  It’s fully loaded, with auto cruise control, heads up display, lane departure, blind spot, heated/cooling seats, and even includes my beloved night vision. (I had to have it in my Mercedes S600 – I almost NEVER use it!)

b7 wheelAlso has the full rear seat entertainment system treatment.  The rocket ship is good for 194 mph, or a 0-60 mph run in 4.2 seconds if you run outta room trying for top end.  Here’s the 2013 Car and Driver review.

I’m puzzled because CarMax has the 4.4l twin-turbo V-8 engine listed as 500hp, and every review I read says it pushed 540hp.  Obviously MaxCare is a must to protect against B7 bankruptcy.  For comparison, here are the other Alpina B7’s I’ve covered.

Previous Alpina B7’s at CarMax

In September, 2017 I spotted this 2011 B7 in Duarte, California, selling for $39,998 with 43,000 miles.

February, 2018 brought us a nearly identical 2011 B7 model in Los Angeles for $39,998 but with 41,000 miles (yes, had to check the VIN to make sure they weren’t the same!)

And in May, 2018 this 2012 B7, another California car with higher miles at 56,000, sold for a mere $33,998!  I predicted a quick sale and it went in a day.

In March of 2019 we saw this 2012 model for sale in Chicago at $40,998 with 49,000 miles (also had a $65k B6 for sale then too!)

May of 2019 we saw three B7’s for sale at the same time – a 2012 and two of the higher-horsepower 2014’s, all in the $40-48,000 range.

Wrote about this one  that was mysteriously sold in August 2019 for $37,998, and popped up for sale again at the same dealer for $39,998 this year.  No idea how that happened.

This 2014 two owner, accident free race car is available here in Charlotte, NC – a little frightened because I’m in Fayetteville, NC now.  An omen?2014 BMW Alpina B7 L $39,998 41k Charlotte 7-20

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