I’ve run with this Popeye’s Mild or Spice unicorn theme twice, with this kickoff in August 2023 comparing six pairs of enthusiast and enthusiast-plus cars, and again in December with a couple of Mercedes SL’s. No idea if it’s of interest to you all but I’ll keep winging it. Not going to chicken out. Heh-heh-heh.
2013 Jaguar XK with 20,000 Miles
Just going with one pair this time, a (relatively) mild and beautiful 2013 Jaguar XK, and a spicier 2015 Jaguar XKR – the last year for the XK’s. Jaguar produced this car from 1996 to 2006 as the XK8 (X100 series), and until 2015 as the XK (X150 model). The second generation XK debuted an all aluminum chassis and body panels, dropping weight by 200 pounds. The second gen also eliminated wood trim in the cockpit. Heresy.
Most of the XK’s I’ve blogged about have been black or silver, with the exception of this green one I transferred in and declined. Surprised me to see a red one. More interesting, the car was local to me – a one owner car that spent its whole life in Vienna, Virginia, 15 miles away from my home.
2015 Jaguar XKR with 39,000 Miles
In my humble opinion, both cars are gorgeous. If you’ve been here before, you know I’ve flirted again and again with buying an XK. Transferred several into my CarMax over the years and couldn’t make the commitment in the end. No sunroof the first time (the ad said it did – turns out none of them have sunroofs!), and the last time I felt squeezed in the leg room – and later found the sales rep left the key box from the window jammed behind the driver’s seat, reducing leg room considerably. By then I was out.
The 2013 XK engine bay. The red paint probably gave that away?
Normally the obligatory motor photos go at the end of the blog, since I’m not convinced most folks care to see modern engine bays that are mostly plastic shields hiding the important stuff. I do. And the motors are what mostly set these two cars apart. The XK hosts a 5.0 liter aluminum V-8 with 385 hp and 380 ft-lbs of torque. The XKR has a supercharged variant of the same motor, making 510 hp and 461 ft-lbs of torque. Both have six speed ZF automatics. The XKR hits 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, not supercar fast but respectable, and the XK in just over five seconds. Both are governed at 155 mph. The XKR gets more performance upgrades in the chassis and suspension. Having driven both, I’d agree the XKR is a bit more stiff. It should be. It’s spicier.
But in the words of Hawkeye, the owner of the dealership where I bought my first car, “why you wanna look under the hood anyway? Nuthin’ under there but a dirty ol’ motor!” Let’s go inside the cabin of these luxury touring machines, shall we?
The 2013 XK (above) and 2015 XKR (below) are identically equipped inside, mostly, with heated and air conditioned seats, heated steering wheel, and Bowers & Wilkins audio. The XKR has the “bespoke” stitching option that I’ve not seen before. The cars are 2+2 seating, meaning two adults in the front and two gym bags in the back. Or two cases of John Smiths’ Newcastle Brown Ale.
The Jaguar XK’s are hatchbacks, I guess, although not as spacious in the boot as say, an Audi S7 due to the slope of the rear. But it’s not nothing and should hold some luggage or golf clubs just fine.
Of all the reviews I read, nobody liked the infotainment controls so I left them out. My wife hated the PRNDL (PRNDS?) knob and refused to drive it, so I left her out too. As we all know, with electronically controlled transmissions, there is no longer a need for a lever of any kind. Rotary knob should do just fine once you get used to it.
The 2013 Jaguar XK sold for maybe $90,000 new and has less than 20,000 miles on it. Pristine. The 2015 XKR was maybe $110,000 and still only 39,000 miles. Both are eligible for MaxCare for 60 months, and up to 125,000 miles. I’d buy the warranty.
The 2013 Jaguar XK is here in Newport News, Virginia. It’s a one owner car, accident free beauty.
Stock No: 25749435 VIN: SAJWA4FB1DLB49808
The 2015 Jaguar XKR below is “Coming Soon” to Austin, Texas. It’s a two owner car, Florida and Texas, and appears to have rear ended someone in Pompano Beach in 2018. Bummer. Here’s the link to the car so you can track when it becomes available.
After playing three hours of country music in a Virginia brewery Sunday April 7th, I immediately drove deep into the night to Cleveland to be in the path of totality for the April 8th solar eclipse. It was spectacular. (The Eclipse above? Unremarkable, I guess. For more fun, check out this old blog of mine on eclipses!) I had hoped to cruise there in the BMW M3 with the top down, enjoying all things sunny, but I still had all my music gear and so it was the Merc SUV again. Got me thinking, though, about how special convertibles are in spring and fall. I’ve owned three and think everyone should own one at least once in life. So I picked out 10 CarMax unicorn convertibles – cars with less than 60,000 miles, priced below $45,000, and with either some driving enthusiast credentials or at least not something you see on the road every day.
At the moment CarMax has over 63,000 cars on the lots, and only 533 convertibles. Mazda takes top honors with 100 (all Miata MX-5’s, although one CX-30 is listed as a drop top!). Chevy is second with 76 (Camaros and Corvettes), followed by Mercedes at 70 (SLC’s, E400’s, and C300’s), and BMW at 68 units. The most expensive convertible at CarMax is a 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 3LT at $95,000 – only 204 miles on it – the cheapest is a cute 2013 Fiat 500 Pop at $13,000. Lots in between. I’m leaving out some good and salutary cars like Miatas and Mustangs and Beetles only because of abundance. Too many to feel unique.
A case could be made for the Polish-built Buick Cascada as a now extinct attempt by GM to introduce the Opel convertible to the US from 2016 to 2019, as well as the Volkswagen EOS, an even smaller hardtop convertible with Golf innards. The Buick wasn’t interesting enough and there aren’t any EOS’s at CarMax right now. And no Nissan Murano Crosscabriolet’s. Or Range Rover Evoque convertibles.
Let’s jump in.
The Porsche Boxster S is an easy choice. Mid-engined, manual transmission, and a sweet flat-6 engine at a fraction of the cost of a 911. And right up front I have to say CarMax, it should be mandatory that ALL convertibles advertised include a picture of the car with the top down!
Not a lot of features on this car, other than air conditioned seats. The 315 hp 3.4 liter motor makes it special. And because it’s hidden, no motor picture on this one. Originally selling for maybe $50,000, it hasn’t depreciated a whole lot. And probably won’t. It’s a two owner, accident free car found here in Tucson, Arizona.
Stock No: 25278196 VIN: WP0CB2A88DS132828
I don’t know much about Mini Coopers, but what I’ve learned has been from my friend Hans. And he usually pings me when a John Cooper Works Mini is on the market and so I thought I’d try to get ahead of him on this one.
The newest car on today’s list as a 2023. Also in its favor – it’s yellow (like the sun!) and another photo with the top down. It’s not a cheap car, selling for maybe $40,000+ new and after 13,000 miles, selling for about the same amount now.
This little Mini (redundant?) is loaded, though. Automatic cruise control, Apple CarPlay, and a heads up display are all modern features. If the trunk wasn’t the same size as the glove box it could be a fun road car. It’s powered by a 235 hp, 2.0 liter turbo four and I’m surprised to see 0-60 mph is only 6.3 seconds. Is that right?
No need for Maxcare I guess since this is still under manufacturer warranty. Find this German built Mini here coming soon in Plano, Texas.
StockNo: 25483370 VIN: WMW63DL07P3P34869
How about some American muscle. The only Corvette convertible that meets my unicorn specs comes next.
Pretty basic Corvette Stingray here. Pretty blue, black wheels, yellow calipers, and a drop top. Not a lot of features – it has Apple CarPlay because it has an aftermarket stereo. It’s fast and sleek and the only way to get a cheaper Chevy V-8 convertible would be in a Camaro, and the Camaro doesn’t have the panache of a Corvette.
What makes the Corvette special is the 6.2 liter naturally aspirated V-8, rated at 455 hp. It’s a light car at 3,300 lbs, and fast. The combination of a good motor and a convertible makes drop top driving audibly fun. Mostly that comes in V-8’s and flat-6’s. Anyone have a four cylinder with a satisfying sound? Guess my Italian Fiat had that. By the way, the Corvette engine bay photo below is the only one I’ve ever seen with a side view. Is that because of the way the hood opens?
This 2016 Corvette Stingray sold new for maybe $52,000. It’s a single owner car and is currently being shipped to West Sahara, Nevada. Here’s the link.
StockNo: 25706858 VIN: 1G1YB3D74G5125126
I’ve had two soft top convertibles, and at the moment a hard top convertible (2013 BMW M3). For daily driver, year round use I prefer a hard top convertible. And that brings us back to an original “driving rich” unicorn – the Mercedes SL550.
CarMax always seems to have a half dozen low mileage, well equipped Mercedes SL550’s on hand. This one is less than $31,000 and fits the bill. It’s not terribly well equipped, but has heated and cooling seats and the wonderful air scarf neck warmers, should spring not be sprung in your area any time soon.
The Mercedes has a 4.6 liter twin turbo V-8 making 429 hp, and 516 ft-lbs of torque. It weighs a good 700 pounds more than the Corvette, trading weight for a retractable hard top. Still does 0-60 mph in the mid-fours.
The 2013 Mercedes SL550 has been shared by five owners over the past 11 years, although with no accidents. Right now it’s in Los Angeles – here’s the link.
StockNo: 24920605 VIN: WDDJK7DA1DF010782
Below we have a 2015 Audi S5 Premium Plus that’s just good enough to make the list and yet not terribly exciting (to me). The 2013 S5’s were the first with the 333 hp supercharged, 3.0 liter V-6, after Audi’s long run with the venerable 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine with 354 hp. The V-6 is just as fast, just doesn’t sound the same. And since CarMax doesn’t carry 2012 (or older) European cars now, no more V-8 S5’s. However, from time to time CarMax will have an Audi RS5 that sported a V-8 until 2017. The RS5 has almost a hundred more horses.
This is a low mileage, low dollar Audi soft top with the Technology Package, a Bang & Olufsen audio system, and not a lot else. Again kudos for the photo with the top down.
I take that back. The Audi S5 has AWD, unusual for a convertible. For the record, at CarMax only Audi, BMW, Jaguar, and Mercedes have AWD convertibles. (Jaguar has this badass 2018 Jaguar F-Type R with 550 hp and AWD but it’s $52,000!) Below are examples of CarMax’s new “Cosmetic photos available” section for some cars – this Audi has a paint blemish on the bumper and on the fender.
Car and Driver dashed to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds in the V-6 S5, which is brisk by any standard. They also rated the coupe as tops over the Cadillac ATS 3.6 and the Lexus RC350, for what it’s worth. If you’re more youthful and technologically progressive than me (and most people are) you can get over the V-8 vs V-6 thing and enjoy this motor just fine.
This was a $55,000 car when new and is half that now. The single owner Audi S5 is currently reserved in Clackamas, Oregon, and you can find it here if you want to track or read more.
Stock No: 25452153 VIN: WAUCGAFH3FN009585
Next we have a practical, if you will, Volvo C70 T5, convertible. I like the hardtop convertible, although the weight makes a slow car slower, and yet few buy Volvo’s to push the performance envelope (Polestar notwithstanding). The C70 is a safe car that Autoblog says is “a handsome luxury hardtop convertible with elegant coupe lines that seats four.” I think the car is lovely with the top up or down.
The C70 has the Climate Package, adding heated seats and rain sensors and headlight washers. It’s Swedish tidy inside, and with only 15,000 miles over 11 years it’s fresh.
The downside is a 227hp inline 5 cylinder, a 2.5 liter powerplant that pulls the front wheel drive convertible to 60 mph in the mid-seven second range. Again, Volvo’s not known for performance cars, and this would try my patience. My standard today, though, was a convertible that has some style to it and one you don’t see at every stop light. The C70 T5 fits the bill.
The car is just $23,998 – about $20,000 less than when it was new – and is on reserve here in Norcross, Georgia.
StockNo: 25467726 VIN: YV1672MCXDJ143182
Here’s another very pretty, very affordable, and not very common hardtop convertible that’s also not very athletic. The 2015 Q60 was once the G37 and still is a fancier Nissan 370. Not necessarily a bad thing. This is a beautiful car and the upside of a car that was dated in 2015 and despite a 2016 refresh, didn’t sell well and was put down in 2023, is that like the Volvo, they’re not spotted on every street corner.
Nothing at all wrong with the interior, and it looks well maintained after eight years and 54,000 miles. Heated and air conditioned seats, navigation, and a Bose sound system. Always wondered why Nissan didn’t buy Infinity audio and rename them Infiniti? Room for four. Sort of.
Infiniti carried the same 3.7 liter V-6 power plant with 325 hp from the much cheaper Nissan 370z until 2017, when an upgraded 3.0 liter V-6 twin turbo made its debut. With the 3.7 0-60 was in the mid-fives, and the newer engine cut a full second off of that. (FWIW – Infiniti unleashed a Q60 Red Sport 400 with, you guessed it, 400 hp in hardtop only!)
This 2015 Infiniti Q60 is a two owner, accident free car currently reserved here in Gastonia, North Carolina. It was once a $50,000+ auto and is selling for the same price as the low mileage Volvo C70 above. Which one would you buy?
Let’s get back to legitimate performance cars. When I started writing this piece in Cleveland, after the eclipse a week ago, this hot BMW M3 was not yet on the market. I had included in this draft an identical black M3 that was $2,000 more with 6,000 more miles. That’s what freaks me out every time I prepare to buy a car – next week something better will come along. FOMO.
Yeah, it’s red and somebody is gonna say “ticket magnet” the way you can’t mention Pintos without reflexively smirking “self-immolation” – both references are highly exaggerated. Research has shown that white cars get more tickets than red (Let’s ignore there are more white cars on the road than red – doesn’t help my case.)
If you’ve been here before you know I own a silver version of this car and have a bias. Two years ago I bought a 2013 M3 hardtop convertible, the last year for V-8 M3’s, and love it. Well, I did – drove it to meet an old friend for breakfast this morning, and he showed up in a silver 2007 Porsche 911 Turbo. Sigh.
The heart and soul of the M3 is the 4.0 liter, naturally aspirated V-8. It’ll growl it’s way to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds in “M” mode. BMW ran V-8’s in M3’s from 2007 to 2013, with six cylinders before and after. Keeping in mind CarMax only offers 11 year old or newer European cars, the days are numbered for getting one from CarMax and protecting it with a MaxCare warranty up to 125,000 miles and until 2029. That said, I paid about $5,000 for my MaxCare and haven’t gotten my money’s worth (yet). I’ve put 15,000 miles on it in two years and it hardly breaks.
Don’t wait! This M3 has the back seat wind deflector. It’ll go missing soon. Had to pay $300 to get one.
The 2013 BMW M3 is a real auto enthusiast car, and a red one will get some attention at cars and coffee. I paid $41,000 for mine with 34,000 miles I think, and this one is $10,000 cheaper – but with almost the same mileage. (Make me an offer? Was planning to keep mine two more years but that 911 Turbo looked sweet this morning.) This one is available in Golden, Colorado here.
StockNo: 24832537 VIN: WBSDX9C55DE785352
Going to stick with red cars here on out, since I liked the white/red ticket research from above. This one is a real nice 2019 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth. And a “Fix It Again Tony” comment will get you banned, for being inaccurate and unimaginative! (My 1971 Fiat 124 Spider was one of the most reliable cars I ever had!) This one comes with a no kidding manual transmission. And it’s red. Gotta be fun.
This generation of Fiat 124 Spiders is, of course, a Mazda Miata in vestiário. From 2016 to 2019 Mazda manufactured the 124’s using the Miata MX-5 platform, although the motors were legit Italian Fiat powerplants (the transmission was still Mazda’s.) The 124 is five inches longer than the Miata. And almost 200 pounds heavier, with more sound deadening material. Disturbing fact – CarMax will offer MaxCare for European cars up to 125,000 miles, and for Japanese cars to 150,000 miles. Both cars are built in Japan, but the MaxCare warranty is still reduced for the Italian-badged one. That ain’t right.
The Fiat 124 Spider Abarth has modern stuff like cross-traffic alert and heated mirrors and a rear view camera, and yet a traditional sports car interior. I tried one on once, or at least I tried to, and found it was tighter inside than my 1971. Found Miatas to be too small for me also (I’m 6’4″ and 225 lbs – atm.) The power plant below is a 1.4 liter turbo four, and unfortunately makes the same 160 hp that’s in the non-Abarth 124’s. Only does 0-60 mph in the low six second range. Disappointing, but my old one took 10 seconds to get there. This one has an upgraded suspension over the base 124, though. And a manual transmission!
Here’s a Car and Driver comparison between the Fiat 124 Abarth and the Mazda Miata. Unlike the Miata, the 124 is (again) extinct and no longer being imported. It sold maybe 5,000 units a year, so a bit rare. Not a bad car, and not a total Miata clone. Retained some historical Pininfarina styling. Here’s the link to the 2019 Fiat 124 Abarth, currently on reserve in Spokane, Washington.
Hear me out on the next, and last red unicorn to make the list. It’s a weak case, but not ridiculous. This is the cheapest, not seen everywhere, legitimately holds four adults, convertible you’re going to find at CarMax. Emphasis on cheap. It’s $18k and has only 30,000 miles. (Its identical twin just sold elsewhere on CarMax for the same price with 20,000 miles – you missed a bargain by a week!)
Take the time to read the timely election-themed Car and Driver review here from 2012. It’s wonderfully written. Spoiler – it opens with, “Like a single-issue candidate, the Chrysler 200 convertible has stumped on one appeal. In the car’s case, it’s that the top goes down.”
The review also says the “200’s handling is no longer spastic and clumsy” and that it’s actually well sorted out for a front drive, 4,000 pound car. (I think “No longer spastic and clumsy” was also on my ninth grade Phys Ed report card.) The 3.6 liter V-6 motor pumps 283 hp and does 0-60 mph in about the same time as the Fiat 124 above. Not sure if that’s good for the Chrysler or bad for the Fiat.
My M3 and the Corvette Stingray above are perfect for dropping the top and roaring into local breweries this spring, Chris Stapleton streaming from the Bose. But I would not be embarrassed to cruise (slowly) into our Virginia wineries in this Chrysler 200 with the top down, listening to Kenny G on the CD player. I’m that old. And with MaxCare available for another five years and 120,000 miles I could do that long enough to pay for the car with my social security checks. Now I’m sad. Heading to the bar. If this car’s for you it’s currently reserved here in Gastonia, North Carolina.
Marooned in a Marriott in Colorado Springs during a blizzard 1,700 miles into a cross country drive, and with nothing on CarMax catching my attention, I’m thinking it’s a perfect time to blog about the road trip I took not too long ago to the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. The ostensible purpose of this post is to provide an update on my 2021 Mercedes GLE63 AMG, and some of the quirks and fixes I’ve endured since the last update in January, and I’ll do that, but the more fun stuff is sharing some dash cam footage of the drive south, the foray onto the Daytona Beach, and accompanying the SUV home on the Amtrak Auto Train.
On the drive to Daytona I rolled past 10,000 miles logged on this 2021 Mercedes GLE63 AMG under my ownership. Found an open stretch of I-95 south towards Richmond and rocked the GLE63 up a bit as my trip odometer crossed 10,000 miles. Interesting, I guess, to see since I bought the car I’ve averaged 19.1 mpg and 35 mpg, in 287 hours behind the wheel of this 600 hp SUV. The gas mileage and average speed have been about the same, from the S55 to the 911 to the S600 to the M3. It’s my lot in life regardless of the car.
Veered off I-85 around Henderson, NC and took back roads through Darlington, SC before rejoining I-95. On those two lanes I once again enjoyed the immense thrust, if you will, of the 600hp V-8 passing others when safe. Having that much oomph influences what’s safe. Here’s a selection of those passes, amateurishly edited by The CarMax Unicorn graphics staff. Let me know what you think?
Made it to Daytona, watched the 24 hour race with my good friend Jerry in the Champion’s Club Lounge (offset by lodging in the roach infested Motel 6), and after the race drove the GLE63 onto the beach, a tradition. Another two-minute video for you here:
Was really a hoot to get the Mercedes onto the same spot I parked the Fiat a few years back. Hurricanes destroyed the palm trees and the retaining wall, and a new place has been built next door. And the Fiat has a new owner. But it’s the same spot.
And in both cases there was a loop playing in my head, “Don’t get stuck! Don’t get stuck! Don’t get stuck!”. Last year I watched from my hotel balcony the dude in the RV below trying to dig himself out, and having to suffer the embarrassment of calling a tow service for help. I would abandon my car first.
After the race and goofing off at the beach, it was time to head north, I’ve taken the Fiat 124 and the BMW M3 on the Amtrak auto train, and would have taken the S600 two years ago but Daytona gave me covid so I aborted and drove home. Left the dash cam on for the loading/unloading, and thinking if you’ve ever had an interest in this unusual mode of travel, you might enjoy this eight minute video.
Well that was fun. Now back to the 10,000 mile (on my watch) update on the GLE63. I covered my 10,000 miles in the seven months since buying the car, and the disappointments I’ve had have nothing to do with the driving experience. It’s a fast, luxurious, high-tech SUV. My frustrations have been over the brakes, the tires, and the uneven level of customer service at my local Mercedes dealership. I think I have the first two fixed, still working on the third.
In the last update I noted the front brakes started screeching at 20,000 miles. Not a warranty item. Mercedes wanted $2,600 to replace the pads and rotors, and only offered a one year, 12,000-mile warranty on their work. Some forum members noted replacement was sometimes necessary every 10,000 miles and I was bummed. I shopped around, and the local cars and coffee club members recommended Honest Tom’s of Sterling, Virginia, so I went there. Honest Tom agreed to install FCP Euro brakes, which come with a lifetime warranty, for about $500 less than Mercedes, and I thought I scored. But FCP Euro couldn’t source the brakes. The independent mechanic still did my brakes for $2,200 and warrantied them for two years, 24,000 miles. Still ahead. While I was at it Honest Tom completed my Service A for $500 – half of what Mercedes charges.
I’ve had Conti’s on several cars, but never summer performance tires. These are nail magnets.
The tires have been equally frustrating. In six months, the rear Continental summer performance tires picked up three tire-killing nails, and replacements ran $600 each. I only had to pay for two since the third one was now covered by Mercedes road hazard. What a bargain. But I was still frustrated that nobody other than Pirelli makes all seasons, the Pirellis would run $3,600 a set, and they were on backorder until at least spring. Even Tire Rack couldn’t help. Did I mention I’m sitting in Colorado in a blizzard?
After much internet research I found Nitto all season tires, staggered and in my size, priced at $1,200 for a set of four installed. At Walmart. No shit. Walmart doesn’t advertise them as fitting my SUV, though. I called Tire Rack for advice and they said Nitto is a sub of Toyo tires, and nothing wrong with them. However, my Continentals are rated at 186 mph, and the Nittos only 168 mph. I’ll take my chances. There was some buffoonery at Walmart getting them installed but it got done properly. Reviewers have generally approved of the Nittos but some said they were noisier than they would have liked. That gave me pause, and as you can see below the tread pattern is big, and yet on this road trip I don’t hear or feel them at all. The motor growl and the stereo, while not loud, easily offset any tire noise.
Now I have a spare set of rear, summer performance Conti’s I don’t need, taking up space in my garage, But they were $600 each, so what do I do?
The last significant engagement with Mercedes was a safety recall. “The fuel pump impeller might not meet current specifications regarding its material characteristics. As a consequence, the impeller might deform and contact the fuel pump housing, resulting in mechanical resistance on the impeller. This could cause the fuel pump to stop operating.” That could be a problem.
Happy to say Mercedes quickly replaced the fuel pump, no small feat given the fuel tank had to be drained and dropped to do so. At the same time, while in for service the dealer reset a fuse under the passenger seat that caused my power socket to fail. When I picked up my car I found they had broken the plastic trim that covers the seat bracket, and left it hidden under the seat. Pretty much every visit to this Mercedes dealer includes these surprises. My service rep ordered a replacement and fixed it no charge, and yet I think it’s time to try a different dealer. Still not as happy as I am with my CarMax service folks.
And with that, signing off to (hopefully) head through the Rockies tomorrow and continue my journey. But my car was totally cleared off when I went into the restaurant for dinner tonight, and an hour later it’s buried again. And the snow keeps falling. Thanks for hanging in there with me.
Means a lot to me when readers and fellow unicorn snipers email special cars to me, although when this one showed up in my inbox it gave me pause. But a reader who goes by Cannon G (how cool is that?) wrote me last week, “Hi Chuck. Hope you are doing well. I came across this color combo and had to share it with you. Is there a worse color spec than this car? It reminds me of the Metallic Pea station wagon in National Lampoons Vacation – Cannon.” He had a point. I night call it the color of a sinus infection.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder (I didn’t make that up) and to this beholder, it’s an ugly car. That said, on every car forum or Facebook page I belong to, when someone says a car is ugly someone else says they kinda like it. And I’m the guy who loved my 1977 AMC Spirit and 1986 Merkur XR4ti, so who am I to judge? And that led me to make the offer to invite anyone and everyone to send me what you think is an ugly CarMax unicorn!
As a bonus, Cannon also sent me the 2020 Porsche Cayenne above. Got a chuckle out of his email. “Here is another wonky color combo. Silver/ light blue? with metallic rose gold racing stripes added. One mirror rose gold and the other silver. With acid yellow brake calipers as the cherry on top. Who would do this?” I didn’t even notice the two different mirrors at first! I’ve searched the web and cannot find any references to the significance this color scheme.
So I made a brief search for my own ugly unicorns. As you can see below, most CarMax cars are black gray, brown or white on the outside and black or white on the inside. Intrigued by the seven green interiors and the handful of purple exteriors and started poking around the website.
What I found was a whole lot of cars that were not the color identified by CarMax. I don’t know whether the cars were identified in documentation or CarMax is using some sort of AI to visually choose the colors, but many are wrong. Most “orange” and “green” interiors are really brown or tan.
The Dodge Charger above popped up as a “Purple” car, although I’m seeing more blue than purple. Just me? The yellow stripes, yellow wheels, and yellow air intakes in the grill caught my eye. However, it’s an example of an “eye of the beholder” car – on my bolder days I could actually see myself tooling around Virginia in this! Big ole’ V-8 motor matches the brash exterior. (Unfortunately, the car has a unique crash history, too. Have never seen a more wrecked car at CarMax! See below.)
Back to ugly cars. The 2023 Toyota bZ4X XLE below, I found to be ugly (or cute?) with its racoon like face, with an ugly name to match. How do you pronounce it? “Bee-zee-four-ex-ex-ell-eee”? “Bee-zee-4”? No idea if it’s a good car – the packaging don’t work for me, but then again, I’m probably not the demographic Toyota is looking for anyway. They want to sell me an Avalon.
Below we have a true orange interior in a Camaro, and below that what CarMax identifies as a green interior in a Honda, although it doesn’t look green at all to me.
Finally, I tried to find some oddballs with the same exterior and interior colors. Best I could do was orange inside and out on the Volvo (although it’s more copper or brown, to me) and yellow all over the Chevy Spark. Can you really have too much yellow on a car, though? I think not.
I’ll stop there. Welcome any ugly car colors, trim packages, or appearances that puzzle you. Thanks again for reading, and thanks Cannon!
I might have pushed it a bit on a few of those 2013’s over the weekend, so felt compelled to offer up this totally legit CarMax unicorn – a 2015 BMW 760Li V-12 for only $40,998 $39,998. Luxury. Exclusivity. Affordable. And plenty fast.
The 2015 BMW 760Li sold for maybe $141,000 new and has dropped a good $100,000 in the last eight years. This one has been on and off the CarMax page and I sort of ignored it thinking I must have already written about it. Wrong. Looks like the last 760 I covered was in the spring of 2020 (we all remember that spring) – this similar 2015 760Li for a few thousand more.
The 2015 long wheelbase model (G12) was new for that year, and just over 10,000 7-series of all kinds were sold in the US. Lost an hour or two trying to find out if there was a 2016 760, before they became M760’s in 2017. Not finding any for sale.
The 2015 BMW 760Li is loaded – even has night vision (above)! Automatic cruise control, seats that heat, cool, and massage, heated steering wheel, heads up display, ands the M Sport Package that I read somewhere allows the top end to hit 190 mph. Rear seat room looks damned generous below. No DVD entertainment system though. Had it in my Mercedes S600 and not once did I use it.
The heart and soul of the BMW 760Li is the 6.0 liter twin turbo V-12, making 535 horsepower. The sedan runs a mid-four second 0-60 mph time, which isn’t spectacular, and yet it is plenty fast for a 2 1/2 ton luxury car. About the same as my S600 was. That said, the Alpina B7 of the same year, albeit a V-8, had a few more horsepower and was a bit faster. But c’mon, wouldn’t you really rather have a V-12? Just once?
Check out the autobahn run below. Quite a rush. Not me. (The most I’ve ever done was 155 mph, governed, in a brand new BMW 540i with about a thousand pounds of dudes – four of us – hauling down the Frankfurt autobahn back in 2002.)
This is a three owner, accident free car that began life in Miami, went to Phoenix in 2021 for a few years, back to Fort Lauderdale and now is on the lot here in Roswell, Georgia. I’d be wondering what NFL or NBA player got traded from Miami to Phoenix then retired back to Florida? It’s also pretty low mileage, and since I started writing this two days ago, the price just dropped $1,000. Again, the car has been on the market quite a while and I have no idea why it isn’t selling. If this isn’t a unicorn, don’t know what is. Of course, MaxCare is a must and as I’ve noted in previous blogs, for some reason the 7-series BMW warranties seem to be a bit more expensive than others. Might be worth it.
CarMax has 58,745 cars on the lots as of today, represented by 33 makes (when did RAM become it’s own brand?!). CarMax limits the fleet to 11 years old for European makes and 12 years old for all others. That means the oldest European cars available are 2013 models. And there are only 428 of the 2013’s spread amongst the 11 makes carried. Overall they have 2,226 2013 cars of all manufacturers. (CarMax still has 882 non-Euro 2012 models, for what it’s worth.) I thought I’d take a stab at the bestest most unicorn 2013 car from each the European manufacturers in rank order of nothing but my personal preference. Right up front I have to point out some makes didn’t have much to choose from. Check these totals out and then I’ll jump right into my top 11. There’s a bonus ringer at the bottom if you make it that far.
Audi 46 BMW 105 Fiat 16 Jaguar 3 Land Rover 4 Mercedes 83 Mini 64 Porsche 5 Smart 4 Volkswagen 73 Volvo 25
The 2013 Audi S6 actually deserves its own blog piece as a legit unicorn regardless of what’s on the lots of any year. This is a well equipped, low mileage, low price, sleeper.
The S6 has automated cruise control, heads up display, front and rear heated seats, a heated steering wheel, Bose sound, and you can see below….night vision! (I miss having that on the GLE63, even if it was only good for showing off to friends.)
The Audi S6 sports the 4.0 liter V-8 motor making 420 horsepower. With AWD the car rockets to 60 mph in an incredible 3.7 seconds! The S6 model before this has the Lambo V-10, making a little more horsepower but a little bit slower. I’d still opt for that if I could.
The web page below shows the very low price and very low mileage, and with MaxCare thrown in you’re looking at a very special sleeper for maybe $35k. It’s a three owner car that tagged a parked car in 2017 for a minor accident, if that matters to you. Find it here in Boynton Beach, Florida.
Stockno: 25211874 VIN: WAUJ2AFC8DN033789
Next we have another unicorn that deserves its own page. Wait a minute, it had its own page! Anyone recognize this 2013 Mercedes C63 AMG? Maybe Hans?
Wrote about this car almost a year ago when it sold in St. Louis for $1,000 less than it’s offered today. Here’s the link to that piece, and here’s what I said:
Blog reader and CarMax sniper Hans sent me this beautiful red 2013 Mercedes C63 AMG unicorn weeks ago, and prompted me to start a massive piece on the four naturally aspirated C63’s that were available at a wide range of prices on CarMax. Hans got me interested in these C63’s because they are powered by the 6.2 liter M156 V-8 motors – the first motor completely designed by Mercedes-AMG and put into use across the AMG line of cars in 2006, and went extinct in the 2015 C63. I had one in the 2010 Mercedes E63 I bought from CarMax and owned for….almost 48 hours. Sigh. It’s a legendary powerplant that pumped 451 horsepower in the C63 and 507 in the other AMG applications (also 507 hp in the 2015 C63 AMG 507. Covered one here!). It’s not without issues, and that’s why there’s MaxCare!
Everything you need to know about this powerful motor is above. This vehicle spent its first four years in Honolulu, of all places. The car is now in Jacksonville, Florida at the moment. Here’s the link.
Stockno: 25037880 VIN: WDDGJ7HB3DF988796
What’s in third of the 11 cars? Well, it’s another retread. Wrote about this 2013 BMW X5M just last month, and it vanished from the inventory when it was being transferred to Newport News, Virginia. It was back briefly and is now on reserve. Never know if it will sell. Here’s the piece from last month.
For just $32,998 (price is still visible in my saved links!) this 555 horsepower SUV can be yours (Matthew!). Low miles, heated steering wheel, automated cruise control….and fast as hell. It’s still here in Newport News.
Stockno: 24371907 VIN: 5YMGY0C54DLL15796
Number four on my list is a 2013 Mini Cooper. I don’t know Minis and this one is a base model – not an “S” or the coveted John Cooper Works (the “S” models were high mileage and no 2013 JCW available at this time) . But it’s damned near new for 11 years old, reasonably priced, and reminds me of my late 70’s Ford Fiesta days.
The Mini has seat heaters….and not much else (it does have an aux jack for the iPod and a CD player). But with under 7,000 miles it really is a new old Mini.
Here’s a funky new feature on the CarMax website I haven’t seen before. An option to click on a photo titled “See Cosmetic Imperfections” linked to a CarMax colored picture of a dime (for scale) up close shot. Honestly, I couldn’t see the imperfection in the shot at all. Bet folks are happy this feature isn’t on eharmony?
Both my 1977 (and 1980 – had two!) Ford Fiesta and this 2013 Mini were German made, and sported 1.6 liter motors with manual transmissions. Mine was a four speed – these six speeds weren’t invented yet, I think (although my 1971 Fiat had a five speed!) The Mini makes 121 horsepower and ain’t fast at all, and yet it’s nimble and just plain fun.
This is a one owner car that has spent its whole life in Seattle, Washington. It’s coming soon a few hours south in Vancouver, Washington and can be tracked here.
Stockno: 25131893 VIN: WMWSU3C50DT375491
Back to back hatchbacks. The loveable and raucous Fiat 500 Abarth. CarMax has just over a hundred Fiats nationwide, but only 500’s for 2013 so no 124’s, and besides, they’re really just Miata’s. And I adore this toy. Have since before they were for sale in the USA. Rented one in Norway in 2010 and drove to the Arctic Circle in it and fell in love. If you want that story, it’s all here in my Tripadvisor report from back in the day. The short version is I drove from Oslo 14 hours straight with one stop and was not at all uncomfortable. Back to this Abarth.
It’s got three pedals and a 170 horsepower turbo four. The exhaust note makes me giggle. It’s not the fastest car in its class by any means, but it has attitude. Style. I remember when I attended the annual nationwide Fiat gatherings in my vintage 124 someone said, “the Germans invented the automobile, the Americans turned it into an appliance, and the Italians taught it to sing and dance.” Never forgot that, although I cannot find who originally said it.
To complement the peppy exhaust you get an Alpine audio system, Bluetooth, and CD player. Not much else. No heated seats even. The seating position is just a little higher than most hatchbacks that are not crossovers, why I was so comfortable for so long.
There are a lot worse ways to spend fifteen grand. And a few more for MaxCare – you’ll want a warranty since there is no Italian word for reliability. True story. The old and talented mechanic in our DC Fiat club once worked in the Fiat factory in Italy. He said we could ignore the color coded original wiring schematic diagrams for our vintage cars. In the factory if they ran short of say blue wiring, they would just use red. Fiat is no longer importing these wonderful little cars, but they still have over 300 dealerships in the USA (Texas has the most, by the way). That’s more dealerships than CarMax has. You can find this little guy here in Hartford, Connecticut.
Stockno: 25164586 VIN: 3C3CFFFHXDT514317
What to pick for Porsche? CarMax has over 300 of them, and over half are Macans. Filter for 2013 cars and you get five cars; a very expensive 911, a decent Cayenne S with a 400 horsepower V-8 that’s cheap, a Panamera hybrid making 380 horses that’s also cheap, and a pair of Boxsters. If we can’t get the 911, we must go for the almost as good Boxster. There’s a pretty blue over tan one with only 31,000 miles, and yet I’d choose the one below instead. Higher mileage, but it has a stick. And it’s cheaper.
The Boxster was introduced as a mid-engined, convertible-only sports car way back in 1996. By 2013 we were on our third generation. Still a pretty basic sports car, with a heated steering wheel and, well, a manual six-speed transmission. Not even steering wheel controls for nothing.
What the Porsche Boxster has, though, is a “Boxer” engine. A six-cylinder flat motor with opposing cylinders just like the 911. Wiki told me, “Most flat engines use a “boxer” configuration, where each pair of opposing pistons move inwards and outwards at the same time, somewhat like boxing competitors punching their gloves together before a fight.” The advantages are low center of mass, they’re short, and they don’t vibrate much. The Boxster runs a 2.7 liter engine making 265 horsepower. (Stole the photo below from the web.)
Oh yeah, the Boxster is topless Porsche fun. With a manual transmission. That motor must sound wild with the top down.
The price is actually $35,998. There are better Boxsters out there, although for 2013 this is the best I could do. It wouldn’t be a bad day in good weather ratcheting through the gears in this car. It’s currently on the same CarMax lot as the Fiat in Hartford! Find it here.
Volkswagen didn’t give me much to work with for 2013, with just a handful of very high mileage GTI’s. And yet here’s a surprisingly good VW that would have passed me by if not for a blog piece long ago.
The 2013 VW Beetle 2.0T is pretty much a convertible GTI anyway. It’s got the same motor at least. Reviews suggest the Beetle has “style” and is “playful” and the GTI is an enthusiast’s car. Probably accurate.
The Beetle has a Fender audio system – didn’t know that was a thing. Other than that, like the Boxster, it’s got the basics made better by the top down. It is a pretty blue over tan, my favorite color combo of all.
Back to the motor. The VW Beetle 2.0T has the 2.0 (duh) liter four cylinder turbo shared with more than a few VW models, including the GTI. It makes 207 horsepower and coupled with the DSG transmission will get you to 60 mph in the mid-six second range. The GTI gets there a half-second quicker.
The 2013 VW Beetle 2.0T sold for maybe $25,000 new 11 years ago and hasn’t depreciated much at all. It does have only 36,000 gently driven miles. I’m assuming that because the car spent its early years in the Villages down in Florida, America’s premier retirement community. At the moment this adorable bug is here in Augusta, Georgia.
Stockno: 25003341 VIN: 3VW7A7AT0DM817594
Well seven down and four more to go. The quality of the cars is dropping and so is my enthusiasm for this project. So we will soldier on quickly with some “good enough” 2013 European makes. We still got Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, and a Smart car to go! And the bonus car, don’t forget!
Volvo had me choosing between an $18,000 XC90 3.2R SUV, a $16,000 base mode, last-year C30, and this $19,000 respectable S80. I chose the S80. The SUV and the C30 are a bit underpowered and other than extinct, unremarkable. The S80 comes across as a legitimate upscale bargain. Did I mention I’m a sucker for blue over tan?
With only 33,000 miles the car looks quite fresh and elegant inside. Not much on creature comforts other than the climate package, though. Under the hood is a not shabby 3 liter, 300 horsepower turbo six. The car also has AWD for those Scandinavian seasons. Maybe someday I’ll do a post of my University of Maryland college class on productivity that took me to the Volvo factories in Göteborg and Malmö, Sweden way back in 1983. I’ve always wanted to like Volvo….until the Chinese bought the company.
At the moment this one-owner car is reserved here in Danvers, Massachusetts, not far from where it’s spent it’s whole entire accident free life.
Stockno: 25163214 VIN: YV1902AH5D1171229
CarMax you could have done me better on Jaguars, too. After being tempted by badass 500 horsepower XK, XF, and XJ “R” models for so long I’m disappointed not a one V-8 cat is on the market. Only three to choose from so I went with this 2013 XF 3.0 Supercharged. Supercharged always seems….super.
This car really is a British sister of the Volvo S80 above, I guess. Good looking. Seems expensive. But only $19,000 and low mileage. Again, unicorns are about “driving rich” without paying the price, and this was once a $70,000 car new, so I guess this fits the bill quite nicely.
This sedan has Bluetooth, Meridian audio, seat heaters, navigation, and a rear view camera. Surprised how few 2013 cars had them. I’ve test driven maybe a half-dozen Jaguars so far, and I don’t recall one of them having a shift knob with that “Hell Cat” logo. Scott?
Also struck by the complete lack of leg room in the back seat. Yes, the front seats are all the way back where I would put them (at six foot four my head is behind the B-pillar in every car I drive). There’s absolutely no room for passengers this way.
On a positive note, the Jaguar XF has a supercharged 3 liter, 340 horsepower motor that will scamper to 60 mph in the mid-five second timeframe, about the same as the 2012 5.0 liter V-8 according to Autoblog. That makes it a not too shabby tabby. Couldn’t resist. Getting late.
This 2013 Jaguar XF Supercharged spent its whole life in Louisiana and Tennessee, and somehow ended up for sale here in Los Angeles.
I wanted one of these Land Rover LR2’s after driving the first gen Toyota RAV4 for two years overseas and realizing I liked cute-utes. Drove the LR2 and found it to be the right size and a decent baby Land Rover. The LR2 is pretty good in rough terrain and was revamped in 2013 with some more luxury features inside only to be killed off after 2014. The SUV got the axe because it was unreliable, so much so that the Land Rover dealer I visited way back when would not offer and extended warranty on the car! But that was before I ever heard of CarMax and MaxCare. Now I think it could be an acceptable small backup car for winter. (There were no 2013 Range Rovers or LR4’s when I wrote this.)
Unfortunately, the Land Rover LR2 (Freelander everywhere else in the world) is a bit of a Frankenstein SUV. Platform by Volvo, motor by Ford, and built by the British. In fact, the chassis is the same as the Volvo S80 above!
The motor is the 2.0 liter four cylinder turbo making 240 horsepower, about the same as the previous six cylinder model I drove. It’s also the same motor as in the 2013 Land Rover Evoque, a far more sleek and modern offering the same year by the same manufacturer. Hard to justify, but for the price tag I kind of went old school with this 4X4 LR2 over the Evoque. Something almost vintage about its boxy shape. Might be tough to defend this choice when the Evoque is only $5,000 more, though?
The 2013 Land Rover LR2 is definitely a MaxCare must. It’s a three-owner West Coaster that’s available here in Palmdale, California.
Stockno: 24749962 VIN: SALFR2BG4DH381177
And then there was one. Plus the bonus car. Mercedes has had a good run with the Smart Fortwo worldwide since its introduction in 1998, but in the USA it only sold from 2007 to 2019. Fuel efficiency and tight parking struggled against the idea of F150’s in the rear view mirror, I guess. I’ve never been in one, although I still see them on the road.
Smart Fortwo doesn’t give me much to pick from. CarMax has 11 in the country and 3 from 2013. Not even a stick, or a special Brabus model. Yes, there was a Brabus-tuned model and thanks to Hans (again) I got to write about one here. The best things I can say about this car are that it’s yellow (love yellow cars) and it’s cheap. Only seven of CarMax’s 58,000 cars are cheaper. That’s something.
I also have rarely seen a “1” score in CarMax features. It has no power steering. But it does have a 1 liter, three cylinder motor in there that makes 70 horsepower. Top speed of 90. For an 1800 lb car I would have expected something better than 10 seconds to 60 mph, and yet that’s all she wrote.
Hell, this micro-car has survived an accident in Oregon so maybe it has a story to tell. Despite my moaning, this car will be just right for someone. It that someone is you, it’s here in Clackamas, Oregon.
Stockno: 25209845 VIN: WMEEJ3BA1DK658271
THE BONUS CAR!!!!
Over a half-dozen years of blogging about CarMax unicorns I’ve learned (and others have taught me) to be persistent searching the inventory. Cars that were sold are returned or traded in, and here and there an unexpected model shows up. I’ve been compiling these cars for a few days, and with each of the 11 European manufacturers I’ve double checked the inventory as I wrote just in case something better got added. (Unfortunately, Smart never got better.) Tonight this pristine 2012 – yes, 2012 Mercedes surfaced on the CarMax website. Just as I say there are NO 2012’s….here we go. One. The lesson is to keep checking – there may be something else out there that makes it back on a CarMax lot!
The C250 isn’t a bad car. Revamped in 2012 it got a 1.8 liter turbo four and hustles to 60 mph in about seven seconds. Inside and out it’s a handsome car. It’s a Luxury model, but not much in the way of modern features. Lovely gray over tan. And with only 24,000 miles it’s hardly broken in. And not a bad price – about half what it sold for new a dozen years ago. This one owner (never been out of Houston until now!) car is here in Fort Bend.
What we have here is a basic retro Pony car that takes me back to my childhood. Introduced in 1964 per Wiki “the Mustang the most successful vehicle launch since the 1927 Model A” – selling 400,000 units in the first year. The 1968 fastback is my favorite of all time. The 2012 Ford Mustang GT Premium unicorn offered here is a fifth generation model and a pretty basic muscle car with a V-8 motor and a six-speed manual transmission. Clean lines, pretty color, and a racing stripe.
With only 3,171 miles on it, this two owner, 12 year old Mustang has hardly been driven. Two owners, no accidents, and ready for the next owner to finish breaking in this car. Not sure it’s MaxCare worthy, but fascinating that you could get a warranty for another 146,829 miles and drive it until 2029 with no financial risk on repairs. How many burnouts would that be?
Front seat heaters, rear view camera, Bluetooth, and a Shaker sound system. Period. I really didn’t figure out what the GT Premium gets you over the regular GT.
But you do get three pedals and a six-speed manual transmission. You can squeeze out 26 mpg on the highway! Less doing burnouts.
The 5.0 liter V-8 is rated as 412 hp and pulls (?) 390 ft-lbs of torque. Car Throttle described the Mustang GT as “…..superlative performance for the money and a slice of pure Americana, but no longer do you have to suffer a broken-chicken-leg shifter, Taurus steering wheel, and a Tupperware interior to get it.” They were able to pull off a 4.5 second 0-60 mph run.
The car is selling for about the same as the first owner paid for it way back when. It has held its value, and not just because of the low mileage I guess. I looked for comps on Autotrader and could not find one with this low mileage. The closed I came was the white one below with 11,000 miles, for the same price, and a pretty cool Roush with 5,000 miles, for $10,000 more! Both pictured at the bottom. My friend Jerry is a Mustang fan and looking to drive cross country this summer with his son. I’m thinking he needs to buy this as a graduation present for the young man. Find it here in Kansas City.
Last summer I strayed from CarMax and bought a 2021 Mercedes GLE63s AMG, a Certified Previously Owned (CPO) hot rod SUV I found in Santa Fe, New Mexico after a nationwide search that went on way too long. The whole saga was posted here. I’ve now put 8,000 miles on the car despite only one short road trip to North Carolina, and the experience had left me undecided on whether I love the car or whether I should sell it and start anew. Some unexpected repair expenses had me leaning towards selling, and will get to that later.
First, I want to document (in case any of you are IRS agents) that this is in fact a work “truck” and I frequently use it as such! Even my drive to Fort Liberty, North Carolina was for work! For the record, I only refer to it as a truck to make my family cringe.
That said, it’s a performance SUV first and foremost, and the fat summer tries have caused me some trouble. In July I picked up my first giant nail in one of these beefs and had to replace it – for $600. The tire was only available at the Mercedes dealership. Thought that was unfortunate since I’d really rather have all seasons on the vehicle but now I’ve got sunk costs. It got worse. Picked up another nail in the opposite rear tire a month later, and sunk another $600 for a new one. Thinking these high performance tires attract nails I started to explore just replacing all four with all seasons, only to find out nobody, but nobody, carries them. Pirelli makes a set sold through Mercedes dealers, but they are out of stock until spring (at least). Turns out the 22″ diameter is the problem. There are options for 21″ rims, and the GLE63 was sold with them too, but that means I gotta buy four new rims and four new tires. That’s a $3,600 proposition. Seems silly, but so does an AWD SUV I can’t drive in the snow. No room at home to store the summers. Still negotiating with Tire Rack on 21″ tire and wheel combos, and the weatherman is calling for our first snow this weekend. Looks like my BMW M3, with all seasons, will be my go to car?
Twice when I had the GLE63s at the dealer they’ve tried to fix the clamshell center console doors. A single button triggers both opening, except in mine only the left side opens regularly. Mercedes said it’s a known problem. The fix, not so much. The third time the dealer replaced the entire center console storage bin. Likewise, when I pointed out a fender flare was loose and the rear bumper molding had a 1/4″ gap on one side, the service manager agreed to order completely new pieces, have them painted to match, and installed. These fixes were done at no cost under warranty. In two weeks the GLE63s heads back to the dealer for Service A and a recall to replace the fuel pump (Mercedes learned the plastic fuel pump impellers fail). We shall see how that goes.
Back in 1993 I attended the US Air Force War College in Montgomery, Alabama, and while there the State of Alabama was courting Mercedes to put their first US assembly there. Alabama won the competition over rival states by donating the land and using the Alabama National Guard to clear it. We joked at the time that the new ML SUV’s to be built there would come with optional gun racks. I drove a Merkur XR4ti at the time, never imagining that 30 years later I’d own a luxury Mercedes SUV from the same plant.
Anyway, I wondered if some of these misfit parts were the result of assembly in Alabama, and not Stuttgart. Then I wondered about the hand-built AMG motors – were these shipped in from Germany or were they being made in Bama too? The service rep said he’s visited the Alabama factory and yup, motors made there. Disappointed. But not convinced. So I popped the hood all by myself and found the signature plate below. The engines are made in Germany. The umlauts say it all.
In early December the front brakes began to screech. Thought that’s a problem and had the Mercedes dealer check it out. The first answer was we could replace the front pads and rotors for $2,600 and the problem would probably go away. But they also said the pads still have 6/32″ and don’t need replacing right away. No wear indicator on. Maybe they’ll talk to the shop foreman and see what’s up. But they don’t and instead suggest maybe the brakes were glazed when I bought the car. My experience is the service techs are hit or miss on expertise and communications. Ryan the CarMax service rep is so much more conscientious. Replacements by Mercedes are warranted for 12 months, 12,000 miles. GLE63 owners on the forum say they sometimes replace brakes EVERY 10,000 MILES! Not for me, although I am looking into FCP Euro pads with lifetime warranty. Even my local Goodyear store warranty is 24 months/24,000 miles!
The tires and brakes are normal wear and tear items not covered by warranty and expenses are escalating. Before I commit to doing them, I decided to take a shot at selling the GLE63s to CarMax. I figure if they give me something close to what I paid last summer I might just cut my financial loss and start over. Besides, the car was not deeply depreciated and so I don’t feel like I got over on the dealership like I have in the past with CarMax. I miss that, too. CarMax has not had a current generation GLE63 (they have a few 2019’s). The appraisal below tells me they don’t want one. It’s $30,000 less than what I paid just few months ago, and $25,000 less than comparable Mercedes CPO GLE63s’ are selling for right now. CarMax prides itself on offering to buy anything customers bring in, and they will. That said, they can make the price such that no rational seller would ever take them up on it. I’m not.
Pretty sure I’m going to keep the car and love it, although I don’t have a course of action for the tires and brakes just yet. What helps make up my mind is a spirited drive through the rural roads of Loudoun County, Virginia. The audio in the video doesn’t do it justice. I think I’m going to lean into this car and enjoy it. I haven’t seen another one on the roads in the six months I’ve owned it, and that helps me feel a little special. Maybe when I take it to Daytona later this month for, uh, some business meetings around the same time as the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, it’ll feel like a unicorn.
History repeats itself. On New Year’s Day 2024 I tested positive for Covid again, so I went for a rural Loudoun County drive to the John Lewis Memorial Bridge to clear my head before checking into my hotel refuge (my goal this time is to not infect my family). The bridge is on a remote road that crosses Catoctin Creek. Built in 1889, according to the county it’s “a rare surviving example of a wrought iron truss bridge—one of only five still standing bridges built by the Variety Iron Company.” It’s peaceful here. And not unfamiliar.
Three years ago almost to the day – New Year’s Eve 2020 rather than New Year’s Day – I took a short road trip diversion to the same bridge in Etta, my 2008 Porsche 911 CarMax unicorn, after getting the devastating news that I had tested Covid positive. Things were much scarier then, with no vaccines and no Paxlovid. Tomorrow I will load up this Mercedes GLE63s with all the crap I brought with me to my isolation hotel and head home, and if the worst I have to deal with is finding brakes and tires for a badass 600 hp SUV, I guess I’m in a pretty good place after all.
Happy New Year’s! With winter storms approaching the east coast I thought I’d open with a “practical” AWD SUV. My New Year’s resolution is to write more because I’m so frustrated unicorns show up and sell off before I can write. It’s easy to make that declaration this week as I’m holed up in a local hotel with Covid for the third time (despite being uber vaccinated) hoping to insulate my family, and I’ve got nothing but time. I’m also out of the market for my own unicorns in 2024 – will stick with the M3 and GLE63 for the time being – so there should be fewer distractions.
Three years ago I wrote about an eerily similar 2013 X5M here, priced about the same, mileage about the same. Are used car prices returning to normal? The X5 made its debut as a 2010 model and doesn’t look all that different almost a decade and a half later. And if we’re going to be nostalgic, it was a friend’s CarMax X5 that got me into the unicorn business in the first place. I drove with a junior coworker on a business trip in 2012, and he had a BMW X5. I asked about repair costs and he told me about MaxCare and all the repairs that he enjoyed at no cost. The following year I bought Guenther and the rest is history.
The second generation (E70) X5, and the first M model with a turbocharged M powered V-8 made its debut in 2010. This 2013 BMW X5 is decently equipped with adaptive cruise control, heated steering wheel, panoramic sunroof, and a rear view camera. Seems silly, but my 2013 M3 does not have a rear view camera. Not extravagant, but it is good enough. The 2013 BMW X5M probably sold for more than $100,000, so this is a nicely depreciated example.
I’ve never been a fan of red interiors, and yet my M3 has this same color (oxblood?). I kinda like it, and I’ve gotten compliments from others on the unique color. I am vain. It’s not quite whorehouse red, and I’ve learned over the years that as soon as I criticize something about a car I learn that I have a reader that loves the thing I’m ragging on. I get it. The interior is nearly new.
The X5M is powered by a 4.4 liter twin turbo good for 555 hp, and a 4.5 second 0-60 mph sprint. It’s got an eight speed automatic SMG transmission and if you’re lucky you can pull off 20 mpg in tempered highway driving. This particular 2013 BMW X5M is currently being shipped to Newport News, Virginia and can be tracked with this link. I’d be all in on MaxCare thinking for less than $40,000 you too can own a unique Euro-SUV!
Holed up in another hotel on a business trip splurging on Popeye’s fried chicken and thought it’s time to revisit the mild and spicy post from August. Here’s the link if you missed it. The theme was just like Popeye’s, there are some pretty good cars out there in a reasonably fun version and the same car a bit hopped up – spicy. Well, here’s two more – a pair of Mercedes hardtop convertible unicorns! “Super Leicht”…or SL’s.
Above we have the relatively mild 2013 Mercedes SL550, with a ridiculously low 6,927 miles on it! Ten years old and hardly driven. Below, a spicy 2013 Mercedes SL63 AMG with more mileage, but cheaper than the SL550.
These are sixth generation SL’s, R231 models which were made from 2012 to 2020. The SL550 sold new for at least $106,000, the SL63 for more than $150,000.
The cars are similarly, but not identically equipped. The cheaper SL63 has adaptive cruise control and massaging seats, and the SL550 does not. The SL550 has the Harman Kardon audio and the SL63 the Bang & Olufsen (although CarMax lists it as having both the Harman and the Bang!)
That’s the SL550 wheel above, and the SL63 controls below.
Both convertibles have the wonderful Air Scarf neck warmers below.
What distinguishes the two the most are the motors – both twin turbo V-8’s. The “mild” motor is the 4.7 liter, 429 horsepower one in the SL550, with the SL63 sporting the “spicy” 5.5 liter, 530 horsepower engine. The SL550 takes just over four seconds to hit 60 mph – the SL63 just under four. Both have seven speed automatics and are governed to 155 mph top speeds. Reviews suggest the SL63 has an almost marine engine sound to it. Interesting.
At the moment, the 2013 Mercedes SL550 is on its way to Salem, Oregon and is selling for $41,998. Again, it has less than 7,000 miles on it and of course MaxCare is available up to 125,000 and another five years. Makes a nice sleeper. You can track it with this link.
Stock No. 25135608 VIN WDDJK7DA6DF019221
For me, the 2013 Mercedes SL63 AMG is the menu choice I’d make. It’s only $37,998 but does have 56,000 miles on it – and one minor accident involving the driver’s door. It’s currently reserved here in Sacramento, California. Of course, I’d rather have the best of both world’s – a low mileage SL63, but Isaiah bagged that one over a year ago! Here’s the link to that story.
