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

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Pop Quiz – What’s The Most Horsepower You Can Buy (From CarMax)?

If you guessed 662 horsepower you’d be right! The 2014 Mustang Shelby GT500 with a supercharged 5.8 liter V-8 tops the General Motors’ 6.2 liter motors in the Corvette Z06’s, the Camaro ZL1’s, and the Cadillac CTS-V by 12 horsepower. And while I search everyday, CarMax has yet to carry a 700+ horsepower Hellcat from Dodge. Even the sixth generation Mustang Shelby GT350’s available at CarMax only ponied up 526 horsepower. So this is as good as it gets for car peeps who want a unicorn with straight line wheel spin bragging rights!

Ford produced 5,730 Shelby GT500’s in 2014, 4,816 as coupes and the rest as convertibles. Haggerty lists them as collectibles. Maybe so – they sold new in the mid-$50,000 range and CarMax is offering this one for $50,998 – not sure I’ve ever seen that little depreciation in a six year old car.

This Car and Driver review of the 2013 car (largely unchanged for 2014) notes a 3.5 second 0-60 mph run, and surprising to me, a 1.0g on the lateral skidpad. I was under the impression live axle Mustangs handled horribly until the 2015 models went independent. But what do I know?

Find this old-school, low mileage hot rod here in Charlotte, North Carolina. You may want to spring for MaxCare, then head to the drag strip quick-fast!

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Quick Hit – A Buick Only Jerry Seinfeld’s Father Could Love? 2011 Lucerne Super – $11,998

Let’s not pretend this 2011 Buick Lucerne Super unicorn is an enthusiast’s car. Yes it’s extinct, with 2011 being the last year (the car suffered the humiliation of having it’s successor come out a year earlier), and it has the “venerable” 4.6l V-8 Northstar pumping out only 292hp to the front wheels. But the Super has the Magnetic Ride Control, an adaptive damping system that helps this 4,000 lb car wallow less , Bluetooth, seat heaters, heated steering wheel, and lots of room in the front, rear, and trunk. And it has the only-in-a-Buick telltale ventiports in the front fenders, four on each side for a V-8. These go back over 70 years – read here for a fascinating history of the ports in Buicks (long before stick-on ports were sold at K-Mart and added to Civics).

Does it look like someone took a crap in the passenger seat?

And to go way back on the nostalgia trail, this Buick has the rare (?) landau roof – the fake convertible vinyl that takes us back to the 1920’s and 1930’s when automobiles hoped to replicate the style of horse and carriage coach builders. While you probably think I have a deep knowledge of these automotive topics, I stole this vinyl top background too from an eBay Motors blog. Odd it has a sunroof in the fake convertible roof. No shame.

You won’t see yourself coming and going on the road in a Buick Lucerne Super – as best I can tell from the Buick forums, there were 20,000 Lucernes sold in 2011, the final year, and less than 10 percent were V-8 Supers. And I can’t imagine too many had the landau roof. Maybe this car appeals to me conceptually as a lazy, comfortable highway cruiser since I’m writing from a hotel room in Chicago, near the end of a 7,000 mile road trip in my S600 – the subject of an upcoming piece. There’s something about a living room on wheels.

For the record, I’m certainly not bad mouthing Buicks (my wife owns and Encore!), and I learned long ago that there is an ardent enthusiast group out there for every single vehicle and SOMEONE wants this car. If that someone is you, this single owner, accident free 2011 Buick Lucerne Super is here in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. And to think you can add MaxCare and protect the car for five more years, and probably another 25-50,000 miles!

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Quick Hit – Handsome 2013 Jaguar XF Supercharged. $24,998

This 2013 Jaguar XF Supercharged unicorn is a really nice all around sleeper. Nice sheet metal, nice wheels, burgundy (not red) paint, and the sleek silver and black interior with the pop up shift knob all suggest an okay sedan from the UK. But under the hood is a pretty powerful 470hp, supercharged 5.0l V-8, and supported by an eight-speed transmission and a 4,100lb weight the car moves to 60mph in about five seconds. Not bad.

The car also has blind spot monitoring, heated steering wheel, air conditioned and heated seats, and a rear view camera. Not at all stripped. There are about a half-dozen comparable supercharged XF’s on Autotrader confirming this isn’t a bad price for one, but this is the only one out there eligible for the MaxCare bumper-to-bumper warranty – a must. The cheapest XF Supercharged I’ve seen with CarMax is a 2009 for $14,998, and the only other one I covered was this 2015 model for $28,998. This 2013 model nicely threads the needle in price, age, and mileage. Find this one-owner, accident free Jaguar here in Tucson, Arizona.

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Quick Hit – Low Mileage 2010 Acura RL $18,998. When Did You See One Last?

Every time I see a second generation Acura RL on the road, which is not often, I’m fascinated that Acura made a car that just didn’t sell in big numbers (the low production NSX notwithstanding). The second-gen RL was the Acura flagship from 2005 to 2012, and sales opened at 17,000 in 2005 and dropped every year – 2,000 2010’s and only 400 2012’s. The 2010 Acura RL listed here sold for maybe $47,000 and included AWD, all wheel steering, and a 300 hp , 3.7L six cylinder motor that Top Speed reviewed and had lots of great technical and engineering things that impressed them that went over my head. Maybe you’ll get it.

The RL also came with Bluetooth, seat heaters, rear sunshade and rear view camera as standard, and a handsome interior. My thinking is the Acura RL is kind of cheating when it comes to unicorns. Not many of them and probably unfamiliar to most folks, so you get some exclusivity and style. It’s a quality car, so probably no need for MaxCare. And with low miles and a low price it’s hard to go wrong on this Acura. No need to go out on a limb as with some of my other recommendations. And just occurred to me in three years this is the first Acura I’ve blogged about! Find this two-owner, accident free car here in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

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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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All Press Is Good Press*? The CarMax Unicorn Blog Makes Kiplinger’s Personal Finance!

Surprised as hell to be approached by Kiplinger writer David Muhlbaum for a photo of one of my unicorns for use with his August newsletter piece, “How to Save on a Used Car;
Tips and techniques that can help you save money when shopping for a used car”. We are tip number four of eight – it’s the theme of Get an Extended Warranty When Buying a Used Luxury Car – what we here call driving rich and shift the repair risk to CarMax via MaxCare. Many thanks to David for the free press! And the red 911 is not yet my unicorn, but today I arranged for its transfer from Connecticut to Virginia. It may be soon! Means Etta may be on the market in October.

* It was one of Wilde’s.

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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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