Who the hell is John Varvatos, and why should I buy his used car?

November 6, 2018

Who the hell is John Varvatos, and why should I buy his used car?

300c side — Still stylish, after all these years.

Well for starters, John Varvatos has an American auto badged in his name and inspired by his chic fashion designs, a bit like the Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer model I wrote about last week. This Chrysler 300C Varvatos Collection is more elegant and stylish than the Eddie Bauer Ford, but hey, it’s also got a massive 5.7 liter V-8 and AWD, so it’s cool, strong, and classy in a way the truck is not. It’s a bit of a unicorn not because there aren’t a huge number of Varvatos cars out there, this Luxury Edition is pretty common, and even the Limited Edition isn’t all that limited, but because I’m thinking not a lot of folks know who John Varvatos even is! You do now. I do, too.

john-varvatos-co-bb12-2015-billboard-650 — John

Here’s all you need to know. He’s 63 years old and was born in Detroit, which gives him some street cred with an American muscle car, and he has been an award winning men’s fashion designer from a young age. And he signed Zac Brown to his record label.

Most importantly, he gave us the boxer-brief made famous in the Marky Mark ad of 1992 (back when old man Mark Wahlberg was a boy – don’t get too creeped out by the ad) – underwear that changed my life. Too old for tighty whities, too young for boxers – more than you need to know. Trust me on this.

john-varvatos-willie-nelson — The Red Headed Stranger, Cool in Black and White

But wait there’s more! John Varvatos made Willie Nelson look even more badass than he is, and that’s even more impressive than Marky Mark’s abs. Nothing more you need to know about why John Varvatos gets to have his name on a car.

300c 3-4 view — Look close – there’s a JV badge on the trunk.

Back to the car. Yes, it’s two tons of Yankee steel, but at 363 hp and a 0-60 in the mid-5 second range this plus-size sedan moves briskly. Kind of like Magic Johnson when he was in Michigan. And the creature comforts…..heated and air conditioned seats, an Alpine stereo, panoramic sunroof, remote start, and rear sunshade – as cool as the 300C gets short of the Motown edition (yes there really is one!). Car and Driver said, “You can practically taste Detroit” in this review.

300c radio — Hats off to the CarMax photographer that captured this shot with Marvin Gaye on the radio!

This two owner car sold for about $50,000 when new, believe it or not in Michigan, before moving to Amish country for the last few years. It’s selling for about half its new car price tag, but I’d still get the MaxCare warranty. You never know how those Pennsylvania Dutch get when behind 363 ponies.

300c trunk — Easily a four-snitch trunk.

300c Poopy Interior — Not a big fan of poopy underpants brown seats.

I’ve driven a V-8 300C for hundreds of miles, at night, in the snow, and loved it. I’ve even seen a few really low mile, highly optioned, and low priced 300C V-8’s on the CarMax web site over the years. I’ll be keeping my eyes out for a Limited Edition, an even classier version of this throw-back big sedan. Find this one here in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

2014 300c Varvatos

November 2, 2018

$12,000 Price Reduction on Mercedes CL63 AMG – WTF?!

Was tracking this 2012 Mercedes CL63 AMG for no good reason, since its price tag far exceeded my $35,000 cap for unicorns (I set that figure after rigorous calculations when I bought Etta, my 911 – the calculation being “what’s the most I can pay for a used car without my wife leaving me?”). The car was listed at $56,998 and languished for maybe a week. Wish I had access to data on when cars were first listed. Any readers able to do that? Yesterday I got an alert that the price on this car was reduced $12,000. I was sure it was an error but it was not. The price is now $44,998. I do not know if someone had bought the car at $56k they would have been a sucker, or if it is now a bargain at $44k. Still outta my range. I also got another alert that one of my unicorns had dropped $2,000. Cars usually only get reduced $1,000 at a time. I have a theory more reductions are coming and if I get time this weekend will share.

For now, have some fun looking at this big, beautiful coupe, really a two-door S-class. Just like the CL550 I wrote about recently, all the car I need – luxurious and large from the driver’s seat forward without an S550 butt behind. There’s controversy on how much more performance vs stiff ride and noise do you get from a CL63 (with a 5.5 liter V-8 536hp and 590 ft-lbs of torque) vs a CL550 (4.6 liter V-8 with 429hp and 516 ft-lbs of torque). For me, I’ll take horsepower any day of the week. The AMG is not that harsh. All you need to know from this Car and Driver review back in 2012, “Let’s just cut straight to the chase. This deceptively demure execu-coupe weighs more than 4800 pounds and can sprint to 60 mph in four seconds. That would be four seconds flat. The CL63 AMG enters triple-digit speeds in 8.8 seconds, trips the quarter-mile lights in 12.3 seconds at 121 mph, attains 150 mph in less than 20, and maxes out at 190 mph, whereupon its governor says, “Das ist genug.” And it has my mandatory night vision assist. Love it. By the way, this two-owner car sold for at least $150,000 new and probably closer to $175,000 in New Jersey back in the day. If this car is for you, please, please buy the MaxCare warranty – this one ain’t going to be cheap to repair when things go wrong. Find it discounted here in Fairfield, California. If the link is dead it’s sold, on hold, or being transferred.

2012 Mercedes CL663 $44k 35k Fairfield CA $12k Reduction

October 28, 2018

Quick Hits – Old Low-Mileage Turbo Diesel Merc for $17k

I got a thing for the W211 Mercedes body….the third generation E-Series from 2002-2009. I don’t care, E550, E55 AMG….just not a big fan of underpowered six-cylinder cars. But this 2009 E320 Bluetech unicorn is a nice turbo diesel six, and with only 210hp it grunts out 400 ft-lbs of torque. That’s not far off the E55 of the same era, although it’s 6.6 second 0-60 is a little off. But with a 21 gallon tank and 30mpg highway, that’s over 600 miles of cruising range!

This one-owner, low-mileage car looks nearly new inside (pssst! CarMax, clean the fingerprints and gunk off that headlight switch!), with a Harman Kardon stereo and seat heaters as part of the premium package. Found a nice review here. On one hand, the MaxCare warranty on this 10 year old car would mean bumper-to-bumper coverage until the car is 15 years old, but with only 41,000 odometer miles the diesel will only be broken in when the warranty expires. I’d get the warranty anyway. The car’s here in Fort Worth, Texas – you can pretty much drive it home to St. Louis, Albuquerque, or New Orleans on a tank of gas.

2009 Mercedes E320 Bluetech $16,998 41k Fort Worth

October 22, 2018December 31, 2018

1 of 723…2012 Mercedes CL550 – By Chuck Banks and Mustafa Gardezi

CL550 3-4 Last week I wrote about a couple of BMW 650i’s and the Car and Driver review suggesting big coupes were not long for this planet. Well, here’s another big coupe unicorn, a 2012 Mercedes CL550 (C216) – the third and last generation of the CL class, as Mercedes transitioned to the S-coupe in 2014. But the CL has always been the coupe version of the S-class Mercedes, a big, luxurious, powerful GT. Mercedes never sold more than 4,000 of these in the US, and in 2012 only 723 units. So this CarMax offering is a bit rare. Last year I covered a few of the older ones, far less expensive 2007 models with fewer horsepower, and it’s been a long time since CarMax offered one. Of course, I would not recommend one without the bumper-to-bumper MaxCare warranty – repairs ain’t cheap.

The CL550 knocks out a 0-60mph run in 4.6 seconds, courtesy of a 429hp twin-turbo V-8. The car is all wheel drive, has my beloved night vision (Car and Driver review of Mercedes night vision here), and pretty much every luxury option available in 2012. The car listed for about $130,000 new and six years later is about $95,000 less. Here’s the review from Autoweek back in the day. I’ve driven CL550’s and have only one beef. The car is for secure drivers only, since it’s one of the most anonymous high performance luxury cars out there. If you likes sleepers, you’ll love the CL550. They don’t even look large on the road. That said, the CL550 should be my perfect car. When I had my S55 I was always aware of the size of the gigantic car. I loved it, but since I largely drove solo I didn’t need all that heft. The CL550 is an S-class from the driver seat forward – how nice it would be to have all that luxury and performance up front without the tail? Find this one owner car here in Colorado. If the link is dead it’s sold, on hold or being transferred.

2012 CL550 $34,998 47k Colorado

October 17, 2018

Beauty and the Beast – BMW 650i Unicorns

The second generation BMW 650i (E63), along with the 750 of the same era, were bubble butt BMW’s that were hard to like. Perhaps if the equipment, price, and miles were right, I could. They certainly were for the 2007 BMW M6 I regret passing on last year ($24k, 44,000 miles – wrote about it here). CarMax doesn’t carry a lot of E63’s, except for an occasional and dwindling supply of M6’s, but I found one and share it below.

At the same time, the third generation BMW 650i (F06) – a far more beautiful car from the rear – has been dropping in price to unicorn territory. I’m surprised how affordable these far more stylish, and better performing 650i’s are. When Car and Driver reviewed the 2012 BMW 650i…..back in 2012, they whined that big coupes – “two door luxury” were nearly dead. I’m not so sure – Mercedes morphed the CL550 to become an enormous S-Coupe, Lexus has the RC500, and I’m thinking a two door Panamera is coming. Anyway, thought it would be fun to post these cars at the same time. (Came close to adding a 2008 39,000 mile M6 that keeps showing up and vanishing daily that is oh so close to the one I passed on in NJ, and happens to be close to me – but as of tonight it’s off the net. But stay tuned.)

This 2010 BMW 650i V-8 produces “only” 360hp but is still good for a mid-five second 0-60 mph sprint. Car and Driver called it “lumpy and semi-demented-looking” – harsh, but funny and from the rear accurate – but if you can get past it’s rear, it’s still a big luxurious GT coupe. Here’s a ho-hum review from 2010 – perhaps at $80,000 the car should have delivered more, but for $25k it’s a better deal? Only 3,050 of these coupes were sold in 2010 – you won’t see a whole lot of them on the road. I very much recommend the MaxCare warranty to drive almost repair free for another 100,000 miles. This one is a three-owner California/Nevada car available here in Sacramento. If the link is dead the car is sold, on hold, or being transferred.

2010 BMW 650 $24,998 52k Sacramento

The 2012 BMW 650i is a twin turbo V-8 boosted to 400hp, nailing 0-60 mph in the mid-four second range. You also won’t wince when eyeballing from behind. In fact, I found the feuerwehrfahrzeug red coupe with the semi-blacked out wheels to be quite striking. With options it topped out closer to $100,000 just seven years ago. Here’s the Car and Driver review from 2012 that’s also ambivalent on the car – the most impressive point for me was the Bang and Olufsen audio system on this car was a $3700 upgrade! BMW sold four times as many of these third generation coupes than they did second generation. Perhaps Car and Driver’s death knell was premature? This 2012 BMW 650i is a four owner, one accident car found here in Las Vegas – same deal on the link.

2012 BMW 650i $32,998 39k Las Vegas

BONUS CAR!!!!

Just in case there are blog readers who slog through to the bitter end, here’s maybe the best value of all…..a beautiful 2012 BMW 650i also with 400hp, not as well equipped as the red one above and with 17,000 miles more, but at $5,000 less! That savings will likely pay for the MaxCare warranty. It’s a three owner accident free car that ironically spent some time in Leesburg, Virginia, where I live, before moving to California this summer.

2012 BMW 650i $27,998 52k Irvine CA

October 11, 2018

A Pair of Vintage (Looking) Lexus SC430’s

A dozen years ago in a local dealership I sat in a Lexus SC430 and thought it was a peculiar and precocious little coupe, with the coolest retractable hard top I had ever seen and luxurious leather and real wood trim inside. The SC430 has a little 4.3 liter V-8 with a not terribly impressive 288hp, but it does pull off sub-6 second 0-60 and is governor limited to 149 mph. A heavy car, but not a pig. These 10-year old unicorns look retro to me already. Suspect reliable as hell and would probably pass on MaxCare? Check them out below.

Both are 2008 Lexus SC430’s nearly identically equipped. The gold car is $1,000 more than the silver, with 6,000 less miles. The gold exterior looks…rich, but the interior looks more worn….the cream color shows scuffs more than the black. It’s a two owner lifelong Florida car found here in Boynton Beach – if the link is dead it’s sold, on hold, or being transferred.

2008 Sc430 $25,998 53k Boynton Beach FL

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For a little less money and a few more miles, you get a cleaner interior in this 2008 Lexus SC430. Both have the high end Mark Levinson audio system that was once exclusive. I dig the silver car’s wheels way more – remind me a just a little of BBS wheels of days gone by. That said, the gold car really catches the eye outside. What to do? This one is right up the road from me near Baltimore – it’s a two-owner Delaware and Maryland car. Find it here in Ellicott City…..same deal on the link.

2008 SC430 $24,998 59k Ellicott City MD

October 4, 2018

New Old Stock (NOS) – Damn Near New 10 Year Old Unicorns

Still fascinated when CarMax scarfs up and offers for resale cars that have unbelievably low miles, such as these two 10-year old cars driven about 100 miles PER YEAR! Most of us drive more than that a week, and some every day. The first one here, a 2008 Mustang GT500, is a decent enthusiast unicorn that would be a hoot to own and drive. It deserves to be here. The Hyundai….not so much. But there’s something kinda cool about a 10 year old SUV that has only 1,200 miles on it. Even a Hyundai. Both are time capsules. And to think with MaxCare you can drive them another 100,000 miles, maybe 150,000 – until they are almost 15 years old, and never have a major repair bill. Check them out.

The 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is a supercharged 5.4 liter V-8 with 500 hp, a six speed manual transmission, and pulls a 4.3 second 0-60. Here’s a review from Motor Trend back in 2008. On one hand, the car sold for just under $50,000 new back in the day, and hasn’t depreciated hardly at all. On the other, with 1,300 miles on the odometer it’s hardly been driven – damn near in showroom condition. I defer to Mustang fans on whether the ultra low mileage warrants the not so low price. I also think the MaxCare warranty will be cheap, and could get you another 150,000 miles and five years of no cost repairs. But will the next owner drive it or also mothball it? This is a one owner car out of Carrollton, Texas found here in Dallas; if the link is broken it’s sold, on hold, or being transferred. It’s been around for over a week – wondering why no interest?

2008 Mustang GT500 $37,998 1310 Miles Irving TX

THE HYUNDAI SANTA FE

I’d be real surprised if blog readers are still reading at this point, but what the hell. Like I said, there’s something interesting about a car driven 2-3 miles A WEEK. Decent little SUV that got decent reviews. Car and Driver wrote, “The Santa Fe’s strengths are value, a comfortable ride, and a high-quality interior that is better than most of its Japanese rivals.” It sold in the low $20’s and is sold here for only a few thousand less. I wouldn’t even get the MaxCare warranty – just buy it and load up the miles for the next 10 years. It’s got an under-powered six cylinder and it’s only two wheel drive, but it will hold a dog and groceries and is XM ready and has a USB port and cruise control and…..no miles. This one owner car spent it’s whole life in Kernersville, North Carolina and is offered here in Greensboro, just down the road. Somebody take it in?

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe $15,998 2k Greensboro

September 26, 2018December 31, 2018

1 of 400: A Rare Lamborghini-Powered (Sort Of) Audi S6 V-10 Unicorn for Cheap – by Chuck Banks and Mustafa Gardezi

Every time I think CarMax is getting out of the exotic engine cars with V-10’s and V-12’s they surprise me. Here’s a 2011 Audi S6 unicorn with the Lamborghini Gallardo derived (and detuned) V-10 engine. It’s the one and only reason to buy this car, and a good one. I’ve driven one – turn off the Bose stereo, open the windows and sunroof, and take in the roar. It’s only 435hp. It only does 0-60 in the low to mid fives. It’s nose heavy. Yeah it has decent electronics, and big brakes, and plenty of room – pretty much like the 3.0 liter A6 that gets way better mileage and is almost as quick – but as I understand it from Audi aficionados, there were less than 400 2011 S6’s imported into the US. That’s obscure.

This three-owner 2011 S6 started in North Carolina as a brand new $80,000 car, and made its way west to Missouri and is now in Nevada currently at $25,998 and needs a new home. This was the last year for the V-10 S6’s before Audi transitioned to V-8’s. Here’s a review from back in the day that pretty accurately describes the car. As always, I highly recommend the bulletproof bumper-to-bumper MaxCare warranty to protect yourself from unexpected and tragically hire repair bills for exotic Euro-engines. I know – CarMax covered over $35,000 in repairs to my Mercedes S55. Find this 2011 Audi S6 here in Reno, Las Vegas – if the link is broken the car is sold, on hold, or being transferred.

2011 Audi S6 V10 $25,998 53k Reno

September 24, 2018

Another (nicer) BMW 760 V-12 Unicorn!

Last Saturday a reader pointed out the 12 cylinder BMW 760 I wrote about in July (and is still for sale here in California!) may be a dying breed unicorn for CarMax and I was ready to agree with him, when this second one – a 2013 with low miles – surfaced in Louisville, Kentucky the very same day (details at the bottom of this post). This white one is way nicer, with lower miles and well-appointed – so much so that the car opened at $40,998 on September 21st, and when I decided to blog today I see it’s gone up $1,000 in price. That’s rare, but not unheard of. I watched one unicorn increase in price several times by a thousand or two over the course of a week. Oddly, the higher mileage 2013 in California only dropped once in price by a thousand since July, and is still out there. In all cases, you’re either a fool, filthy rich, or a BMW mechanic yourself if you buy these cars without the bulletproof MaxCare bumper-to-bumper warranty! No offense.

My simple test for options on BMW’s of this era? Check out the bank of buttons on the left of the steering wheel. Five slots. The now $41,998 / 46,000 mile 2013 BMW 760 is on the left above, the $36,998 / 57,000 mile 2013 BMW 760 on the right. The only thing missing is BMW Night Vision on the right. I don’t know why I need night vision – carry Navy SEALS on a raid? Run moonshine and evade the cops (it is a Kentucky car, after all)? But once I saw how it worked on a Mercedes S600 I wanted it. My next car will have it. Anyway, the guide to the features is below, in case you were wondering.

BMW Buttons

Take a look at the 2013 BMW 760Li beauty with all the options here, in Louisville, Kentucky. If the link is dead the car is sold, on hold, or being transferred. I’ll bet it sells before the $36,998 one!

2013 BMW 760 $41,998 46k Louisville

September 21, 2018September 21, 2018

Bevy of Bargain Boxsters – 2008 Unicorns

2008-porsche-boxster-photo-173511-s-986x603 The Porsche Boxster, like the Mazda Miata, gets maligned as not a serious sports car…usually by folks who don’t follow sports cars. And yet the Miata made Car and Driver’s 10 Best Car List 17 times, and the Boxster 14. I’ve driven a Boxster and I get it. (I would drive a Miata but at 6’4″ I just don’t fit.) The mid-engined boxer six cylinder is a pleasure to to push, and the handling, braking, and shifting are, as the Germans would say, präzise. Here’s the 2008 Car and Driver award for the Boxster. I’ve picked a pair of 2008 Boxster unicorns for my friend Doug, a gentleman in need of a vintage-feeling sports car. They’re 10-year-old cars with very, very low miles – driven only a few thousand yearly. I would still highly recommend the MaxCare bumper-to-bumper warranty for a few grand more – it will pay for itself in the first year no doubt. Here’s my two picks:

This second generation (987) 2008 Porsche Boxster checks all the boxes with a five-speed manual transmission, 2.7 liter flat six, 245 hp, and at under 2,900 pounds accomplishes 0-60 in under six seconds. Not a rocket, but the Boxster is as much about handling and braking as it is acceleration. And it will hit over 160mph – and get 28mpg (just not at the same time). This three owner car has circulated between Potomac, MD, Washington DC, and McLean, Virginia – affluent areas where my guess is the owners have not skimped on service – all while being driven less than 2,000 miles yearly. I’d still get the MaxCare warranty. Find it here in Dulles, Virginia. If the link is dead it’s sold, on hold, or being transferred.

2008 Porsche Boxster $26,998 20k Dulles

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My backup plan would be this 2008 Porsche Boxster in Los Angeles. It does everything the one in Virginia does, except it’s $3,000 cheaper and has double the miles – a whopping 45,000, which is still stupid low for a 10 year old car. It’s cheaper because it’s an automatic. Yeah, I know…..if it was a real sports car it would have a manual. But the Tiptronic automatic is as good as it gets for the times. It has a place in these parts as a daily driver, in traffic, juggling coffee and a cell phone and a bagel. I know – it’s the same transmission I have in Etta, my 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera unicorn. And it shifts pretty damned quick in manual mode, holding gears when pushing through an apex, or going through the gears on the highway commute. And I can vouch for the Bose stereo – replace the radio with a modern one, but PLEASE keep the amp and the speakers! It’s a two-owner southern car, spending its time in Texas and California. Find it here in Los Angeles. Same deal on the link.

2008 Porsche Boxster $23,599 45k LA