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

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Eight Unicorns For My Eighth Anniversary (Blogging)

This post is a little special. It marks the eighth anniversary of my little corner of the internet: The CarMax Unicorn Blog. Eight years of hunting down rare, fast, and sometimes impractical cars. While most people see CarMax as a place for gently used Civics and family-approved SUVs, I see it as a safari—where the occasional unicorn pops up between the beige herd. Today’s roundup? Eight unicorns worthy of the anniversary spotlight. Enjoy.

Opening with a sleeper, a 2014 Mercedes-Benz E550 sedan. Not an AMG, reasonably priced, low miles, well equipped. This car is for the more secure driver who doesn’t need to be flashy. That’s not me just yet. This car sold for maybe $65,000 new. Car and Driver said the “smooth twin-turbo V8” translates to “grandma’s luxury sedan that secretly eats Mustangs for breakfast.” (Sorry, Jerry.) This is also the last year for a V8 in a vanilla E-class that’s not an AMG version. I think that’s about the same time all 5-series V8’s for BMW became “M550’s”?

Above, we have a handsome interior where we can find adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, heated and cooling seats, and a panoramic sunroof. Below is the 4.6-liter twin-turbo V8, which produces 402 horsepower. With AWD, the Mercedes hits 60 mph in only 4.5 seconds. The same as Guenther, my 2004 S55 AMG. And this is not an AMG!

I love that this 2014 Mercedes E550 is priced less than $30k and has a ridiculously low 16,000 miles on it. Hardly broken in. This sleeper is coming soon to Omaha, NE. Track it here.

Stock No. 27507414 VIN WDDHF9BB2EB028372

The Mercedes is a very nice, very fast sedan, but it’s not rare with over 67,000 E-classes of all trim levels sold in the US in 2014. Below we have a 2016 Jaguar XJ Supercharged, more rare with only 3,834 units imported.

The 2016 Jaguar XJ Supercharged was also more expensive than the Mercedes when new, at perhaps $90,000. Car and Driver noted the “aluminum chassis, charismatic V8… basically a British muscle car wearing a tux.” I like the black and white scheme, like a Panda or cop car? Or a tux, but Car and Driver beat me to it.

Inside, we have the standard Jaguar interior, aka luxurious. This one has heated, cooling, and massaging seats, a heated steering wheel, adjustable suspension, and Meridian audio. Alas, no adaptive cruise control. I think the angry red shrieking Jaguar on the shift knob is a bit much, though.

The big cat sprints to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, a whisker below the Mercedes, thanks to the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 rated at 470 horsepower. Only rear wheel drive, though.

This more exclusive 2016 Jaguar XJ Supercharged is available here in Phoenix, AZ. At $34,998 and only 28,000 miles, it’s a solid, limited-run unicorn that will make you feel like you’re driving rich.

Stock No. 27206652 VIN SAJWA1CE7GMV94093

The Jaguar is nice for gentlemen (and ladies) wanting refined performance, and yet for something more visceral, more German, more raw, and more rare, I’d offer up the 2015 Audi RS7 below. Somewhere on the auto forums, it is said fewer than 2,000 of these hit our shores annually. In fact, of the “RS” Audis, only the RS5 broke 3,000 units sold! Audi only sold 8,000 or so “7” models combined (A7/S7/RS7) in 2015!

The 2015 Audi RS7 sold for maybe $110,000 when new a decade ago. This one is not as nicely appointed as the Jaguar, but it does feature adaptive cruise control, a heads-up display, and Bang & Olufsen audio.

Car and Driver buds liked its “supercar pace, hatchback practicality.” Translation: it’s a rocket ship with a Costco trunk. I have always loved the A7 shape, especially the earlier models, and the gigantic trunk.

The Audi RS7 is most badass under the hood, though, with a “tiny” 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 good for 560 horsepower, and with AWD and an 8-speed tiptronic transmission, it stomps to 60 mph in only 3.4 seconds.

This is a lot of car for $43,000, and given its high-performance drivetrain, MaxCare is a must. That will push you close to $50,000 out the door, and you’ll be pleased with how quickly you will go once out that door, I think. At the moment, this RS7 is on reserve in Cool Springs, TN. Here’s the link.

Stock No. 27430045 VIN WUAW2AFC6FN900489

Perhaps you like an Audi four-door, and yet you want something smaller, newer, and yet with spunk and exclusivity? And maybe you’re not obsessed with big motors like me? How about a more diminutive 2018 Audi RS3? It’s a good 20 inches shorter than the RS7, almost the same price, and half as many miles. Stunningly, it is just as quick as the RS7!

The 2018 Audi RS3 was a $60,000 car new. Car and Driver raved about the 5-cylinder noise “half rally car, half angry chainsaw.” The criticism at the time was that this was a lot of money for a small car with a cramped back seat. Now that it’s depreciated to $44k, it’s more reasonable. I’ve tracked CarMax RS3’s for a year or two, and they were all in the $50-60k range. This is the cheapest one I’ve seen to date.

Surprisingly, the RS3 features auto cruise control, which I did not expect. Also has Apple CarPlay, seat heaters, and a bunch of safety features, although not too much else in the way of appointments. It does have a 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder motor generating a whopping 400 horsepower. Coupled with the 7-speed dual-clutch automatic and AWD, it hits 60 in 3.5 seconds and has an Audi-claimed top speed of 174 mph.

This special little Audi RS3 is on its way to Puyallup, WA. Track it here.

Stock No. 27601964 VIN WUABWGFF9J1905332

Here in America, though, we love our SUV’s, especially ones with a third row. If this were a Zoom call, I’d ask how many of you have actually ridden in the third row as an adult. I have, in a Suburban, over bad roads, and I still need chiropractic work because of that (or so I think). When I bought my Mercedes GLE63 I deliberately avoided three-row SUV’s. I’ll never use the seats, and although minor, they do take up cargo space even when folded flat. A lot of folks want a third row, and some want high performance and unicorn exclusivity. The Mercedes GL63 AMG is all that and more.

The 2016 Mercedes-Benz GL63 AMG was the last year for GL’s before they were rebranded as “GLS” vehicles. Yes, you could enjoy a very nice GL550 (and here’s a nice Designo for about the same price), although the GL63 AMG adds the AMG Airmatic Sport Suspension, high-performance brakes, the AMG sport exhaust, and the AMG body styling – and 121 more horsepower! The GL63 easily sold for $120,000 new and is a quarter of that now. That’s some wonderful depreciation for us unicorn hunters.

This SUV has heated, cooling, and massaging seats, a heated steering wheel, a Harman Kardon audio system, a rear entertainment system, automated parking, adjustable suspension, and, while it doesn’t say it has adaptive cruise control, looking at the steering wheel stalks, I have a hunch it does. Loaded.

The GL63 is powered by a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 rated at 550 horsepower, and with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission and AWD, will hit 60 mph in 4.8 seconds. Car and Driver reviewed it and said, “Imagine a 5,800-pound family hauler that thinks it’s a drag racer. Terrifying and hilarious.”

In addition to being luxurious, fast, and rare, this once-$120,000 SUV is now $33,998 and has only 36,000 miles. This is a steal. Track this family hauling race car here. It’s reserved in Killeen, TX, where everything is big.

Stock No. 27637669 VIN 4JGDF7EE1GA679032

Maybe you haven’t started a family yet, or are an empty nester like me, and have no interest in an SUV at this time. Well, like the RS3, the car below has now dipped into unicorn pricing territory and is a bit special – the BMW M850i xDrive. I was fortunate enough to attend the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2019 when the car made its U.S. debut. As the successor to the 6-series, it seemed big and exotic as a grand touring coupe. Sometimes, though, I look at it from the side and see Mustang. Car and Driver thought Accord Coupe. BMW owners don’t pay $112,000 to be confused with a Ford or Honda. And it certainly doesn’t have the panache of the first-generation 8-series, with its hideaway headlights and V-12, a good 25 years ago.

The 2019 BMW M850 I xDrive may not be a stunner outside, but it’s a world-class performance car and damned nice inside. It’s a lovely cockpit, although not loaded. Apple CarPlay, heated steering wheel, Harman Kardon audio, heads up display, and heated and air-conditioned seats. But damn, those seats look comfortable.

As with all modern BMW V8’s, they get the “M” moniker even if not a full “M-series” car. It doesn’t matter. The M850 has the same 4.4 liter twin turbo, although amped up to 523 horsepower. With an eight-speed ZF transmission and AWD it hits 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, the quickest of the eight cars I’m including today. For what it’s worth, a true “M8” coupe can be had from CarMax for another $20,000, and that buys you another 94 horses, and only a tenth of a second or two faster. Worth it?

You can find this 2019 BMW M850 here in Irvine, CA, where it’s currently on reserve.

Stock No. 27453214 VIN WBABC4C52KBU96194

The BMW is a big two-seater. If you’re in the market for something more nimble, and even a convertible, how about a Porsche Boxster with less miles for less money? The one below is the only one in the unicorn range (<$45,000 / <60,000 miles), and CarMax only has three at any price. They used to carry far more. Same with Caymans – only a handful anymore. What gives?

This is a 2015 Porsche Boxster, and a pretty basic one at that. Heated and air-conditioned seats, Bluetooth….and parking sensors. Not even a rear-view camera. But it is a terrific handling Porsche and quick enough. Car and Driver considers the Boxster “the gold standard for ‘fun with the top down‘.” Porsche sold just over 3,000 of these in 2015.

Inside the Boxster is the same as the Cayman and 911. This is a third-generation Boxster, the first originating in 1996, and it’s one newer than Etta, the 2008 Porsche 911 I enjoyed for a few years. I can tell you once I got the seat angled just right, I never had to adjust it again, even on long trips, and was always comfortable. And I’m 6’4 220 lbs. Unfortunately, the Boxster has no back seat, and the firewall prevents reclining much at all, so I cannot fit in one.

That’s the rear trunk above, and the front trunk below. Or is it the other way around? Unlike the rear-engined 911, the Boxster is mid-engined and thus the extra trunk in the back! If there was a picture of the motor, that’s where I would share that the base model is a 2.7-liter flat six rated at 265 horsepower, and only 206 ft-lbs of torque. It has a seven-speed dual clutch automatic and zips to 60 in about 5 seconds flat. The Boxster doesn’t accelerate as quickly as any other car in this group of eight, and yet the handling, the open-air cockpit, and the wail of the flat-six make for a spectacular motoring experience.

After the 2016 model year, Porsche switched to a turbo-four in the Boxster and Cayman (as 718 Boxsters and 718 Caymans), a different sound. Although the 2015 Boxster sold for around $50,000, and this one hasn’t depreciated much in 10 years, it’s the cheapest Porsche sports car CarMax has. This low-mileage 2015 Boxster is on reserve in Oxnard, CA. Here’s the link.

Stock No. 27426885 VIN WP0CA2A89FS120662

Sometimes my blog posts make it seem like I have a bias towards European cars, and it only seems that way because, well, I have a bias for European cars. I’ve been obsessed with cars since I was a boy, and when I moved to Germany in the Army at the age of 20 (still a boy), I was overwhelmed by the variety of enthusiast cars. But I’ve also owned Toyotas, Hondas, Acuras, and even a Mazda RX-7. So to wrap this up, I looked to the East for something unusual and found this.

This being a 2015 Hyundai Genesis Ultimate. Why? It’s a big coupe, based on the Hyundai Genesis sedan platform, featuring a V6 engine, a manual transmission, low mileage, and a low price. Sometimes I rue not having a stick shift anymore, now that my Fiat 124 is gone, and I run through the CarMax inventory looking for a cheap three-pedaler just to thrash through the back roads. This seemed to be a “good enough” coupe.

Inside, we have a decent cabin with seat heaters, Bluetooth, navigation, an Infinity sound system, and a six-speed shifter. What else would you need in a spare car?

Usually, I’d say a lot, but this is less than $24,000. Only 34,000 miles. And even though the venerable ten-year, 100,000-mile Hyundai drive train warranty has expired, I’d pass on MaxCare. This is not an unreliable car, nor an expensive one to fix. That said, it’s been suggested that the Hyundai Genesis coupe is a good candidate for drifting, and if that’s your plan, maybe MaxCare is in order?

The 2015 Hyundai Genesis Ultimate might be a tough sell as a unicorn, although there aren’t too many of these coupes. I recall the hoot I had driving a 6MT Nissan Altima coupe cross-country a couple of times for a friend, and this Hyundai reminds me of that car. Someone is having the 2015 Hyundai Genesis Ultimate shipped to Albany, NY. Track it here.

Stock No. 27131119 VIN KMHHU6KJ0FU130566

That’s a wrap for my eighth anniversary blog. I am grateful for the comments and the email exchanges we’ve had about your experiences with your own unicorn hunts. Still hovering at about 200 email subscribers for the last few years, so I think I’ll keep poking around the CarMax web page every day, hoping to find something unusual that would make someone say, “You bought that at CarMax?!” Thanks for hanging in there with me.

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Quick Hit – 2014 Mercedes CL550. One of 410? The Prequel to the S-Coupe.

The 2014 Mercedes CL550 was the final year for the model before it was retooled as the S-Coupe, and only 410 were sold in the USA – some as AMG models, of course. Qualifies easily as a unicorn. It’s a Grand Tourer, but far more luxurious than performance-oriented, like the Jaguar XKR covered earlier this week. It’s also quite understated. On the rare occasion I see one on the road, I have to do a double-take to make sure it’s not an E-class, or even a C!

While that low profile makes it a bit of a sleeper, this was once maybe a $130,000 car, and folks who spend that much tend to want to be seen, I suppose? Inside, it’s all luxury. From the B-pillar, if it had one, forward, the cabin is identical to my beloved and former S600. The car is loaded – 10 out of 10 per CarMax. Heated and cooling and massaging seats. Heated steering wheel. Distronic adaptive cruise control. Sunrood. Power rear sunshade. It’s a fantastic ride.

What’s not wonderful is the back seat below. I suspect it’s not uncomfortable once back there, but not since I owned a 1986 Merkur XR4ti have I had to open a two-door, flip the seat back forward, and watch grown adults do the limbo into a coupe back seat. It ain’t natural. Or healthy. And as I’m learning with my two-door M3, as I get older, even tossing a gym bag or twelve-pack into the back seat of a two-door is getting harder and harder. Everything goes in the passenger seat or trunk. But if that’s not a problem for you, this is a wonderful two-seater. Or a four-seater if you’re cruel to passengers.

The trunk in the coupe looks the same as that in a four-door S-class, but it’s almost two cubic feet smaller. Still room for a couple of suitcases, though. For two.

Yes! Night vision assist! If you’re new to the blog…I had this in my S600 and thought it was cool as hell, but pretty much useless. I loved showing it off to friends, and I once tried to see how far down the interstate I could drive looking only at the NVG display in the dash, but it’s kind of a novelty. And I kind of want it again.

Below we have the 4.7-liter twin-turbo V-8 powerplant, the same as in the 2014 S550 sedan, and the S550 coupe that succeeded the CL550 in 2015. It makes 429 horsepower and 516 ft-lbs of torque at only 1800rpm. That, along with AWD and a seven-speed transmission, will move this 4,700-pound coupe to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. Impressive.

The 2014 Mercedes CL550 is a bargain at $31,000 and only has 31,000 miles on it. It’s got a lot of life left, especially with MaxCare. The car was right up the road from me in Laurel, Maryland. But since I bookmarked it, someone arranged to have it shipped to Irvine, California. That’s a hefty $2,000 shipping fee! You can track it here, should they oddly choose not to buy it.

StockNo: 27666951 VIN: WDDEJ9EBXEA032088

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Quick Hit – 2014 Jaguar XKR. One of 3,341. Or 27,612?

The short version is the Jaguar XKR is one of my favorite CarMax unicorns, and I’m sure it’s in the top three or four “ones that got away” for me. (The others, you ask? The VW Phaeton, the Audi A-8 W12, a BMW M6 V10, and the Audi S6 V10!) I’ve test-driven a few (see my links at the bottom!) and always come away loving that much horsepower in such a beautiful silhouette. And every time there was just one thing wrong, real or imagined, that kept me from buying. This one is a 2014. Jaguar stopped making these in 2015. Given the loose CarMax policy of offering European cars up to 12 years old, that means you (I?) have maybe two more years to snag a Jaguar XKR. As far as I can tell from internet research, Jaguar imported 3,341 of these into the US in 2014, and 27,612 XK’s from 1996 until 2015. I see one, and probably not the same one, around Northern Virginia every two or three months. When driving coast to coast, I almost never do until I hit the West Coast.

Inside, you cannot tell the XKR cockpit from the XF or the XJ. The front seats, center console, and dash are all the same. It’s comfortable enough, unless your sales representative wedges the key lockbox behind the driver’s seat, and you lose three inches of legroom (which happened to me). Not the most modern interior, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s a Jaguar Grand Touring Coupe. Based on the Aston Martin DB7. This one has air-conditioned and heated seats, a heated steering wheel, Bowers & Wilkins audio, nav, and a rear-view camera. Rain-sensing wipers and Bluetooth. That’s about it. Not even a sunroof. The first XK I transferred to my dealership said it had a sunroof and it didn’t, so I declined. Jaguar never offered a sunroof in the XK.

It’s not about the interior, though, is it? I mean, yes, that’s where the driver spends most of their time, but the Jaguar XKR experience is about the shape (being seen), the motor (being heard), and the performance (being respected!). The motor is an aluminum, 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 that makes a glorious 510 horsepower. The car sprints to 60 in just under four seconds. And the bonnet opens backwards, as a real British car should.

What about reliability, you ask? Mixed bag. I asked ChatGPT. “The 2014 XKR is reliable for a Jaguar” it tells me, and the italics are ChatGPT’s – not mine! Yes, there may be electrical gremlins and water pump failures, and that’s why we do MaxCare. Unfortunately, there are a few other issues: “front suspension bushings and control arms may wear prematurely—common in heavy GTs.” And radiators may leak. Sometimes the thermostat housing cracks after 60,000 miles. But the supercharged engine and ZF 6-speed automatic transmission are battle-tested and survive well. Since these last few aren’t covered by MaxCare, it’s crucial to have them all inspected by an independent shop as soon as you purchase the car. You have 10 days to return it, no questions asked (I have returned two). You also have a free 90-day, 4,000-mile warranty to fix things not covered later under Maxcare. The point is it’s okay to buy a car with potential gremlins, provided you are aggressive in identifying them while CarMax is on the hook to fix them. That’s what we do in order to drive a (once) $100,000 high-performance British car for $35k.

At the moment, this four-owner, accident-free California and Colorado car is on reserve here in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It has less than 25,000 miles and seems like a lot of cachet for $36k! Track it, buy it, and track it some more!

Stockno: 27629636 VIN: SAJWA4DC2EMB53261

Some of my previous posts on Jaguar XK’s and XKR’s include:

The time I took a train to Raleigh in 2017 to look at a Jaguar XK. Failed. (But rented a fast Chevy Camaro SS and drove home at high speed in the night!)

The time in 2022 I transferred an XKR to my dealer, and the wedged lockbox squeezed me out.

The cheapest XKR I ever spotted at CarMax.

The cheapest XK I ever spotted at CarMax.

Another XKR I transferred in, but passed and bought a 911 instead.

My first blog post ever in August 2017 included an XK! (Damn, I need to start working on an eighth anniversary post.)

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Quick Hit – One More (Bargain) and Last of My Kind BMW M3 V-8!

The CarMax search engine continues to flummox me, almost eight years after I started this blog and 12 years since I bought Guenther, my first CarMax unicorn. Last night, I did a search that surfaced the 2013 BMW M3 convertible below, similar to, but better than, my own, and I downloaded and drafted some photos into this blog post. Today, on a whim, I wondered how many European cars remain in the CarMax inventory, given they tend to limit holdings to 11 years, as opposed to 12 for everything else. A long time ago, CarMax told me the guidelines were 10 for Euros and 12 for the rest, and yet I’ve found that to be squishy. At the moment, CarMax has 1,708 2013 models of all kinds, of which only 25 are European makes (all BMW’s and VW’s). Clearly, they are being phased out. Oddly, this 2013 M3 does not show up when I search for all 2013 European cars. But it’s here.

I’ve always been intrigued by what unique cars will no longer be available from CarMax once the 11, 12, or 13-year sunset timeline hits. As noted last time I found one of these BMW’s, 2013 was the final year for V-8’s in the M3. Soon, you won’t be able to snatch one and protect it with MaxCare. Here’s one more chance; this car is a great deal.

BMW stuffed a V-8 into the M3 from 2008 to 2013, in the E90 (sedan), E92 (coupe), and E93 (convertible). It’s the only generation of M3’s to sport a V-8 engine, making the E93 the only V-8 convertible combination. That said, BMW made maybe 30,000 of these, so it ain’t all that rare. This one, with less than 18,000 miles after 12 years, is a bit unusual.

For me, I love having a V-8 M3, and I love having a convertible, and I love that the hard top convertible gives me the best of all worlds – a beautiful convertible when it’s sunny, and far quieter with the roof up than in a soft top. And unlike most soft tops, it looks darned good with the roof up. I know modern M3’s with a twin-turbo inline six is faster and I don’t care. A V-8 with an 8,400 rpm red line is pure joy.

Inside, the M3 cabin is sports coupe efficient. Note the seat extensions, perfect for holding Pop-Tarts during commutes. The interior looks brand new. The features are few – no rear view camera (parking sensors only). There are rain-sensing wipers, Bluetooth, and navigation. I stumbled on a fascinating audio feature, however, that allows me to rip CD’s to an internal 12gb hard drive. I absolutely love it, since I have hundreds of CD’s from the old days. Wish I had this in all my cars!

The heart and soul of the E93 is the 4.0-liter, naturally aspirated V-8, pushing 414 horsepower to the rear wheels. The dual-clutch, seven-speed transmission nudges the M3 to 4.4-second 0-60 mph sprints. And it sounds awesome doing so. There’s an “M” button on the steering wheel that allows for tailoring the engine, transmission, and suspension to a number of customizable configurations. I set my “M” button to be the max for all. I really got a kick out of letting my friend “Jerry” drive the M3 in “M” mode when I first got it, and for a bit, we were wondering why the dash was dinging audibly as he screamed up a deserted road. It turns out my configuration turned off rev limiting, and he was zooming past 9,000 rpm! (Redline is 8,400.) We laughed all the way to the bar. The M3 is also extraordinarily balanced in handling and braking. It’s quite the all-around driver’s car.

Above, we have an example of CarMax publishing photos of cosmetic imperfections on select cars. They include this shot of the driver’s door, and yet in all the other photos, I can’t see a problem. The car is a two-owner, accident-free model that’s been in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Henderson, Kentucky, from the start. It’s here in Bakersfield, California. When new, it sold for perhaps $80,000 and is quite reasonably priced at $34k. I don’t know of anything new that’s this much visceral fun for that amount. Of course, I love MaxCare, although like the Porsche 911 I once owned, my M3 has only this year broken enough to recover what I spent on MaxCare (most of that was a $2,000 audio amplifier failure!). And still, CarMax is no longer sharing on the web what the MaxCare terms are – used to be five years and 125,000-mile cap on European cars. I need to call them and ask why the change.

It would be tempting to sell my 50,000-mile 2013 M3 and replace it with this 18,000-mile M3 and reset the clock. It really is a blast to drive, especially topless, and I love it. But I still have dreams of replacing mine with a 911 next year, when I’m down to one year (but maybe 60,000 miles) of Maxcare. Make me an offer? This M3 is currently reserved here at LAX, California. This may be the only airport CarMax I’ve ever heard of.

Stock No: 27114919 VIN: WBSDX9C56DE785473

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Reporting from Le Mans (Sort Of) – A Very Nice and Reasonably Priced 2014 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon

Even on vacation, I’m scrolling through the CarMax app for unicorns, and believe I added this 2014 Cadillac CTS-V wagon to my “saved” profile while in France mid-June for the 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (my sixth). In my head, there was a loose connection between this Cadillac with a Corvette engine, the Cadillac Hertz #12 car (below) that came in fifth overall (fourth after the cheating #50 Ferrari was DQ’d), and the #81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R that finished on the podium third in LMGT3 – but there are lots of loose connections in my head in general. I couldn’t write until I got back to the USA. More on Le Mans later – back to the Cadillac CTS-V wagon.

Cadillac introduced the wagon version of the CTS-V in 2011, but only made them through 2014. With perhaps 2,000 units sold, it’s a unicorn (514 manual models are definitely unicorns!). “The CTS-V wagon shares the 556 hp (415 kW) engine and six-speed manual or automatic transmission, Magnetic Ride Control, Brembo brakes, 19-inch aluminum wheels and performance tires, and a dual-airflow grille also used in the CTS-V sedan and coupe.” – Wiki. Motor Trend tested an identical CTS-V wagon in 2014, achieving 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. This made it the quickest CTS-V sedan or wagon they had tested to date, matching the exact same timing as the 50th anniversary Porsche 911. The wagon also pulled 0.93 g in lateral acceleration. Not bad for a 4,400 lb “family” car.

By modern standards, the car is fairly average inside, featuring seat heaters, navigation, and Bose audio, but lacking in other technology and convenience features. It’s a driver’s car, and I have to remind myself that not all drivers are as soft and old as I am, insisting on features like seat massagers, heated steering wheels, and automatic cruise control. It’s actually a nice interior if you don’t want the fancy stuff. Underneath, the car has Magnetic Ride Control and Brembo brakes. Performance oriented.

The Cadillac has a giant cargo bay with or without the seats down. Great road trip car, except for the 14 city/19 highway miles per gallon. You pay a price for the horsepower.

The Cadillac CTS-V features a six-speed automatic transmission, making it less rare than a manual, but no less impressive in terms of speed. And look at CarMax’s key photo. Are they trying to make me think it comes with two keys by showing the emergency key in the photo? Shame.

The heart and soul of the Cadillac CTS-V wagon is the 6.2-liter supercharged V-8, based on the Corvette LS9 (from the ZR1), which produces 556 horsepower. Historically, the small block motor has been quite reliable; yet, I’d still opt for Maxcare, given some reports of trouble with the Magnetic Ride Control shocks and leaking rear differentials. Honestly, I suspect the shocks are not covered by MaxCare, but an inspection during the first 90 days or 4,000 miles should tell you if they’re healthy. If not, insist on replacement by CarMax or return the car and get your money back.

Typically, an American car like this would be eligible for MaxCare for an additional five years and up to 150,000 odometer miles. Oddly, CarMax has dropped the MaxCare terms on its website for all cars, it seems. What’s up with that? I will have to ask them and report back. I dislike this intensely.

Today, there are 18 CTS-V wagons on Autotrader and six on Cars.com. Not a lot out there. One has almost the same mileage and is $6,000 more. A few have only 10-15,000 miles and are selling for astronomical prices ($90k), and a few of the rare manual transmission models are also commanding high prices. This one is very reasonably priced at $57k and 32,000 miles. The 2014 Cadillac CTS-V wagon was sold new for approximately $75,000. In eleven years, it hasn’t depreciated all that much, but it is an unusual, limited-production car. At the moment, this Cadillac is being shipped to Ellicott City, MD, near Baltimore. Here’s the link to track it.

Stock No: 26709277 VIN: 1G6DV8EP8E0125037

KEEP SCROLLING FOR MY LE MANS JIBBER JABBER

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Quick Hit – Low Mileage “Old School” Land Rover LR4

Fifteen years ago, Land Rover introduced the fourth generation of the Discovery, and wanting to distance it from the reliability challenges of that line, dropped the Discovery label and simply called it the LR4. So I am told. I’ve always loved the boxy look of the LR4, or any SUV for that matter, and was commenting on that just last week when visiting my oldest son, and we took a spin in his first-generation Ford Escape. Loved that box, too. The LR4 is a way upscale version of the Ford Escape. Tell me I’m wrong.

The LR4 had a good run through 2016, and Land Rover brought back the “Disco” for 2017. Here we have a 2015 Land Rover LR4 HSE Lux, a top-of-the-line model, and one with 6,278 miles on it. That’s crazy low miles for a 10-year-old SUV. Makes it a pretty much brand new yet extinct unicorn, its own special category. When new, this Brit-Ute was priced in the mid-$60,000 range. It’s only depreciated by a third since. My 2021 GLE63 AMG depreciated by that much in two years. I should know better.

The LR4 has a nicely appointed interior. Heated steering wheel, Meridian audio, normal safety stuff like lane departure and blind spot warnings, navigation, and so on, but really nothing fancy or high-tech. I remain shocked at how much technology is in my daughter’s new Hyundai Tucson. Same price, but not the panache of a Land Rover. This LR4 has third-row seating that, like most, looks forced and uncomfortable. As if marketing told the designers we HAVE to have third row seats to be competitive, and the designers bolted in fancy leather beach chairs. I don’t fancy them at all.

But how does it perform? First, I was surprised and disappointed that this LR4 only has the 3.0-liter supercharged six-cylinder. I prefer the power of a V-8. The six makes 340 horsepower and 332 ft-lbs of torque, which isn’t awful, but the 0-60 time is in the mid-seven-second range, and the mileage is less than 20 mpg. Worst of both worlds. But the LR4 is a bona fide off-roading pro, even though it’s luxurious and a bit dated. I do recall old Car and Driver SUV comparisons in which the LR4 almost always came in last over well-appointed competition, and yet the reviewers noted during the off-roading part of the testing, when the other SUV’s got stuck, they always used the LR4 to extract the wounded. Admirable.

Let’s get back to that reliability thing. I asked Chat GPT to summarize the reliability challenges, and it did so below. I don’t think the naming convention mattered all that much.

But reliability and expensive repairs don’t phase us CarMax unicorn folks, because we ALWAYS shift the financial risk to CarMax by buying the MaxCare extended warranty, don’t we? And with MaxCare, you can drive this old-school SUV another 118,000 miles over five years pretty much worry-free. Oh, things will break, and you’ll be annoyed, but you won’t have to pay for the repairs. In between, you’ll have alovely and rugged legendary British SUV to make your way around town and country.

This 2015 Land Rover LR4 HSE Lux is a one-owner, accident-free, hardly driven car that has spent its life in Wisconsin and Kentucky. And it’s now coming soon here in Cincinnati. The price is a bit steep and the features few, but it is pristine and a bit exclusive.

Stock No: 26484472 VIN: SALAK2V65FA756099

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Quick Hit – A “Vanilla” Mercedes S600 V12!

Last week, a West Coast CarMax offered a rare 2016 Mercedes-Benz Maybach S600 for $51,998. Wrote about it here. This week, an East Coast CarMax makes available this stunner, a 2015 Mercedes-Benz S600 (non-Maybach) unicorn that I think is a far better deal as a beautiful daily driver. Slightly lower price. Ridiculously low miles. Same performance.

The “vanilla” S600 is above, the Maybach below. There is a subtle difference. The Maybach is stretched a good eight inches over the standard S600. Of course, the Maybach is far more exclusive and the benchmark for “driving rich.” Both cars are selling for about the same as the average new car price for 2025 and are anything but average.

Back to the 2015 S600. It’s got an unblemished cream interior and looks like a Designo, but I cannot tell for sure. It’s got everything: heated, cooled, and massaging seats, a heated steering wheel, automated cruise control, night vision, Bang & Olufsen audio, and rear seat entertainment. It has a heads-up display, although it is not listed in the features.

The backseats are the same, but different. Both have footrests and rear seat entertainment, but you can see the extra legroom in the Maybach from the extra eight-inch wheelbase. Otherwise, with reclining and massaging rear seats in both, they are quite similar.

No dummy/blanks in the dashboard feature section and two keys! The Maybach only had one. Edge to the vanilla S600. And the mats in the trunk of the S600 below look pristine. This car has hardly been driven (or somebody threw in some new mats?)

Both the 2015 S600 and the 2016 Maybach S600 share the same motor – a smooth as silk 6.0-liter V-12 that makes 523 horsepower and 612 ft-lbs of torque. Because the “base” S600 is lighter than the Maybach by 300 pounds, it sprints to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, a hair quicker than the 4.7-second Maybach. Both are governed to a top speed of 130 mph. For the record, I was surprised rolling through Texas in my former 2010 S600 when I went for top speed to learn that it was also governed at 130! Times have not changed.

At the moment, this 2015 Mercedes S600 is reserved here, at my very own Dulles, Virginia dealership. I have signed up for an email alert should it become available again. I may want to drive it. The Maybach sold new for nearly $200,000, and this 2015 S600 for maybe $170,000. The Maybach has 55,000 miles and is selling for $51,998. The S600 is priced at $49,998 and only has 17,000 miles. MaxCare is available for five more years and up to 125,000 miles. The Maybach is more exclusive, and the rear seat condo is nice if you want to coddle your passengers. However, the 2015 S600 is a very nice sleeper and is just as fine up front for the driver. Honestly, if the S600 had Apple CarPlay and self-driving, I’d seriously consider jettisoning my GLE63 and buying this car. It’s gorgeous. And a bargain.

Stock No: 27275187 VIN: WDDUG7GB8FA192287

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A First! A “Bargain” Maybach S600 at CarMax. 1 of 500?

It’s been a dozen years since I bought Guenther, my first Mercedes unicorn, and 7 1/2 years I’ve been blogging about CarMax cars, and in all that time, I’ve never seen a Maybach for sale by CarMax. Imagine my surprise to see this one for just over $51,000. Beautiful, rare, 2016 Mercedes-Benz Maybach S600. A V-12.

The 2016 Maybach sold for around $200,000 new, which also surprised me – I had presumed it was much more than a vanilla (if there’s such a thing) S600 or even an S65 AMG, both high-end V-12 S-Class Mercedes models, too. It’s tough to find production numbers, but estimates on the web suggest that 10% of Maybachs are sold in the USA, which translates to 500-600 per year. More unicorn credentials.

The Maybach has almost everything I want in a big Merc. Automated cruise control, heads-up display, seat massagers, heated and cooling seats, heated steering wheel, Burmester audio, and automated parking. The sedan even has the business-class footrests in the back, which I’ve never had. I sat in a CarMax S65 once that had them, and I was too tall to fully extend the seats and sit comfortably. It doesn’t matter – I got no chauffeur and my wife would refuse to drive my S-Class cars anyway. The Maybach has rear seat entertainment, which I had in my S600, and no one ever watched a DVD in the years I had it.

You can see from the panel below that the car is equipped with night vision, which I loved having in my S600, even though it was pretty useless other than as a novelty. Cool to show friends at night. What the car doesn’t have, which I now must have after owning a GLE63 AMG, is autonomous driving and Apple CarPlay. You could probably add CarPlay, although I’d be reluctant to putz with the Burmester. It also has ONE KEY. Still bullshit, CarMax.

The bonus beyond the exclusivity and luxury appointments is the big V-12. It’s a 6.0-liter twin-turbo engine making 523 horsepower and an impressive 612 ft-lbs of torque at just 1,900 rpm. The Motor Trend review gushed at a 0-60 mph sprint in only 4.8 seconds, but I’m not terribly impressed. That’s about the same as Guenther, my 2004 S55 AMG, and my 2010 S600 ran. I expected more. On the other hand, handling at 0.90 lateral G for a 2 1/2-ton sedan was quite good. I can’t imagine rear-seat passengers finding that acceptable. That’ll get the chauffeur fired.

This nine-year-old Maybach has had three owners in Houston, Las Vegas, and El Cajon. It’s accident-free. MaxCare is available up to 125,000 miles and for another five years. And you don’t want this Maybach without MaxCare! I suspect it will cost around $7,000, and I expect you’ll recover that at least three times over. Find this beautiful car here in Murrieta, California. It’s currently reserved, and you can track it using the stock number or VIN below as well. I predict it will sell very quickly, or linger around for a long time, like the 2016 S65 AMG coupe that I swear has been moving from CarMax dealership to dealership for over a year. Time will tell.

Stock No: 27270523 VIN: WDDUX7GB0GA199946

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Quick Hit – Mustangs for a Friend

1969 Mustang – Photo by Gill Billington. Check out his collection here.

I have a good friend—we’ll call him “Jerry” to respect his privacy—who once owned a 1969 Mustang as a young man. It’s not the one above, but you get the picture. “Jerry” is no longer a young man and is probably retiring after a successful career and about to begin a second one, likely making more money. I made more money in my second career, and “Jerry” is way smarter than me, so I’m confident in my logic. His next career may or may not involve commuting. “Jerry” is pondering his next car purchase and ping-ponging between a rational choice and something more exciting.

“Jerry” is a car guy. As his friend, I think it’s my responsibility to help him weigh the pros and cons of a sound purchase and then do all possible to encourage him to ignore all that and jump into a badass Mustang with both feet. Let’s quickly run through an assortment of Mustang unicorns, although unfortunately, there are no Dark Horse models, his favorite, at this time. We all have to make compromises.

I couldn’t help but start with an older red Mustang because it’s currently the cheapest Mustang V-8 in the CarMax inventory. (We won’t even entertain a four- or six-cylinder Mustang.) This is a 2014 model, the last year before the car came with an independent rear suspension. Car and Driver described it this way: “This fifth-generation Mustang felt like a reborn car, even if its solid axle is to automotive componentry what the polyester leisure suit is to modern menswear. The Mustang fully exploited its mix of new and old tech to win multiple comparison tests, knocking off higher-powered offerings from Dodge and Chevy in the process. Not insignificantly, it also collected three consecutive 10Best trophies (2011–13).” I did not know the Mustang was honored as one of their 10 Best three years in a row!

Automatic transmission, cruise control, MP3 jack, and a CD player. Surprisingly, Bluetooth. No seat heaters or rear-view camera. This isn’t a car for commuting. Drop your first private sector executive bonus check on this and drive it in your spare time. Spend the rest on a responsible second car.

It does have two keys, even if they aren’t very smart. It also has the 420 horsepower 5.0-liter V-8 motor that hits 60 mph in 4.5 seconds – about the same as in newer Mustang GT’s. And despite the criticism of the rear axle, the car spins for .94 lateral G on the skidpad. Ron Session of Car and Driver also said this car “is one of the best 1965 Mustangs I’ve ever driven. Modern shock tuning has done wonders with the ox-cart rear axle.”

This two-owner, accident-free 2014 Ford Mustang GT is currently reserved here in Riverside, California. It’s high mileage, and yet you can get Maxcare for another five years and up to 150,000 miles. This could be your car if you’re looking for low-dollar Mustang fun. And it does have a red steering wheel. There’s that.

Stock No: 27152830 VIN: 1ZVBP8CF1E5257291

When I moaned in a previous post that if I could just get over my fixation with horsepower, there’s probably a more logical car for me than my 600-hp 2021 Mercedes GLE63 AMG, blog reader Nate wrote a comment: “Don’t stop chasing the horsepower! Never acquiesce!” If it’s horsepower you want, in a Mustang or any CarMax unicorn, this 2021 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 with 760 horsepower should fit the bill. And the bill is quite costly.

The Shelby GT500 continued in 2021 after the Shelby GT350 was discontinued. It sold for $75,000 and up – way up with the track package – and was the most expensive Mustang you could get. Four years later, it’s selling for about the same. So much for depreciated unicorns. My buds at Car and Driver said, “The Shelby GT500 mixes the accessibility of a Mustang with the excessive thrills of a rollercoaster.“

Before we get to performance, let’s cover the more civilized features: heated and air-conditioned seats, Apple CarPlay, and remote start. The car even has Wifi, so you can pay your tickets online from the road.

I dig the race car toggle switches, including the one to make the exhaust louder. I don’t dig the skimpy one key for a $90,000 car. Not sure how I feel about the rotary PRNDL. It doesn’t look or feel like a muscle car shifter to me. The push-button manual mode might be nice.

The supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 (did I mention it has 760 horsepower?!) and 7-speed dual-clutch automatic will scream the car to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, and hit a claimed 180 mph top end. The suspension is good for a .99 lateral G on the skidpad, and much more with the track package. I cannot tell, but I do not believe this car has the $18,000 Carbon Fiber Track Pack. It don’t need it.

I expect “Jerry” to buy this car when he begins his next career with a huge signing bonus, stock options, and a generous car allowance. Negotiate hard, my friend. You deserve this. You can find this 2021 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 here in Clearwater, Florida, although it’s also on reserve for now. It only has 12,000 miles, but get MaxCare anyway.

Stock No: 27147030 VIN: 1FA6P8SJ0M5500152

If the 2014 Mustang GT is too cheap, and the 2021 GT500 too expensive, then perhaps we should be looking for the Goldilocks “just right” GT. I limited the price and mileage, and checked the boxes for some modern stuff to make the car more enjoyable for commutes and road trips alike. Those selections spit out a very nice 2021 Ford Mustang GT Premium with both the California and Performance packages.

This Mustang has a proper six-speed manual transmission and automatic cruise control. It also has heated and air-conditioned seats, a heated steering wheel, Apple CarPlay, Bang & Olufsen audio (with a CD player!), automatic high beam headlights, and all the safety stuff like lane departure and blind spot warnings. This is a very modern Mustang.

Car and Driver suggested, “Sticking with the standard manual transmission, we’d opt for the GT Performance package, which adds upgraded Brembo front brakes, a limited-slip differential, stickier summer tires, unique chassis tuning, and more.” What’s the California Package, you ask? It’s a $2,000 option that includes the upgrades below. I looked hard at the CarMax photos, and all I could see was the “California Package” badge on the strut brace. You have to zoom in a couple of times, but it’s there. I couldn’t find the “faux gas cap on rear appliqué,” but I’m not sure I want to. Sounds cheesy.

The California Special Package includes:
•19-inch machined-face aluminum wheels with high-gloss Ebony Black-painted pockets
•Side stripe
•California Special badge on strut-tower base
•Pedestal rear spoiler
•Miko® suede seat inserts with GT/CS logo and red contrast stitching
•Unique grille with offset tri-bar Pony logo
•Side scoops
•Unique instrument panel badge with California Special script
•Faux gas cap on rear appliqué

The 2021 Mustang GT Premium with the Performance package makes 460 horsepower and runs to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. The top end is governed 155 mph.

CarMax has just over 50,000 cars on the lots today; of those, 510 are Mustangs. Only 162 are V-8’s, and 135 are coupes (“Jerry” doesn’t want a noisy soft-top convertible, I know). Cap the price tag at $40,000, mileage at 40,000, and check a few features like Apple CarPlay and auto cruise control. We are down to just eight cars. This 2021 Ford Mustang GT Premium with the California and Performance packages may be “just right” for “Jerry”. It’s not reserved – just “Coming Soon” to Modesto, California. (I wonder what Californians think of the “California Package”?) Track it here if you want to know when it becomes available.

Stock No: 26643217 VIN: 1FA6P8CF6M5117813

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Spring Is In The Air – 12 Convertibles for Less Than $40k

Don’t Judge Me For Trying

Spring is in the air, and spring is in my step (the knee replacement recovery going very well), so I thought I’d fire up the M3 and go for a top-down drive. Granted, I only started it once in January, and the battery was low, but surely a jump from the big Merc and all would be good. But it wasn’t. My excellent CarMax service tech Ryan suggested leaving the cars attached for a bit to add juice to the BMW, and while that made the cockpit lights and dash work, it would not fire up. The Mercedes became the most expensive trickle charger ever. I summoned MaxCare roadside assistance, and Tony brought a 240 amp battery pack that jumped the BMW, but it totally died when I attempted to drive it and charge up the system. So he towed it to CarMax, and we shall see if there’s anything more to the problem than a two-year-old dead battery.

Last year, I used the springtime solar eclipse as an excuse to write about 10 convertible unicorns. Today, my broken M3 is my motivation. My criteria, as always, are arbitrary: Fun, fast, cheap, and not too common. (It sounds like my ideal date in high school.) I ditched Miatas and Minis not because they aren’t good cars; there are just too many of them out there. I will run through these 12 unicorns quickly, from cheapest to most expensive.

Budget Drop Top

Let’s start with the least defensible convertible, a 2014 Chrysler 200 Touring. Why is it here? It’s the cheapest convertible on CarMax lots nationwide. (I’m leaving out the Fiat 500 “convertibles” that are really soft top moon roofs.) Last year, I included one on my list, and the quotes from the Car and Driver review are too good not to recycle, “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.”

CarMax lists this car as equipped with “The Basics” because it has no noteworthy equipment. It gets worse before it gets better. The car doesn’t even have the V6 from last year’s recommendation; it has the 172 horsepower four-banger under the hood. It also has over 100,00 miles on it. What’s the positive?

It’s a convertible. And a drive in good weather with the top down will raise your mood by 50%, even in a shitty car. I believe everyone should own a convertible at least once in their life. If you don’t want to spend a lot to own an extra car just to drive top down, this one is for you. It sold for $21,000 new and is half that. I wouldn’t spend anything on MaxCare, not because this Chrysler is all that reliable, but because it’s just so cheap that if it breaks down, just push it into a ditch and buy something else. And if you think it’s an undesirable car at the moment, someone has it on reserve here in Southlake, Georgia!

Stock No: 26436621 VIN: 1C3BCBEB9EN112235

A More Legitimate Daily

Here’s another entry-level convertible that’s a whole lot more lovable. A 2014 BMW 428i. It’s a hard-top convertible, which I love a whole lot more than a sometimes noisy soft top (I’ve owned both). It’s a BMW. An “Ultimate Driving Machine,” as they say. It’s not a boy racer, no M3, just a credible topless driving car. This could easily be a four-season daily driver. Love the gold color. Too bad it’s not the old man gold over cream my generation so loves.

The BMW 428i doesn’t have many more features than the Chrysler 200, but it is by far more of a driver’s car. It also has a four-cylinder motor, but at 2.0 liters, the turbo makes 240 horsepower and runs to 60 mph in the mid-five-second range. Years ago, I had a 225 horsepower 330Ci convertible and never understood how BMW coaxed such acceleration out of little motors.

This 11-year-old BMW sold new for about $43,000 and is under $15k now. It’s got 83,000 miles and may need MaxCare as its systems age. It’s here in Norcross, Georgia. Not reserved!

Stock No: 26784455 VIN: WBA3V7C5XEP770684

EOS, Greek Goddess of the Dawn (or a unique Golf Cabriolet?)

The BMW 428i convertible is nice, but the VW Eos is unique. Based on the Golf platform, this diminutive hard-top convertible was sold in the US from 2006 to 2015, and this one is a last-year model. Its claim to fame is that it includes a fully accessible sunroof, the only one of its kind. I sat in one once, although I never drove it, and was surprised there was enough room for my 6’4″ frame. I just was never secure enough to buy one.

CarMax lists this car as “Loaded,” although it’s about the same inside as the 200 and 428. The 2.0-liter motor makes 200 horsepower and runs to 60 in 6.5 seconds, which ain’t awful, but that’s not why you’re buying this car. It’s all around a decent little second car with acceptable fuel economy, a low price, and a convertible with a sunroof!

This 2015 Eos sold new for maybe $36,000 and has very low mileage for a 10-year-old car. It’s less than $20k now and reserved here in Daytona, Florida. CarMax has a couple of very nice Eos, so there’s no need to wait on this one!

Stock No: 26578564 VIN: WVWBW8AHXFV002862

Nicht der Buick Deines Vaters

Put the 2017 Buick Cascada Sport Touring in the same category as the VW Eos – an attractive little German convertible, albeit a soft top, good for around-town top-down driving, but not much for “sport” or “touring.” Yes, the Buick Cascada is really a German Opel manufactured in Poland. The car sold as an Opel, Vauxhaul, Holden, and Buick from 2013 to 2019 (only 2016-2019 in the USA). It was the first Buick convertible since the 1991 Reatta.

The Buick has heated seats and a heated steering wheel, but it has only a handful of features despite being listed as “Loaded” by CarMax. It’s a two-owner car, and you can see from the photo below one of those owners badly needed their fingernails trimmed.

The Cascada got lukewarm reviews in the USA. The 1.6-liter turbo motor made 200 horsepower, like the Eos, but lagged to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds. Top speed was 130 mph. Although we don’t drive at top speed much in soft top convertibles, do we? They’re a bit noisy, top-up or top-down.

The 2017 Buick Cascada is probably an acceptable car for seasonal commuting or a spin to the vineyard for a riesling. The car sold new for maybe $34,000 – a ding at the time for not being competitively priced – and is selling at two-thirds that now. Interestingly (to me), MaxCare is only offered to a cap of 125,000 miles on German cars, but as a Buick, this German car is available with a 150,000-mile ceiling. Same thing with the Jeep Renegade, made in Italy. Higher ceiling as an “American” car. And while we’re at it, how about the Fiat 124, made in Japan, limited to 125,000 miles, while the Mazda Miata, also made in Japan and pretty much the same car, gets 150,000? You’d think CarMax would know better.

The Buick Cascada is reserved here in Killeen, TX.

Stock No: 26968832 VIN: W04WJ3N56HG037175

Why?

Nissan billed the Murano Cross Cabriolet as “the world’s first all-wheel drive crossover convertible. ” It was sold from 2011 to 2014, and we have here a final-year model. I chuckled at The Truth About Car’s introduction back in the day as they headed to the California media introduction. “If you’ve ever been to a topless beach, you know the basic problem: you expect a bunch of topless Jags and Maseratis, but what you actually get is this, the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet. Four thousand pounds of roly-poly crossover blessed with the totally misguided belief that people want to see it with its top off. We’ll keep a corner of our eye on this as the LA Auto Show kicks off… but we’ll be sure to avoid eye contact.“

Yes, the Murano is AWD and has the only available option—$500 leather seats that are heated—yet it seems like every other Murano inside. It’s not bad—just dated. I like to play a game on road trips, thinking, “When was the last time I saw a XXXXX on the road?”. This month’s Car and Driver has a piece on the Merkur Xr4ti on the back page, which I owned once (a Merkur, not Car and Driver), and I can honestly say I haven’t seen one on the road in over 25 years. Since I started this piece on convertibles, I’ve seen two Murano Cross Cabriolets out and about in Virginia. More fascinating, over 42,000 Xr4ti’s were imported, but only 6,000 Murano Cross Cabriolets. Makes it a unicorn, yes? And more reliable than a Merkur by far.

As an SUV, the Murano lacks trunk space because of the convertible mechanism, and the back seat, while spacious, is hard to access because of the massive two-door configuration. It’s not an ugly car top-up or top-down, and there is the uniqueness of tooling around in an SUV convertible if it’s just me and the wife and an overnight bag in the back seat. Except she hates convertibles.

The Murano Cross Cabriolet “sports” a 3.5-liter six-cylinder with 265 horsepower. It’ll run to 60 mph in about eight seconds, which makes it the slowest, I think, in my selection. The Murano sold new for maybe $42,000. It is coming soon to Phoenix-West Valley.

Stock No: 26812848 VIN: JN8AZ1FY6EW301037

$7,000 More for Legit Street Cred

The first batch of convertibles are decent daily drivers, but this 2014 Jaguar XK will make folks think you are on a different level of affluence. This was once an $85,000 luxury car, and you can have it for the price of a Camry. That’s the whole premise of this blog. Lord knows how many XK’s I’ve blogged about, and I still wish I had pulled the trigger on an XKR, and yes, F-Types have depreciated almost to the point of XK’s, but these are beautiful cars. Granted, the top-up version of the XK is not as sleek as the hard top, but it ain’t ugly.

The XK comes with heated and air-conditioned seats, a heated steering wheel, and a Bowers & Wilkins audio system, and it just feels like a high-end British touring car. And it’s green over tan—about as good as it gets for 2014. The motor is a naturally aspirated 5.0 liter, 385 horsepower V-8, good for a 5.1-second 0-60 mph run and 155 mph top end. This is the first enthusiast convertible on the list.

This Jaguar XK is currently reserved here in Serramonte, California. It also has very low miles for an 11-year-old car. Buy the Maxcare.

Stock No: 26703326 VIN: SAJWA4GB1ELB53406

Wait! An Even Better Euro-Unicorn!

If I weren’t such a slacker, this car would warrant a blog post all by itself. It’s a 2014 Mercedes SLK55 AMG hardtop convertible. It costs less than $30,000. It has a naturally aspirated hand-built V8 motor that my friend Hans covets. It can go from 0 to 60 in 4.6 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph. This is a driver’s car in and out.

In CarMax’s bizarre lingo, the car is listed as “loaded” even though it has the same features as everything else. It does have the Mercedes only air scarf neck heaters from the headrest. I love the idea. I also was puzzled by CarMax’s suggestion that the car has a “Rear Entertainment System. It includes one or more rear seat screens and might support Blu-ray, DVD, HDMI, or USB.” There are no rear seats.

The 2014 Mercedes SLK55 AMG was sold new for about $65,000. It was a bargain then, and it remains so now at less than half that, with really low miles. Of course, I would add Maxcare and drive the snot out of it—if I fit into it. It’s currently reserved here in Phoenix-West Valley, Arizona.

Stock No: 27001395 VIN: WDDPK7FA2EF077576

(This One Doesn’t Count)

Since we have an SLK55, I thought I’d include the ad for this 2022 SL55 AMG, the most expensive convertible on CarMax lots at the moment. It’s a beautiful car, although with a soft top. It has a 469 horsepower V-8 under the hood and every modern luxury feature—even the air scarf! It’s here in Kearny Mesa, California, if you want it.

The Convertible That Started It All

I spotted this 2015 BMW 650 I on the CarMax page a good two weeks ago; I was impressed with the tan-over-blue exterior, baseball glove leather interior, decent motor, low miles, and relatively low price. I thought, “This will make a good piece on springtime and convertible unicorns!” Then the road to hell….”I wonder what other cool convertibles are out there? Maybe I’ll do a longer piece with just a few more cars. I’ll keep my commentary limited and get it to press quickly.” If you’re a regular reader, you’ve heard this before. This year, a road trip to Ohio to see the kickoff of March Madness interrupted my writing, followed by too many games on TV when I returned. So here we are.

This car almost has it all: heated, cooling, and massaging seats, Harman Kardon audio, but no auto cruise control. Under the hood, a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 with 445 horsepower gets you to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and a top-end (governor limited) of 155 mph. This, my friends, is a sport touring automobile. Pretty close to the ultimate driving machine, at least with a soft top.

This 2015 BMW 650i is a four-owner car that spent most of its life in and around my hometown of Baltimore. A few years back, it suffered a door ding in Delaware. The car has surprisingly low miles and is now for sale here in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Stock No: 26927751 VIN: WBAYP9C54FD169687

The British Murano?

Didn’t we just do this? If it didn’t make sense from Japan, why would it from the United Kingdom? This AWD convertible SUV is, in fact, a 2019 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque SE Dynamic. Long name for a short SUV. Conceptually the same as the Murano, it is a far more high-end version of a convertible SUV.

Land Rover design chief Gerry McGovern said, “It’s the first luxury SUV convertible. There have been other convertible SUVs, but not a luxury execution. We’ll take buyers from other luxury cars. Most Evoque customers came from premium brands, but had never owned an SUV before“. The convertible Evoque was sold from 2017 to 2019, and while there were hints of a 2020 facelift, I can’t find any confirmation on the net of the model making it beyond 2019. And I’ve wasted another half hour looking!

This Evoque is almost the most modern convertible here, I guess, with Meridian audio, heated seats, a heated steering wheel, and Apple CarPlay. It’s powered by a 2.0-liter turbo four, with 237 horsepower and a mid-seven second 0-60 mph time. Unlike the Murano, Land Rover bills this SUV as equally capable off-road as its other models. Something to be said for wind and mud through the hair!

Selling new for perhaps $58,000, this is a nice two-door SUV that happens to be a convertible. I think Land Rover design chief Gerry McGovern overstated the demand above. Owners looking for production numbers think maybe 10,000 were sold. I think that’s optimistic based on my scientific data analytics of having never seen one on the road. This one is shipping to Columbus Sawmill, Georgia. Here’s the link. CarMax also has two others if you’re in a hurry!

Stock No: 27029985 VIN: SALVC5RX0KH342314

Muscle Car Mania

The 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has the most horsepower of the convertibles on my list, although it’s not the fastest. At $39k, it’s a bargain. This is the fifth generation Camaro, and 2013 was the first year for the ZL1.

This 12-year-old Camaro has seat heaters, a heads-up display, remote start, and navigation. What makes it special is the 6.2 liter supercharged V-8 power plant, first produced for the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V. It pumps 580 horsepower through the rear wheels and hits 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. The top speed is a crazy 184 mph. The sixth generation Camaro ZL1 bumps power up to 650 horsepower! It’ll cost you another $13,000 to upgrade from this 2013 ZL1 to a 2016 to get all that oomph.

The 2013 Camaro ZL1 convertible sold new for around $60,000. This one is only $39k and has very low miles on it. MaxCare is available for another five years and 130,000 miles (to 150k). Right now, it’s on reserve here in Gaithersburg, Maryland – same as the BMW 650i above. Go drive them both and choose?

Stock No: 26838548 VIN: 2G1FL3DP8D9806764

Camaro or Corvette?

I don’t know a lot about C7 Corvettes, or any Corvettes, or really any cars for that matter, so when I was trying to learn if this Corvette Stingray Z51 had the performance package, not only was I unsuccessful, but I found that Corvette folks are uncertain on how to tell a Stingray is even a Z51 without scanning the QR code on the door sill. I cannot confirm any emblems or visual cues. So, I must take CarMax’s word that this is a Z51. They have misidentified cars before, sometimes in our favor.

The “base” Z51 still offers a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V-8 with 460 horsepower that will crack 60 mph in less than four seconds. Less horsepower than the Camaro ZL1 and also less weight. The top end is allegedly 190 mph, and it’ll pull over 1g in lateral handling. The Z51 package gets you splitters, better brakes, better exhaust, and better suspension. And apparently gobs of carbon fiber all over the interior. The Stingray has heated and air-conditioned seats, a heads-up display, and Bose audio. And the hood opens from the windshield side, cool like the Jaguar.

When new, the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 was in the mid-$50,000 range—more if it had the performance package—less than the Camaro ZL1. It hasn’t depreciated much. It’s currently reserved in Jackson, Mississippi here.

Stock No: 26481858 VIN: 1G1YM3D72E5124743

Finally, a Manual Mustang

CarMax has 1,200 convertibles for sale today, out of about 58,000 cars overall, and only 227 of those convertibles have a manual transmission. Of those, the most interesting one to me was this 2020 Ford Mustang GT Premium, also the newest and most modern, if you will.

The Mustang has air conditioned and heated seats, a heated steering wheel, auto cruise control, Apple CarPlay, and even not one but TWO smart keys. Pretty well equipped convertible. I don’t get the Carroll Shelby floor and trunk mats, though.

The Mustang has the 5.0 liter naturally aspirated V-8 pushing 460 ponies. It ran 0-60 in 4.2 seconds and would max out at 155 mph, right behind the Chevrolets. It’s a clean car with three owners already – owners who drove it very little. The manufacturer warranty has expired and I don’t think MaxCare would even be needed for such a tried and true platform.

The only disappointing thing is the lack of depreciation. The car sold new for only $6,000 or so more than it’s offered here. Here’s the link. The car is currently on its way to Gainesvile, Florida.

Stock No: 27155931 VIN: 1FATP8FF7L5156665

The BMW M3 is back on the road! The battery needed replacement after all. Thanks to Ryan of CarMax for getting me back on the road!

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