This 2008 Audi A4 3.2 Quattro unicorn has been sitting on the lots for a long, long time. Since last fall I’ve watched it bounce around the Midwest. I don’t know why. It has a 255hp, 3.2l six-cylinder engine and I believe Tiptronic transmission (even paddle shifters!), and all wheel drive and unlike it’s Golf siblings, a trunk!. Readers more astute than I pointed out to me that it’s not the high-performance engine of the VR6 in the EOS and Golf R, but not a lot of Audi A4 sixes out there. This little sleeper reminds me of the A6 with the 4.2l V8 I saw last summer for almost the same price – both old school Audis that are far more capable sedans than their austere looks, and low price, would suggest. Decent gas mileage, heated seats – great commuter car. If I were a college kid wanting some spunk and no State Police attention, I’d give it serious consideration. Driven less than 5,000 miles yearly. For another $2000 or so I’d add MaxCare and have no repair bills until the car is 15 years old and hits 150,000 miles. Find it here in Illinois – if the link is dead it’s sold, on hold, or being once again transferred!
Another Mazda! 2009 Mazda 3 Mazdaspeed Manny Tranny Cheap
If you read this blog you know I prefer at least 8 cylinders*, perhaps 10, and I rue the 12 cylinder I passed on. What you don’t know is I have an affection for hot hatchbacks after owning not one but two 70’s era Ford Fiestas (the German ones, not Korean) before the first gen VW GTI made it to our shores. Since then I’ve tracked hot hatches, but I have to admit I missed this one. Stumbled on this 263hp 4 cylinder beast, with 280 ft-lbs of torque, and a 6 speed manual transmission. Embarrassed I thought “Mazdaspeed” was just a marketing thing. But with a sub-six second 0-60 I guess it’s the real deal. It’s a WRX and Golf R challenger for half the price. Usually my targets are all about leveraging the MaxCare warranty, but I’m not sure that’s even needed for this street racer. Find this one in Houston here. If the link is dead, the car is sold, on hold or being transferred. BTW….over to you engine experts….does this 2.3l turbo have any ancestral relationship to the 2.3l turbo Pinto motor that was in my 1986 Merkur Xr4tii?
10 Years Old-Driven 900 Miles a Year – Bargain 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Mazda Miatas are beloved by real auto enthusiasts and car magazines as one of the great balanced roadsters of all time, and ridiculed by manly men as effeminate. Nothing I can do about that. This one is an automatic, though, for the ladies*. If I could fit in one I might own one. Here’s a 10 year old one with stupid low miles at a budget price. Throw in the MaxCare warranty if you really want to never have a repair bill, but with a low-mileage Mazda that’s like unnecessary like a belt and suspenders. It’s a one-owner car Virginia car, and it looks like that one-owner rear ended someone in the first year of ownership. Perhaps that matters to you. Find it here at Dulles, Virginia for $15,998. If the link is dead it’s sold/on hold, or being transferred.
*Kidding. My 911 is automatic.
Well This is New! CarMax Now Carrying Used Teslas
Not often does CarMax add a brand. Last one was Genesis as a Hyundai spin-off. Before that Fiat. And no Alfa Romeos yet (waiting for a cut-rate Giulia Quadrifoglio!). But today I spotted a new one, the first Tesla, and now a second one on the CarMax website – both in Irvine, California and non-transferable. Did a Google search and the Tesla owner forum is a buzz – they misunderstood that CarMax has a partnership with Tesla to sell new ones. Not so. Just another used car. They’re not happy. Will be interesting to see what the MaxCare warranty costs. Will work on that soon. Find the cars at these links: 2015 Tesla Model S85D and 2017 Tesla Model S90D,
1 of 1,250 2008 Cadillac XLR (aka the offspring of Corvette and Allante)
CarMax doesn’t carry Cadillac XLR’s very often, and this is the only one I’ve seen in the fleet nationwide since I’ve been blogging. At 67,000 miles it’s higher mileage than I would normally include as a unicorn and at almost $29k it ain’t cheap, but if you’re looking for an interesting hard-top convertible, produced in low numbers, with a solid drive train and Corvette C-5 platform pedigree, this may be for you. There were 1,250 XLR’s manufactured in 2008, and just over 15,000 total during the 2004-2009 production run. No, it’s not the supercharged XLR-V, or the 2009 last model year, but I’ll let you know if and when one becomes available. The XLR has the 4.6l 320 hp Northstar V8, not loved by all, but adequate and if covered by the MaxCare warranty (that will also cover the radar-adaptive cruise control and retractable hard-top!) it should be an inexpensive daily driver. This four-owner car has hopped between Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Florida and can be found in Fort Myers via this CarMax link. If dead, car is being transferred, on hold, or sold. 
Unloved 2007 Jaguar XK in California – Keeps Dropping in Price. Why?
I started tracking this car last fall – I still have an affection for Jaguar XK’s and rue the XKR I rejected. This XK has been neglected so long it has dropped $3,000 since I found it. It’s a pretty basic 11 year old, three-owner, low mileage, California car. YEs, it only has the 4.2 liter 300hp V8, but it’s plenty perky. I I am starting to think about flipping a car – drive something for six months and enjoy it, put it on the market back east, and drive it until it sells? think it’s beautiful and with MaxCare cheap to own. Go for it.
1 of 248 – 2011 Grand Marquis LS
The ridicule is coming. It’s worth it. I really mean to stick to enthusiast unicorns but sometimes nearly extinct cars get my attention. I’m tracking cars I expect CarMax to stop carrying and this is one of them. Mercury abruptly discontinued the Grand Marquis line in 2010 but sold a few (248 to be exact) 2011 models. This life-long Florida car is a throwback to another era. It’s not a great car, but the last of it’s kind. With an anemic V8 (I still don’t know how Ford only gets 224hp out of this), bench seats and a column automatic four-speed, it’s a bit dated. But with 41,000 miles and only $14k, it’s almost a cheap piece of history. And only 247 others have one like it. Probably less. Here’s the CarMax link – if it’s dead the car is being transferred, on hold/sold. Here’s a great NY Times review “Heavyweight for a Requiem” from back in the day. My favorite lines:
- It’s the kind of car dad bought because his buddy at the Kiwanis Club owned the
dealership and he didn’t want something flashy like a Lincoln. A car you could wear
a hat in. - Wallowing anachronism that it is, the Grand Ma has its charms. It rides as if the tires aren’t just smothering out the road’s divots, but giving each of them a somber, dignified burial.
- The engine’s initial response is strong, but it quickly runs out of breath and by 5,500
r.p.m. it’s exhausted. The transmission sort of slides at that point into the next gear
and heaves a sigh of relief. - InsideLine.com clocked it accelerating from a standstill to 60 m.p.h. in a leisurely 9.3 seconds; it also plowed through a quarter-mile run in 16.8 seconds while reaching 83.9 mph.
- Somewhere along its developmental journey the Grand Marquis
picked up power rack-and-pinion steering that is shockingly sweet, with good oncenter feel, precise calibration and good feedback. - This is a car unconcerned with carving corners or blitzing across the
autobahn. It’s built for people who have lived long enough to have already had all the drama they want in their lives. - INSIDE TRACK: You may miss it, but you didn’t really want it.
10-Year-Old 2,000 Mile Corvette – $31k!
Was surprised to find this 2008 Corvette with only 2,000 miles TOTAL. I normally get excited about 10-year-old cars with 3,000 miles per year, 30,000 total as unicorns so this got my attention. I also don’t normally post until the photos are online but I’d be surprised if this one doesn’t sell this weekend so didn’t want to wait. The CarMax website still has the “Image Coming Soon” display so I borrowed a photo of a 2008 Corvette for comparison. I became a Corvette fan years and years ago watching them race (and win!) at Le Mans. With all the little turbos in the Ferraris and the clatter of the 911’s, I giggled every single time the Corvette V8’s thundered by. Had always thought they were low-budget sports cars until I watched them win at Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona. But try as I might, I can’t fit into them. Even less room than Etta, my 2008 911. Anyway, find this 2008 Corvette in Atlanta – if the link is dead the car is being transferred, or sold/on hold. With this low mileage I might even pass on the MaxCare Enjoy.
Three Patriotic Low Mile GT500 Unicorns
God blessed America with muscle cars. A couple of three nice Mustang GT500’s in Las Vegas, Tuscon and Baltimore. Cars are 8-11 years old and while not cheap, they meet my unicorn threshold and would easily qualify for the five-year/up to 150,000 mile Maxcare warranty. Cars have less than 3,000 miles a year on ’em. The 2007 is 475hp, the 2008 500hp, and the 2009 540hp. Here’s the link to the red 2007 , the link to the white 2008, and the link to the blue 2010. If the links are dead cars are being transferred, on hold/sold.
Manual 6 spd. 400hp. Autobahn Cruiser for Camry Price. What’s Not to Like?
I’ve been in and out of BMW M5’s and 550i’s and because of my vanity, I couldn’t go with a high performance sleeper. I needed something that shouted “Car Guy!”. If you are more secure than I, give some thought to a BMW 550i with a 400hp twin turbo and an old fashioned 6 speed manual transmission. The Mustang GT will never see you coming. Here’s the CarMax link – if it’s dead the car is being transferred, or on hold/sold.
