Monthly Finds (…but unicorns move fast! These may be gone.) – Page 36

November 12, 2018

The (Nearly) Perfect Unicorn for Veterans – AWD Diesel F10 BMW. You Earned It.

Col. Stephanie Wilson, 72nd Air Base Wing commander, waves to the crowd at the annual Midwest City Veterans Day parade Nov. 11. Walking along with Colonel Wilson’s Humvee were CAPT. Ed McCabe, Strategic Communications Wing ONE and Task Force 124 commander; Col. Michael Green, 72nd Mission Support Group commander; and 72nd ABW Command Chief Master Sgt. David Tuck. (Air Force photo by April McDonald)

Haven’t done a holiday themed unicorn blog yet, but it’s Veterans Day, and thought I should pick out a special unicorn for those who have served. Didn’t take long to punch in the requirements. Had to be 4WD/AWD, of course – don’t want to be restricted to asphalt. And diesel. The third world thrives on diesel. Run flat tires – not stoppping if we can avoid it. Room for four shooters and all their gear. Low profile color. And 21st century troops need technology – heads up display to stay focused on the horizon, rear view camera and blind spot monitoring to track bogeys, Bluetooth to communicate with Hqs, and a killer sound system for when off the net. Cold weather package because pretty much everywhere in the world it gets cold at night, and the US military owns the night. Bummed I could not find something with all this and night vision, too! And just in case you read no further, thanks to all who have served in the armed forces in defense of this great nation. Check out Jason Isbell’s tribute, “Tour of Duty”, for those who came home safe.

050426-M-9019H-006 U.S. Marines examine mortar rounds and a BMW automobile in what they believe to be a car bomb in the making during security and stabilization operations in the Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on April 26, 2005. The mortars and the car are part of the 20 weapons caches that U.S. Marines from India Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment found during the operations. DoD photo by Lance Cpl. Brian M. Henner, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)

Only one vehicle had pretty much everything needed, and at first I was bummed it was not a Humvee (there’s one at the bottom of this page as a back up plan. Military folks always have a back up plan). It’s a BMW!. But then I thought after all our troops have been through, this would be a really sweet ride. And having been to Iraq and Afghanistan, I know our Special Operations Forces are not unfamiliar with BMW’s, and BMW is not unfamiliar with tough places either – especially armored BMW’s. (Somewhere in a shoe box, pre-internet days, is a picture of me driving a lightly armored BMW 320 in the Middle East!).

At $34,998 this 2016 BMW 535 dxi would be a really nice unicorn for any road warrior. I was actually surprised to find a two-year old car with low miles, still under factory warranty. Means MaxCare will be really cheap and take this car to 2023 and 150,000 miles without paying for a repair. The diesel will only be getting broken in by then! The expensive electonic gizmos would all be covered, though, and well worth it.

The in-line, twin-turbo six-cylinder diesel puts out 255hp and 413 ft-lbs of torque, and with an eight-speed automatic is good for a mid-5 second 0-60mph run and get this, a 550 mile cruising range on a tank of diesel! Stole some of that from the great Car and Driver review in 2014 (car was unchanged for 2016), where they estimated a fully optioned AWD 535d would run close to $90,000. If that was the price tag for this California leased car, here it is at a deep discount two years later at almost a third the price. I love me some depreciation. The 2015 model was named the Diesel Car of the Year. Even the great and candid Jalopnik reviewer dug it. This is a car I could learn to love on road trips. Owned an E34 1992 BMW 525i in-line six when I lived in Germany and could pull off 600 miles on a tank, and comfortably cruise as long and as far as the bladder could handle. Find this car here in San Jose, California. 2016 535d $34,998 37k San Jose

Continue reading “The (Nearly) Perfect Unicorn for Veterans – AWD Diesel F10 BMW. You Earned It.”

November 10, 2018November 10, 2018

Quick Hit – 2008 Chevrolet HHR SS…Didn’t Know This Was A Thing!

HHR SS Side Always a skeptc when it comes to adding “SS” to a car name (like “GT”). Sometimes they are badass like the Camaro SS and of course, the Aussie-Chevrolet SS, and sometimes they are just badges – like the Cobalt SS. Was doing a search for 10 year old unicorns with low miles and came across this 2008 Chevrolet HHR SS. On a lark I opened this page and was intrigued by the the retro wagon look, burnt orange color, low price and low miles. Wondered about the SS part, especially since CarMax has it listed as 0 hp and 0 torque, and searched for reviews. Pleasantly surprised they are almost all positive. Check these out; Car and Driver, Motor Trend, Road and Track, and even Popular Mechanics. The HHR had a five year production run but the SS was only sold from 2008-2010. Yes, there were hundreds of thousands of base HHR’s sold, but the SS only represented a small percentage of sales (5%?). Me thinks it was Chevrolet’s answer to the PT Cruiser that sold for 10 years.

HHR 3-4 The engine is the 2.0 liter turbo with 260hp, shared with the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky before they went belly up, and the suspension has been tuned to handle far better than a vanilla HHR. Even has a boost gauge in the A-pillar like the kids have! The mid-six second 0-60 mph time ain’t that impressive and yet the reviewers all seem to dig this box. So do I. I’m trying to resist calling my son in Portland and asking him to go get it for me. If none of you do in the next 24 hours I just might. Make a nice little commuter vehicle for me!

HHR SS Interior The car sold for about $24,000 in 2008. There are 59 of these on Car Guru right now, almost all cheaper, and almost all have tons of miles. Only one has less miles at this price. Oddly, it’s an hour away from me. But it wouldnt have the coveted MaxCare warranty to keep this 11 year old car in free repairs until it’s a 16 year old car. That’s special.

Boost Check this out – it’s a one-owner car and was originally sold in Florida, spent some time in California, and is now in Washington. If I bring it to the East Coast it will have done its own One Lap of America. Find it here in Tacoma, Washington. If the link is dead the car is sold, on hold, or being transferred (to me!).

2008 Chevrolet HHR SS $13,998 41k Puyallup

November 8, 2018

Quick Hit – Low Priced 911….For a Reason. 2008 Carrera $37,998 in Albuquerque.

911 side There have been very few sub-$40,000 Porsche 911 unicorns offered by CarMax in the almost two years I’ve been tracking them. Four to be exact, and one of them I bought. I consider these “starter 911’s”, low miles, a decent price point, and the bullet proof MaxCare warranty to keep us unafraid of repairs. I bought Etta for $34,998 plus the warranty, passed on a $33,998 911 in 2017 (had manual seats – I didn’t fit), and there’s been a convertible for $39,998 that comes and goes on CarMax lots. This $37,998 2008 911 Carrera reminded me a lot of my car, almost identical in mileage, $3,000 more in price, albeit with a 6-speed manual transmission. My car actually listed at $36,998 but also said it had navigation. When I pointed out it did not, CarMax immediately dropped the price $2,000 without me even asking.

I wanted to believe this car was almost as good a deal as mine, except I looked into the history and found it’s had not one but two accidents. Bummer. The left rear, pictured above. Also, a close look at the seats shows far more creasing than I have in mine. But if you really, really want to own your first 911, given the scarcity I’ve seen over time, this is about as good a deal as you’re going to get. I suspect it will be months until another sub-$40,000 911 shos up. It’s still a very pretty car at 10 years old, and still goes like stink. Go in eyes wide open and enjoy this iconic car. Find it here in Albuquerque. If the link is dead it’s sold, on hold, or being transferred.

2008 Carrera $37,998 39k Albuquerque

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 4, 2018February 10, 2026

CarMax I’m Watching You – Inventory Way Up!

Last year I noticed the CarMax nationwide inventory ballooned up from just over 40,000 cars during the summer of 2017 to 73,000 cars in mid-November. Prompted me to do my amateur analytics piece called The $577 Million Car Loan and Other Fascinating CarMax “Analytics”. Here’s the link. Well here we are a year later (been blogging a year?! Perhaps time for a year in review piece?). Been watching the inventory levels creep up this summer from about 47,000 cars to about 62,000…..so far. That’s only 15,000 more cars compared to the 30,000 last year, but with an average selling price of $20,000 that’s still a $300 million increase in inventory on the lots nationwide this fall. Could that be why I got this alert dropping the price of a Mercedes by $12,000? When the inventory peaked last fall more and more cars on my saved list pinged with $1,000 price reductions. CarMax quarterly financials end on November 30th, annuals in February. I’ll be watching!

11-4-2018 62,000 cars

November 2, 2018February 10, 2026

$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

—————————————————————————————————-

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