Mild or Spicy? A Pair of Low Mileage Jaguar XK’s

May 14, 2024May 14, 2024

Mild or Spicy? A Pair of Low Mileage Jaguar XK’s

I’ve run with this Popeye’s Mild or Spice unicorn theme twice, with this kickoff in August 2023 comparing six pairs of enthusiast and enthusiast-plus cars, and again in December with a couple of Mercedes SL’s. No idea if it’s of interest to you all but I’ll keep winging it. Not going to chicken out. Heh-heh-heh.

Just going with one pair this time, a (relatively) mild and beautiful 2013 Jaguar XK, and a spicier 2015 Jaguar XKR – the last year for the XK’s. Jaguar produced this car from 1996 to 2006 as the XK8 (X100 series), and until 2015 as the XK (X150 model). The second generation XK debuted an all aluminum chassis and body panels, dropping weight by 200 pounds. The second gen also eliminated wood trim in the cockpit. Heresy.

Most of the XK’s I’ve blogged about have been black or silver, with the exception of this green one I transferred in and declined. Surprised me to see a red one. More interesting, the car was local to me – a one owner car that spent its whole life in Vienna, Virginia, 15 miles away from my home.

In my humble opinion, both cars are gorgeous. If you’ve been here before, you know I’ve flirted again and again with buying an XK. Transferred several into my CarMax over the years and couldn’t make the commitment in the end. No sunroof the first time (the ad said it did – turns out none of them have sunroofs!), and the last time I felt squeezed in the leg room – and later found the sales rep left the key box from the window jammed behind the driver’s seat, reducing leg room considerably. By then I was out.

The 2013 XK engine bay. The red paint probably gave that away?

Normally the obligatory motor photos go at the end of the blog, since I’m not convinced most folks care to see modern engine bays that are mostly plastic shields hiding the important stuff. I do. And the motors are what mostly set these two cars apart. The XK hosts a 5.0 liter aluminum V-8 with 385 hp and 380 ft-lbs of torque. The XKR has a supercharged variant of the same motor, making 510 hp and 461 ft-lbs of torque. Both have six speed ZF automatics. The XKR hits 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, not supercar fast but respectable, and the XK in just over five seconds. Both are governed at 155 mph. The XKR gets more performance upgrades in the chassis and suspension. Having driven both, I’d agree the XKR is a bit more stiff. It should be. It’s spicier.

But in the words of Hawkeye, the owner of the dealership where I bought my first car, “why you wanna look under the hood anyway? Nuthin’ under there but a dirty ol’ motor!” Let’s go inside the cabin of these luxury touring machines, shall we?

The 2013 XK (above) and 2015 XKR (below) are identically equipped inside, mostly, with heated and air conditioned seats, heated steering wheel, and Bowers & Wilkins audio. The XKR has the “bespoke” stitching option that I’ve not seen before. The cars are 2+2 seating, meaning two adults in the front and two gym bags in the back. Or two cases of John Smiths’ Newcastle Brown Ale.

The Jaguar XK’s are hatchbacks, I guess, although not as spacious in the boot as say, an Audi S7 due to the slope of the rear. But it’s not nothing and should hold some luggage or golf clubs just fine.

Of all the reviews I read, nobody liked the infotainment controls so I left them out. My wife hated the PRNDL (PRNDS?) knob and refused to drive it, so I left her out too. As we all know, with electronically controlled transmissions, there is no longer a need for a lever of any kind. Rotary knob should do just fine once you get used to it.

The 2013 Jaguar XK sold for maybe $90,000 new and has less than 20,000 miles on it. Pristine. The 2015 XKR was maybe $110,000 and still only 39,000 miles. Both are eligible for MaxCare for 60 months, and up to 125,000 miles. I’d buy the warranty.

The 2013 Jaguar XK is here in Newport News, Virginia. It’s a one owner car, accident free beauty.

Stock No: 25749435 VIN: SAJWA4FB1DLB49808

The 2015 Jaguar XKR below is “Coming Soon” to Austin, Texas. It’s a two owner car, Florida and Texas, and appears to have rear ended someone in Pompano Beach in 2018. Bummer. Here’s the link to the car so you can track when it becomes available.

Stock No: 25870059 VIN: SAJWA4DC4FMB55272

September 28, 2023September 27, 2023

Another MaxCare Anomaly From A Reader and Unicorn Owner – Beware

It’s important to me that readers share their experiences with CarMax and MaxCare to make sure I’m not being overzealous, that this warranty stuff is the be-all-end-all of unicorns and I’m overselling it all. Feedback so far has been that MaxCare is a pretty good deal on these high-end cars, although from time to time things don’t quite work out the way I’d like. I’ve heard of CarMax dealerships declining repairs as not covered by MaxCare when they were (a reader’s Range Rover supercharger), and manufacturer dealership service techs haggling over labor rates because MaxCare won’t pay the dealer’s rate (my ball joint issue with Guenther when I sold it).

Will share my hunches on dealerships at the bottom. First, wanted to publish the experience of regular reader and car guy Scott with his lovely Jaguar XJL as another cautionary tale, although this one by chance worked out. Over the seven years of blogging I’ve gotten to know more than a few readers by email and have even had coffee or drinks live with some, and I’ve had the good fortune of meeting Scott several times and seeing this gentleman’s car in person. It’s a great unicorn. And my apologies Scott….only took me five months since margaritas for me to publish!

From Scott:

Were you aware that CarMax does not cover interior plastic parts that break, even if said parts disable a vehicle function? I recently took my 2013 Jaguar XJL to (local Jaguar dealer unnamed to protect sources and methods and the innocent) for her 60,000-mile checkup and asked them to look into a check engine light that had just flared up. I also asked them to submit a warranty claim to MaxCare to fix the rear moonroof sunshade that had become jammed in the open position. (The 2013 Jaguar XJL has two moonroofs: one that completely retracts to open air in the front, and a fixed glass moonroof for the rear seats that has an electrically retractable sunshade.)

It turned out that the check engine light was being displayed because of a pair of malfunctioning O2 sensors, the replacement of which MaxCare covered under my 5-year warranty that expires in August. But in the same email sent from MaxCare to my Jaguar dealer, MaxCare disapproved the repair of the sunshade because the part that broke was plastic, and MaxCare claimed that plastic trim parts (emphasis mine) are not covered under the warranty. (I will come back to this in a moment.)

Unfortunately for my Jaguar dealer, their service advisor did not look closely at the email from MaxCare. They simply saw “warranty approval” in the email subject line and proceeded with ordering parts and making both repairs. Unfortunately, even further for them, they did not discover the error until today when I went to pick up my car. To their credit, the Jaguar service manager admitted this snafu was entirely their error, so I wound up paying only the $50 deductible for the O2 repair (plus the previously agreed-upon $1,400 for the XJL’s 60,000-mile checkup). Meanwhile, they are going to continue haggling with CarMax over the refusal to cover the broken sunshade. Out of curiosity, I asked the service manager how much they were eating, and I was stunned by the answer: almost $2,000 in parts and labor.

Now about that $2,000 sunshade:

I know that rubber parts are considered wear items and are not covered under the MaxCare warranty. I also know that exterior and interior plastic trim is not covered under the warranty. But from my point of view, a plastic part that breaks — not a pretty piece of decoration, but a functional plastic part — is not “trim” and should be covered. Especially if that broken part renders a vehicle function inoperable. And ESPECIALLY if repair and replacement of that broken part will set the owner back a cool two grand!

My story has a happy ending, but only thanks to a costly mistake made by the Jaguar dealer. For your readers, my tale of monetary peril might serve as a cautionary tale — apparently according to MaxCare, not all functional mechanical parts are created equal!

Please feel free to share my take with your audience if you think it would be newsworthy. The only thing that I ask is that you leave my Jaguar dealer’s name out of it. They lost a lot of money on this, and I don’t want my service advisor getting into any more trouble than he already probably is in.

End of Scott’s note.

Here’s my thoughts. First, the MaxCare ruling on plastic “trim” is arbitrary, ridiculous, and disappointing. Don’t know about any other readers, but I’ve never had to engage MaxCare directly to dispute findings and not sure how that would go. I’d probably lose and be banned. Scott’s experience, and mine, suggests in many cases questionable calls are best resolved when negotiations are between a dealership service rep and MaxCare, although in Scott’s case the repair was settled in his favor by accident only. Because I am cheap and I have a great service rep (Ryan, if you’re reading?) and a flexible CarMax dealership here in Dulles, Virginia, I almost always start at my CarMax for repairs. They have a decent technician for European cars, and yet if it’s too complex my CarMax will send my cars to the BMW or Mercedes dealership for repair. (Scott noted his Jaguar dealership has always been helpful on MaxCare in the past.)

That accomplishes two things; I still get the first $50 of my deductible (which is always $50!) waived, and more importantly, any coverage disagreements are between the manufacturer’s dealership and MaxCare, and if they can’t be resolved my CarMax steps in since they are technically the paying customer to the manufacturer’s dealership. I’m out of it. And, again my experience, is that my Carmax, one of the larger ones, is a high-volume repeat customer with the local manufacturer dealerships’ repair shops and has way more oomph than I would if I went directly to a Mercedes or BMW dealership for repairs and things went wrong. (I know regular reader and unicorn sniper Mustafa (well, he used to be a regular – where ya been, Mustafa?!) has owned many unicorns and successfully challenged a few MaxCare rulings but I do not know if that was with MaxCare, his CarMax, or his local manufacturer dealership.)

I also believe that CarMax has more stake in me as a customer than the manufacturer dealerships do when it comes to MaxCare. At CarMax it feels like I’m leveraging their product – MaxCare – and they’d like to see it work out. The few times I’ve tried to use MaxCare at a manufacturer’s dealership, or even an independent repair shop, and I mention MaxCare, I sometimes get treated as if I’m on welfare trying to get repairs and not pay for them – the “oh you’re going to be one of those!” looks from the dealer tech. Reminds me years ago using Priceline and bidding on cheap hotel rooms and at check in they treat you like a squatter that didn’t pay for the room at all.

Finally, I believe with CarMax or any garage, building a relationship with the service rep and/or the service manager pays off in the long run. I try not to be a jerk, let them work the system, and have no idea what it takes behind the scenes to negotiate with MaxCare. I’ve been surprised over the years when I was convinced parts weren’t covered and somehow my CarMax dealer worked it out that they were. When they aren’t I figure I’ve gotten my money’s worth over the years and go ahead an pay, but that’s rare, and I haven’t been burned by a mechanical plastic piece that failed – glad it worked out for Scott and appreciate him taking the time to write.

August 25, 2023August 25, 2023

Mild or Spicy? Fair Question for Chicken and Cars, and Six Menu Choices.

Earlier this week there was a decent preseason NFL game between the local Washington Commanders and my hometown Baltimore Ravens and that meant dinner in the recliner watching football. And football often means fried chicken. Popeyes being the closest joint I fired up the M3 and raced my way into the drive-through slalom for a four piece chicken meal with Cajun fries, cole slaw and a biscuit.

It didn’t take long for the dullness of preseason tryouts to set in, and so with greasy fingers I found myself scrolling the CarMax website for unicorns. And I noticed that just like the chicken choice at Popeyes, mild or spicy, many of these cars are available the same way. And so here are three pairs that you can have either way. The choice is yours.

First on the family-sized menu are a pair of Jaguar XF’s. Have to be careful here. Have gotten to know a great guy and Jaguar owner through this blog and we met for drinks once to talk cars. I mentioned this “mild or spicy” angle and implied his XJ was mild because there’s an XJR version. He noted his 5.0 liter V-8 was not exactly sluggish and he was correct. The 2012 Jaguar XF Portfolio below has exactly the same motor, rated at 385 hp, and runs a very respectable five second 0-60 mph time. The XJ only weighs a little more so probably not far off. Regardless, this XF reminds me of the unicorns I posted about when I first started this blog – it’s selling for $17,998, and there’s a slew of boring-ass cars you could be driving but don’t have to if you’re trying to keep costs down. Throw in a couple of grand for MaxCare and drive worry free, in style, for the next five years.

The black XF above is a little newer (2015), with fewer miles, and $11,000 more, but boasts the spicy, supercharged 5.0 liter V-8 making 470 hp. It is called (cleverly) the XF Supercharged! The additional horsepower drops the 0-60 time to 4.7 seconds and a governed 155 mph top speed. It also growls and snarls more aggressively. Sometimes that’s important.

The Portfolio interior (above) and the Supercharged interior (below) are pretty much the same. Nicely appointed, handsome trim. The Supercharged has a heated steering wheel and Meridian audio system. Both have heated and air conditioned seats.

The obligatory motor shots. Portfolio above, Supercharged below. I was hoping for something drastic on the Supercharged model, like giant intakes or orange heat panels like on a rocket ship, but no. To me indistinguishable. To Jaguar folks, I suspect they could spot the differences immediately.

The 2012 Jaguar XF Portfolio is milder than the Supercharged but is probably the better bargain. Eleven years old, decent mileage, burgundy over cream colors (just right for the Washington Commanders’ region), and a bargain price at $18k – sold new for maybe $60,000. It’s a four owner, accident free car. MaxCare to 125,000 miles. It can be tracked here as it’s on the way to Lafayette, Louisiana. And Lafayette is about 2 1/2 hours from where Popeyes got its start, just outside of New Orleans!

Stock No: 24462335 VIN: SAJWA0HB7CLS45542

The spicy 2015 Jaguar XF Supercharged below sold for maybe $70,000 and is now $28,998. It’s got quite the sleeper profile, with very muted exterior badging to indicate the super-stuffed motor. With only 40,000 miles MaxCare is available for another 85,000 – plenty of cruising cap. It’s currently on reserve in Clearwater, Florida so here’s the link to keep tabs on this quick tabby.

Stockno: 24502433 VIN: SAJWA0HP4FMU65358

(Secret Bonus Car below – a beautiful 2012 XF below with only 23,000 miles, a V-8 engine, beautiful blue over gray, and a $23,998 price tag! It’s here in Jacksonville, Florida.)

Stockno: 24337773 VIN: SAJWA0FB5CLS37782

July 13, 2023July 12, 2023

Quick Hit – A Pair of Jaguar “R” Cars Are Near and Far

On the East Coast we got this high performance 2014 Jaguar XJR unicorn with 55,000 miles awaiting a new owner. This is a first year model and when introduced got great reviews. The car was lighter than the XKR below, and with a supercharged motor hit 60 mph in 3.9 seconds – a staggering number for a luxury family car almost a decade ago. The full instrumented Car and Driver review is here.

Written about so many Jaguars that by now the interiors all look the same to me, from the XF to the XK to the XJ. That means they all look luxurious and high end, to me. I’ve driven several of the XK’s and XKR’s and if not for a jammed key box behind my seat during a test drive that made me think I had four inches less leg room than I needed, I’d be the owner of an XKR now instead of an M3. The rotary shift knob took some getting used to but didn’t take long to master.

Don’t know what it is with Jaguar switches that get all rubbery, but they do. Previous owner left their fingerprints all over this one.

The Jaguar XJR has such nice lines, and the quad exhaust, the “R” badges, and some front end fascia upgrades are a few of the distinctions from the regular XJ. Befitting a luxury car of its day it has heated and air conditioned seats, a Meridian audio system, and a panoramic sunroof. And tons of room inside and in the trunk.

What makes the XJR special is the upgraded 5.0 liter V-8, a supercharged, 550 horsepower, high performance car that with an eight-speed automatic and will hit 174 mph. And again, Car and Driver was able to pull off a 3.9 second 0-60 mph run. The car sold new back in 2014 for about $125,000 and is now only $33,998. Find it here in Buffalo, New York.

Stock No: 24225873 VIN: SAJWA1EK6EMV66589

January 27, 2023January 27, 2023

Quick Hits – Six Unusual Unicorn Sedans. Cheap Too!

Going to limit my comments to pithy short paragraphs or these interesting unicorns. I’m behind the curve on my annual drive to Florida for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona this weekend. If any of you are attending please give me a shout – would love to have a coffee or beer and talk cars. I was stuck in Savannah (I just can’t help myself with my alliteration addiction!) because my BMW M3 went on the fritz and had to drop into Critz BMW in Savannah for diagnostics and a fix. After a couple of odd startups and alerts that my battery was either disconnected or discharging while off the car wouldn’t start yesterday, and once started wouldn’t go into gear. Had coffee and pondered options while visiting friends in Santee, South Carolina, and a couple of hours later – fired right up, went into gear, and I barreled onto I-95 south. Critz was able to fit me in and sent me a cool video this morning of them walking around my car and diagnosing….a loose negative cable on the battery post. Ugh. $237. I gave Critz my MaxCare info but I think it doesn’t apply. Glad they fit me in and glad it’s solved. Will continue south tomorrow. Let’s get to the cars.

This 2013 BMW 550i caught my eye because it’s cheap at $24,998 and it’s a V-8. Always like sleeper sedans.

But eagle eyed readers Nate and Hans both shared it with me because although it’s listed as an automatic, it’s really a six-speed three pedal manual transmission car! I don’t know how rare these are, but I do know that’s cool as hell.

Handsome interior above and surprisingly well equipped, with adaptive cruise control, seat massagers, heated and cooled seats, heated steering wheel and more! CarMax says it has the cold weather package, the driver assistance package, and the M sport package. The car sold new for maybe $65,000 ten years ago. Below we see the 4.4 liter twin turbo V-8 that makes 400 hp.

On one hand, a 400 hp 6MT BMW sedan with decent miles selling for less than $25,000 seems too good to be true. And maybe it is. But Jared shared with me the N63 motor has issues that even MaxCare might not make up for. Sure they would cover the cost of repairs, but the car would be in the shop more than out. That became a hassle and disappointment with my original unicorn, the 2004 Mercedes S55 that I loved – when I got to drive it. Googled the N63 and found “There are several widespread issues with the BMW N63 V8 engine. These include oil consumption, fuel injector failure, timing chain failure, leaking valve stem seals, and fast battery drainage.” (thebmwstore.com) If this loaded 2013 BMW 550i 6MTis for you it’s currently being shipped to Ontario, California but you can track it here.

Stock 23542210 · VIN WBAFR9C52DC271574

Break – the BMW below is NOT the same car above!

Got this one from Mustafa and Hans. The most affordable V-12 we’ve seen in some time – a 2014 BMW 760Li for only $32,998. That’s a steal. This was a $140,000 car nine years ago and really captures my enthusiasm for unicorns – highly depreciated and foolish to own without MaxCare. I cannot imagine walking into Critz BMW here in Savannah when I go to pick up my M3 and ask if they’d give me a five year warranty for another 75,000 miles on a nine year old V-12 BMW.

This 760 is loaded as you can see below. Has adaptive cruise control (even though CarMax doesn’t note that), heads up display, lane departure alert, and even night vision assist, which I still dig for no good reason. The car has heated, cooling, and massaging seats. Oddly, CarMax indicates the 760 has both the Harman Kardon sound system and the Bang & Olufsen audio. It has the Bang & Olufsen, or “B&O” as Mustafa taught me. I believe the B&O is a higher level of sound?

The BMW 760Li does have the 6.0 liter V-12 motor making 535 hp. Not as much as I’d like – the modern M760 hits 600hp, but as I learned with my 2010 S600 that Jared stole from me anything above 500hp in a V-12 is just smooth, quiet power. With the eight-speed automatic the 2 1/2 ton sedan will still scoot to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. Sweet.

I believe you could be out the door with this 2014 BMW 760Li with MaxCare and taxes for $40,000. That’s unusual. It’s currently here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Not far from you Jared!

Stock 23541481 · VIN WBAYG0C56EDZ04826

Wait there’s more! Enough with these Euro-sedans, let’s look east.

December 21, 2022December 22, 2022

Quick Hit – A Couple Of Coupes Below $35,000

Still surprised to see Mercedes CL models at CarMax, and this month there were two. One just sold, leaving this 2014 Mercedes CL550 the sole surviving unicorn for the moment. Reminds me of last spring when I wrote about three CL550’s available at the same time. This isn’t a spectacular car like the CL65 AMG V-12, but it is a handsome coupe nonetheless, not a lot were sold, and 2014 was the last year for the CL-class – two door S-classes, really, before being replaced by S-class coupes. This is a nine year old Mercedes and is still eligible for another five years and 85,000 miles of MaxCare!

This was also the last year for this interior. The 2015 S-class was all new. Think the “discounted” price reflects that this car was three generations ago. It’s the same interior I had in my 2010 S600. I keep mentioning that car because I keep missing it – and will until I replace it. This CL550 is fairly well equipped with heated and cooled seats, seat massagers, heated steering wheel, night vision, Harman Kardon audio, and even AWD. The front seat leg room is 42.2″ – almost out of Justin Tuckers’ field goal range.

What I originally wrote: Remember the 2017 S600 I wrote about last week and its luxurious rear seating? Not so much in the CL550 coupe. No room for humans and hard to toss guitars or groceries back there. It does have a decent trunk.

Updated by blog reader Aaron – he rented a CL550 and was able to put four six-footers in the car comfortably. Believe he’s right this shot was taken with the driver’s seat all the way back. I still hate trying to get things in the back seat of two door cars (same with my M3) but you can get peeps in here if need be. Thanks, Aaron!

The 2014 CL550 has a good enough V-8 motor, all of 4.7 liters and turbocharged and rated at 429 horsepower and 516 ft-lbs of torque. That should be plenty. Even gets 24 mpg on the highway and will cruise for well over 500 miles between road trip fill ups. This two-owner, accident free, low mileage, 2014 Mercedes CL550 is between Baltimore and Washington at the moment, here in Laurel, Maryland. (I notice the link includes “beta” – and the photo below is NOT what I’m used to and I hate it. I’ll be writing a harshly worded comment to CarMax when I’m done!) The 2014 CL550 sold for maybe $117,000 new and is nicely depreciated at $35,000.

Stock 23450827 · VIN WDDEJ9EB6EA031990

Promised you a pair of cars, and I’ll coupe my promise with this pretty, and quite familiar and gorgeous, 2013 Jaguar XK “Touring” model. If you’ve been with me over the years you know I just love hardtop XK’s. But you’re thinking, “wait! This is a “Touring” edition, it must be pretty special, right?”.

Nope. Jaguar fans probably knew. I had to look it up. The Touring model was actually a reduced-price entry level Jaguar XK that sold for $5,500 less than the standard XK. This one sold for maybe $80,000. What was left out to bring down the price? According to Car and Driver, “the low-grade Touring coupe forgoes the XK’s suede headliner for a regular woven cloth piece; 20-inch wheels get downsized to 19-inchers; and the upmarket Bowers & Wilkins audio system is shelved in favor of a “Jaguar premium” system“. That’s it! What’s wrong with an Alpine radio, anyway?

The Jaguar XK has a nice interior and as with the CL550, it’s a 2+2 with no back seat room. It’s a low mileage car and very clean inside. Not as well equipped as the CL550, the Jag only has seat heaters and Bluetooth and a rear view camera.

The last Jaguar I covered was a 510 horsepower XKR, and this one is more tame – 385 horsepower from a 5.0 liter V-8. That’s what six-cylinder Jaguar makes now. But that’s probably enough to move this 3,700 pound coupe. I was struck by the pretty dark blue over tan – haven’t seen that before. Car and Driver also noted the Touring has an aero kit not on other XK’s, although I can’t see it. Another crappy “beta” photo below. This 2013 Jaguar XK Touring is here in Denver. Unlike the CL550, though, it’s a four owner car and has been in one fender bender. I think it should be selling for $5,000 less. I’ll watch and see if it gets reduced.

Stock 22576258 · VIN SAJWA4DB0DLB50533

December 4, 2022December 3, 2022

Quick Hit – Another Jaguar XKR – $38,998

The Jaguar XKR may be the one car I’ve blogged about the most, and for sure is the car I’ve had transferred in to my Dulles dealership the most only to weasel out at the last moment. Last February I came very close to buying a 2012 model at a reasonable price but the 24 hour test drive discouraged me. Here’s another one, a 2014 Jaguar XKR for a decent price and low miles.

The Jaguar XKR remains one of the most svelte, beautiful designs to me. A poor man’s Aston Martin. Or a unicorn hunter’s prize. The XK was imported from 1997-2014, so this is a last of the model run car. The cockpit below is identical to the XF and should be quite familiar. Heated and air conditioned seats, heated steering wheel, rear view camera, Bluetooth, and a Bowers & Wilkins audio system. Nothing fancy but not inadequate for the look and the price.

The reason to buy the car though, lies under the hood….er, the bonnet? It’s an aluminum 5.0 liter supercharged V-8 making 510 horsepower. The car I drove this past February was as exhilarating as the first I drove in 2016 when I was looking for Guether II, and I suspect this XKR is also. The snap shifts and the V-8 rumble and roar made me smile every time. The main reason I passed on the 2012 XKR in February was I felt cramped inside, only to learn when I returned the car the sales rep had jammed the key box behind the driver’s seat – costing me four inches of leg room. On paper this car has 43 inches of front leg room – more than a Mercedes S-class! (CarMax also had several chances to repair some damaged trim and didn’t, and that became agitating.

For not this 2014 Jaguar XKR is available here in Memphis, Tennessee. It’s a four-owner, accident free car that spent much of it’s time in Florida not being driven – really only 4,500 miles a year. It’s still eligible for another 91,000 miles and 60 month of MaxCare – take it. Then rev the hell out of this Jaguar without worry.

Stock # 23003548 VIN # SAJWA4DC4EMB53455

November 14, 2022November 15, 2022

Barriers to Blogging – Three Possible S600 Successors and an F1 Race?

Here we go again. Me whining why I haven’t blogged as much as I’d like. And for the most part, it’s because I’ve been obsessed and paralyzed by my own search for the successor to my beloved 2010 Mercedes S600 I sold in September. If you’ve been on this journey with me before, you’ll know that it’s not just about the next car, but also how it complements my daily driver (2013 BMW M3 and my wife’s car (2022 Kia Sportage). If she hates my cars, we always have to take her car on road trips. Her car’s not bad, but it’s not a unicorn. My pursuit is also complicated by my best friends recently buying a BMW X3 M40i, a BMW X5 45e, and a BMW X5 M50i – great SUV’s and now they are all off the table as options for me. And in addition to the search for a unicorn, I split for Austin in October to take in the US Grand Prix. Throwing that in at the bottom here just because. Let’s get started.

Surprise! I am absolutely intrigued with this 2017 Mercedes GLA45 AMG. I love these little buzz bombs and this one is cheap and well appointed with both adaptive cruise control and Apple CarPlay. I could easily see myself leaving home everyday in this to run errands, stop by the office, and throw music gear in the back for my gigs. Unpretentious sleeper.

While traveling I-95 between Baltimore and Washington I stopped by the Laurel, Maryland CarMax to test drive the GLA45. While waiting for the sales rep I sat in the car. Squeezed in and hit the seat adjustment button. Seat went back…and back…and back. The GLA45 has more front leg room than an S-class. Fact. I looked it up and for sure – 1/2 inch more leg room! Unfortunately, the sales rep never showed up and after a half hour of wandering the lot trying on cars I had to leave.

Before this stop I couldn’t explain why I like these cars. It’s not because it is allegedly a crossover “ute” of some sort – it’s not. The car has a really, really low ride height. Like lower than most sedans, not just crossovers. One critic complained that Mercedes took a CLA and raised it to create the GLA platform, then lowered it again to make the GLA AMG. Nonsensical. On the drive home I saw a Volkswagen GTI on the interstate and it finally hit me why I like the GLA45 so much.

The Mercedes GLA45 AMG is nothing more than a hot hatchback, and ever since I owned a pair of 70’s era Ford Fiestas (West German cars with the 1.6 liter Kent engines used in Formula 3) I’ve loved screaming around the back roads in unusual econoboxes. How much more fun in a modern one with 4WD and Apple CarPlay?!

The 2017 Mercedes GLA45 AMG is powered by a 375 hp 2.0 liter turbocharged four cylinder. It’s the most horsepower you can get in a gas-only four banger in the USA. The car sprints to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. It would be quicker than my old S55, S600, 911, and the M3 I’m driving now, although not as refined at high speeds I suspect. It would damned sure get better mileage. Why am I not buying it? If I could have the M3 as my convertible/sports car combo and a big luxury vehicle for long drives, this GLA45 would be perfect as a daily driver. That said, I (foolishly) agreed with the wife to be a two car guy again vice three cars, and I’m at a point in my life where I have a shot at splurging on that second car that I may not have next time around. This isn’t it. This GLA45 sold for over $50,000 five years ago and it’s not cheap at $36,998, but it sure is fun. Find it here in Laurel, Maryland.

Stock # 23516917 VIN # WDDTG5CB7HJ333732

November 8, 2022November 7, 2022

Quick Hit – Jaguar Triplets?

The Jaguar XKR above is not one of the triplets. It’s the last Jaguar XK I wrote about in February 2022 here. One of several over the years I’ve driven and thought about buying. And every single time I cover an XK I mention how much I love the svelte look of the hardtop and not really a big fan of the drop top – disrupts the flow from the B-pillar back to the deck. But I’ve also tried to learn over the years to not say a car isn’t pretty – it’s just not for me. I would offer that with the top down the body has a totally different vibe and is quite nice. If you’ve always wanted one of the X150 Jaguar XK convertibles imported from 1996 to 2015 here’s three nearly identical triplet unicorns for you.

The 2015 at the top is my favorite. First, Jaguar sold only 492 of the final year 2015 models (the web says three 2016 models were sold!). Second, it’s in unicorn pricing territory at $39,998 (update – it just dropped to $37,998!). Third, it’s low mileage at 32,000. Last, it’s the lovely tan interior below I equate with luxury. My wife equates it to visible coffee stains when my commute goes bad. We’re both right.

July 31, 2022July 31, 2022

End of the Month Quota Post – 2014 Jaguar XFR for $35,000, and Random Thoughts

Three random thoughts before getting to the Jaguar below.

1) Remember when dealerships neared the end of the month and salesmen pleaded with us, that to meet their monthly quota they were going to offer us ridiculous discounts? Monthly stats seemed to drive everything. Well, here we are near the end of July and I realize I’ve only blogged a pitiful two times. My excuse is that preparing to sell my 2010 Mercedes S600 and replace it with another unicorn has made me weary. Believe it or not, this last week a 2015 Mercedes S65 sedan surfaced that a blog reader snagged and bought before I could (I had a BMW M5 being transferred and couldn’t move the S65), and a 2011 BMW Alpina B7 at a ridiculously low price of $32,998 was located and bought by another blog reader who saw the car before me. Great cars that I should have written about, but snoozed and lost. In August I may experiment with very, very brief pieces on unusual cars to just get them out there to you with little to no witty commentary.

2) CarMax’s 24 hour test drive now has limitations. I transferred a loaded BMW M5 from a Maryland dealership to my Dulles, Virginia location and went in for a 24 hour test drive, only to be told there’s a new policy. Cars over $60,000, and a whole bunch of muscle cars, are no longer eligible for 24 hour test drives. That’s what my sales rep told me when I showed up to take the M5 home. I noted that’s not what’s on the web and the rep apologized, but I couldn’t take the car home. So I said forget it – not buying a $90,000 car after a drive around the block, and left in a huff. Looked up the latest web policy, and it says “Please note, not all cars qualify for a 24-hour test drive, and customers may only take two 24-hour test drives within a 30-day period.” I guess they can make the rules. That said, I have learned so much more about a car with a 24 hour test drive rather than the loop around the dealership, that this will give me pause. Also, one reader tells me his dealer still lets him take care home for a 24 hour ride. Guess it’s negotiable.

3) CarMax inventory levels are ballooning to the 60,000 car level, up significantly over the last few months. Starting to see a more interesting mix of unicorns – high end cars, older European sports cars, low mileage muscle cars – than I’ve seen in a while (even if I didn’t get around to blogging about them!). I’m going to be more vigilant in August and post twice a week come hell or high water! Hang in there with me, please.

My unicorn to close out the month is a 2014 Jaguar XFR. It’s a handsome sedan with the same drive train and interior as the svelte XKR, but you get four doors and a decent trunk. If you’re a regular reader you know I’ve toyed with more than one XKR purchase as the supercharged motor is just barrels of British fun.

The interior is neat and tidy, with heated and cooled seats, Bluetooth, Meridian audio, navigation and a sunroof (you cannot get a sunroof in an XKR).

Decent sized trunk – I think that’s a ski/passthrough access point in the back?

The heart and soul of the Jaguar XFR is the supercharged 5.0 liter aluminum V-8 powerplant. The last Jaguar XFR I covered I said, “the 5.0 liter supercharged V-8 runs through a six-speed automatic transmission. Depending on the review, the car sprints from 0-60 mph in the low to high four second range. Wish I could be more precise, but web info says the sedan tops out at 155 (limited), 174, and 186 mph. If you own one and hit top speed let me know. We’ll keep it between us.” No need to reinvent the heated steering wheel – all still applies to this car!

This 2014 Jaguar XFR is available here in Laurel, Maryland – not far from me! (And not far from you, Scott. This will fit in your garage?) It’s a one owner, accident free Virginia car with MaxCare good until 125,000 miles and five years.

Stock # 23093302 VIN # SAJWA0JH4EMU18378