Category: Enthusiast Unicorns – CarMax Bargains (Under $35,000)

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#113 of 209 – The Fastest Subaru (A Lot Of) Money Can Buy

Thanks to fellow CarMax tracker and blog reader Cannon for bringing this track-ready, limited run 2019 Subaru STI S209 to my attention. There were only 209 made, and CarMax (of course) has one available. This one is #113 of 209 as far as I can tell – if you can make out the image below better than I, maybe it’s #115? No matter, it’s a rare and fast unicorn.

First, Cannon taught me the Subaru STI S209 was assembled by STI (Subaru Tecnica International), the motorsports arm of Subaru. STI takes possession of WRX STI’s and from the main Gunma, Japan factory, and then ships them to their shop in Kiryu-Kougyo, Japan to complete the S209 modifications. For starters, the power plant is beefed up from 305 hp to 341 hp from it’s turbo flat-four cylinder. Mated to the six-speed manual transmission, the car rips low four second 0-60 mph runs.

The 2019 Car and Driver review noted the “0.6-inch-wider track necessitated fender flares to cover the model-specific 265/35R-19 Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT 600A summer tires. Bilstein dampers, stiffer springs, and a 20-mm rear anti-roll bar deliver a dog-pukingly stiff ride.” The sedan pulled 1.04 g lateral grip on the skidpad. The car brakes race car hard. I cannot get over that race car wing though.

The Subaru STI S209 has bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, seat heaters, and a rear view camera but not much else in comfort features. Not why one buys this car though. And the kicker? The S209 listed for $65,000 when new. That said, many sold for a premium above MSRP given the limited run. That price was also $25,000 above a regular WRX STI. As Cannon said, this is probably a decent collector car in the making. MaxCare may be cheap also, given that this low mileage car is still under manufacturer warranty. And be prepared – it’s still selling for above MSRP two years later! Find this little race car here in Plano, Texas.

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The Most Expensive CarMax Unicorn EVER!

$162,998. That’s what you wanted to know. But that’s not all you need to know. This 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S is hardly a unicorn by my old $35,000 ceiling (that I am so going to blow through soon) but it is the most expensive CarMax car I’ve ever seen. Thought it was a misprint when Mustafa sent it to me last week, and when it disappeared from the web within minutes I was sure. But it’s back. Is it a good deal?

I think 7/11 designed the cup holders just for Grosse Gulps.

No. Well, maybe in a relative way. There are 12 of these for sale on Autotrader.com today, and as it turns out this is a fair price for a 2020 911 Carrera 4S. But according to Car and Driver the 4S model gives you only AWD over the regular 911 S. Everything else about the car….trim, output features….exactly the same. Oh and a gas tank that holds about 3/4 of a gallon more fuel. The additional charge for a 4S over an S is $7,300 according to Car and Driver. But wait there’s more! Car and Driver’s as tested model had a base price of $121,000 and with options and AWD topped out at $140,000. So not only is AWD the only plus to this car (and that’s not insignificant, for what it’s worth) the car is selling used for more than it sold for new! Damn. Puts it in the same league as the Chevrolet SS and Corvette C8!

Pretty slick shifter?
The car includes the Porsche cargo bay tub. Surprisingly the 911 front end will hold a standard suitcase.

The 911 4S does outperform the standard S. How much? I’ll leave you with the Car and Driver narrative. “The 443-hp twin-turbo flat-six, eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and all-wheel-drive system all feed a ruthless launch-control program that turns air and gasoline into effortless and repeatable performance. Is 2.8 seconds to 60 mph better than 2.9 seconds? Objectively, yes. Is it worth $7300? We’re uncertain about that one.” Well, I am certain that if you can afford this car you can afford MaxCare, even though the 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S here in Tampa is still under manufacturer warranty.

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1 of 50 In USA – 2020 Lexus RC F Track Edition. Why?

The Lexus RC F is a pretty impressive car in vanilla form. The luxury coupe sports a 5.0 liter V-8 with 467 hp and every feature you could want. They sold new in the mid-$60,000 range and CarMax has a half-dozen regular RC F’s with low mileage for under $50,000. Those cars are capable of low-four second 0-60 mph runs and a 168 mph top speed. But anybody can own a vanilla Lexus RC F. Only 50 Track Editions were imported to the USA. That alone makes them a unicorn.

What’s so special about the Lexus RC F other than the limited production? Honestly not much. A big-ass wing for starters that adds 58 pounds of downforce when you hit that 168 mph straightaway. Carbon fiber on the hood, roof, and decklid that shaves 121 pounds. I never get such little weight loss. Add my wife as the passenger and we’re back where we started! Throw in a cooler of beer and I’m slower than before! Seriously though you get a little bit more upgrades on the RC F Track over a standard car but not much.

The same motor makes only five (yes 5) more horsepower than the stock RC F. Coupled with the weight loss that reduces 0-60 times by .3 seconds. Not a fan. The Track Edition also gets a front splitter, tweaked adaptive dampers that are more aggressive, and drops the torque-vectoring differential for what Car and Driver calls a more benign handling attitude. Meh.

The Lexus RC F interior is wonderful for a luxury coupe. Never liked bordello red for a car but many buyers do. What I have never been able to figure out is the hump protruding from the hump that boxes in the driver’s heel. I have been tempted more than once by RC F’s as bargain V-8 coupes but I cannot get my size 12 foot to work the gas pedal around that mound. Again, the regular RC F seems to be a bargain unicorn and I’m struggling, other than exclusivity of owning a 1 of 50 unit, to get why I’d want this once $97,000 car that’s only depreciated to $85,998. It does have only 4,000 miles on it since purchased almost two years ago, and with existing dealer warranty and Lexus reliability there’s really no need for MaxCare. Find this 2020 Lexus RC F here in Tampa, Florida.

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Quick Hit – Rare (for CarMax) Dirt Cheap 12 Year Old Audi S5

A 2009 Audi S5 by itself isn’t all that much of a unicorn. Lots of ’em out there. But every day I surf the CarMax website to see what’s in the older car bin and today was rewarded with this cheap 12 year old German pony car. CarMax has 43,678 cars in their nationwide inventory as I write, and only 67 2009 models. When I started this blog four years ago CarMax told me they only sell cars 10 years old and newer. Over time I learned that wasn’t quite right as there were always 11 and 12 year old cars for sale. But CarMax has been quite disciplined about European cars, and it’s rare to see one older than 10 model years for sale.

Before we go over the features, specs, and performance that make the S5 a cool daily driver, and other than being old, what I like about this Audi is that it’s only $14,998. There are 85 of these first-generation (2007-2012) S5’s with similar mileage (less than 100,000) on Autotrader today, and most are actually selling for more than CarMax is asking. And of course, I’d be real surprised if any of those are offered with an optional three year warranty up to 150,000 miles. This car has 98,000 miles, so you can pretty much buy the equivalent of a new car warranty with MaxCare for this old car. Did I mention it’s 12 years old? I did?

So about the car. The first generation S5’s were equipped with the 4.2 liter V-8 motor making only 354 hp, and yet they ripped high-four second 0-60 mph runs. All of them are AWD. When I returned from Germany in 2010 I saw my first S5 in Virginia downshift and scream up an exit ramp in a rush. The acceleration was awesome and the noise ear-splitting. Loved it. Later I was stunned to learn how relatively low the horsepower was compared to it’s rivals – BMW and Mercedes six-cylinders make almost the same output. But the S5 is more raucous and fast. All of the reviews I read from 2009 were complimentary both on performance, and the “stunning” design (used by several car magazines). This car also has seat heaters, auto cruise control, nav and rear view camera, blind spot monitors, and Bluetooth. Find it here in Southlake, Georgia. Well, damn. Took me 20 minutes to put this piece together and it shows now as “Currently Not Available”. But that’s the beauty of having the stock number – you can always track it! I’ll try to post if it becomes available again.

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Another 1 of 23 – Low Mileage 2011 Lexus GS460

Two years ago my CarMax car buddy Mustafa alerted me to how few Lexus GS460’s were sold in the US – just 23 units in 2011. In fact, other than the 1,600 sold in 2008, each year after saw only a few dozen leaving dealer lots. Makes it a fairly rare unicorn. I was pleased to see this 2011 model in tan over champagne – a color combo I’ve always associated with luxury. It’s in CarMax’s Coming Soon section so very much available.

Low production isn’t the only reason to like this vehicle  I dig the Italian design by Giugiaro and once lusted for the second generation Lexus GS400 as a nice sleeper sedan.  This 2011 GS460 has a 4.6 liter V-8 rated at 342 hp, good for a mediocre 0-60 mph in 5.4 seconds.  Slightly better than the comparable Infiniti M45 but 40 ponies less than the same year Mercedes E550, and 58 hp short of the 2011 BMW 550.

But it is a high-quality highway cruiser with an eight-speed automatic transmission, auto cruise control. adaptive variable suspension, luxury package, cooling seats, and good old fashioned rear wheel drive.  Not sure I’d even spring for MaxCare – not much going to go wrong here. (However, CarMax actually offers MaxCare for five years and up to 150,000 miles!) Probably sold for $55-60,000 new back in 2011 and selling for $22,998 now – $1,000 more than the same model I reviewed two years ago! Not as much depreciation as I’d like.  Here’s a review of the GS460 from Left Lane News when the car was new in 2011.  This 2011 Lexus will be available soon here in Irving, Texas. Also full disclosure – the above two paragraphs I totally plagiarized from my 2019 review – curious if anyone actually makes it this deep in the blog! 🙂

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1 of 5?! Maybe. Academy Award “Nominee” 2018 Genesis G90 Ultimate Coming Soon to a CarMax Near You!

The two-tone paint scheme caught my eye. Something special about this car. A quick Google search and I’m fascinated that for the last few Academy Awards Genesis has been partnering with Vanity Fair and rolling out five special edition models for “nominees and influencers” to arrive at the gala in style. Who knew?! The photo above is the 2018 Genesis G90 Ultimate unicorn currently for sale by CarMax. The photo below is from the 2018 Genesis press release announcing the five special edition cars.

What’s more challenging (aka impossible for me) is to learn whether Genesis sold replicas of the five Academy Award cars, or if this is actually one of the five. I’ve spent an hour or two so far and the only thing I know for sure if that Genesis presented a model just like this one at the 2018 Academy Awards, and the cars were on display at one point in Seoul. I’ve not found any two-tone cars for sale on Autotrader or Cars.com. There is a Car and Driver piece covering two-tone flagship G90’s as concept cars only. Thought I would post here and perhaps blog readers who are smarter than me (this means you!) may have some insight. This one first sold in October 2018.

Regardless, the 2018 Genesis Ultimate is plush and very well equipped. Heated and air conditioned seats and heated steering wheel. Heads up display. Auto cruise control. DVD system. Adjustable suspension. Car and Driver notes the interior includes “22-way power adjustability for the driver’s seat, 16-way for the front passenger, 14-way for the right rear passenger, and 12-way for the left rear. ” Nice. That said, the reviewer was disappointed with no hands free (or whatever it’s called) autonomous driving for this luxury sedan.

Car and Driver also moans a bit on the 420 hp V-8 – a good enough engine that will get you to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds. Certainly adequate and yet not world class. Of course, make any comparison to the Lexus LS or Mercedes S class and online forum discussions go berserk. Trying to learn more about this special edition car I waded into a few of those. I found G90 owners to be quite proud, and quite defensive about their sedans, and the German equivalents (Dammit! They aren’t equivalent!) sniff that a South Korean car could never compete. What gets your attention, though, is that the G90 Ultimate sold new for $75,000 – a good $25,000 below it’s competitors. This G90 is selling for $49,000. Here’s the tricky part. If it’s really a one of five Academy Award/Vanity Fair car maybe it’s special and worth it. BUT it’s a two accident car (one in the front and one in the rear) and that never bodes well for resell if nobody cares about the Academy Award part. Then again, Genesis only sold maybe 2,500 G90’s in 2018 so there is a bit of exclusivity anyway. Oh, and skip MaxCare. This beauty is still under Genesis’ generous manufacturer warranty. This one-owner car is the first Genesis to make it to my blog and is coming to Jensen Beach, Florida soon! Here’s the link.

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Need a 6MT / AWD Reliable and Reasonably Fast Sedan? This 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD is Coming Soon.

The first Acura to make The CarMax Unicorn Blog. Not what I think of as an enthusiast car at first, until you consider the niche. Who else has a sedan this size, with a 300+ horsepower six-cylinder motor, a six-speed manual transmission, AWD, and bulletproof reliability? The Germans are out. The Cadillac ATS V with a 462 hp six and a manual transmission I covered last week here is only two wheel drive, and by the way cost over $30,000 more. Think of the fourth generation, 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD as a gentleman’s Subaru WRX. Plus, there are only two other manual transmission Acura TL SH-AWD’s for sale on Auto Trader – one at half the price with twice the miles, and another with 10,000 fewer miles for a third more. This one’s a unicorn.

The 3.7 liter V-6 puts out 305 hp, and moves the sub-4,000 lb sedan to 60 mph in about 5.3 seconds. The motor didn’t get high marks for being high tech when new, but it is certainly good enough, and extremely reliable. Reviews considered it satisfying and beefy at the 6,700 rpm red line. It’s the transmission, though, that get’s high marks – short, crisp shifts the old fashioned way.

The interior was a bit dated in 2012 and is damned near vintage now. Nothing horribly wrong, just bland. The Acura has seat heaters, nav, Bluetooth, a sunroof, keyless entry/start and a rear view camera. Just enough. Only 18 months ago CarBuzz revisited this car in the review, “The Manual Acura TL Is One Of The Coolest Sedans Ever Made“. They clearly dug it. Check it out here. The 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD sold new for north of $43,000 and is being offered for $21,995 nine years later at CarMax. Plenty of money left over for MaxCare, offered for another 100,000 miles, but would you really need it? Find this two-owner Colorado car in the Coming Soon category here in Loveland, Colorado, just three hours north of Pike’s Peak!

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Remember This 2010 Mercedes S65 AMG? It Just Sold for $11,000 MORE Than The CarMax Price!

I transferred in this 2010 Mercedes S65 AMG last fall and ultimately declined to buy. My whole saga is here. Because of our car connection when I declined to buy I arranged for blog reader Hans to immediately take control and transfer to Wilmington, NC. Hans bought the car, but it was not what he expected (it was too tame, and Hans has enough AMG experience to know the AMG growl) and he returned it. Here the plot thickens. Hans and I cooked a deal to have CarMax transfer the car to another blog reader Collin. Oddly, CarMax told Collin the car was “accidentally” sold. Then the plot took an odd turn – blog reader Mustafa, a truly gifted CarMax sniper, alerted me this S65 was posted on cars.com and the seller, a dude named “John” from Connecticut, had contacted him about his Mercedes CL65 and mentioned the S65. More bizarre, the cars.com ad had the picture of the S65 in MY driveway from MY blog post! I contacted John but never heard back and forgot about it. This week Mustafa alerted me to the very same 2010 Mercedes S65 offered on the Bring a Trailer auction site by a company called Exclusive Impex in Miami. Of course I jumped in to share what I know about the car, both to bring prospective buyers’ attention to the car’s mysterious past, and to shamelessly flog my blog. The reaction? Absolutely no one gave a shit about what I (we) knew about this car’s path. Turns out someone else bought this car from CarMax and returned it after CarMax and Mercedes Benz of Manhattan could not solve an electrical gremlin. (Exclusive Impex says they solved it.) Oddly, the car’s history reflects neither my friend in Wilmington’s ownership nor the Connecticut buyer’s purchase. Exclusive Impex claims they bought the car at a CarMax auction (I’ve never heard of CarMax auctions), repaired and prepped it, and made it available on Bring a Trailer. My take after watching this car bid and sell for $11,000 MORE than we all could have had the car for from CarMax? I belong to a half dozen car groups on Facebook and all agree prices are inflated on Bring a Trailer. When I track cars on Bring a Trailer I’m impressed and discouraged by the depth of knowledge and deep criticisms in the comments section. That said, on this 2010 Mercedes S65, the commenters were intoxicated by the car and gleefully overlooked anything suspect. Why did two buyers return the car? Don’t care. What about the one accident on the Carfax? Don’t care. We all could have had this car for $36,000 and bought a five year MaxCare plan to protect us for another five years and 100,000 miles. Instead, a Bring a Trailer buyer got it for $47,500 with no warranty. Time will tell who came out on top!

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1 0f 62 – 2018 Cadillac ATS V Manual Transmission Sedan. Not slow. Not Cheap.

I’m going to cheat and add the link to the last 2018 Cadillac ATS V manual transmission sedan unicorn I wrote about five months ago here in order to get this posted quickly. But here’s the three points I’d like to make about this car. First. Cadillac only sold 62 manual transmission ATS V’s in 2018, and 54 manual transmission coupes. I have not yet spotted a 2018 manny tranny coupe at CarMax. Second. the car is a legitimate performance sedan. Sub-4 second 0-60 mph and 189 mph top speed from a six-banger, and 1 g lateral grip. Third, while this 2018 sedan has fewer miles than the one in my February 2021 blog, it’s $9,000 more. I absolutely HATE that the price of unicorns is going up! Reminds me of the Chevrolet SS’s that CarMax is selling used for more than they sold for new! Tossing in some pix and then the obligatory link to the CarMax sales offering below. Enjoy.

Handsome interior but nothing luxurious. Almost German in its functionality.
Honestly the automatic ATS V is a great car – the manual transmission makes this great and rare.
The 3.6 liter six cylinder makes 464 hp. Honestly, CarMax, why can I NOT see horsepower or my laptop but on my iPhone app it’s right there on the first screen?!

The 2018 Cadillac ATS V sold for maybe $80,000 new and three years later has only depreciated to $56,998. Low miles so maybe a bargain. Regardless, buy the MaxCare warranty (although it still has a little GM warranty left!) and drive this hot sedan hard. Find this accident free one-owner hot rod “coming soon” here in Orlando, Florida.

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Quick Hit – 1 of 1,750 in US Gelb Schwarzer Renner!

The car above is the original 1972 VW Beetle GSR, or Gelb Schwarzer Renner, or yellow-black racer. The 1972 GSR was a limited edition beetle pumped up to a whopping 50 hp and an unbelievable 18 second 0-60 mph run. According to Hemmings Motor News there are maybe 100 left in circulation. It is NOT for sale at CarMax. What IS for sale is its modern day equivalent, the 2014 VW Beetle GSR unicorn below. Car and Driver offers that maybe half of the 3,500 limited production run of 2014 GSR’s came to the USA. Makes it a bit rare, even if the modern GSR came from Mexico and not West Germany.

The GSR caught my eye during my nightly search for yellow cars. Out of 39,000 cars in the inventory, CarMax has only 79 yellow cars – pretty much tied with purple for the fewest. The time is coming when I will sell my 1971 Fiat 124 Spider, painted Porsche Speed Yellow (ironic for such a slow car), and I’m always on the lookout for modern day yellow scooters. At first I thought this was just an appearance package, but Google set me straight. So did Car and Driver, Autoweek, and Hemmings.

Let’s start with the motor. In 2014 the GSR’s 2.0 liter turbo four was boosted to 210 hp, 10 more than the venerable GTI of the same year. Too bad it’s automatic, even though it’s dual clutch. Car and Driver noted despite the 100 lb weight gain of a GSR over GTI, the 10 hp moved the GSR to 60 mph almost a half-second quicker. The following year GTI’s also came with 210 hp, for the record. The GSR cornered quicker and braked shorter than the GTI of the same era, defying it’s more civilized packaging. Honestly, had I not looked up the original 1972 GSR I’d have no idea why this Beetle looks the way it does. I suspect most casual car folks won’t either and will think it’s just a silly, summer Beetle.

Car and Driver described the interior well. “Inside the GSR, things are toned down a bit with tasteful black leather sport seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel highlighted with yellow stitching. Pushbutton start, a Fender premium audio system, aluminum pedals, a panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting, a turbo-boost gauge, and a clock with a stopwatch feature help round out the GSR’s cabin kit. VW plans a run of 3500 GSRs, the special-edition number of each emblazoned on a steering-wheel plaque.” Unfortunately, CarMax photographers NEVER put effort into capturing the limited edition plaque numbers. Maybe you can see it below?

The GSR also minimally tops the GTI in cargo space due to the higher roofline. Makes the GSR pretty much all around a better car than the GTI, and yet a yellow-black-racer probably has a far more limited appeal, limited edition notwithstanding. Not sure this GSR is really that much of a bargain at almost $20,000, given it sold new for about $30,000 seven years ago, and it’s sporting a good 78,000 miles. That said for a true VW fan it might be just the thing. Find this two-owner car here in Turnersville, New Jersey.

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