Fifty years ago Dodge introduced the Challenger to compete with the Camaro and Mustang. Bigger than both in size, it was dwarfed in sales. The Challenger sold about 76,000 models in 1970, compared to about 125,000 Camaros and a whopping 190,000 Mustangs. Sales dropped off rapidly for the five year run of the first generation and the model disappeared after 1974. Skipping the second generation Challenger of 1978-1983, a rebadged Mitsubishi import (although I’d love to have one of those!), the Challenger returned in 2008 for a third run. The Challenger below looks remarkably like the original, and the model continues to sell well despite little change for the last 12 years – over a half a million so far. I don’t know how they do it, but CarMax just Hoover’s up low mileage, older muscle cars. Could write a whole piece about the scores of Corvettes, Camaros, Mustangs, and Challengers on the lots that have hardly been driven, but after last weekend’s novel I’ll stick to one. And keep it short.
My favorite, and not just because it’s yellow. A 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT-8 Yellow Jacket with what appears to be 393 miles on the odometer. That’s crazy – 50 miles yearly?! Yeah, yeah, yeah, cars are meant to be driven….all the rubber and gaskets could be rotted….but it’s damned near new!
Love those seats, although I suspect wrestling with the bolsters to get in and out might get old. The 6.4 liter V-8 is good for 470 hp running through only a five-speed automatic, but still hits a high four second 0-60 mph run and a top speed of 175 mph. Plenty good enough for me. Heated steering wheel, but not seeing Bluetooth. But with a 900 watt audio system I wouldn’t hear the phone anyway. Here’s the thorough Top Speed review from back in the day.
The SRT-8 has four piston Brembo brakes, and the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) – tracking acceleration, g-force, and other cool stuff we had to do with a slide rule and stopwatch in the original! The car sold for a good $45,000 new just eight years ago. Not sure it’s a bargain but the price just dropped $1,000 to $36,998. Find this NOS (new old stock) one-owner, accident free Dodge here in Buford, Georgia.
Early December and not a lot of unicorns on the CarMax lots, so why not write a long piece about a long road trip in one of my mine. My time with the 2008 Porsche 911 (Etta – covered here) will soon come to an end. I plan to sell her with at least 10,000 miles left on the MaxCare warranty, and I’m down to about 15,000 miles left today. I’ll be keeping long distance travel to a minimum, but wanted to share one of the most rewarding drives I’ve taken this year, a leisurely and long distance 1,200 miler over four days in May 2020 when I needed to get away from the pandemic and cabin fever. For the record, I encountered fewer people for the whole journey than a single trip to the grocery store. The road trip only made me love this sports car more. I plan to buy another one. Let’s get started.
Started the day crossing the Potomac River into Maryland (and back) on the historic White’s Ferry for a long run on the C&O path with my best bud.Day 1 – Despite the sports car/race car ride, six hours in the 911 on back roads was pure joy.
Day 1 – The goal was to stay off the interstates and enjoy the 911 on rural roads and byways. Sometimes I take my cues from a book I read in the early 80’s by William Least Heat Moon, a dude who dealt with divorce by quitting his job and driving around the country in a 1975 Ford Econoline. The book was called Blue Highways, the color of byways on a road map. Mr. Moon said, “When you’re travelling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” I decided that pretty much all of my stops would be places you’d only see on the way to something else truly spectacular, but there’s wasn’t any such spectacular destination. Except for one or two. From Leesburg, Virginia I headed west on Route 7 and US 50 first to Romney, WV. Did the quick stop at the Indian Mound cemetery, but my real quest was automotive and unfulfilling. Back in the mid-80’s I owned a pair of German Ford Fiestas, and in the early 90’s while driving through Romney I saw more Ford Fiestas as daily drivers than anywhere outside of Europe. Alas, by 2020 they have been replaced by PT Cruisers. Swarms of PT Cruisers in Romney now. Never knew why there were Fiestas back in the day or PT’s now.
Also the site of Fort Pearsall, the frontier fort of 1756.
Not just a Fiesta….a Fiesta S!
Continued on to the Fairfax Stone, the source of the Potomac River and a historical novelty I always wanted to see. Nice back roads connecting US 50 and US 48 and before I knew it 150 miles of the journey were behind me.
US 219 was the backbone of my journey north and south for much of the trip. Loved it.
Zoomed up US 219 from the Fairfax Stone about a hundred miles to another place that’s been pretty special to me. The Flight 93 Memorial off US 30 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The tragedy that was 9/11 played a pivotal part in my government career, and only months after the attack and before there was any memorial at all I brought my pre-teen sons here for a visit. It was sobering then and remains so now. It’s near nothing, but for me close to everything.
On a less serious note. Unplanned stop on US 30 – the most humongous junk yard I’ve ever seen. Stoytown Auto Wreckers. It was like seeing the Grand Canyon. Check it out here. They have drone footage!
Back on US 219 I motored the 911 north another 100 miles to what would be my “base camp” for the next three days, the Fairfield Inn and Suites in DuBois, Pennsylvania. On an April road trip I stayed in a couple of hotels and during the-then height of Covid I found myself scrubbing rooms too often. This time I figured I’d limit exposure by cleaning one hotel room once, and do day trips from there. And after six hours and 318 miles cleaning a hotel room was the last thing I wanted to do. And the Fairfield Inn gets you a discount at the Station 101 Pub and Kitchen next door. Highly recommend it. Takeout every night.
I get asked a lot, “Chuck – how do you stay so fit on the road?”. It’s the Straub Light beer – guy’s gotta have some discipline driving like me. Not quite the Lewis Hamilton diet but he only rolls for an hour or so.
Didn’t see much of DuBois, but I do recall asking a good friend who knows Pennsylvania well if it was pronounced “Du-Bwah”, and he told me if I called it that I would likely get my ass beat. “Doo-boyz” it is.
CarMax continues to surprise me with unicorns I thought we might not see anymore. For example, this 2010 Mercedes CL550. I’ve covered more than a few of these and if you’re familiar with them you know it’s an S-class coupe.
Love this 2010 Range Rover Sport Supercharged unicorn and impulsively put it on hold like a fool. I keep forgetting I must replace the 911 soon, the S600 later, and my old Ford Escape….someday. But it’s free again and at $21,998 for 510 hp it’s an interesting buy.
Fairly well appointed for a 10 year old SUV with heated steering wheel and seats, rear view camera, Bluetooth, and adjustable suspension. For $22k it’s damned near a British beater!
But for me it’s about depreciation, loads of luxury and horsepower, and MaxCare. Your chance to be Doug DeMuro (although he only got $16k in repairs on his CarMax Range Rover – I got $35k on my S55!). This beaut is here in Scottsdale, Arizona. Sorry for the iPhone formatting – WiFi failed in my hotel and wanted to get this out quick!
I have a thing for extinct unicorns and the Mercury Mountaineer sure qualifies. This third generation 2010 model – actually purchased in November of 2009 by the original owner – was the final year for the model and the brand. Mercury was discontinued by Ford in 2010 after a 72 year run. A real body-on-frame truck, albeit with a paltry 210hp six-cylinder and four wheel drive, it’ll tow 2 1/2 tons…slowly. Many moons ago I test drove a second generation model new and was surprisingly comfortable and yes, even then, I was vain enough to enjoy that it’s not “common” like a Ford Explorer.
It’s attractive enough for it’s age (I would be flattered if someone said that about me) and has a certain style. Once the third best selling Mercury by 2010 with less than 6,000 sold it was the worst when discontinued (per Wiki) – so there’s that. Again, you won’t see your twin at the gas pump very often – and you’ll be at the pump a lot with 14/20 mpg. And if you believe Wiki, you might get a kick out of this case that the Mountaineer exists at all because of the 1990 Oldsmobile Bravada – a luxury trimmed offshoot of the Chevy Blazer – a concept that begat the Acura SLX, Infiniti QX4, and the Lexus LX450. Who knew?!
*Mercury Blues….aka Mercury Boogie was written and recorded by K.C. Douglas in the late 40’s. Alan Jackson had a hit with it and Ford bought the rights to the song that I have so abused in this blog title. It doesn’t take a lotta money to buy this Mercury at only $12,998, and it probably was a $30,000 truck new. For that price you get Bluetooth, parking sensors, running boards, and leather seating. Oh yeah – the B side of Mercury Boogie was “Eclipse of the Sun” – the Mountaineer comes with a sunroof. 🙂 And third row seating.
An outdated SUV isn’t for everyone, especially when the best US News could say in this 2010 review was “Overall, the Mercury Mountaineer is a passable family vehicle for those who need off-road capability or tow on a regular basis.” But it’s $13k and it’s a little bit different. It’s a two-owner truck for sale here in Tulsa. Someone will be crazy about a Mercury.
Last updated my V-12 conundrum here with my decision to pass on the 2010 Mercedes S65. I liked the idea of an AMG and the lower miles but was just too much like the S600 I have and I couldn’t justify the expense of selling my car and buying the S65. So I collaborated with a reader who wanted it and we engineered a transfer to North Carolina. Good chance he’s reaching the same conclusion – a bit more docile than he would like, and will probably pass. If he does he has graciously offered to work with another unicorn hunter before it goes back on the market. If you’re interested shoot me a message and I’ll put you all in touch. It’s a helluva car – just didn’t match what he and I were looking for.
I’ve covered a number of these W219 “Shooting Brake” Mercedes CLS550’s in the three-plus years of blogging with the last one almost a year ago – a 2009 model that looked and was priced almost identical to this one – less than $20,000! Thought time had run out for these CarMax unicorns so I was quite surprised to see this beauty tonight. It’s an accident free 2011 model with only 43,000 miles. For a 382 hp 5.5 liter Mercedes V8 it’s just getting broken in!
Yes the CLS is built on the E-class platform but has less front seat, rear set, and trunk room than the E-class, it’s just damned more attractive. Cutting edge when new as a first generation CLS, they started to look dated after an eight year run, and now nine years out of production are starting to look a little vintage to me? The CLS550 cost over $74,000 in 2011 and this one is now $19,998.
Check out the CarMax cameraman in the mirror!
With 2011 being the sunset year before the all new for 2012 model there aren’t any real good car reviews from back then. But this 2007 Car and Driver review of a nearly identical model (when the CLS got the 32 valve, 5.5 liter engine) claimed a 0-60mph run in 4.7 seconds with a seven-speed automatic. Not bad for a two ton sedan.
I don’t think I’ve ever had three passengers in the back of my sedans and while the four seat coupe seems sexy, it’s also a roll of the dice that you’ll NEVER want to haul more folks.
This 2011 Mercedes CLS550 is a three owner car that spent most of its life in Florida, and is now here in Cincinnati, Ohio. It’s a bargain, sophisticated German car, and of course, MaxCare is highly recommended for when that air suspension or high-end engine breaks!
Wrote about this low mileage climate friendly (?) S-Class unicorn back in September when it was in Massachusetts. Two months later it’s again on the market here in Albany for the same low price. Same low mileage. Again, this was the cheapest S-Class back in 2010 at $94k. Still seems to be a bargain commuter car. But if a hybrid isn’t your style, CarMax had a whopping six S63 AMG cars on the net last night, two of which were close to my $35,000 unicorn cap. Both are two owner cars; the 2011 is listed here in Palm Desert, California, and the 2012 is here in Schaumberg, Illinois (Mick?!). The 2012 is a few thousand cheaper, but it is a one accident car. Goes without saying all of these are MaxCare mandatory! Enjoy.
The 755 hp 2019 ZR1unicorn is the fastest Corvette to date (the C8 variants out in the spring will likely equal or exceed the 2019 ZR1) with a top speed of 212 mph and a 0-60 run in 2.8 seconds. Supercar fast. The Corvette team chief called this Corvette “the most we know how to do” according to this Car and Driver review. Corvette folks know tons more than me about ZR1’s. I love watching Corvette’s whoop far more exotic and expensive cars at Le Mans and Daytona but have given up on owning one – at 6’4″ I just don’t fit behind the wheel.
I’m thinking the gas mileage is N/A because it doesn’t get any?
I’d have to be to pay this much!
The 2019 Corvette XR1 sold new for over $120,000. Not much depreciation here? This is the most expensive car I’ve seen at CarMax in the three plus years of tracking unicorns.
As an aside, the most expensive CarMax car I’ve seen before this ZR1 was an almost new 2017 Mercedes AMG GT with only 2,000 miles on it. Listed for $114,998 and over a couple of weeks dropped regularly in price and may have finally sold for $104,998. Here’s the link to that saga. We shall see how long this Corvette stays on the market.
The most likely view I’ll ever have of this car – as a passenger.
This single-owner, low mileage (5,000) hot rod is still under Chevrolet’s warranty for another 31,000 miles and 24 months or so. I would still spring for MaxCare – a car like this needs to be driven hard and fast. That’s what it was engineered for. No need to tell CarMax about your track days when you blow it up. On the other hand if you can afford a $120,000 car maybe you can afford the repairs. Find this ZR1 here in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
This is one handsome, mid-sized Mercedes Benz unicorn, luxuriously equipped (hence the model “E550 Luxury”), at a ridiculously low price. Adaptive cruise control? Check. All wheel drive? Yup. Adjustable suspension? Absolutely. Blind-spot, lane departure, rear view camera, Bluetooth, Harman Kardon sound, panoramic sunroof, air-conditioned and heated seats….it goes on and on. Check out this little graphic included in the CarMax ad!
The 2011 Mercedes E550 packs a 5.5 liter V-8 rated at 382 horsepower. Mated to a seven-speed automatic the sedan is good for a 0-60 mph run in a hair over five seconds. Here’s a lengthy NewCarTestDrive.com review of all the 2011 E-class lineup, including details on the E550. Looks like from their notes this car sold for over $60,000 new nine years ago, and driven only 4,000 miles annually seems to be a damned good deal. Of course there are cheaper, comparable E550’s out there but none that are eligible for MaxCare protection against out of pocket repairs. You want MaxCare. There will be repairs.
The features on this car remind me a great deal of the S-class cars I’ve owned. I’ve been corresponding privately with some readers pondering the German unicorn market and enjoying depreciated, luxury rides protected by MaxCare. I would very much recommend this car as a safe entry into the market. Find this well-appointed, single-owner 2011 Mercedes E550 here in Frederick, Maryland.
