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

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Super Bowl Unicorns: CarMax Kansas City vs CarMax San Francisco?

What else to do before the big game but to match up unicorns at the Kansas City and San Francisco dealerships?  KC has a deeper bench with 352 cars that meet my unicorn threshold (Less than $35,000 and 60,000 miles) against San Fran’s 249.  Some interesting  choices (alas none worth a hoot in each teams’ colors) and I went with my final criteria – what would I drive away if I needed a car today from either dealership and had a bag with $35,000 in cash?   My picks are below.s90 side In San Francisco we have this gorgeous 2017 Volvo S90 T6 Inscription.  Thought this was a striking design inside and out from the start.  Willing to tolerate the 2.0 liter turbo four cylinder since it puts out 316hp since the car is so good looking – and AWD!

Fortunately this Volvo is made in Sweden – I’d rule it out if it was a Chinese-made Volvo (nothing to do with coronavirus!).  Find this single-owner Volvo here in Serramonte, California.2917 S90 T6 $30,998 40k Serrramonte Continue reading “Super Bowl Unicorns: CarMax Kansas City vs CarMax San Francisco?”

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Misnomered Mustang and Mercedes.

These two cars are misnomered in the CarMax menus.  Doesn’t appear to have affected their pricing as both are priced appropriately for CarMax cars, but it does mean they won’t show up in anybody’s search if they are specifically looking for these.  There aren’t many of these older unicorns still offered, so if you want one jump on it! CarMax only carries US and Japanese/Korean cars for 11 years and European cars for 10, so there won’t be many more of these.  I’d of course recommend MaxCare protection for the Mercedes…..maybe not for the more reliable and less expensive to fix Mustang?Bullitt side This Mustang Bullitt is listed simply as a Mustang GT.  Only a few thousand 2008-2009 Mustang Bullitts were made, and the black one (while not authentic green as in the movie) is more rare with only 1,400 made.   They cost about $3,300 more new than a Mustang GT.  The Bullitt had a tuned exhaust that sounded like the ’68 model in the movie, has 15 more horsepower than a GT, and is a good 1/4 second faster to sixty in a respectable 4.9 seconds – not bad for a 315hp car!

This price is decent, but check out this one I covered last year that was WAY under priced.  There was also one this fall in Frederick, Maryland near me that was priced at $16,000 and had only 40,000 miles.  See this one-owner Mustang Bullitt here in Fort Worth, Texas.2008 Musstang GT Bullitt $14599 66k Ft Worth 1-29-20 Continue reading “Misnomered Mustang and Mercedes.”

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Another Quickie – 2010 BMW 750 LiX Drops $1000 to $18,998.

Despite the unusual night time photo shoot this looks like a fairly nice deal – nine year old luxury unicorn with only 54,000 miles. Decently appointed with Convenience Package, Driver Assist Package, Cold Weather Package, and M Sport Package. Also 400hp and AWD! Love the rims. My experience is the MaxCare warranty is not cheap on a 750 but maybe keep it to 100,000 miles and unload? Find this here in South Jordan, Utah.

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Quick Hit – Low Mileage 2009 Mercedes CLK550 Cabriolet. Like a Convertible But Way Cooler! $16,998

CLK SideThought CarMax was done with Mercedes CLK’s, and for sure this is the last year they will carry the last year CLK unicorn.  CarMax only carries European models 10 years old and younger, and 2009 was the last year Mercedes made CLK’s (W209’s).  This well appointed convertible (yeah, yeah….”cabriolet”) is a low mileage beauty, driven less than 4,000 miles annually in the Nevada desert.

It’s got the 382hp 5.5 liter V-8, good for 0-60mph in 5.1 seconds per this (very good, but very lengthy) New Car Test review.  The review suggests the car sold new in 2009 for a good $65,000 – and 10 years later it’s looking nearly new for $16,998.  Of course I’d use some of that depreciation for MaxCare.  Great to have that protection for a 10 year old car for another five years.   Find this two owner convertible here in Henderson, Nevada.  2009 Mercedes CLK550 $16,998 39k Las Vegas 1-18-2020

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Quick Hit – 2013 BMW M6 On Sale? Dropped $3,000 Today

M6 side
2013 BMW M6 (sorry about the silly plus sign – embedded in CarMax photo!)

Been tracking this 2013 BMW M6 for maybe a month when it was in the high $30’s but as a V-8 and not a V-10 it didn’t feel like that much of a unicorn so didn’t write about it – until today when it dropped $3,000.  Believe it’s the third price drop on the car.  At $31,998 it’s starting to feel like a 560hp bargain.  It’s fully optioned – even has night vision!  Wondering how much MaxCare you could buy with that $3,000 savings?

This is the latest generation (F13/LX93) M6 and as far as I can tell only a few hundred sell new annually.   Check out this review from Car and Driver, indicating a 0-60mph in 4 seconds – and that the car sold new for maybe $110,000.  The current $31,998 is looking like a deal.  Find this three owner car here in Doral, Florida. 2013 BMW M6 $31998 52k Doral Jan 2020

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Quick Hit – 3rd Cheapest Porsche 911 in Two-Plus Years!

911 top downBeen tracking Porsche 911 unicorns at CarMax since the summer of 2017 and there have been a total of three that were less than $40,000.  Two of them I snagged (bought one  – Etta posted here, and declined on one because it had manual seats and I didn’t fit!), and the third is this one – just listed for $39,998.  The down side….it’s a one accident car, and it’s a convertible (unless you want a convertible – the one I drove was noisy as hell).  The up side….it’s a 911.  There’s few sports cars with the racing heritage or the handling of a 911.  I first saw them race at Le Mans in 1981 and first drove one in 2008 and have always been smitten.  They are very, very special cars.

NEVER thought I could afford to own or maintain one until I scored Etta from CarMax two years ago.  Absolutely love the way my 911 accelerates – even for a base 325hp Carrera (this one is 345hp) and corners, and the biggest disappointment is that the damned thing has not broken enough to recover my MaxCare outlay!   I’m sure it will.  If you’ve always wanted a Porsche 911 but like me were wary of the initial outlay or repair costs, maybe this is your starter 911?  Find it here in Orlando.  And kudos to CarMax Orlando for providing photos of a convertible with the top down!2009 911 Porsche Carrera $39,998 56k Orlando 1-12-20

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Real Quick Hit – 2010 Mercedes E550 $17,998

Thinking I need to post this quickly. Seems like a bargain – luxury, low miles, low price. The 2010’s “only” had 380hp – same as BMW 550 and Jaguar XF V-8’s of the same era. Also thinking with tax and MaxCare you could be out the door for $23,000. Yes it’s a 10 year old car but easy way to drive semi-rich! Find this two owner car here in Duarte, California.

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The Daily Driver I’d Choose If I Only Had $10,000 To Spend? Really.

$10000Say you need a daily driver and times are hard, or you’re cheap frugal, and really don’t want to spend a lot on a car – but you want some fun, some style,  and self-respect on the road.   What do you do?  What would I do?  CarMax has 1,548 cars for sale nationwide priced under $10,000.  Filter that by my self-imposed unicorn ceiling of 60,000 miles, and that number dwindles to 183 prospects.  Most of those are Chevrolet Sparks and Sonics, Nissan Versas, Smart cars, and Mitsubishi i-MIEV’s (looks like that applicance that sweeps your living room floor when you’re not home).  All fine commuter cars but no soul, no individuality on the interstate.Fiat 500 side My choice would be this 2013 Fiat 500 Turbo.  Really.  While it’s not a 160hp Fiat 500 Abarth (that’ll run you $12,000!) it’s also not the 101hp base Fiat 500.  It’s a 135hp, 2,500 pound car that rides good enough, quick enough (for $10,000), gets over 30mpg, and has that Italian style and flair.  Here’s a cute review from Car and Driver back in 2013.  I would definitely drop some lire on MaxCare – it is an Italian car after all!

But mostly, I’d pick this Fiat 500 Turbo for my selfish nostalgic reasons – in the summer of 2010 before these came to the US and I lived in Europe, I rented one in Norway for a bucket list solo drive from Oslo to the Artic Circle.  I drove 25 hours – 14 hours up in a day, and 11 hours back (different route) in a day, and almost 1,500 miles round trip – and not once was I uncomfortable or disappointed in that little car.  Loved it.  If you really, really want to read the whole story, here’s my write-up in Trip Advisor after I returned.  So yeah, I have an emotional enthusiasm for this little Fiat and could easily daily drive it.  And tempting – this single-owner Fiat 500 Turbo is here at my local CarMax dealer!2013 Fiat 500 Turbo $9599 53k

HONORABLE MENTION Continue reading “The Daily Driver I’d Choose If I Only Had $10,000 To Spend? Really.”

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Happy New Year! Here’s a 2020 *Unicorn* for 2020!

M2 sideTechnically this doesn’t meet my *unicorn* standards (Less than $35,000, under 60,000 miles) but I wanted to wish readers a Happy New Year to start 2020 – and it’s a real driver’s car and got my attention amongst the 13 used 2020 models in the CarMax inventory.  I once asked a CarMax rep why damn near brand new cars are up for sale and he told me most of these are repossessions.  Interesting.

This 2020 BMW M2 Competition sold new very recently for a good $60,000, so not much depreciation in the selling price of $55,998.  I thrive on depreciation.  The short take on this short M2 from this Car and Driver review suggests adding the M4 Competition engine to the M2 Competition in 2019 was a good thing – the 405hp twin-turbo inline six mated to a six speed manual transmission is good for a four second flat 0-60mph run.

The down side, in the review, is that the M2 Competition beats the hell out of the driver on the road but is exhilarating and rewarding on the track.  No need for MaxCare – the car is still under manufacturer warranty.  Find it here in Virginia Beach, Virginia.2020 BMW M2 Comp $55,998 2k Virginia Beach 1-2-20  Continue reading “Happy New Year! Here’s a 2020 *Unicorn* for 2020!”

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