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

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1 of 300 – 2020 Lexus LS500 Inspiration Series 

*** Before we get started on this car, I just want to let everyone know my 2010 Mercedes S600 luxo-rocket is still available, although I have begun the process to auction it on MB Market next week. Dropped the price to $25,900 OBO! Still has 28,000 miles / 19 months of MaxCare warranty! Here’s the link once again.

“The fourth Inspiration Series vehicle from Lexus, the LS 500 is the first sedan to get this exclusive treatment. It starts with a unique new exterior color, Deep Garnet. Garnet, a deep, metallic shade of red that shimmers in direct sun yet has a deep, lustrous tone in the shade. The vibrant color is complimented by standard 20-inch wheels finished in Black Vapor Chrome. Like the Deep Garnet paint, these wheels glimmer in the sun yet retain a polished, subdued look in the shade that accentuates the LS 500’s elegant proportions.”

That was the Lexus press release from 2019 introducing the limited run 2020 Lexus LS500 Inspiration Series. Always intrigued when CarMax offers an exclusive run unicorn even if it’s mostly a trick paint job and some exotic interior trim. I’m going to have to take their word for the changing hue Deep Garnet red – it looks kind of brown in the pictures. The release says it’s the fourth Inspiration Series vehicle and I can only find the earlier 2019 LC500 Inspiration Series and the later 2021 LX570 Inspiration Series. Shouldn’t be this hard!

CarBuzz described the interior as “white semi-aniline leather …. offset by Kiriko glass trim and ornamentation, black instrumentation and carpeting, and a blue LED Kiriko-design display panel on the passenger side. It’s not all style and no substance, as the Inspiration Series equips a 2,400-watt Mark Levinson surround sound system with 23 speakers, strong enough to inspire even Beethoven.” Hmmm – what’s this Kiriko glass, you ask?

If I remember right, Kiriko, a unique Japanese tradition of hand-cutting delicate patterns into glass, produces stunning reflections of light, depending on the angle of both the light and the viewer’s gaze. Examples can be appreciated in vases, sake glasses and traditional glass ornaments. Totally bluffing. I plagiarized that from the Lexus Enthusiast website, and they actually have a great description of how Kiriko glass came to be in the Lexus LS500 – here’s the link if you’re interested.

I’m fascinated and flummoxed by the Lexus engine bay panel. If you don’t want us in here, why not secure the hood in such a way that only a Lexus mechanic can open it?

While the Inspiration Series is a limited edition run of 300 cars with some high end trim enhancements, like all LS500’s it’s still a very strong car. It’s powered by a 3.5 liter twin turbo, 416 hp six cylinder connected to a ten-speed transmission, and will hit 60 mph in the mid-four second range. Damned quick for a 4,700 lb car. It’s fully loaded, and even has seat massagers. The car sold new for about $100,000 just two years ago, and has depreciated almost a quarter in value. I like depreciation. I doubt that I would even spring for MaxCare – although CarMax indicates this car’s manufacturer warranty has expired I’m skeptical – my understanding is Lexus provides a 4 yr/50,000 mi basic, and 6 yr/70,000 mi powertrain warranty. This car is two years old and has 9,000 miles. If you want an exclusive run car and dig the Lexus LS500, you can find this single owner, accident free one in Duarte, California here.

Stock # 23154987  VIN # JTHG5LFF5L5010946

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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

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Quick Hit – 908 Mile 2016 Nissan 370Z – 6MT

*** Before we get started on this car, I just want to let everyone know my 2010 Mercedes S600 luxo-rocket is still available, and I even dropped the price to $25,900 OBO! Still has 28,000 miles / 19 months of MaxCare warranty! Here’s the link once again.

Now about this 2016 Nissan 370Z Sport unicorn for sale, with only 908 miles on it. Like the 378 mile 2013 Dodge Charger R/T Max I covered earlier this month, this sports car is really only mostly of interest because of the peculiarly and unusual low mileage. Check out the trip odometer below – if I’m reading the left one correctly the car has been driven almost 84 hours covering only 908 miles! Average speed 10 mph? Where has this car been going and why?

The interior is as pristine as the day it came off the dealership lot five years ago. But it’s a 2016, you say, isn’t it six years old? Oddly the car was shipped to the Illinois dealership in March of 2016, but didn’t sell until June of 2017. (There’s an entry in the vehicle history of 8,000 miles during emissions testing in 2022 – clearly a typo.) Why didn’t it sell?

The 2016 Nissan 370Z Sport sold for maybe $45,000 new. It’s an okay sports car. The best reviewers can say is it’s “balanced” – decent handling and acceleration, but offset by a harsh ride, limited space (although leg room up front is fantastic), and a high price tag. Per Motor Trend, “the Sport trim adds a limited-slip differential, 19-inch Rays forged alloy wheels, the SynchroRev Match feature on the manual gearbox, sport brakes, and a Bose audio system.” This car had the rear view camera option added, but not much else.

I have to say in bright red this little sports coupe is not unattractive. I wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seem in it. Wheels are funky, styling muted – spoiler doesn’t exaggerate or suggest it’s faster than it is.

The 370Z has a hatchback, but that big ol’ bar across the shock towers doesn’t leave much room back there for stashing stuff. So no back seat and no storage space. Disappointing.

The 3.7 liter V-6 is actually a solid engine with 332 hp, and mated to the six speed manual it’ll run a 4.7 second 0-60 mph – pretty darned good for a naturally aspirated six cylinder. My hunch is it’s got all the kinks worked out and is pretty darn reliable. The 370Z has been around since 2006 and was terminated in 2020. It had a good run. You buy one and you know what you’re getting.

Bonus points if you read this far and know this obscure country music performer I dig. His name is Jimmie Dale Gilmore, from Texas. Spent some time in a Colorado ashram studying metaphysics before launching a mediocre career. I once saw him play in Atlanta, where he introduced a song by suggesting we not really focus on the lyrics too much, that wouldn’t be fair. Then he said actually don’t focus on the music much either, just sort of take in the experience.

That’s how I feel about this 2016 Nissan 370Z – ignore the pedestrian parts and the unremarkable attributes and just enjoy a decent enough sports car that really nobody has driven. Hell, you could buy this and have 149,000 miles of MaxCare coverage over five years if you wanted. What’s hard to ignore, though, is the price – it’s pushing $37,000 – not much discount from new. In fact, to show how used car prices have skyrocketed, check out this post of mine from 2019 (scroll way down) – a nearly identical 2014 Nissan 370Z 6MT with less than 2,000 miles was offered by CarMax for $10,000 less! But if you like Z-cars, this single owner, accident free one is available in Omaha here at the moment.

Stock # 22893281 VIN # JN1AZ4EH1GM937543

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Quick Hit – 378 Mile 2013 Dodge Charger R/T Max

Won’t take up too much of your time on this nine year old Dodge Charger R/T Max, but since no takers yet on my 2010 Mercedes S600 for sale, I thought I’d share this ridiculously low mileage sedan with a beefy V-8 as an alternative. Reduced the price on my 96,000+ mile S600 to $25,900. This Dodge is selling for $33,998 and only has 378 miles. It’s about as new old car as I’ve seen at CarMax and a bit of a unicorn.

Here’s your proof. Not even ready for an oil change (although I suspect one has been done, or should be done, by CarMax before sale). I know, I know….ultra low mileage cars are prone to have gaskets and seals and rubbery things rotted from lack of use – believe the CarMax 90 day / 4,000 mile warranty would be the window to get a post-purchase inspection by an outside garage and anything addressed. MaxCare is available for five years and up to 150,000 miles – you could drive this car 30,000 miles a year and still not be out of warranty!

The interior looks brand spanking new, as it should. Not a crease in the seats. The R/T Max comes with adaptive cruise control, AWD, heated steering wheel, heating and cooling seats, and even heating and cooling cupholders! If it had Apple CarPlay and seat massagers it would be complete.

Gigantic trunk with a Beats subwoofer in the sidewall.

The 5.7 liter V-8 is good for 370hp, not the beast in the SRT models but a reliable motor common to Dodges and Chryslers and even the Jeep I had for a bit. Interestingly, the powertrain includes a Mercedes-sourced five speed automatic transmission. The Dodge gets about the same mileage as my S600, although it’s a little slower. The car was in Tinley Park, Illinois this morning but now shows as being transferred somewhere. The car sold new for probably a shade over $40,000 new and hasn’t depreciated much. It’s a really nicely equipped car, though, and a real time capsule. Track it here if you like and see if it sells.

Stock # 22850704  VIN # 2C3CDXCT2DH613727

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2010 Mercedes S600 V-12 For Sale – Mine!

The time has come to sell my beloved 2010 Mercedes S600 (W221) while there’s plenty of MaxCare extended warranty left for the next owner, and so I can pursue my next unicorn. The short version is this; the car has less than 96,500 miles and the free (to the buyer) transferable MaxCare warranty is good until 125,000 odometer miles, or February 2024, whichever comes first. If you’ve read this blog at all, you know it’s all about driving deeply depreciated cars I can’t afford to repair, but the financial risk is transferred to MaxCare – “driving rich”. The car sold new for over $150,000 and is offered at $25,900 OBO on Autotrader (Link Here) and however many other Mercedes Facebook groups I can find. Shoot me a message if you are interested or have questions. I’m happy to share the service history, MaxCare details, and more photos. The Mercedes data card is at the bottom of this blog as well.

There are W221 S600’s on Autotrader for more and less money, with more and less mileage. Twenty total I think. This is the only one with an extended warranty. When I sold my 2004 Mercedes S55 it was also still covered by MaxCare, and the buyer and I met a local Mercedes dealership. I offered that anything he found that I had not noticed, we’d turn the car in and get it fixed. And we did. He gained confidence the car was solid, and he got to see the MaxCare coverage work. More than willing to do that again with this S600. That’s why the price is a little above Autotrader’s market average.

The full text of what I would have put on Autotrader (had they not limited me to 2,000 characters!) is at the bottom. What I hope to share here are some of the nuances of owning a Mercedes S600. I’ve driven it from Virginia to Oregon and back twice on pandemic runs to see my youngest adult son living in Portland, and during one of these the description of “driving from a comfortable recliner, in your living room, in a bank vault, on a bullet train” came to me. I covered Crawfordsville, Indiana to Cheyenne, Wyoming alone in a single day – 1,050 miles in just under 13 hours including gas and McDonald’s. Felt like a short drive to Grandma’s. If I can figure out how to post my dash cam video you can watch it all! I also took the car on another thousand mile loop through the Virginia countryside in the early days of the pandemic. It was my cocoon. Did an 1,800 mile run to the 24 Hours of Daytona and back last January. Previous owners put 45,000 miles on the car in nine years. I added 50,000 in three. I love driving this car.

I became a CarMax/Maxcare addict after enjoying over $35,000 in “free” (to me) repairs to my 2004 Mercedes S55 AMG – a car I paid $21,000 for plus maybe $3,500 for MaxCare. CarMax never flinched on the repairs. So far I’m over $15,000 in MaxCare repairs for the S600. The most expensive fixes have been the seats – twice. I don’t know the exact amount because a number of repairs in the early days were listed as “No Charge” on the service documents. Later they had the dollar amounts. I paid $7,500 for MaxCare when I bought the car and I’ve clearly gotten my money’s worth.

Continue reading “2010 Mercedes S600 V-12 For Sale – Mine!”
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1 of 25 2015 Subaru WRX STI “Red Dragon”!

I wouldn’t normally stoop to pix of models with cars so bear with me. The 1 of 25 2015 Ali Afshar “Signature Series” ESX STI Special 10TH Anniversary “Red Dragon” Edition WRX STI unicorn being offered by CarMax (#46) was one of two used by ESX for the photo shoot when the car was rolled out in 2015 – #52 being the other. Brings some authenticity to it. Right up front I’ll say for the life of me I can’t solve why if only 25 cars were made the numbers on the intakes and the fenders are higher than 25. Perhaps there were 25 street and 25 off roaders? The car is not as fast as the 1 of 209 models of the 2019 Subaru STI S209 I covered back in August 2021, but it is more exclusive and the S209 sold for almost $70,000 used.

I don’t know much about Subarus and thanks to a kind reader for bringing this to my attention. What I’ve learned is Ali Afshar is an experienced Californian Subaru racing guy who founded Easy Street Motorsports (also known as ESX Motorsports) and an accomplished actor. In 2005 Subaru authorized Mr. Afshar to develop and sell the original limited edition 425 hp WRX STI, with 40 made in the initial run.

In 2015 Subaru again authorized a very limited run of 25 Ali Afshar 10th anniversary WRX Red Dragons. Two versions were made, a 355 hp street legal car and a 425 hp off road model. The cars are serialized with plates in the engine bay and a logo under the left front headlight. Are the cars any good? I can’t tell. Haven’t found any motor car magazines testing the Red Dragon versions. I have found WRX STI enthusiasts throwing shade saying it wasn’t worth the additional cost and not all that much better than a regular (as if there was a regular!) WRX STI.

The above two shots of the plate in the engine bay are from ESX Motorsports web site. The plate below is from the CarMax photo shoot. Really not as big a deal as I’m making it but still a little cool?

The interior is a bit loud but I think that’s consistent with the car. Interesting that the seat belt is some sort of racing four point harness. Not sure the point of the bar below. A brace? Grab bar for panicking passengers? Hang your sport coat when commuting?

Wondering about the shift knob. On the lot in Florida car #46 has a conventional manual transmission shift knob, while the Red Dragons originally came with the special “ESX Red Anodized Aluminum Shift Knob”. Wondering if one of the two previous owners swapped it out and kept as a souvenir before selling it to CarMax?

CarMax still lists this car as a 305 hp WRX, but it’s not. It’s the 355 hp Red Dragon. What’s also good is that MaxCare is available up to 150,000 miles and until 2027. With only 27,000 miles on it now you can drive it real hard worry free.

The shot above of #46 from the ESX website includes the window sticker. Any readers from the imagery community able to blow that up for me? Some of the criticism was the price tag – some said as much as $76,000, but cars were available for as low as $56,000 from some of the few dealers who had them. Not sure how accurate any of that was. A “regular” WRX STI had 305 hp and sold new for under $40,000. This one is now available for $36,998 so maybe not so bad now? That’s about the same price as any used 2015 Subaru WRX STI.

The 25 Red Dragons were originally allocated to just 10 dealerships – one in Connecticut, one in Pennsylvania, one in Oregon, four in California (Ali Afshar’s home state), and three in Florida, including Jacksonville, where this car was sold. The car currently shows as not available because it’s being considered for auction. Track it here in Clermont, Florida just 25 miles west of Orlando. If you really want it you can sign up for notifications if and when it becomes available.

Stock # 22729573  VIN # JF1VA2U60F9809148

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A Finite List of Infiniti Manual Transmission Coupes

Car enthusiasts are pretty passionate about manual transmission cars, and can be pretty disparaging about those who can’t drive them. I guess we like them in our older cars but not really in new ones, because only about 13 percent of the new cars sold in America have three pedals. Car and Driver lists only 28 new cars and maybe a half dozen new crossovers and SUV’s you can still buy with a manual. Today CarMax has 44,616 cars for sale and only 1,326 with manuals – a whopping three percent. Not much call for manuals anymore. And to think when we go all EV it will be all automatics. I was intrigued to find three Infinities with six-speeds. Unicorns.

This 2014 Infiniti Q60S is a pretty sports coupe with ultra low miles. Looks damn near new inside. That said, the Q60 started life as the fourth generation G37 coupe way back in 2008. Infiniti revamped its naming convention in 2014 and so this is the “new” first year Q-series. It ain’t so new in design or technology, given it was six years old as a model in 2014 and is another eight years older now. That said, when I drive my V-8 M3 I feel like I sorta bought a near-vintage car from CarMax protected by MaxCare. Except unlike the Q60, I don’t have a manual. Guess I’m part of the problem.

The Q60S does have seat heaters, a Bose audio system, Bluetooth, a rear view camera, a smart key, and a CD- player. It’s clean and tidy inside. The Infiniti Q60S 6MT sold for over $50,000 new and hasn’t depreciated all that much in eight years. Suspect the low mileage has something to do with that.

The car is powered by the 3.7 liter V-6 motor good for 330 hp and a low-to-mid five second 0-60 mph time. The same motor has been driving Nissans and Infinities for a long, long time. I gotta believe it’s refined and reliable and wondering if MaxCare would even be needed?

Poking around the Infiniti forum I learned that Nissan doesn’t release sales figures by model by year. So searching Cars.Com and Autotrader I found 13 comparable 2014-2015 Q60 6MT’s for sale nationwide. There aren’t many out there, and the search confirmed this one is the nicest in the nation for sale, I think. If it’s for you, find it here in Houston.

Stock # 22041905  VIN # JN1CV6EK5EM113442

But if it were my money and I was in the market for an Infiniti 6MT, and wanted to save $5,000, and didn’t have my hard top convertible M3, I could be tempted by a slightly older G37 – with a drop top. Summer is here!

The shifter is not nearly as fine as the Q60 red one.

Same motor – less 5 hp, almost the same interior, and even has heated AND air conditioned seats! It is a one accident car if that matters to you. MaxCare good until 150,000 miles – can’t get that on M3’s. Relatively low mileage. This car is also in Texas, here in Austin.

Stock # 21640362  VIN # JN1CV6FE2CM200219

Only throwing this one in to complete the Infiniti inventory of manual transmission cars. Another G37. This one a 2013, in between the two above. Same motor at 330 hp. Same equipment. Higher mileage at 68,000. No accidents. No bargain, really. No convertible. No real reason to read on?

But if you did, this 2013 Infiniti G37 Sport is here in Edison, New Jersey – a new dealership that opened in May just south of Newark. Enjoy.

Stock # 22007112  VIN # JN1CV6EK2DM923593

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Quick Hit – 510 HP 2015 Jaguar XF R Unicorn in Vegas

The 2015 Jaguar XF was the last of the X250 line, with the X260 running from 2016 until now. As far as I can tell, Jaguar stopped making the supercharged V-8 XF R in 2015 as well, making this 510 hp British saloon a bit of a unicorn. For sure, it’s a sleeper. It’s a five owner car that’s made its way around California, Arizona and on to Vegas – there’s a joke there somewhere about it sleeping around but I refuse to make it.

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.

The Jaguar XF R has heated and air conditioned seats, heated mirrors, Bluetooth and a rearview camera but isn’t all that luxurious otherwise. It’s listed as having the “special edition” package, and I’ve spent too much time trying to figure out what that is. Car will be gone before I do! If you know (Scott?) let me know.

The 2015 Jaguar XF R sold new for perhaps $80,000. There are a dozen available on Autotrader and even Carvana has a pair. Not many at this mileage point – either far more miles and a handful with less, but comparables suggest this price of $35,998 is not that bad. It’s not as good as the way lower mileage XFR I saw last fall, but all prices are up. Also, I tried to explore Carvana’s warranty plans and while they show lots of things covered, couldn’t find anything on a mileage cap or the term of the warranty. Sometimes I get tempted by CPO’s and wonder if there are other aftermarket warranties that are good, and yet I can’t find them as extensive as MaxCare. If this car is for you, it’s still available in Las Vegas here!

Stock # 22667351  VIN # SAJWA0JH1FMU78460

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378 Original Miles – Nine Year Old Dodge Charger R/T Max Coming Soon!

Always looking for low-mileage CarMax unicorns and was surprised to find this 2013 Dodge Charger R/T Max with only 378 miles. About 40 miles a year. Doesn’t even need an oil change yet! Yes, I know all about the “all the rubber and seals and gaskets and plastics have rotted” notion, and think some of that is legit and some is not. My theory is anything that needs to move and/or lubricate to stay fresh may be need to be replaced – any part that doesn’t know or care if the car has been moving much over the last nine years should be fine. Even better, ANYTHING THAT ROTTED WHILE SITTING GETS REPLACED FREE BY CARMAX UNDER THE 90 DAY, 4,000 MILE WARRANTY! So what’s the risk of buying a damn near new old car? Mostly just overpaying, but I’ll get to that later.

I was also surprised at how well equipped this 2013 Dodge is – choosing “Max” for the R/T model originally cost another $6,000 and added mirror-mounted puddle lamps, rain-sensing wipers, adaptive cruise control with forward collision warning, a rear parking sensor, rear cross-path sensor, SmartBeam headlamps, the navigation package, the Beats audio package, power adjustable pedals, heated and ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, Bluetooth, rear view camera, power tilt-and-telescope steering column, blind spot monitoring, and 245/45R20 all-season performance tires on 20-inch chrome wheels. If it had Apple CarPlay and seat massagers I would snatch this up!

The leather interior has nary a crease. Pristine as the day it rolled off the showroom floor to its one and only owner in Channahon, Illinois, southwest of Chicago.

The 2013 Dodge Charger R/T Max was powered by a 370 hp 5.7 liter V-8 motor and only a five speed automatic transmission. It ran to 60 mph in just over five seconds. Not an SRT-8 by any means, but no slouch. The engine bay looks as sharp and clean as the interior.

For me, there are two downsides to buying this car. The first is the car sold new for probably $37,000 or so, and nine years later has depreciated almost not at all. Depreciation is what makes unicorns affordable. This car isn’t so special you’d want to also mothball it away to preserve the ultra low mileage, and not so unique that you’d want to overpay for it. CarMax has a couple Charger R/T Max’s for $10,000 less with 40,000-70,000 miles, and even a 2014 Charger SRT-8 Superbee with the 470 hp motor at 70,000 miles for “only” $33,998. All of these old school V-8 American muscle cars have MaxCare available for another five years and up to 150,000 miles. Not bad.

The second downside to me is I just cannot own any sedan that’s also used as a police cruiser. Years ago I drove a rental Crown Vic for a bit, and found that as I closed in on highway traffic EVERYONE slowed down and blocked me thinking I was an unmarked police car. Not helpful. (But for fun, once, my buds and I drove down the George Washington Parkway outside Washington DC in the Crown Vic with the flashers on and chuckled as everyone got out of our way. We were young and stupid. ) Anyway, if this low mileage 2013 Dodge Charger R/T Max is for you, it’s coming soon to Tinley Park, Illinois – halfway between Channahon and Chicago. Here’s the link if it’s the car for you.

Stock # 22850704  VIN # 2C3CDXCT2DH613727

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A Pair of 2012 911 Turbo S Convertibles – Not Many of ‘Em. Not Very Cheap. But Very, Very Fast.

In 2012 Porsche introduced the third generation 911, designated the 991. But Porsche also still sold in 2012 brand new second generation 911’s – the 997 series. So I’m never sure until I check out the interior of a 2012 Porsche 911 which one it is. Both of these 2012 models are in fact 997’s, just like my old 2008 model I picked up from CarMax for less than $40,000! Except these two are stupid fast convertibles that sold new for $170-200,000, depending on options. Only about 2,100 911 Turbo S convertibles were sold worldwide. A unicorn? Autotrader shows only five for sale, all for more money and lower miles, and none offer MaxCare for another five years and up to 125,000 miles of coverage on a 10 year old race car. Also, there’s a live auction underway on Bring a Trailer for a similar 2012 car – ends on May 25, 2022 and it’s at $63,000. I’ll bet it doubles in the last hour. (5-26-22 Update – the BaT car sold for $121,000. I was close.)

Not much in the way of features inside. Sports chrono. Navigation. Decent audio. No rear view camera.

The 2012 Porsche 911 Turbo S was rated at a ridiculous 523 hp from the 3.8 liter six cylinder, and sprinted to 60 mph in under three seconds. Top speed was just under 200 mph. The car is AWD and runs with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic PDK (Porsche Doppelkupplung) transmission. This particular model is a four-owner, accident free car currently in Irving, Texas. Find it here.

Stock # 22415867 VIN # WP0CD2A95CS773243

Continue reading “A Pair of 2012 911 Turbo S Convertibles – Not Many of ‘Em. Not Very Cheap. But Very, Very Fast.”
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