Blogging my nationwide hunt for affordable CarMax enthusiast cars. Automotive Unicorns.
Wrote about this 2009 Porsche 911 when it was $39,999 and updated a price drop last month. Reduced again today to $36,998. Bargain? Perhaps. Mileage a little high but it’s a nice convertible. Love my 2008 coupe!
Been 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!
Missed posting a few great cars because work got in the way, so didn’t want to miss the chance to post this unicorn – a 2010 Porsche 911 in Guards Red, manual transmission, with a stupid low 4,000 miles on the odometer. Throw in MaxCare and you can drive it another five years – until it’s 14 years old – and 146,000 more miles worry free!
A little taken aback by the price at $49k (my 911 remains the second cheapest CarMax has carried in three years). The car originally sold for $80,000 or so new. Here’s the catch – CarMax lists it as AWD and I’ve run the VIN through three decoders and I can’t confirm that. Didn’t know base Carreras came in AWD. Wondering if the price is higher than it should be becuase of this?
Find this beautiful one-owner sports car here in Boise. Not sure how it ended up there – was a Texas and Florida car. 
This 2009 Porsche Cayenne GTS listed here in Los Angeles got my attention at a price point of only $24,998, and with 57,000 miles it fits nicely in my made up unicorn world ($35,000/60,000 miles or less).
Thinking not bad for a 10 year old SUV (former Porsche CPO), and with a 400hp naturally aspirated V-8, 4WD, a tow hitch, front and rear seat heaters, Bluetooth and Bose, it has the minimum I would need in a work “truck”. Throw in the MaxCare warranty and tax and probably out the door for $30,000. Not bad for a Porsche Cayenne GTS that once sold for over $70,000.
But this Motor Trend review clocked it as a six-second 0-60mph, and while I’m sure it handles well, it’s kind of…slow. It’s a three owner one accident SUV and also lacking a number of features – third row seat, rear view camera, air conditioned seats – so I kept looking.
What I found was this 2012 BMW X5 XDrive50i for $2,000 less and about the same mileage, and also with a 400hp (twin-turbo V-8), 4WD, and a tow hitch (pictured, but not listed as a feature!). But it also has the Cold Weather Package (front and rear seat heaters AND heated steering wheel), Premium Package, Technology Package, rear view camera,
third row seats, and air conditioned seats. Does everything the Cayenne does and more, for less money, and per this Auto Guide review was faster than the Cayenne GTS. And no accidents. Unclear to me how the BMW X5 compares handling-wise, and if it matters, it’s a little less panache than the Porsche. But that’s all. Find it here in Fresno. It’s a bargain.
Continue reading “400hp Low Price Porsche Cayenne GTS Work Truck (And a Better BMW X5!)”
If you miss the Volkswagen Taureg V-8, this SUV unicorn is for you. The Porsche Cayenne SUV is big, relatively fast (okay, fast enough at 0-60 mph in six seconds flat), comfortable, and the interior is definitely not cookie cutter like most American and Japanese SUV’s.
Most Cayennes at CarMax are $30,000 and up, with a few six-cylinder ones in the $25-$30k range. But who wants a six-cylinder in a Porsche unless it’s a 911? If this 385hp Cayenne isn’t fast enough, occasionally CarMax tees up a much quicker 400+ hp GTS or Turbo of this 2009 vintage for about the same price (low $20’s) but very rare. If that’s what you need, keep an eye out for supercharged Land Rovers or BMW X5 M’s – but both hover closer to $30,000 and up also.
Here’s a Car and Driver review of a 2008 – pretty much the same car. Figure this 2009 Cayenne sold for maybe $75,000 10 years ago, and is available for a third of that now. I’m figuring MaxCare is also a must – get another five years and 100,000 miles of warranty to keep from going broke. Find this single-owner Cayenne here in Kentwood, Michigan. I think it goes by Friday!
* If I haven’t mentioned before, a Quick Hit blog post means I hope to get a short piece online before a car sells and I get all pissed off I procrastinated, and also hopes to assure the reader I’m not going to waste your time with a long essay. But brace yourself – have two in mind when I can find the time!
There have been very few sub-$40,000 Porsche 911 unicorns offered by CarMax in the almost two years I’ve been tracking them. Four to be exact, and one of them I bought. I consider these “starter 911’s”, low miles, a decent price point, and the bullet proof MaxCare warranty to keep us unafraid of repairs. I bought Etta for $34,998 plus the warranty, passed on a $33,998 911 in 2017 (had manual seats – I didn’t fit), and there’s been a convertible for $39,998 that comes and goes on CarMax lots. This $37,998 2008 911 Carrera reminded me a lot of my car, almost identical in mileage, $3,000 more in price, albeit with a 6-speed manual transmission. My car actually listed at $36,998 but also said it had navigation. When I pointed out it did not, CarMax immediately dropped the price $2,000 without me even asking.
I wanted to believe this car was almost as good a deal as mine, except I looked into the history and found it’s had not one but two accidents. Bummer. The left rear, pictured above. Also, a close look at the seats shows far more creasing than I have in mine. But if you really, really want to own your first 911, given the scarcity I’ve seen over time, this is about as good a deal as you’re going to get. I suspect it will be months until another sub-$40,000 911 shos up. It’s still a very pretty car at 10 years old, and still goes like stink. Go in eyes wide open and enjoy this iconic car. Find it here in Albuquerque. If the link is dead it’s sold, on hold, or being transferred.
This is only the third $100,000+ car I’ve covered in the year+ that I’ve been blogging about CarMax unicorns. That’s a lot of money. (Keep reading and I’ll share the five cars I would buy with that same wad of cash and have almost as much fun.) This 2017 911 Carrera 4S is a nice enough one-owner California car with a seven speed manual transmission and 420hp good for 3.5 second 0-60mph and 190mph top speed. Not a big fan of the bordello red interior but maybe I’d get over it. Speed does that. I’m loving Etta, the base Carrera unicorn I bought last year, but have my eyes on a 4S (not this 2017….this 2011!) to get me all wheel drive, more horsepower, and more options.
The Carrera 4S is considered an all-weather 911. I want one. This 911 4S is fairly well optioned with the convenience package, sport package, and driver assist package, and while I have no idea what it cost new, the base price was $110,000 and assorted reviews, like this one in Car and Driver, suggests the options push these cars well over $150,000 just as fast as its 0-60! For what it’s worth, the car dropped $1,000 already in the few days it’s been online. Find the car here in Roseville (Sacramento), California – if the link is dead it’s sold, on hold, or being transferred.
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So if I had $109,000 to spend on wheels, what other options would I have? How about five cars totalling the same amount, and giving me most of what the 2017 911 Carrera 4S does….and more? This was the best all around package I could assemble….had to adjust here and there as cars sold and others came on the market while I was mulling it over. Would be interested in what others would pick. Add comments or email me with your selections – five cars totaling not more than $109,000. Let’s go.
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Clearly, a 911 has to be at the front of the pack. Been watching these race since I first went to Le Mans in 1981, and now that I own one I’m in love. Not $109,000 in love, so I’m including the most decent, cheapest 911 on the CarMax lot at this time. This $43,000 2008 911 Carrera S is almost Etta’s twin, the only difference being the S has 30 more hp, adjustable suspension, and bluetooth – and it’s $8,000 more expensive. But it’s 10 years old, low mileage, and nearly new inside. Yes, it’s an automatic, but trust me, you get over that. Nailing the perfect used Porsche seems to plus up the price by $10,000 with every must have feature. Here;s a thorough review from 2008 that notes a 4.5 second 0-60. This clean little 911 is currently here in Los Angeles. Earlier this week it was in San Diego. Next it will move to your driveway? ($66,000 left to spend!)
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I have a blog reader who bought the Mercedes S600 after I almost did called the notion of driving deeply depreciated unicorns “driving rich”. Loved it. So for the second car in the stable I went looking for the most luxurious sedan, with the most features, that I could affordably include. Had to pass on the Alpina B7 and BMW 760 V-12 – both were in the $40,000 range and had fewer creature comforts than this bargain 2011 Audi A8. When I plugged in the essentials – a V-8 engine, auto cruise control (who wants to do their own braking anymore?), heated steering wheel, adjustable suspension, air-conditioned seats, blind spot monitor, lane departure warning, and seat massagers – all for under $30,000.
I was surprised to find them all in this Audi A8 at only $27,000. And wasn’t a must have, but the A8 has all wheel drive as a bonus. And a trunk that easily holds four bodies. I also dig the tan seats – usually the silver cars have the scorching in the summer black seats. The drawback? Only 372hp. A bit of a weakling in the luxo-barge category after being spoiled by Guenther, my Mercedes S55 AMG with 493hp. But for comfortable commuting or highway cruising it would be hard to beat this Audi A8 in this price category. Car and Driver reviewed the car and ripped an impressive 4.8 second 0-60mph run, and also noted 27 mpg on the highway. This four-owner car split its time between California and Ohio and is now available here in Cincinnati. ($39,000 left to spend.)
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An SUV is a must have for anybody’s fleet, and the bigger the better, since we all think we need to “haul stuff”. Needs to be four-wheel drive and powered by a V-8 to leave no doubt cold weather will lose in a bare knuckle brawl. Doesn’t hurt to have luxury features. The tough guy image will only take you so far. But if that tough guy is Eddie Bauer, all the better. For the record, I had no idea who Eddie Bauer was, or even if there was an Eddie Bauer, until I started writing this. Eddie was an early 20th century outdoorsman from Washington who started his own cold weather gear business, outfitting World War II pilots and Himalayan mountain climbers with life saving equipment. (Thinking there’s a future blog coming on car models named after people. Stay tuned.)
This 2007 Ford Expedition EL Eddie Bauer is a bit old, and a bit worn at 80,000 miles (a good candidate for MaxCare that will take this truck repair free to 150,000 miles until it is a whopping 16 years old!), but seems to be a pretty good value. It’s a one owner Colorado truck with a recorded accident to the right rear – could be it got rear ended, but my guess is with no rear view camera the owner backed this behemoth into another car in an Orvis parking lot. Eddie Bauer probably never imagined his name attached to such a beautiful truck interior, with two color panels, air-conditioned and heated seats – survival essentials in 2018. Third row seating and a rear seat entertainment system will keep everyone happy on the climb to Everest. My buds at Car and Driver reviewed the truck here, writing “Big as a spacecraft, and tends to drive like one too“. There are better SUV’s for the fleet I guess, but none at $17,998. It’s here in Colorado Springs. ($21,000 left!)
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Pretty sure it’s written somewhere that everyone should own a convertible at some point in their life. Too lazy to look it up, but I think it’s in the Bill of Rights or a Beatitude or on the Dark Web, and yet after driving my old Fiat today on a brisk Virginia day, it’s clearly a fact. Convertible is Latin for “car you don’t need that the wife probably won’t like”. Get one anyway. Just never, ever, ever drive with the top down and the side windows up. Nothing says “I made a mistake buying a convertible but I’m trying to deny it” like windows up and top down. Sorted through some Miatas and Sebrings and BMW 1-series and decided to go with this high-mileage 2008 Volvo C70 T5 for a number of reasons. Seat heaters for one. Pretty blue color and nice Pininfarina lines. Seats made of “Vulcaflex” (not to be confused with the erectile dysfunction drug by the same name). A center console that had to be made by Ikea. A great Dynaudio sound system to drown out the dump trucks that try to ruin my top down commute. Swedish safety features that guarantee you could drive off a cliff into the Baltic Sea and survive (not covered by MaxCare).
The retractable hard top is nice. Most convertibles looks like shit with the top up. Or at least the top ruins the lines, like they do on the Jaguar XK. Whole different topic on why people buy landau roof cars – looks ugly like a convertible but the top don’t go down! And, by the way, CarMax has 804 convertibles for sale today, and not one with top down photo. I know I have at least one reader who is a CarMax employee – please pass on the word that top up photos are lame. Anyway, I blew a big part of my $109,000 budget on the 911 and the A8 and this was the most unusual convertible left for under $11,000. Top Speed did a decent review from back in the day. Satisfy your Stockholm syndrome with this Fresno Volvo. (Only $10,000 for the fifth car.)
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Saudis killing journalists. Iranians eyeballing the straights of Hormuz. Gas was once under a buck (at least in my driving lifetime) and now straddles $3 a gallon. I worry the day is comin’ when we see European gas prices here in the USA, and thinking why not throw in a cool car that gets over 40mpg? So with two German cars, and American SUV, and a Swedish convertible in the fleet, why not an Italian car? (Let’s ignore it’s made in Mexico and Poland – it’s a sensual little Italian coupe at heart.) And I absolutely loved the Fiat 500 from the day it hit the cobblestones streets of Europe in 2007. Keep in mind I only have $10,000 left. The feisty Fiat 500 Abarth blows my budget, so had to make do with this 2015 Fiat 500 Sport. At least it’s still under manufacturer warranty for another year – should keep the MaxCare cost down.
This little guy has a 101hp 1.4 liter engine that putts to 60mph in 10.5 seconds – almost identical to the 1.6 liter in my 1971 Fiat Spider – and a manual 6 speed transmission. Bluetooth, leatherette interior, cool wheels and a rear spoiler – what else do you need? Here’s the Top Speed review. As a bonus, here’s the clever and award-winning Fiat 500 commercial “Liberation”. Look for this one owner car here in Kansas City.
Perhaps I dig the car so much because I accidentally rented one in 2009 while living in Europe, two years before they were introduced in the US. I was in Oslo, planning to check off a bucket list item and drive north to the Arctic Circle. Was offered this Fiat 500 and I declined – too small. For 50 Euro a day more I could “upgrade” to a VW Polo. I’m 6’4″. Both cars looked to be disappointingly small, so I pocketed the 50 Euro and took the Fiat. I loved it. North of Oslo the highway disappears into a two lane, winding mountain road. And it was raining. And there were so many logging trucks. And curves. But I was able to flog that little Fiat 500 and work the gears and pass when I could.
One of the top 10 drives in my life. Took 16 hours to cover the 600 miles, with only one stop halfway in Trondheim to buy gas, coffee, and food. And not once, not once, was I uncomfortable in those upright seats! Got 39 mpg and I drove the car hard. Arrived at 2 am – in broad daylight – and checked off the The Arctic Circle Centre in Saltfjellveien the next morning. Raced back to Oslo the day after with an equally exhilarating run. Take your shots at this goofy car, but I’d own one (an Abarth) regardless of the budget.
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So there you have it. Five cars from all walks of life for $109,000. No single car was the best in its field, and perhaps you’d rather spend more on an SUV and less on a sports car, or choose a lesser sports car than the 911, but this was the best all around menu for me. Again, would be a hoot to know what readers might pick – warn you – it’s far more work than I had planned on to mix and match and stay under budget. Add comments or email me at chuckbanks@thecarmaxunicornblog.com if you’d like. And if you made it all the way to here, one of my longest blogs ever, you have my eternal gratitude.
The Porsche Boxster, like the Mazda Miata, gets maligned as not a serious sports car…usually by folks who don’t follow sports cars. And yet the Miata made Car and Driver’s 10 Best Car List 17 times, and the Boxster 14. I’ve driven a Boxster and I get it. (I would drive a Miata but at 6’4″ I just don’t fit.) The mid-engined boxer six cylinder is a pleasure to to push, and the handling, braking, and shifting are, as the Germans would say, präzise. Here’s the 2008 Car and Driver award for the Boxster. I’ve picked a pair of 2008 Boxster unicorns for my friend Doug, a gentleman in need of a vintage-feeling sports car. They’re 10-year-old cars with very, very low miles – driven only a few thousand yearly. I would still highly recommend the MaxCare bumper-to-bumper warranty for a few grand more – it will pay for itself in the first year no doubt. Here’s my two picks:
This second generation (987) 2008 Porsche Boxster checks all the boxes with a five-speed manual transmission, 2.7 liter flat six, 245 hp, and at under 2,900 pounds accomplishes 0-60 in under six seconds. Not a rocket, but the Boxster is as much about handling and braking as it is acceleration. And it will hit over 160mph – and get 28mpg (just not at the same time). This three owner car has circulated between Potomac, MD, Washington DC, and McLean, Virginia – affluent areas where my guess is the owners have not skimped on service – all while being driven less than 2,000 miles yearly. I’d still get the MaxCare warranty. Find it here in Dulles, Virginia. If the link is dead it’s sold, on hold, or being transferred.
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My backup plan would be this 2008 Porsche Boxster in Los Angeles. It does everything the one in Virginia does, except it’s $3,000 cheaper and has double the miles – a whopping 45,000, which is still stupid low for a 10 year old car. It’s cheaper because it’s an automatic. Yeah, I know…..if it was a real sports car it would have a manual. But the Tiptronic automatic is as good as it gets for the times. It has a place in these parts as a daily driver, in traffic, juggling coffee and a cell phone and a bagel. I know – it’s the same transmission I have in Etta, my 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera unicorn. And it shifts pretty damned quick in manual mode, holding gears when pushing through an apex, or going through the gears on the highway commute. And I can vouch for the Bose stereo – replace the radio with a modern one, but PLEASE keep the amp and the speakers! It’s a two-owner southern car, spending its time in Texas and California. Find it here in Los Angeles. Same deal on the link.
Had the opportunity to be in Tampa and dropped in on this beauty I wrote about last week. The 911 – not me. The 2014 Porsche 911 50th anniversary car and currently the most expensive vehicle CarMax has nationwide. It will be hard to get back in Etta, my 2008 unicorn, but at $109,998 you could buy THREE of my base Carreras! Anyway, had a chance to chat with sales rep Royal Dombrow and get the MaxCare coverage options and cost. I was really surprised how cheap the warranty was. This car still has some factory warranty, limiting CarMax’s risk somewhat, but for just another $5,000 you can drive this puppy another 100,000 miles without an unexpected repair bill. The car is still on the lot – call Mr. Dombrow (813-625-7467) and go make an impulsive buy. It’s one of only 1,963! (Get it?)
No, this 2014 911 doesn’t meet my unicorn standard at $109,998, but it is a bit rare, and I love tracking the few CarMax cars over $100,000. The last one I covered was a 2017 AMG GT with only 2,000 miles on it that listed for $114,998 in August, 2017 and sold for $104,998 after languishing a month on the market. Would love to know what MaxCare will cost on this beast? Found a gushing review of the car from Motor Trend when new, noting a 3.9 second 0-60 and a price tag of circa $150,000. This one-owner car spent its first years in New York and is now in Tampa. I’ll be there next week and may have to drop in and see it. Suspect it’s a whole lot nicer than Etta, my 2008 911 Carrera unicorn, and for $75,000 more it damn well better be! Find the 50th anniversary 911 here; if the link is dead it’s on hold, sold, or being transferred. I’ll bet it’s going to be here for a bit.