Last week, a West Coast CarMax offered a rare 2016 Mercedes-Benz Maybach S600 for $51,998. Wrote about it here. This week, an East Coast CarMax makes available this stunner, a 2015 Mercedes-Benz S600 (non-Maybach) unicorn that I think is a far better deal as a beautiful daily driver. Slightly lower price. Ridiculously low miles. Same performance.
The “vanilla” S600 is above, the Maybach below. There is a subtle difference. The Maybach is stretched a good eight inches over the standard S600. Of course, the Maybach is far more exclusive and the benchmark for “driving rich.” Both cars are selling for about the same as the average new car price for 2025 and are anything but average.
Back to the 2015 S600. It’s got an unblemished cream interior and looks like a Designo, but I cannot tell for sure. It’s got everything: heated, cooled, and massaging seats, a heated steering wheel, automated cruise control, night vision, Bang & Olufsen audio, and rear seat entertainment. It has a heads-up display, although it is not listed in the features.
The backseats are the same, but different. Both have footrests and rear seat entertainment, but you can see the extra legroom in the Maybach from the extra eight-inch wheelbase. Otherwise, with reclining and massaging rear seats in both, they are quite similar.
No dummy/blanks in the dashboard feature section and two keys! The Maybach only had one. Edge to the vanilla S600. And the mats in the trunk of the S600 below look pristine. This car has hardly been driven (or somebody threw in some new mats?)
Both the 2015 S600 and the 2016 Maybach S600 share the same motor – a smooth as silk 6.0-liter V-12 that makes 523 horsepower and 612 ft-lbs of torque. Because the “base” S600 is lighter than the Maybach by 300 pounds, it sprints to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, a hair quicker than the 4.7-second Maybach. Both are governed to a top speed of 130 mph. For the record, I was surprised rolling through Texas in my former 2010 S600 when I went for top speed to learn that it was also governed at 130! Times have not changed.
At the moment, this 2015 Mercedes S600 is reserved here, at my very own Dulles, Virginia dealership. I have signed up for an email alert should it become available again. I may want to drive it. The Maybach sold new for nearly $200,000, and this 2015 S600 for maybe $170,000. The Maybach has 55,000 miles and is selling for $51,998. The S600 is priced at $49,998 and only has 17,000 miles. MaxCare is available for five more years and up to 125,000 miles. The Maybach is more exclusive, and the rear seat condo is nice if you want to coddle your passengers. However, the 2015 S600 is a very nice sleeper and is just as fine up front for the driver. Honestly, if the S600 had Apple CarPlay and self-driving, I’d seriously consider jettisoning my GLE63 and buying this car. It’s gorgeous. And a bargain.
It’s been a dozen years since I bought Guenther, my first Mercedes unicorn, and 7 1/2 years I’ve been blogging about CarMax cars, and in all that time, I’ve never seen a Maybach for sale by CarMax. Imagine my surprise to see this one for just over $51,000. Beautiful, rare, 2016 Mercedes-Benz Maybach S600. A V-12.
The 2016 Maybach sold for around $200,000 new, which also surprised me – I had presumed it was much more than a vanilla (if there’s such a thing) S600 or even an S65 AMG, both high-end V-12 S-Class Mercedes models, too. It’s tough to find production numbers, but estimates on the web suggest that 10% of Maybachs are sold in the USA, which translates to 500-600 per year. More unicorn credentials.
The Maybach has almost everything I want in a big Merc. Automated cruise control, heads-up display, seat massagers, heated and cooling seats, heated steering wheel, Burmester audio, and automated parking. The sedan even has the business-class footrests in the back, which I’ve never had. I sat in a CarMax S65 once that had them, and I was too tall to fully extend the seats and sit comfortably. It doesn’t matter – I got no chauffeur and my wife would refuse to drive my S-Class cars anyway. The Maybach has rear seat entertainment, which I had in my S600, and no one ever watched a DVD in the years I had it.
You can see from the panel below that the car is equipped with night vision, which I loved having in my S600, even though it was pretty useless other than as a novelty. Cool to show friends at night. What the car doesn’t have, which I now must have after owning a GLE63 AMG, is autonomous driving and Apple CarPlay. You could probably add CarPlay, although I’d be reluctant to putz with the Burmester. It also has ONE KEY. Still bullshit, CarMax.
The bonus beyond the exclusivity and luxury appointments is the big V-12. It’s a 6.0-liter twin-turbo engine making 523 horsepower and an impressive 612 ft-lbs of torque at just 1,900 rpm. The Motor Trend review gushed at a 0-60 mph sprint in only 4.8 seconds, but I’m not terribly impressed. That’s about the same as Guenther, my 2004 S55 AMG, and my 2010 S600 ran. I expected more. On the other hand, handling at 0.90 lateral G for a 2 1/2-ton sedan was quite good. I can’t imagine rear-seat passengers finding that acceptable. That’ll get the chauffeur fired.
This nine-year-old Maybach has had three owners in Houston, Las Vegas, and El Cajon. It’s accident-free. MaxCare is available up to 125,000 miles and for another five years. And you don’t want this Maybach without MaxCare! I suspect it will cost around $7,000, and I expect you’ll recover that at least three times over. Find this beautiful car here in Murrieta, California. It’s currently reserved, and you can track it using the stock number or VIN below as well. I predict it will sell very quickly, or linger around for a long time, like the 2016 S65 AMG coupe that I swear has been moving from CarMax dealership to dealership for over a year. Time will tell.
1969 Mustang – Photo by Gill Billington. Check out his collection here.
I have a good friend—we’ll call him “Jerry” to respect his privacy—who once owned a 1969 Mustang as a young man. It’s not the one above, but you get the picture. “Jerry” is no longer a young man and is probably retiring after a successful career and about to begin a second one, likely making more money. I made more money in my second career, and “Jerry” is way smarter than me, so I’m confident in my logic. His next career may or may not involve commuting. “Jerry” is pondering his next car purchase and ping-ponging between a rational choice and something more exciting.
“Jerry” is a car guy. As his friend, I think it’s my responsibility to help him weigh the pros and cons of a sound purchase and then do all possible to encourage him to ignore all that and jump into a badass Mustang with both feet. Let’s quickly run through an assortment of Mustang unicorns, although unfortunately, there are no Dark Horse models, his favorite, at this time. We all have to make compromises.
I couldn’t help but start with an older red Mustang because it’s currently the cheapest Mustang V-8 in the CarMax inventory. (We won’t even entertain a four- or six-cylinder Mustang.) This is a 2014 model, the last year before the car came with an independent rear suspension. Car and Driver described it this way: “This fifth-generation Mustang felt like a reborn car, even if its solid axle is to automotive componentry what the polyester leisure suit is to modern menswear. The Mustang fully exploited its mix of new and old tech to win multiple comparison tests, knocking off higher-powered offerings from Dodge and Chevy in the process. Not insignificantly, it also collected three consecutive 10Best trophies (2011–13).” I did not know the Mustang was honored as one of their 10 Best three years in a row!
Automatic transmission, cruise control, MP3 jack, and a CD player. Surprisingly, Bluetooth. No seat heaters or rear-view camera. This isn’t a car for commuting. Drop your first private sector executive bonus check on this and drive it in your spare time. Spend the rest on a responsible second car.
It does have two keys, even if they aren’t very smart. It also has the 420 horsepower 5.0-liter V-8 motor that hits 60 mph in 4.5 seconds – about the same as in newer Mustang GT’s. And despite the criticism of the rear axle, the car spins for .94 lateral G on the skidpad. Ron Session of Car and Driver also said this car “is one of the best 1965 Mustangs I’ve ever driven. Modern shock tuning has done wonders with the ox-cart rear axle.”
This two-owner, accident-free 2014 Ford Mustang GT is currently reserved here in Riverside, California. It’s high mileage, and yet you can get Maxcare for another five years and up to 150,000 miles. This could be your car if you’re looking for low-dollar Mustang fun. And it does have a red steering wheel. There’s that.
Stock No: 27152830 VIN: 1ZVBP8CF1E5257291
When I moaned in a previous post that if I could just get over my fixation with horsepower, there’s probably a more logical car for me than my 600-hp 2021 Mercedes GLE63 AMG, blog reader Nate wrote a comment: “Don’t stop chasing the horsepower! Never acquiesce!” If it’s horsepower you want, in a Mustang or any CarMax unicorn, this 2021 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 with 760 horsepower should fit the bill. And the bill is quite costly.
The Shelby GT500 continued in 2021 after the Shelby GT350 was discontinued. It sold for $75,000 and up – way up with the track package – and was the most expensive Mustang you could get. Four years later, it’s selling for about the same. So much for depreciated unicorns. My buds at Car and Driver said, “The Shelby GT500 mixes the accessibility of a Mustang with the excessive thrills of a rollercoaster.“
Before we get to performance, let’s cover the more civilized features: heated and air-conditioned seats, Apple CarPlay, and remote start. The car even has Wifi, so you can pay your tickets online from the road.
I dig the race car toggle switches, including the one to make the exhaust louder. I don’t dig the skimpy one key for a $90,000 car. Not sure how I feel about the rotary PRNDL. It doesn’t look or feel like a muscle car shifter to me. The push-button manual mode might be nice.
The supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 (did I mention it has 760 horsepower?!) and 7-speed dual-clutch automatic will scream the car to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, and hit a claimed 180 mph top end. The suspension is good for a .99 lateral G on the skidpad, and much more with the track package. I cannot tell, but I do not believe this car has the $18,000 Carbon Fiber Track Pack. It don’t need it.
I expect “Jerry” to buy this car when he begins his next career with a huge signing bonus, stock options, and a generous car allowance. Negotiate hard, my friend. You deserve this. You can find this 2021 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 here in Clearwater, Florida, although it’s also on reserve for now. It only has 12,000 miles, but get MaxCare anyway.
Stock No: 27147030 VIN: 1FA6P8SJ0M5500152
If the 2014 Mustang GT is too cheap, and the 2021 GT500 too expensive, then perhaps we should be looking for the Goldilocks “just right” GT. I limited the price and mileage, and checked the boxes for some modern stuff to make the car more enjoyable for commutes and road trips alike. Those selections spit out a very nice 2021 Ford Mustang GT Premium with both the California and Performance packages.
This Mustang has a proper six-speed manual transmission and automatic cruise control. It also has heated and air-conditioned seats, a heated steering wheel, Apple CarPlay, Bang & Olufsen audio (with a CD player!), automatic high beam headlights, and all the safety stuff like lane departure and blind spot warnings. This is a very modern Mustang.
Car and Driver suggested, “Sticking with the standard manual transmission, we’d opt for the GT Performance package, which adds upgraded Brembo front brakes, a limited-slip differential, stickier summer tires, unique chassis tuning, and more.” What’s the California Package, you ask? It’s a $2,000 option that includes the upgrades below. I looked hard at the CarMax photos, and all I could see was the “California Package” badge on the strut brace. You have to zoom in a couple of times, but it’s there. I couldn’t find the “faux gas cap on rear appliqué,” but I’m not sure I want to. Sounds cheesy.
The California Special Package includes: •19-inch machined-face aluminum wheels with high-gloss Ebony Black-painted pockets •Side stripe •California Special badge on strut-tower base •Pedestal rear spoiler •Miko® suede seat inserts with GT/CS logo and red contrast stitching •Unique grille with offset tri-bar Pony logo •Side scoops •Unique instrument panel badge with California Special script •Faux gas cap on rear appliqué
The 2021 Mustang GT Premium with the Performance package makes 460 horsepower and runs to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. The top end is governed 155 mph.
CarMax has just over 50,000 cars on the lots today; of those, 510 are Mustangs. Only 162 are V-8’s, and 135 are coupes (“Jerry” doesn’t want a noisy soft-top convertible, I know). Cap the price tag at $40,000, mileage at 40,000, and check a few features like Apple CarPlay and auto cruise control. We are down to just eight cars. This 2021 Ford Mustang GT Premium with the California and Performance packages may be “just right” for “Jerry”. It’s not reserved – just “Coming Soon” to Modesto, California. (I wonder what Californians think of the “California Package”?) Track it here if you want to know when it becomes available.
Spring is in the air, and spring is in my step (the knee replacement recovery going very well), so I thought I’d fire up the M3 and go for a top-down drive. Granted, I only started it once in January, and the battery was low, but surely a jump from the big Merc and all would be good. But it wasn’t. My excellent CarMax service tech Ryan suggested leaving the cars attached for a bit to add juice to the BMW, and while that made the cockpit lights and dash work, it would not fire up. The Mercedes became the most expensive trickle charger ever. I summoned MaxCare roadside assistance, and Tony brought a 240 amp battery pack that jumped the BMW, but it totally died when I attempted to drive it and charge up the system. So he towed it to CarMax, and we shall see if there’s anything more to the problem than a two-year-old dead battery.
Last year, I used the springtime solar eclipse as an excuse to write about 10 convertible unicorns. Today, my broken M3 is my motivation. My criteria, as always, are arbitrary: Fun, fast, cheap, and not too common. (It sounds like my ideal date in high school.) I ditched Miatas and Minis not because they aren’t good cars; there are just too many of them out there. I will run through these 12 unicorns quickly, from cheapest to most expensive.
Budget Drop Top
Let’s start with the least defensible convertible, a 2014 Chrysler 200 Touring. Why is it here? It’s the cheapest convertible on CarMax lots nationwide. (I’m leaving out the Fiat 500 “convertibles” that are really soft top moon roofs.) Last year, I included one on my list, and the quotes from the Car and Driver review are too good not to recycle, “Like a single-issue candidate, the Chrysler 200 convertible has stumped on one appeal. In the car’s case, it’s that the top goes down.”
CarMax lists this car as equipped with “The Basics” because it has no noteworthy equipment. It gets worse before it gets better. The car doesn’t even have the V6 from last year’s recommendation; it has the 172 horsepower four-banger under the hood. It also has over 100,00 miles on it. What’s the positive?
It’s a convertible. And a drive in good weather with the top down will raise your mood by 50%, even in a shitty car. I believe everyone should own a convertible at least once in their life. If you don’t want to spend a lot to own an extra car just to drive top down, this one is for you. It sold for $21,000 new and is half that. I wouldn’t spend anything on MaxCare, not because this Chrysler is all that reliable, but because it’s just so cheap that if it breaks down, just push it into a ditch and buy something else. And if you think it’s an undesirable car at the moment, someone has it on reserve here in Southlake, Georgia!
Stock No: 26436621 VIN: 1C3BCBEB9EN112235
A More Legitimate Daily
Here’s another entry-level convertible that’s a whole lot more lovable. A 2014 BMW 428i. It’s a hard-top convertible, which I love a whole lot more than a sometimes noisy soft top (I’ve owned both). It’s a BMW. An “Ultimate Driving Machine,” as they say. It’s not a boy racer, no M3, just a credible topless driving car. This could easily be a four-season daily driver. Love the gold color. Too bad it’s not the old man gold over cream my generation so loves.
The BMW 428i doesn’t have many more features than the Chrysler 200, but it is by far more of a driver’s car. It also has a four-cylinder motor, but at 2.0 liters, the turbo makes 240 horsepower and runs to 60 mph in the mid-five-second range. Years ago, I had a 225 horsepower 330Ci convertible and never understood how BMW coaxed such acceleration out of little motors.
This 11-year-old BMW sold new for about $43,000 and is under $15k now. It’s got 83,000 miles and may need MaxCare as its systems age. It’s here in Norcross, Georgia. Not reserved!
Stock No: 26784455 VIN: WBA3V7C5XEP770684
EOS, Greek Goddess of the Dawn (or a unique Golf Cabriolet?)
The BMW 428i convertible is nice, but the VW Eos is unique. Based on the Golf platform, this diminutive hard-top convertible was sold in the US from 2006 to 2015, and this one is a last-year model. Its claim to fame is that it includes a fully accessible sunroof, the only one of its kind. I sat in one once, although I never drove it, and was surprised there was enough room for my 6’4″ frame. I just was never secure enough to buy one.
CarMax lists this car as “Loaded,” although it’s about the same inside as the 200 and 428. The 2.0-liter motor makes 200 horsepower and runs to 60 in 6.5 seconds, which ain’t awful, but that’s not why you’re buying this car. It’s all around a decent little second car with acceptable fuel economy, a low price, and a convertible with a sunroof!
This 2015 Eos sold new for maybe $36,000 and has very low mileage for a 10-year-old car. It’s less than $20k now and reserved here in Daytona, Florida. CarMax has a couple of very nice Eos, so there’s no need to wait on this one!
Stock No: 26578564 VIN: WVWBW8AHXFV002862
Nicht der Buick Deines Vaters
Put the 2017 Buick Cascada Sport Touring in the same category as the VW Eos – an attractive little German convertible, albeit a soft top, good for around-town top-down driving, but not much for “sport” or “touring.” Yes, the Buick Cascada is really a German Opel manufactured in Poland. The car sold as an Opel, Vauxhaul, Holden, and Buick from 2013 to 2019 (only 2016-2019 in the USA). It was the first Buick convertible since the 1991 Reatta.
The Buick has heated seats and a heated steering wheel, but it has only a handful of features despite being listed as “Loaded” by CarMax. It’s a two-owner car, and you can see from the photo below one of those owners badly needed their fingernails trimmed.
The Cascada got lukewarm reviews in the USA. The 1.6-liter turbo motor made 200 horsepower, like the Eos, but lagged to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds. Top speed was 130 mph. Although we don’t drive at top speed much in soft top convertibles, do we? They’re a bit noisy, top-up or top-down.
The 2017 Buick Cascada is probably an acceptable car for seasonal commuting or a spin to the vineyard for a riesling. The car sold new for maybe $34,000 – a ding at the time for not being competitively priced – and is selling at two-thirds that now. Interestingly (to me), MaxCare is only offered to a cap of 125,000 miles on German cars, but as a Buick, this German car is available with a 150,000-mile ceiling. Same thing with the Jeep Renegade, made in Italy. Higher ceiling as an “American” car. And while we’re at it, how about the Fiat 124, made in Japan, limited to 125,000 miles, while the Mazda Miata, also made in Japan and pretty much the same car, gets 150,000? You’d think CarMax would know better.
The Buick Cascada is reserved here in Killeen, TX.
Stock No: 26968832 VIN: W04WJ3N56HG037175
Why?
Nissan billed the Murano Cross Cabriolet as “the world’s first all-wheel drive crossover convertible. ” It was sold from 2011 to 2014, and we have here a final-year model. I chuckled at The Truth About Car’s introduction back in the day as they headed to the California media introduction. “If you’ve ever been to a topless beach, you know the basic problem: you expect a bunch of topless Jags and Maseratis, but what you actually get is this, the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet. Four thousand pounds of roly-poly crossover blessed with the totally misguided belief that people want to see it with its top off. We’ll keep a corner of our eye on this as the LA Auto Show kicks off… but we’ll be sure to avoid eye contact.“
Yes, the Murano is AWD and has the only available option—$500 leather seats that are heated—yet it seems like every other Murano inside. It’s not bad—just dated. I like to play a game on road trips, thinking, “When was the last time I saw a XXXXX on the road?”. This month’s Car and Driver has a piece on the Merkur Xr4ti on the back page, which I owned once (a Merkur, not Car and Driver), and I can honestly say I haven’t seen one on the road in over 25 years. Since I started this piece on convertibles, I’ve seen two Murano Cross Cabriolets out and about in Virginia. More fascinating, over 42,000 Xr4ti’s were imported, but only 6,000 Murano Cross Cabriolets. Makes it a unicorn, yes? And more reliable than a Merkur by far.
As an SUV, the Murano lacks trunk space because of the convertible mechanism, and the back seat, while spacious, is hard to access because of the massive two-door configuration. It’s not an ugly car top-up or top-down, and there is the uniqueness of tooling around in an SUV convertible if it’s just me and the wife and an overnight bag in the back seat. Except she hates convertibles.
The Murano Cross Cabriolet “sports” a 3.5-liter six-cylinder with 265 horsepower. It’ll run to 60 mph in about eight seconds, which makes it the slowest, I think, in my selection. The Murano sold new for maybe $42,000. It is coming soon to Phoenix-West Valley.
Stock No: 26812848 VIN: JN8AZ1FY6EW301037
$7,000 More for Legit Street Cred
The first batch of convertibles are decent daily drivers, but this 2014 Jaguar XK will make folks think you are on a different level of affluence. This was once an $85,000 luxury car, and you can have it for the price of a Camry. That’s the whole premise of this blog. Lord knows how many XK’s I’ve blogged about, and I still wish I had pulled the trigger on an XKR, and yes, F-Types have depreciated almost to the point of XK’s, but these are beautiful cars. Granted, the top-up version of the XK is not as sleek as the hard top, but it ain’t ugly.
The XK comes with heated and air-conditioned seats, a heated steering wheel, and a Bowers & Wilkins audio system, and it just feels like a high-end British touring car. And it’s green over tan—about as good as it gets for 2014. The motor is a naturally aspirated 5.0 liter, 385 horsepower V-8, good for a 5.1-second 0-60 mph run and 155 mph top end. This is the first enthusiast convertible on the list.
This Jaguar XK is currently reserved here in Serramonte, California. It also has very low miles for an 11-year-old car. Buy the Maxcare.
Stock No: 26703326 VIN: SAJWA4GB1ELB53406
Wait! An Even Better Euro-Unicorn!
If I weren’t such a slacker, this car would warrant a blog post all by itself. It’s a 2014 Mercedes SLK55 AMG hardtop convertible. It costs less than $30,000. It has a naturally aspirated hand-built V8 motor that my friend Hans covets. It can go from 0 to 60 in 4.6 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph. This is a driver’s car in and out.
In CarMax’s bizarre lingo, the car is listed as “loaded” even though it has the same features as everything else. It does have the Mercedes only air scarf neck heaters from the headrest. I love the idea. I also was puzzled by CarMax’s suggestion that the car has a “Rear Entertainment System. It includes one or more rear seat screens and might support Blu-ray, DVD, HDMI, or USB.” There are no rear seats.
The 2014 Mercedes SLK55 AMG was sold new for about $65,000. It was a bargain then, and it remains so now at less than half that, with really low miles. Of course, I would add Maxcare and drive the snot out of it—if I fit into it. It’s currently reserved here in Phoenix-West Valley, Arizona.
Stock No: 27001395 VIN: WDDPK7FA2EF077576
(This One Doesn’t Count)
Since we have an SLK55, I thought I’d include the ad for this 2022 SL55 AMG, the most expensive convertible on CarMax lots at the moment. It’s a beautiful car, although with a soft top. It has a 469 horsepower V-8 under the hood and every modern luxury feature—even the air scarf! It’s here in Kearny Mesa, California, if you want it.
The Convertible That Started It All
I spotted this 2015 BMW 650 I on the CarMax page a good two weeks ago; I was impressed with the tan-over-blue exterior, baseball glove leather interior, decent motor, low miles, and relatively low price. I thought, “This will make a good piece on springtime and convertible unicorns!” Then the road to hell….”I wonder what other cool convertibles are out there? Maybe I’ll do a longer piece with just a few more cars. I’ll keep my commentary limited and get it to press quickly.” If you’re a regular reader, you’ve heard this before. This year, a road trip to Ohio to see the kickoff of March Madness interrupted my writing, followed by too many games on TV when I returned. So here we are.
This car almost has it all: heated, cooling, and massaging seats, Harman Kardon audio, but no auto cruise control. Under the hood, a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 with 445 horsepower gets you to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and a top-end (governor limited) of 155 mph. This, my friends, is a sport touring automobile. Pretty close to the ultimate driving machine, at least with a soft top.
This 2015 BMW 650i is a four-owner car that spent most of its life in and around my hometown of Baltimore. A few years back, it suffered a door ding in Delaware. The car has surprisingly low miles and is now for sale here in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Stock No: 26927751 VIN: WBAYP9C54FD169687
The British Murano?
Didn’t we just do this? If it didn’t make sense from Japan, why would it from the United Kingdom? This AWD convertible SUV is, in fact, a 2019 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque SE Dynamic. Long name for a short SUV. Conceptually the same as the Murano, it is a far more high-end version of a convertible SUV.
Land Rover design chief Gerry McGovern said, “It’s the first luxury SUV convertible. There have been other convertible SUVs, but not a luxury execution. We’ll take buyers from other luxury cars. Most Evoque customers came from premium brands, but had never owned an SUV before“. The convertible Evoque was sold from 2017 to 2019, and while there were hints of a 2020 facelift, I can’t find any confirmation on the net of the model making it beyond 2019. And I’ve wasted another half hour looking!
This Evoque is almost the most modern convertible here, I guess, with Meridian audio, heated seats, a heated steering wheel, and Apple CarPlay. It’s powered by a 2.0-liter turbo four, with 237 horsepower and a mid-seven second 0-60 mph time. Unlike the Murano, Land Rover bills this SUV as equally capable off-road as its other models. Something to be said for wind and mud through the hair!
Selling new for perhaps $58,000, this is a nice two-door SUV that happens to be a convertible. I think Land Rover design chief Gerry McGovern overstated the demand above. Owners looking for production numbers think maybe 10,000 were sold. I think that’s optimistic based on my scientific data analytics of having never seen one on the road. This one is shipping to Columbus Sawmill, Georgia. Here’s the link. CarMax also has two others if you’re in a hurry!
Stock No: 27029985 VIN: SALVC5RX0KH342314
Muscle Car Mania
The 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has the most horsepower of the convertibles on my list, although it’s not the fastest. At $39k, it’s a bargain. This is the fifth generation Camaro, and 2013 was the first year for the ZL1.
This 12-year-old Camaro has seat heaters, a heads-up display, remote start, and navigation. What makes it special is the 6.2 liter supercharged V-8 power plant, first produced for the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V. It pumps 580 horsepower through the rear wheels and hits 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. The top speed is a crazy 184 mph. The sixth generation Camaro ZL1 bumps power up to 650 horsepower! It’ll cost you another $13,000 to upgrade from this 2013 ZL1 to a 2016 to get all that oomph.
The 2013 Camaro ZL1 convertible sold new for around $60,000. This one is only $39k and has very low miles on it. MaxCare is available for another five years and 130,000 miles (to 150k). Right now, it’s on reserve here in Gaithersburg, Maryland – same as the BMW 650i above. Go drive them both and choose?
Stock No: 26838548 VIN: 2G1FL3DP8D9806764
Camaro or Corvette?
I don’t know a lot about C7 Corvettes, or any Corvettes, or really any cars for that matter, so when I was trying to learn if this Corvette Stingray Z51 had the performance package, not only was I unsuccessful, but I found that Corvette folks are uncertain on how to tell a Stingray is even a Z51 without scanning the QR code on the door sill. I cannot confirm any emblems or visual cues. So, I must take CarMax’s word that this is a Z51. They have misidentified cars before, sometimes in our favor.
The “base” Z51 still offers a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V-8 with 460 horsepower that will crack 60 mph in less than four seconds. Less horsepower than the Camaro ZL1 and also less weight. The top end is allegedly 190 mph, and it’ll pull over 1g in lateral handling. The Z51 package gets you splitters, better brakes, better exhaust, and better suspension. And apparently gobs of carbon fiber all over the interior. The Stingray has heated and air-conditioned seats, a heads-up display, and Bose audio. And the hood opens from the windshield side, cool like the Jaguar.
When new, the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 was in the mid-$50,000 range—more if it had the performance package—less than the Camaro ZL1. It hasn’t depreciated much. It’s currently reserved in Jackson, Mississippi here.
Stock No: 26481858 VIN: 1G1YM3D72E5124743
Finally, a Manual Mustang
CarMax has 1,200 convertibles for sale today, out of about 58,000 cars overall, and only 227 of those convertibles have a manual transmission. Of those, the most interesting one to me was this 2020 Ford Mustang GT Premium, also the newest and most modern, if you will.
The Mustang has air conditioned and heated seats, a heated steering wheel, auto cruise control, Apple CarPlay, and even not one but TWO smart keys. Pretty well equipped convertible. I don’t get the Carroll Shelby floor and trunk mats, though.
The Mustang has the 5.0 liter naturally aspirated V-8 pushing 460 ponies. It ran 0-60 in 4.2 seconds and would max out at 155 mph, right behind the Chevrolets. It’s a clean car with three owners already – owners who drove it very little. The manufacturer warranty has expired and I don’t think MaxCare would even be needed for such a tried and true platform.
The only disappointing thing is the lack of depreciation. The car sold new for only $6,000 or so more than it’s offered here. Here’s the link. The car is currently on its way to Gainesvile, Florida.
Stock No: 27155931 VIN: 1FATP8FF7L5156665
The BMW M3 is back on the road! The battery needed replacement after all. Thanks to Ryan of CarMax for getting me back on the road!
Sometimes, I remind myself that not everyone is pursuing 600 horsepower and can be more reasonable than me (see my GLE63 here!) I find really nice unicorns for grown-ups. Unlike yesterday’s Alpina B6, here’s a very nice, low-mileage BMW 650i Gran Coupe with the same motor…almost. This sedan is more affordable and more sedate – yet still high-performance- and meets all the unicorn requirements. And super low miles.
As far as accoutrements, the 650i is fully loaded, with heating, cooling, and massaging seats, a head-up display, a heated steering wheel, auto cruise control, and Bang & Olufsen audio – all the same stuff on the Alpina B6. The car has the Cold Weather Package, Comfort Package, Driver Assistance Package, and M Sport Package – so you get M logos almost like a real “M” BMW. I like the unblemished, handsome, tan interior.
And unlike the Alpina from yesterday, two keys!
The 650i has the same 4.4 liter V8 the M6 and B6 are based on, albeit without the beefed-up tuning and horsepower. It “only” makes 445 horsepower, and yet, with the eight-speed automatic, it will pull off a 4.5 second 0-60 mph run and hit a governed top speed of 155 mph. That’s sleeper sedan numbers there! I’m 12 years into my CarMax unicorn ownership experience. While my GLE63 does sub-4 second 0-60, the other CarMax cars I’ve owned – the Mercedes S55 and S600, the Porsche 911, and the BMW M3 – all did mid-4 seconds to 60, and I was perfectly happy. I swear my next car will be more reasonable, and I’ll stop chasing horsepower.
The 2015 BMW 650i Gran Coupe sold for maybe $80,000 ten years ago. It’s less than half that now and has a ridiculous 19,000 miles on it. MaxCare will see you through another five years and 106,000 miles of driving, if you choose, on a ten-year-old car. That seems like a deal. This car is here in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Only a couple hundred expensive Alpina B6 unicorns make their way to US shores annually before depreciating like hell. We like depreciation. We also like that when they make it onto a CarMax lot, we can protect ourselves from financial ruin by buying the MaxCare warranty, which will cover this nine-year-old somewhat exotic car until 2030 and another 90,000 miles.
This one is a 2016 Alpina B6, a 6-series Gran Coupe modified by BMW partner Alpina. It’s a cousin of the BMW-produced M6. The difference? The B6 has 40 more horsepower, all-wheel drive (X-Drive), an eight-speed automatic instead of the “M” seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and costs $4,000 more than the M6 when new. As with all unicorns, it’s all about tradeoffs. Reviews suggest the lower horsepower M version is more aggressive, and the Alpina is more like a luxury car with a more powerful motor.
Inside, the Alpina looks a whole lot like any B-series Gran Coupe. This one has air-conditioned, heated, and massaging seats, a heads-up display, a heated steering wheel, Bang & Olufsen audio, and auto cruise control. Everything you need for high-speed cruising.
The downside of the Gran Coupe for tall guys is the seating position. I’m 6’4″, and the last time I drove an M6 Gran Coupe, I was disappointed with how far behind the B-pillar my noggin was. You can see it in the CarMax shot above (the seating position, not my head). That made getting out of the car harder than usual, having to twist and thrust my torso up and past the pillar. It was a deal breaker. Below, you can see the Alpina logo on the steering wheel that distinguishes the Alpina from a vanilla B-series, and the infuriating photo CarMax provides to indicate they only have one key for the car. You’re on your own to get a second. Total bullshit for a company with $2 billion in profits last year.
Back to the motor. The 4.4 liter twin-turbo V8 makes 600 horsepower and with X-Drive will rocket the 4,700 lb sedan to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. It has an electronically limited top end of 200 mph. Yup – TWO HUNDRED MILES PER HOUR! The M6 has a governed top speed of 155 mph. That’s why you pay the extra money!
Maybe they’re out there, but I don’t know where you can get a 200 mph, limited-production German car (or any car) for $44,000. And throw in maybe $5-7,000 more for a near bumper-to-bumper extended warranty that’ll last until the car is 14 years old. The 2016 BMW Alpina B6 sold for maybe $125,000 when new. And now selling for a third of that. Tomorrow, my daughter and I are going to CarMax to look at a 2025 Honda CRV for $44,000. Which would you rather drive? This is an accident-free, three-owner car that lived in Illinois and Florida (wealthy snowbird auto enthusiasts?). Oddly, it’s available only here at the Bradenton CarMax with no option to transfer. I’m heading to the Daytona 500 this week. I’d happily buy it for you and drive it back. Email for instructions on how to get me the cash!
Stock No: 27020592 VIN: WBA6D6C50GGK18284
And just for fun, here are the last two Alpina B6s I found at CarMax.
Pain meds and some knee pain (you’d think it would be one or the other, but not both?) have me up most nights doom-scrolling or shopping for CarMax unicorns. Last night, I was pleasantly surprised to see an old-school Audi S8 reasonably priced and with low mileage. Thought I had better post it before it sells. (This one is a 2015 model, but if you’re feeling wealthy, here’s a 2023 for $90k!) This is a third-generation S8, the high-performance version of the flagship A8. The only Audi sedan that is bigger and better is the Audi A8 W12, which is no longer in production.
Inside, the car is fairly well equipped with auto cruise control, the driver assistance package with cross-traffic alert, lane departure, and blind spot warnings – things pretty standard nowadays – as well as heads-up display, navigation, Bose audio, and seat massagers. No night vision or heated steering wheel.
Just a big old comfortable family car with a giant trunk that would be as comfortable as anything on a thousand-mile drive.
The heart and soul of the Audi S8 is the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, making 520 horsepower. With AWD, it will out-accelerate a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the Ford Mustang GT500 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and hit a governed top speed of 155 mph. Motor Trend says the positives are “Surprisingly good fuel economy, drives smaller than it actually is, and great performance and handling.” The downside is the “Steering lacks feel and is prone to understeer.” I’m unsure how to reconcile the great handling against the steering description.
Oh yeah. It’s a single-owner car, and in 2018, the single-owner crashed into something in Georgia. The Experian Auto Check Report notes:
Accident or Damage Reported Moderate Damage Reported Right Side Damage or Repair Reported Front Damage or Repair Reported Damage or Repair to Bumper Reported Damage or Repair to Hood Reported Damage or Repair to Radiator Reported Damage or Repair to Grille Reported Damage or Repair to Fender Reported
That sounds like a lot. On the other hand, this was once a brand new Audi selling for $115,000, and it is now under $40k. Driven just over 4,000 miles a year. The Experian report says no frame damage, but it might be worth it to buy the car, get it fully checked out by an independent shop, and if it isn’t right, return it within the 10-day full refund period. I’d throw in maybe $5,000 for MaxCare for the next five years and up to 125,000 miles of no major repairs. This car is currently here in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Just before Christmas, I had a major upgrade to my 64-year-old vintage body – a brand-new high-tech knee. For the first three weeks, I relied on this 2025 Walker, lightweight aluminum frame with a carbon fiber cross member, two-wheel drive up front, and rubber stopper braking in the rear. A whopping 350 pound capacity. The original MSRP was $30. No warranty. Same with the new knee, I presume. Last week, I transitioned to a cane and snuck out to drive my SUV. Gas-to-pedal movement excruciatingly tweaked the knee, so I have canceled my plans to drive to Florida for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona this year. Sad and disappointed, and to distract myself I sifted through my “saved” CarMax unicorns and sharing a few below. Let’s get started.
Opening with a 2016 Lexus GS F, a relatively high-performance sedan that sold in limited numbers from 2016 until discontinued in 2020. Less than 2,500 were sold in the US, and most of those (1,418) were sold in that inaugural year. Car and Driver dug the torque vectoring differential and thought the car handled exceptionally well, yet dinged it for not being on par with the Audi RS7, the BMW M5, and the Mercedes-AMG E63. I never really thought it was meant to compete with those.
The GS F has heated and cooling seats, Mark Levinson sound, auto cruise control, and a heads-up display. It is a nice-looking four-door sedan with a tidy and luxurious interior. What makes it fun is the 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V-8 motor that makes 467 horsepower. With an eight-speed automatic transmission, it hits 60 in 4.4 seconds.
Car and Driver shared some disappointment with the performance given the $87,000 price tag when new. Eight years later, it’s half that at $43,998. Is it a bargain? Don’t know, but it is a decent, fast family car, and you won’t see many of them on the road. You can also get Maxcare for another five years and 100,000 miles. Is it necessary for a Lexus? This one is on reserve here in Laurel, Maryland.
Stock No: 26838218 VIN: JTHBP1BL8GA001594
And below, we have a trip down memory lane, with the lowest-priced Porsche 911 I’ve seen at CarMax in years. It is not the bargain I found with Etta, my 2008 911, that I loved despite its shortcomings, but given used car prices, maybe track it and see if it drops below $50,000?
This is a 2014 Porsche 911 Carrera, a base model that I’d view the same as my 2008 – an entry-level 911 to test the waters and see if a rear-engined iconic sports car is for you. Enjoy it, thrash it, then sell it and bide your time to get the 911 you really want. Or just be content with this one. The CarMax description says it’s burgundy over black. I can’t see the burgundy in the photos. If it is, it would be nice to have around my town, where we are enjoying the Washington Commanders NFL team making a playoff run (for now) we haven’t seen in decades. (For you non-football fans, the Commanders’ colors are burgundy and gold.)
The 911 is pretty bare inside. No rearview camera. No steering wheel controls. Heated seats, Bose stereo, and navigation. Just a 3.4-liter flat-six-cylinder engine that produces 350 horsepower and 287 pound-feet of torque, 0-60 in 4.4 seconds, and a top speed of 179 mph. Subjectively, it is a wonderful one-of-a-kind engine note from behind and inexplicably great handling. My 2008 911 was a “997” model that I loved, although it really beat the hell out of me on even mildly bumpy roads. Hated that. From mid-2012 to 2016 Porsche produced these 991.1 models, with a wheelbase a good five inches more than the 997 predecessor. I test-drove one, and it was light years more civilized in town and over uneven pavement. I want one. (Starting in 2017, all 911’s are turbos, and I’m not sure I want to give up the thrashing sound of a naturally aspirated motor.) When the time comes to replace my M3, I must find a 991.1 for “cheap,” with more options.
The 2014 Porsche 911 base model sold for maybe $85,000 new, and ten years later, this one is “only” $53,998. That is not a huge amount of depreciation; it is the cheapest 911 we’ve seen in years. My 2008 was also ten years old, but I paid $36,998, and it had only 34,000 miles. I would also offer that I paid another $3,000 for MaxCare, and it was barely worth it. Here’s the lengthy analysis, but the short version is that MaxCare paid for $4,100 in repairs, and because I did not transfer the warranty to the buyer (a dealer) when I sold the car, MaxCare refunded me just over $1,100. The Porsche 911, like my BMW M3, didn’t have expensive mechanical warranty fixes like my Mercedes S55 and S600. I’m too chicken to roll the dice and buy a Porsche 911 without MaxCare, though. If you’re in the market for an entry-level Porsche 911, this car is available in Irvine, California here.
Stock No: 26922560 VIN: WP0AA2A90ES107023
The 2015 Volkswagen CC VR6-4 Motion-Executive below caught my eye somewhat because of the lengthy and interesting name. Really, the VR6 motor got my attention, as I remembered the transverse-mounted six-cylinder from the VW Golf R32, back when the VR6 was a 3.2 liter. By 2015, it was up to 3.6 liters. More on that later.
The Volkswagen CC is to the Passat what the Mercedes CLS-class is to the E-class, a swoopier version of the basic sedan. Loses some rear-end room but comes with more style. The CC VR6-4 Motion-Executive comes with heated and air-conditioned seats, navigation, and, check this out, seat massagers! That’s for the executive butt, I think.
Here’s what I’ve learned from Wikipedia about the VR6 motor that makes this a bit of a unicorn. Wiki says, “The name VR6 comes from the combination of German words “V-Motor” and “Reihenmotor” meaning “inline engine” referring to the VR-engine having characteristics of both a V-layout and an inline layout.” Not sure what to make of that. The engine has only 10 degrees between the cylinder banks, which makes it perfect for stuffing a V6 into a small engine bay. One cylinder head for two banks of cylinders.
More fascinating, the same engine in this VW CC was used to power the six-cylinder Porsche Cayennes from 2010 to 2018. Even more mind-blowing, VW-Porsche-Audi jammed together two VR6 motors to make the over-engineered W12, the 12-cylinder engine that powered select Audi A8s (check out this one I considered from CarMax at a ridiculous s$35,000!) the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, the Volkswagen Phaeton, and even some VW Touregs.
Back to this VW. The VR6 makes 280 horsepower, not a lot, and pulls the AWD (4-Motion) sedan to 60 in an unremarkable 6.4 seconds. This one-owner, accident-free car sold new for perhaps $45,000, and with only 24,000 miles, is now $20,998. It’s on reserve at the moment here in Lexington, Kentuky.
Stock No: 26182579 VIN: WVWGU7AN4FE801791
Back to Japanese cars. Remember the Acura RL? This is not that. The RL gave up the ghost in 2012, replaced by this, the Acura RLX. The RL was pinged for being too small, and reviews suggest Acura got the message. The RLX is a full-size sedan that’s bigger and more comfortable. Just under 18,000 RLX models were sold from 2012 until 2020, and I cannot remember the last time I saw one.
The 2014 Acura RLX was fairly high-tech for its day, with a camera and radar-driven auto cruise control that could bring the car to a halt if traffic ahead came to a stop. Even had lane-keeping assist. I was amused that the two screens in the dash confused the Car and Driver reviewers – nowadays, two or even three screens are considered contemporary. With such low mileage, this 10-year-old Acura looks almost brand new.
The Acura RLX is powered by a 3.5-liter six-cylinder powering the front wheels only and is good for a sub-six second 0-60 mph run. Not bad. Other than the VR6 ingenuity, it’s quite similar to the VW CC – but bigger and faster.
The 2014 Acura RLX sold for $50-60,000 when new and is only $22,998 at the moment. It’s listed here as “Coming Soon to the Laurel, Maryland CarMax, the same place as the Lexus GS F at the top of this piece! I really don’t think MaxCare would be warranted for this car. Last thing – what’s the deal with the headlights? Cool high tech, or bizarre?
Stock No: 26446060 VIN: JH4KC1F55EC000802
One last car. It’s not an enthusiast car by any means. More of a novelty I was unaware of and wanted to share. The 2019 Infiniti QX30 Essential. The Nissan/Infiniti clothed Mercedes GLA250 was sold from 2017-2019 in the US. Engines from Germany. Assembled in the UK. Kind of cool, except the GLA250 ain’t exactly the finest Mercedes ever made. It’s good enough, I guess.
Check out the QX30 above and the GLA250 below. I believe the QX30 has more style.
The QX30 has leather seats, Bose audio, and AWD, and with only 6,400 miles, it looks very fresh inside.
The QX30 is above, and the GLA250 is below. While I love tan interiors, I think I prefer the Infiniti layout. Infotainment display embedded in the dashboard, and not one but TWO cupholders! The Mercedes vents are more impressive to me.
Both cars are powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder, good for 208 horsepower and AWD, and a 0-60 in the low six-second range. Not bad.
This 2019 Infiniti QX30 Essential is available here in Orlando, Florida. It was once a $40,000 car. The price is high because of the ultra-low miles. If you really want one, CarMax has 42 QX30s at the moment! I must admit I have been tempted by the 375 horsepower GLA45 AMG as a local runabout, but never the base GLA250 – and didn’t know the QX30 even existed!
I don’t make anything off this money-losing blog. My reward is hearing from other CarMax unicorn enthusiasts about my blog posts, or even better, when you all find cars of your own that support the idea of finding deeply depreciated high-end cars and protecting yourself from expensive repairs with MaxCare. I got a very nice email from a gentleman we’ll call “Ian” to protect his privacy. As far as I can tell, he went through the entire car search unaware of this blog and only found out about it afterward. He was kind enough to share his story, which I greatly enjoyed.
I find it reassuring that I’m not the only one who treats a car search like a Rubik’s cube, with each twist affecting all of the other combinations available to me – or not. Am I all in on performance, luxury, or a balance of both? How much should I spend, and if I spend more (or less), how does that shape my choices? Do I want to recreate an experience I had with a previous car or get something totally different? Once I fill in those blanks, how many different cars fit the bill, and how do I pick between them? Then, I learn something new and start all over again. Reading Ian’s email, it’s clear he and I think alike on the search, and I suspect some of you do, too. So, I’m sharing it below, and I’ll occasionally add some commentary in red (to match his car). Enjoy.
2019 Genesis G70 Advanced $25,998 – 22K miles. Not his car – I picked it to illustrate the starting point for this search. CarMax Stock No: 26658683. https://www.carmax.com/car/26658683
Ian’s Story
The story of my unicorn from CarMax starts with my previous car, a Genesis G70 4-cylinder, I bought five years ago. That car also had an interesting story as I bought it sight unseen with a >20% discount over MSRP. The car was flawless; for a while, it was unique, and I received many compliments. However, it was my second choice at the time, as the car that stole my heart back then was the Audi S5 Sportsback. Right from the start, even though I liked my G70 a lot, I was thinking about other cars. The G70 nickname became “The Unloved.”
The G70 was leased, so around the 3-year mark, I started test-driving possible replacements. Like you (me), I tried to stay open to many options and considered both sedans and coupes. During those test drives, I discovered which features were important to me. Off the top of my head:
AWD, as I live in Washington State, and it rains for eight months of the year.
The engine sound, so V8 preferred, but I was also open to “nice” V6s.
HP, preferably over 400.
A bright color without overdoing it (my G70 was gray).
A moonroof.
Nice interior (which immediately disqualified Mustangs and Chargers/Challengers).
Able to trade in my G70 for tax purposes.
The price had to “make sense” (I’ll explain later that part).
Try to avoid fees from dealerships (VIN etching? c’mon) and transport fees from CarMax / Carvana.
Able to test drive the car (requirement from wifey).
A good requirements list. Not included, although he gets there in the search below, is what’s the mileage limit that will give you a decent amount of driving before hitting the MaxCare cap? (Remember, Chuck writing in red here!)
At some point in the search, I took a 2,000-mile road trip with my G70 and had a blast. After it was over, I kept thinking about how awesome it would be to make a similar road trip in a sports or GT car. I landed on the BMW 6 series with a nice V8 that checked all my boxes. However, the car had seriously depreciated because its engine was infamously unreliable, which led me to the rabbit hole of after-market warranty providers. That’s where I learned (from Porsche forums (that hurts :)) about the great CarMax MaxCare warranty. I added a new feature to look for: under some kind of warranty, whether it was the last 18-24 months from the factory, a CPO, CarMax, or Fidelity (one of the MaxCare underwriters). As is always the case, the target price starts creeping up, and you are over your initial allocated budget sooner rather than later.
CarMax has zero 650’s for sale right now. Just a bootleg photo from the internet for illustration purposes. Don’t mind me.
I found a 2014 BMW 650i at $40,000. However, I couldn’t convince myself to pull the trigger for financial reasons, so I spoke to a financially savvy friend, hoping that he would side with me, but of course, he didn’t. However, he had a great idea: he made me realize I was more interested in the experience of driving a fun car on a road trip but not so much in the actual ownership of the car.
On the one hand, my friends have been helpful to me, clarifying my priorities and evaluation choices. On the other hand, eventually, they will all get sick of hearing about my car searches.
I decided to rent the cars instead I might want to drive to get them out of my system. Over a two-year period, I rented several cars through Turo and took road trips in them. This was awesome as I got to know the cars more deeply, and I kept increasing my knowledge about what I wanted in a car. (I had not heard of Turo until Ian wrote; coincidentally, they’re in the news this week due to the New Orleans and Las Vegas tragedies.)
Some of the most notable ones are below. (I picked the CarMax examples, but they aren’t the ones Ian looked at.):
C8 Corvette: This was the sportiest and flashiest car I drove. It was a blast to drive but also not very comfortable or practical.
Been hoping to write about this one from my saved file. Low mileage V-8 convertible RS5 at a decent price. A real unicorn. Stock No. 25981400 https://www.carmax.com/car/25981400
2014 Audi RS5: the one with a V8, another incredible engine note, but the interior and tech made the car feel cheaper (at least to me).
BMW M5: An absolute beast. A car that big shouldn’t be able to go that fast! Jaguar F-Type P450: It was the Goldilocks car: not the best-sounding, fastest, or most practical, but 9/10 in every area.
BMW M4 Competition: This car won me over, as I wanted to hate BMWs, but I couldn’t. It has great handling, is very fast, and has lots of tech.
Then, it seemed that I would settle for a big-ish car like an Audi RS7. At the beginning of this year, I was so close to a green light on a beautiful BMW M550i, but I got cold feet at the last minute at the dealership, with everything ready to complete the deal. The reason? My G70 was flawless mechanically, serving me well for four years. It was still under warranty, and I couldn’t justify trading it for a 72K-mile BMW with no warranty.
The gamechanger.
The fever eased for a few months until about four weeks ago when I went out with the same friend who advised me to rent a sports car. He recently bought a used Audi TT in a sporty trim, and again, listening to the sound engine reignited the fire in me. Also, even though it had only been six or seven months since I almost got the M550i, I now looked at the G70 in a different light. It had only a couple of months left on its warranty; while the car was mechanically sound it had suffered cosmetically. All rims had curb rash, and tree sap had fallen on several spots. Its value as a trade-in was diminishing because I hadn’t properly taken care of it. I started looking at replacements again. This time, I was looking for smaller cars. At some point, I drove an Audi RS7 and RS5 back-to-back, and while I enjoyed the RS7, the RS5 felt just right, much closer to the size of the G70.
I continued searching for smaller cars, looking at two possible options near me: another G70, but with the V6 engine (after all, I loved the car) (a natural alternative – what if I just got a better version of what I have and love now?), and a red RS5. I test-drove both and disqualified the G70 as the brakes were severely worn (I should know how a G70 drives!), and it was black (not my favorite color). The RS5 became the new baseline. The car was very good (even though I’ve never liked the Audi shade of red), just was on the expensive side, and again, it would need a high-priced third-party warranty on top of the sale price.
After that weekend, I got another friend’s opinion on both cars, needing someone to bounce ideas off. However, when I showed him the V6 G70, he asked an excellent question – “what are you getting for the money you’re paying to trade up your car?” More power. “That’s it?” he questioned. He had a point. If I were going to pay to replace my G70, I would have to get more than just two extra cylinders. I should be happy and excited about the car.
Next, he inquired about my budget. I have always thought about it as “$XX,000 after my trade-in” with bands for 10K, 20K, and 30K. “And what does that mean in terms of a monthly car payment?” I mumbled. I haven’t thought about it that way. What I could do instead is to work backward from a monthly car payment and figure out how that translates to a purchase price. This is usually a bad idea (that’s the strategy used by new car salesmen). I have a great reference point: precisely this month, I’m paying the last installment on my wife’s SUV, which was $625 monthly. There will be no impact on our monthly budget if the payment for my next car is at that price point. And when I check an online car payment calculator with my assumptions (48-month loan, 6.7% interest, trade-in value), I get a top price of $50,000. But that’s all inclusive of tax, title, fees, and, more crucially, third-party warranty.
Using that advice as a guideline, I started looking at the cars I had loved on my road trips. I started with the Lexus LC 500. It wasn’t AWD, but it felt planted when I drove it, and I love its looks. I found a couple of them for sale. They were obviously above what I wanted to pay, but I figured I wouldn’t need a warranty, and they wouldn’t depreciate as much.
I moved on to my next choice, the Jaguar F-Type. F-Types are a bit tricky to shop and compare because there are so many variants: V6 or V8, the original and two facelifts, the packages and options. At least I knew I wanted a coupe instead of a convertible! So I went to CarMax and searched for F-Types… and this one came along: beautiful shade of red, great wheels, price is right, model year 2017, low mileage for the year… and it’s an R, which means 550 HP. On top of that, the car is in Oregon, a 3-hour drive from where I live.
But what am I missing here? What’s wrong with this car? I scrolled down and saw the rental history and theft report. OK, let’s go deeper: for how long was it rented? When was it stolen? Was it crashed afterward? In addition to the Autocheck report provided by CarMax, I retrieved its Carfax. The rental isn’t too bad: it seems it was a rental for about a year, from 28K to 40K miles. I can live with that. In addition, the car was very well taken care of during its first 30K miles. OK, let’s look at the theft report… and it’s nowhere to be found. Alright, was the car crashed? Nope, no record of any crash at all. So, long story short, a CarMax employee likely checked the wrong box when entering the car’s info into the system because I couldn’t find any other reference to the car being stolen. I think the car received very little market attention because of the listing errors. (I have spotted unicorns underpriced because the CarMax lister missed some options on the car. I have also found some unicorns that don’t have what the listing says it has and have been unable to get CarMax to lower the price. Can’t even get them to correct their error in the listing!)
OK, OK, what options does the car have? CarMax rates it a 9/10. I got the window sticker for the car, and the car looks awesome:
– $2,500 for the blade-forged wheels
– $2,500 for the extended leather package
– $2,500 for the Vision package (the most crucial package to have)
– $750 Black package.
Total MSRP when new: $113,000
CarMax price: $44,000. 60% depreciation in 7 years.
Am I still missing something? I cross-checked against all the options available for that model year, and it’s only missing two: color seat belts and a front defroster. Otherwise, it is fully loaded. However, the proper comparison is against the facelifted model years that came afterward. Those have a full touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and optional ventilated seats. But Apple CarPlay can be retrofitted, so I’d just lose the ventilated seats. I figure I will survive.
One last step: how much is my trade-in worth? During the Audi RS 5 test drive, I was offered $19K for my G70. I wanted to get $20K to make the math work. I got a CarMax appraisal… and it came back at $21K! I have no doubt in my mind now I want this Jaguar F-Type. As I mentioned, the car is in Oregon, and I am in Washington State. I can get it transferred for free, but that would involve a wait of a few days, so instead, I decided to reserve it to test drive it right there in Oregon. If I buy it, the drive back home will also give me some highway time to test the car. It’s Friday night, and I make the earliest appointment, Sunday noon.
On test drive day, the car looked better in shape than I had expected. I notice some scratches here and there, but otherwise, it doesn’t look like a seven-year-old car. To my surprise, CarMax allows me to test drive the car for 30 minutes on my own (in Washington, they usually only allow you to take a short drive around the block!). Because I had completed a road trip with a Jag F-Type, I know how the car drives, and when I tested this car, I was surprised to discover it is buttery smooth. I want this car.
MaxCare was more expensive than I expected. I paid $4,500 for 5 years / 100K miles on the odometer, which wasn’t cheap and brought the final sticker price to $48.5K. But I stayed within budget thanks to the appraisal value and the tax benefit when trading in, plus the fact that I didn’t pay any transportation fee. I liked the car, but knowing it made sense financially made the whole experience even sweeter. I fell in love with the car and how I acquired it.
I’ve had the car for a few weeks, and it is simply perfect. I already took it to an independent inspection by a Jaguar Master Technician, and it came back perfect. “Great find”, he commented. I don’t know what else to say.
Anyway, thanks for your patience in reading all of this. I wanted to capture the story now that the details are still fresh on my mind, but I needed some external motivation to write it down, and that’s where you come in. I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one who has had a similar experience looking (and finding!) a great deal at CarMax. I won’t purchase any cars for a while (ha!), and I hope my story shares some similarities to your experiences.
Cheers!
Ian
Thanks, Ian, for a thorough play-by-play on how you got from your Genesis G70 to a 550 horsepower 5.0 liter V-8 powered Jaguar unicorn within budget. Highlights for me the twists and turns a unicorn search takes, and hopefully, we get clarity on what we want and the fidelity of cars available within the budget. It feeds the notion that if we look hard enough, we can have it all, more car than we thought we could afford and protected by the MaxCare warranty from expensive repairs.
If you like Ian’s 2017 Jaguar F-Type R, here’s one in Colorado Springs that I just saw today. It’s almost identical, but it costs a little more money!
