If you read this blog you know I prefer at least 8 cylinders*, perhaps 10, and I rue the 12 cylinder I passed on. What you don’t know is I have an affection for hot hatchbacks after owning not one but two 70’s era Ford Fiestas (the German ones, not Korean) before the first gen VW GTI made it to our shores. Since then I’ve tracked hot hatches, but I have to admit I missed this one. Stumbled on this 263hp 4 cylinder beast, with 280 ft-lbs of torque, and a 6 speed manual transmission. Embarrassed I thought “Mazdaspeed” was just a marketing thing. But with a sub-six second 0-60 I guess it’s the real deal. It’s a WRX and Golf R challenger for half the price. Usually my targets are all about leveraging the MaxCare warranty, but I’m not sure that’s even needed for this street racer. Find this one in Houston here. If the link is dead, the car is sold, on hold or being transferred. BTW….over to you engine experts….does this 2.3l turbo have any ancestral relationship to the 2.3l turbo Pinto motor that was in my 1986 Merkur Xr4tii?
10 Years Old-Driven 900 Miles a Year – Bargain 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Mazda Miatas are beloved by real auto enthusiasts and car magazines as one of the great balanced roadsters of all time, and ridiculed by manly men as effeminate. Nothing I can do about that. This one is an automatic, though, for the ladies*.  If I could fit in one I might own one. Here’s a 10 year old one with stupid low miles at a budget price. Throw in the MaxCare warranty  if you really want to never have a repair bill, but with a low-mileage Mazda that’s like unnecessary like a belt and suspenders. It’s a one-owner car Virginia car, and it looks like that one-owner rear ended someone in the first year of ownership. Perhaps that matters to you. Find it here at Dulles, Virginia for $15,998. If the link is dead it’s sold/on hold, or being transferred.
*Kidding. My 911 is automatic.
Well This is New! CarMax Now Carrying Used Teslas
Not often does CarMax add a brand. Last one was Genesis as a Hyundai spin-off. Before that Fiat. And no Alfa Romeos yet (waiting for a cut-rate Giulia Quadrifoglio!). But today I spotted a new one, the first Tesla, and now a second one on the CarMax website – both in Irvine, California and non-transferable. Did a Google search and the Tesla owner forum is a buzz – they misunderstood that CarMax has a partnership with Tesla to sell new ones. Not so. Just another used car. They’re not happy. Will be interesting to see what the MaxCare warranty costs. Will work on that soon. Find the cars at these links: 2015 Tesla Model S85D and 2017 Tesla Model S90D,
1 of 1,250 2008 Cadillac XLR (aka the offspring of Corvette and Allante)
CarMax doesn’t carry Cadillac XLR’s very often, and this is the only one I’ve seen in the fleet nationwide since I’ve been blogging. At 67,000 miles it’s higher mileage than I would normally include as a unicorn and at almost $29k it ain’t cheap, but if you’re looking for an interesting hard-top convertible, produced in low numbers, with a solid drive train and Corvette C-5 platform pedigree, this may be for you. There were 1,250 XLR’s manufactured in 2008, and just over 15,000 total during the 2004-2009 production run. No, it’s not the supercharged XLR-V, or the 2009 last model year, but I’ll let you know if and when one becomes available. The XLR has the 4.6l 320 hp Northstar V8, not loved by all, but adequate and if covered by the MaxCare warranty  (that will also cover the radar-adaptive cruise control and retractable hard-top!) it should be an inexpensive daily driver. This four-owner car has hopped between Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Florida and can be found in Fort Myers via this CarMax link. If dead, car is being transferred, on hold, or sold.  
Unloved 2007 Jaguar XK in California – Keeps Dropping in Price. Why?
I started tracking this car last fall – I still have an affection for Jaguar XK’s and rue the XKR I rejected. This XK has been neglected so long it has dropped $3,000 since I found it. It’s a pretty basic 11 year old, three-owner, low mileage, California car. YEs, it only has the 4.2 liter 300hp V8, but it’s plenty perky. I I am starting to think about flipping a car – drive something for six months and enjoy it, put it on the market back east, and drive it until it sells? think it’s beautiful and with MaxCare cheap to own. Go for it.
Jerry’s Commuter Pickup
When a reader comments and asks for a specific vehicle, I am honored to join the hunt – whether it’s an enthusiast car or not. Jerry want’s a pickup truck to commute and handle odd jobs. One man’s unicorn is another man’s hunting dog. Or something like that. And Jerry is a friend. So with not a lot else I punched in what I might look for. Four-wheel drive, four door, 6-cylinder (would go for big V8 except he did say commuter!), five-years old or less, 40,000 miles or less. Some creature comforts – Bluetooth, rear-view camera and sensors (we urban cowboys tend to back into shit), seat heaters. Not more than 250 miles from home. The big pickups (F-150 and Chevy Silverados) ruled themselves out. Good trucks but they suck for commuting. So as of now (late-March 2018) it came down to one – a 2016 Nissan Frontier. Normally my unicorn hunt is all about the warranty – high-end cars that break a lot and are expensive to maintain. For Jerry I’d say this car is neither -unlikely to break a lot, and cheap to maintain. Still under dealer warranty at 10,000 miles. Roll the dice. Spend the warranty money on lottery tickets. Go for the gold. Let me know when we’re heading north to pick it up.
Four Things I Learned About Etta (2008 Porsche 911) On Our First Road Trip
Just drove 300 miles in a light rain from Northern Virginia to Fort Bragg in Etta. It was a great ride. Bought this 10-year old car in January with 34,000+ miles and rolled it over to 35,000. I tried not to get emotional. Been tooling around my community and the Dulles Toll Road for the month and a half I owned the car and resolved that yes, it rides awfully harsh, especially over joints and bumps, and it is noisy, but hey – it’s an iconic 911 and I love it. So here’s what I think after a road trip:
- Why do other drivers want to screw with a 911**? Not other sports cars, but “slammed” Japanese cars and pickup trucks and beat-up Camrys.  I admit always wanting the left lane to be mine no matter what I’m driving, drafting cars that won’t move right but always moving right myself for others. But today on I-95 more drivers seemed to block, and if I eventually passed on the right they accelerated. More aggressive than when I’m in other cars. But that only made me love the 911 more because…..
- This thing is stupid fast. I have no idea why. I don’t get the engineering. It’s just a 3.6l six-cylinder with 325hp. And mine’s an automatic. Not terribly impressive off the line, but something violent happens at 3,000 rpm in 3rd and 4th gear. It’s neck-snapping acceleration above 3,000. My fingers are numb. Left-lane blockers didn’t stand a chance. I have no stats but 70-100mph seemed instantaneous. That said, I’m wondering if there’s something wrong with the car. Under hard acceleration from a start it seems to hang up in 3rd gear too long, and on the highway it kicks down from 5th to 3rd, revs to 6,000 rpm and seems on the verge of spontaneous combustion. Maybe I’m just new to 911’s but will have this looked at. I also learned that cruising at an average of 80mph (once I cleared Northern Virginia Sunday afternoon I-95 traffic jams) I get 17mpg. I’m good with that.
- The 911 is way more comfortable stretching its legs on the highway than futzing around my town. The rear axle seems to have no movement and hammers over the road at low speeds. The jolts cause me ass pain and make me wonder if I should have bought the Mercedes S600 after all. And there’s a three-point move I gotta get right to get in and out of the car when parked without stumbling like a clumsy drunk.  But once in, and on the highway, we found our rhythm. Road imperfections that annoy at 30mph vanish at 70-90mph. Road noise that intruded while revving up and down the scale around town disappear at cruising altitude (except for North Carolina’s cobblestone-like asphalt on I-95) and I can hear my music. The narrow-topped seat back (it’s about 10 inches wide – half my back!) that almost had me pass on buying the car, that I notice every time I get in, never became an issue. The seating position, of which I have one comfortable one being 6’4″, never bothered me. I was skeptical I would relax on this road trip and I did.
- Beer stays cold in the front trunk. I stopped in Richmond and bought two big cans of beer to enjoy in my hotel room 200 miles down the road, and was hoping a front trunk and mid-40’s temps would do the trick. It did. Having one now. But I also learned that I could fit a circa-27″ suitcase in the trunk on its side, along with two briefcases. The “back seat” accommodated a full-size garment bag and a backpack full of laptops, and the front seat cradled my guitar and a bag ‘o groceries. I travel light. Granted I was traveling solo but I was convinced when I got the car it would only hold a gym bag. Pleasantly surprised.
Conclusion? Friends and family who hear only my angst over the harshness and lack of modern electronics wonder if I’m regretting this purchase. I haven’t regretted it, knowing I’ve sacrificed some things to own and experience the legend that is a Porsche 911. This is a two-year car for me. If I like it I will upgrade with the next one. If I get weary of having a sports car daily driver, we’ll part ways. But this road trip moved my needle more towards increased satisfaction and awe than not. Stay tuned.
**The Camaro RS (I think) in front of me in the photo was not a challenger (no pun intended). He passed me around Richmond and we ran together for 150 miles, maybe two hours, and both exited to Fayetteville NC. Exchanged flashers/thumbs up when we parted. Reminded me of long autobahn drives back in the day!
1 of 248 – 2011 Grand Marquis LS
The ridicule is coming. It’s worth it. I really mean to stick to enthusiast unicorns but sometimes nearly extinct cars get my attention. I’m tracking cars I expect CarMax to stop carrying and this is one of them. Mercury abruptly discontinued the Grand Marquis line in 2010 but sold a few (248 to be exact) 2011 models. This life-long Florida car is a throwback to another era. It’s not a great car, but the last of it’s kind. With an anemic V8 (I still don’t know how Ford only gets 224hp out of this), bench seats and a column automatic four-speed, it’s a bit dated. But with 41,000 miles and only $14k, it’s almost a cheap piece of history. And only 247 others have one like it. Probably less. Here’s the CarMax link  – if it’s dead the car is being transferred, on hold/sold. Here’s a great NY Times review “Heavyweight for a Requiem” from back in the day. My favorite lines:
- It’s the kind of car dad bought because his buddy at the Kiwanis Club owned the
dealership and he didn’t want something flashy like a Lincoln. A car you could wear
a hat in. - Wallowing anachronism that it is, the Grand Ma has its charms. It rides as if the tires aren’t just smothering out the road’s divots, but giving each of them a somber, dignified burial.
- The engine’s initial response is strong, but it quickly runs out of breath and by 5,500
r.p.m. it’s exhausted. The transmission sort of slides at that point into the next gear
and heaves a sigh of relief. - InsideLine.com clocked it accelerating from a standstill to 60 m.p.h. in a leisurely 9.3 seconds; it also plowed through a quarter-mile run in 16.8 seconds while reaching 83.9 mph.
- Somewhere along its developmental journey the Grand Marquis
picked up power rack-and-pinion steering that is shockingly sweet, with good oncenter feel, precise calibration and good feedback. - This is a car unconcerned with carving corners or blitzing across the
autobahn. It’s built for people who have lived long enough to have already had all the drama they want in their lives. - INSIDE TRACK: You may miss it, but you didn’t really want it.
10-Year-Old 2,000 Mile Corvette – $31k!
Was surprised to find this 2008 Corvette with only 2,000 miles TOTAL. I normally get excited about 10-year-old cars with 3,000 miles per year, 30,000 total as unicorns so this got my attention. I also don’t normally post until the photos are online but I’d be surprised if this one doesn’t sell this weekend so didn’t want to wait. The CarMax website still has the “Image Coming Soon” display so I borrowed a photo of a 2008 Corvette for comparison. I became a Corvette fan years and years ago watching them race (and win!) at Le Mans. With all the little turbos in the Ferraris and the clatter of the 911’s, I giggled every single time the Corvette V8’s thundered by. Had always thought they were low-budget sports cars until I watched them win at Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona. But try as I might, I can’t fit into them. Even less room than Etta, my 2008 911. Anyway, find this 2008 Corvette in Atlanta – if the link is dead the car is being transferred, or sold/on hold. With this low mileage I might even pass on the MaxCare Enjoy.
Three Patriotic Low Mile GT500 Unicorns
God blessed America with muscle cars.  A couple of three nice Mustang GT500’s in Las Vegas, Tuscon and Baltimore. Cars are 8-11 years old and while not cheap, they meet my unicorn threshold and would easily qualify for the five-year/up to 150,000 mile Maxcare warranty. Cars have less than 3,000 miles a year on ’em.  The 2007 is 475hp, the 2008 500hp, and the 2009 540hp. Here’s the link to the red 2007 , the link to the white 2008, and the link to the blue 2010. If the links are dead cars are being transferred, on hold/sold.
