The Carmax Unicorn Blog

August 29, 2017June 27, 2018

Mercedes Unicorns Part VI – SL550 Triplets for the Rich and Famous Since 1954 (R230)

JR Ewing drove an SL roadster in his last film and you can too. What began as the 300SL in 1954 grew to the fifth generation SL550 (R230) in 2001 until replaced by the current model SL in 2011. We can’t afford the current model. They run $44-80,000 on CarMax. But there are three that make my unicorn threshold (less than $35,000-less than 60,000 miles) as of late August 2017 and for an entry fee of $24,998 you can ride like JR. The SL550 beat our the Porsche 911 and BMW 650 in Car and Driver review of 2007 below. Car and Driver noted on the highway, “Very entertaining for a car so aloof in the city. Really comes alive.” Unfortunately, they also wrote the SL was “like dancing with a fat lady. She can do it, but you won’t win any prizes.” Doesn’t matter. These cars have style and move quickly with a solid 382hp. Car and Driver Review – 2007 SL550

I hate when I begin to write a blog and find the car I’m high on just vanished. Today it’s the opposite – was preparing this section on SL550’s and the car on the left surfaced for the first time. Higher mileage than I’d like but for under $25,000 you can get a bona fide Mercedes SL550. It’s another California car with all the amenities money could buy….in 2007. You’ll have to add your Bluetooth and rear view camera or maybe turn your own head to back up. But the seat massagers will soothe you when you do. And on the right is its twin – but a thousand dollars more and slightly higher miles. I can’t spot any more options that would warrant the increase and offer it as an example of interesting CarMax pricing.

Pair of SL 9-26

Last we have the always difficult choice of miles versus dollars. Another 2007 for almost $29,000, but it’s been driven only 2,500 miles yearly up in Michigan. I’m presuming it was garaged winters. I’m thinking you can be out the door for $35,000 with a MaxCare warranty for 50,000 or 75,000 more miles and have a slick SL covered bumper to bumper until the fall of 2022!

2007 SL550 $28,998 25k

August 29, 2017June 27, 2018

Mercedes Unicorns Part VII – Four CLS Four Door “Coupes” (C219/W218)

The Mercedes CLS “Coupe” was introduced in 2005 and the shape was, to me, spectacular. Some of my friends hated it. Love or hate the bow, I think the Audi A7 and others have mimicked it. The original design lasted through 2011 and in 2012 the body was sharpened and chiseled and the V8 motor beefed up from 382hp to a twin turbo 402hp. The old and the new are sub-5 second 0-60 luxury cars that once sold for well over $75,000. CarMax has almost 50 CLS coupes on the lots nationwide, of which nine meet my unicorn standard of less than $35,000 and 60,000 miles. To keep it simple, here are two pre-2012 (C219) and two post-2012 (W218) models for your viewing pleasure. I like the shape of the original and yet the power and modern electronics of the W218 are alluring.

Car and Driver Review 2007 CLS550

Car and Driver Review 2012 CLS550

The 2008 on the left is a bargain pure and simple. Ridiculously low miles and priced at under $22,000 – where else can you drive in that kind of style so cheaply?! It’s an Orlando, Florida car with pretty much everything you need for a nice long distance drive. I drove coast to coast last week. If I had this car I’d do it again tomorrow. Continue reading “Mercedes Unicorns Part VII – Four CLS Four Door “Coupes” (C219/W218)”

August 29, 2017June 27, 2018

Mercedes Unicorns Part VIII – The S-Class, When Only The Best Will Do (W221)

Flagship. Luxury. Executive. World class. Call it what you want, the S-Class is the top of the line when it comes to big comfortable sedans. Here’s what Car and Driver had to say, “For more than 50 years, S-class Benzes have been the most succulent sausages in the Teutons’ tray of vehicular sauerkraut.” I wish I could write like that! My S55 AMG was a W220-era behemoth that was the finest Mercedes offered in 2004 at $120,000. I nailed it for $25,000 with MaxCare warranty. I’m hoping someone else read this and drives home the finest car they’ve ever owned for Honda prices. CarMax has 26 S550’s nationwide and seven that meet my unicorn standard of less than $35,000, less than 60,000 miles. Below I’ve included a sample of what’s available as of late August, 2017.

Car and Driver Review – 2007 S Class

Motor Trend 2012 S Class Review

Here’s a pair of ridiculously low mileage S550’s in Florida and North Carolina. These cars are 9-10 years old with less than 3,000 miles driven yearly. Pre-2012 they have the 382hp V8 and every luxury accessory you can think of. Yes, they have the hideous hump back trunk but I can get over that for the right price. There are always S550’s of this era for less than $30,000 but low mileage cars move fast.

S Class First Pair

Continue reading “Mercedes Unicorns Part VIII – The S-Class, When Only The Best Will Do (W221)”

August 29, 2017June 27, 2018

Mercedes Unicorns – Part IX: The So Not a Unicorn AMG GT (Reduced Again!) – Poll…at What Price Will it Sell?

I couldn’t resist. The most expensive car in the CarMax inventory is a beautiful 2017 AMG GT with only 2,000 miles on it. I once asked how recently purchased brand new cars show up on CarMax lots and the sales rep told me they are likely reposessions. Bummer for them. This Los Angeles car surfaced in July 2017 for $114,998, only to be reduced by a thousand a week later. I saved it looking forward to adding it to the blog at some point when it vanished. I was sad. But last night it popped up again deeply discounted – to $109,998. A four per cent drop in a month. It only needs to drop another $75,000 to be in unicorn territory and I’ll pounce! Reminds me of the 2013 CLS550 that showed up for $13,599. I tried like hell to get the dealership to honor it but they wouldn’t. Sigh. SEPTEMBER 5, 2017 – BREAKING NEWS – PRICE REDUCED AGAIN TO $108,998! September 12, 2017 – PRICE STILL PLUMMETING! DOWN TO $107,998! September 18, 2017 – Reduced to $104,998. AT WHAT PRICE WILL THIS CAR SELL? Reduced $10,000 from first listing. Getting closer to unicorn territory. September 25, 2017 Update – The car is off the web. Has it sold? Will it resurface somewhere else? I’ll let you know.

2017 AMG GT $114,998 2k

AMG GT 104

August 25, 2017May 8, 2018

Wild West Cars – Ponies and Bullitts

Ford Mustangs are growing on me. Used to think they were overrated, underpowered and clumsy, and I never really got over how far they had fallen by the 1979 Mustang II. I drove one to the prom. It was a bad night all around. But the 2005 retro Mustang nostalgically took me back to my childhood and 10 years later the sixth generation 2015 Mustang, with a modern independent rear suspension and 435hp really caught my eye with its sleek looks and high performance. Mustangs at CarMax are plentiful – as I write there are 444 on the lots nationwide, and almost half of those are V8’s (and I only count V8’s as real Mustangs). All Mustangs with V8’s are GT’s (well, except Bullitts). The cheapest is $13,599 and 107,000 miles and the most expensive 2017 Shelby GT350 with 1,000 miles will set you back $59,998. These are not unicorns.

But these Mustangs are. Let’s take a quick walk around the stable with these two relatively normal Mustang unicorns. At the bottom end we have a 2006 Mustang GT convertible, with only 40,000 miles and a price tag of $15,998. Cute car, 300hp, and a five second 0-60 run. I drove one recently and was surprised that with “only” 300hp it roared and scooted well. I thought it was going to be a dog but found it satisfactory, despite the solid axle I thought was made of wood. Pretty sure you can score another five years, 60,000-85,000 mile MaxCare warranty for a few thousand and be out the door for under $20k. You’ll almost be able to get vintage tags and still be under the MaxCare warranty!

And to show that not all my unicorns are old, at the top end we have a 2015 435hp beast with only 15,000 miles at $26,998. This one is still under factory warranty and so the MaxCare plan will be less. With a 0-60 of 4.4 seconds this stirs my soul. These Mustang GT’s sold for $35-45,000 just two years ago, so $27k seems like a good deal but not the $100,000 discount I look for in my German cars. But the 2015’s and up have an extensive array of technology and amenity upgrades that surprised me. For the same price as a 2015 Mustang GT you can buy a five to seven-year older Corvette, with better performance, more panache, but dated interior. It’s a real tough call. Check out this review:

Car and Driver Review – 2015 Mustang GT

Continue reading “Wild West Cars – Ponies and Bullitts”

August 10, 2017June 29, 2018

First Five Fabulous Unicorns

I have a couple of dozen (about 50 really) CarMax unicorns tagged but wanted to open with a sampling of what’s on the lot today. Again, my bar is $35,000 or less, 60,000 miles or less, an enthusiast car, and relatively exclusive. Your standards may vary. So here they are in no particular order:

2007 MB CL550 $26,998 34k 8-9-17

2007 Mercedes CL550 – The “big coupe” from Mercedes – the two door version of the S-class, originally a $100,000 car. You can read the review from the link below. It’s the third generation CL and has everything a top of the line Mercedes should have – in 2007. What I like? It’s big, exclusive, comfortable, well-appointed with Distronic auto cruise control, cheap, low miles (driven only 3,400 miles yearly), and you can get a warranty for the next five years. I like that with only 34,000 miles CarMax will likely give an affordable warranty to 75,000 miles – but I would take all they offer that I could afford. What I don’t like? No bluetooth. Ad says rear view camera but I doubt it – CarMax photo spread almost always shows a shot of the rear view camera in action if it has one. Rear view photo of the car doesn’t show one. I don’t like less than 400hp but 382 ain’t bad. I also don’t like that this car is not transferable and is 3,000 miles away from me. I would give it serious consideration. I’ll bet it’s gone in days, although there’s also a 2009 CL550 on the lot at $32,998 that hasn’t moved in a week. We shall see!

Car and Driver Review CL550

2011 BMW M3 – The “benchmark” sport coupe per the review below, and the best everyday sports car I can imagine. I’ve owned a 3-series. Everything is in the right place. M3’s are tough to find in my unicorn category. Once a $70,000 car, most are close to the $35,000 unicorn limit, have 70-80,000 miles on them and are 8-10 years old. I have a hard time paying that much for that old with that mileage. So I like the balance of price and mileage here. I like the SMG transmission and 400hp. I’m not a big fan of the hard top convertible only because I own a convertible. Otherwise it’s the best of both worlds. Don’t know why, but the hard top convertibles sell at a discount over the hard top coupes. If you like these then you’re in luck! A little short on amenities but you can’t have a bad day in an M3.

Autoweek Review – 2011 M3

Continue reading “First Five Fabulous Unicorns”

August 7, 2017June 7, 2018

Welcome to the CarMax Unicorn Blog

Here’s the short version – the details are in the pages above. I was surprised to find that CarMax carries real driver’s cars, enthusiast’s cars, and has them at decent (for me) prices, with reasonable mileage, and offers spectacular extended bumper-to-bumper warranties that makes owning these cars affordable. I call them “CarMax Unicorns”. I am not affiliated in any way with CarMax and I suspect I’m one of their worst customers. Continue reading “Welcome to the CarMax Unicorn Blog”