Pop Quiz – What’s The Most Horsepower You Can Buy (From CarMax)?

If you guessed 662 horsepower you’d be right! The 2014 Mustang Shelby GT500 with a supercharged 5.8 liter V-8 tops the General Motors’ 6.2 liter motors in the Corvette Z06’s, the Camaro ZL1’s, and the Cadillac CTS-V by 12 horsepower. And while I search everyday, CarMax has yet to carry a 700+ horsepower Hellcat from Dodge. Even the sixth generation Mustang Shelby GT350’s available at CarMax only ponied up 526 horsepower. So this is as good as it gets for car peeps who want a unicorn with straight line wheel spin bragging rights!

Ford produced 5,730 Shelby GT500’s in 2014, 4,816 as coupes and the rest as convertibles. Haggerty lists them as collectibles. Maybe so – they sold new in the mid-$50,000 range and CarMax is offering this one for $50,998 – not sure I’ve ever seen that little depreciation in a six year old car.

This Car and Driver review of the 2013 car (largely unchanged for 2014) notes a 3.5 second 0-60 mph run, and surprising to me, a 1.0g on the lateral skidpad. I was under the impression live axle Mustangs handled horribly until the 2015 models went independent. But what do I know?

Find this old-school, low mileage hot rod here in Charlotte, North Carolina. You may want to spring for MaxCare, then head to the drag strip quick-fast!

New Old Stock (NOS) – Damn Near New 10 Year Old Unicorns

Still fascinated when CarMax scarfs up and offers for resale cars that have unbelievably low miles, such as these two 10-year old cars driven about 100 miles PER YEAR!  Most of us drive more than that a week, and some every day.  The first one here, a 2008 Mustang GT500, is a decent enthusiast unicorn that would be a hoot to own and drive.  It deserves to be here.  The Hyundai….not so much.  But there’s something kinda cool about a 10 year old SUV that has only 1,200 miles on it.  Even a Hyundai.  Both are time capsules.  And to think with MaxCare you can drive them another 100,000 miles, maybe 150,000 – until they are almost 15 years old, and never have a major repair bill.  Check them out.

The 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is a supercharged 5.4 liter V-8 with 500 hp, a six speed manual transmission, and pulls a 4.3 second 0-60.  Here’s a review from Motor Trend back in 2008.  On one hand, the car sold for just under $50,000 new back in the day, and hasn’t depreciated hardly at all.  On the other, with 1,300 miles on the odometer it’s hardly been driven – damn near in showroom condition.  I defer to Mustang fans on whether the ultra low mileage warrants the not so low price.  I also think the MaxCare warranty will be cheap, and could get you another 150,000 miles and five years of no cost repairs.  But will the next owner drive it or also mothball it?  This is a one owner car out of Carrollton, Texas found here in Dallas; if the link is broken it’s sold, on hold, or being transferred.  It’s been around for over a week – wondering why no interest?  

2008 Mustang GT500 $37,998 1310 Miles Irving TX

THE HYUNDAI SANTA FE

I’d be real surprised if blog readers are still reading at this point, but what the hell.  Like I said, there’s something interesting about a car driven 2-3 miles A WEEK.  Decent little SUV that got decent reviews.  Car and Driver wrote, “The Santa Fe’s strengths are value, a comfortable ride, and a high-quality interior that is better than most of its Japanese rivals.”  It sold in the low $20’s and is sold here for only a few thousand less.  I wouldn’t even get the MaxCare warranty – just buy it and load up the miles for the next 10 years.  It’s got an under-powered six cylinder and it’s only two wheel drive, but it will hold a dog and groceries and is XM ready and has a USB port and cruise control and…..no miles.  This one owner car spent it’s whole life in Kernersville, North Carolina and is offered here in Greensboro, just down the road.  Somebody take it in?

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe $15,998 2k Greensboro