Porsche 911 – The Carmax Unicorn Blog

April 22, 2021April 22, 2021

Quick Hit – 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera Black Edition. Slightly Unique. Slightly Inexpensive.

Porsche offered only 1,911 “Black Edition” 911 models in 2012, one of almost two dozen 911 variants for the final year of the 997 line. I always have to doublecheck the 2012 911’s – Porsche also replaced the 997 with the all new 991 line in 2012 so you can find both listed as 12’s. This 2012 911 Black Edition is a beauty and a bit of a unicorn.

Few cars have such a sleek silhouette to me!

Visually, the only way I can tell the 997 from the 991 models is the totally redone interior. I know Porsche pros note all the exterior cues but I’m not one of them. This interior layout is identical to my recently-sold 911 and a bit plain for me. The Black Edition adds a Bose 13 speaker audio system, monochromatic interior with specially trimmed door sills, gauges, sport steering wheel, emblems, and other cosmetic doodads. So far, the Black Edition seems to be mostly an appearance package.

It would be totally okay to ignore whether the Black Edition is special or not. The car is still a Porsche 911 and a wonderful driving experience. The 3.6 liter naturally aspirated motor runs a 4.4 second 0-60mph sprint, drawing on 345 hp and a seven speed PDK automatic transmission. As I’ve described in my road trip with Etta, my 2008 911, the handling is astonishing. I’ve been on the fence on whether to buy another 911 and as I write I’m feeling the enthusiasm to do it again. Not this car – I need a 991.2 – and yet this car is right for someone at only $47,998. It was once close to $90,000 new, and with only 36,000 miles it’s not a bad deal. My 2008 car was $34,998, purchased in 2018, and since then very few 911’s have been offered by CarMax for under $50,000. Only a handful under $60,000. MaxCare? I’d say yes. My plan was $3,500 I think, and while I did not have enough repairs to cover that cost, CarMax refunded $1,100 of pro-rated MaxCare when I sold the car. Why not? This 2012 Porsche 911 Black Edition is offered here in Renton, Washington (was in California last month). Enjoy.

February 24, 2020

Update – Like Today’s DJIA, Price Plummets for 911

Wrote about this 2009 Porsche 911 when it was $39,999 and updated a price drop last month. Reduced again today to $36,998. Bargain? Perhaps. Mileage a little high but it’s a nice convertible. Love my 2008 coupe!

January 12, 2020

Quick Hit – 3rd Cheapest Porsche 911 in Two-Plus Years!

911 top down Been tracking Porsche 911 unicorns at CarMax since the summer of 2017 and there have been a total of three that were less than $40,000. Two of them I snagged (bought one – Etta posted here, and declined on one because it had manual seats and I didn’t fit!), and the third is this one – just listed for $39,998. The down side….it’s a one accident car, and it’s a convertible (unless you want a convertible – the one I drove was noisy as hell). The up side….it’s a 911. There’s few sports cars with the racing heritage or the handling of a 911. I first saw them race at Le Mans in 1981 and first drove one in 2008 and have always been smitten. They are very, very special cars.

NEVER thought I could afford to own or maintain one until I scored Etta from CarMax two years ago. Absolutely love the way my 911 accelerates – even for a base 325hp Carrera (this one is 345hp) and corners, and the biggest disappointment is that the damned thing has not broken enough to recover my MaxCare outlay! I’m sure it will. If you’ve always wanted a Porsche 911 but like me were wary of the initial outlay or repair costs, maybe this is your starter 911? Find it here in Orlando. And kudos to CarMax Orlando for providing photos of a convertible with the top down! 2009 911 Porsche Carrera $39,998 56k Orlando 1-12-20

December 10, 2019

Quick Hit – Hot Hardly Driven 2010 Porsche 911

911 34 2 Missed posting a few great cars because work got in the way, so didn’t want to miss the chance to post this unicorn – a 2010 Porsche 911 in Guards Red, manual transmission, with a stupid low 4,000 miles on the odometer. Throw in MaxCare and you can drive it another five years – until it’s 14 years old – and 146,000 more miles worry free!

A little taken aback by the price at $49k (my 911 remains the second cheapest CarMax has carried in three years). The car originally sold for $80,000 or so new. Here’s the catch – CarMax lists it as AWD and I’ve run the VIN through three decoders and I can’t confirm that. Didn’t know base Carreras came in AWD. Wondering if the price is higher than it should be becuase of this?

Find this beautiful one-owner sports car here in Boise. Not sure how it ended up there – was a Texas and Florida car. 2010 Porsche 911 $48,998 4k Boise 12-10-19

February 7, 2018May 8, 2018

30 Day Update on Etta – Guenther’s Successor and My Second Unicorn!

Because reader Patrick Barmann was kind enough to ask my thoughts on Etta, now that I’ve owned her for a few weeks, here’s what I’ve learned. Every morning when I leave my house and see a 911 in the driveway I giggle a little – I can’t believe after 35 years of wanting one I did it. The car is stupid fast at mid-range rpm, not so much off the mark. It’s an automatic, and given it’s my daily driver and my hands are encumbered with coffee, a phone, Poptarts, etc., it’s the right call. I haven’t run it to triple digit speeds (yet) and yet every exit ramp is my own slalom – I don’t get the engineering that makes a rear-engined car hug the road so?

The car has a fair amount of road noise and engine noise, and not just the satisfying roar of acceleration, but a constant amount of din that I hadn’t expected. I’m sure real Porsche guys would tell me to get over it, but I’m also a music nut and when not thrashing the engine I’d like to hear some tunes. So I ordered a new receiver and the ridiculously expensive fiber optic cable to keep the Bose amp and speakers, and next week I hope to have a better sound system installed.

The 911 came already safety inspected by CarMax. Because I can be skeptical of CarMax’s mechanical standards, the day after I bought it I had a private garage do another Virginia state inspection. The car failed. An outer tire ride was shot. I took the car back to CarMax and on a positive note, they replaced the failed outer tie rod AND an inner that had not failed, and because I was in the first 30 day warranty AND I have the extended warranty, it was no charge. On the down side, not a hint of shame or remorse that they sold me a car they certified as meeting Virginia standards, and it did not. Disappointed.

The irony of this Porsche 911 purchase is that I rejected not one but two Jaguar XKR’s because the ride was harsh. Too harsh for a daily driver. The 911’s ride is harsher than the Jags. I rejected a V-10 M6 for $24,000 because the electronics and stereo were so primitive. The 911’s are more antiquated. The car is an icon and I love it. Maybe I’ll get tired of the challenge of hoisting myself up from the seat that’s pretty much inches from the ground, and maybe I’ll want all the cool stuff that was in the Mercedes S600 V12 someday, but for now I find this Porsche 911 tremendously satisfying and I’m convinced I made the right call. Continue reading “30 Day Update on Etta – Guenther’s Successor and My Second Unicorn!”

January 13, 2018May 8, 2018

Meet Etta – Guenther’s Successor and My Second Unicorn!

Finally my 15 month search for my second unicorn is over! Last night I bought Etta, a 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera. Found her on a CarMax lot in Los Angeles – $36,998 and 34,000 miles. Flew out in December to drive and I liked it – but the car did not have Bluetooth or Navigation as advertised. Before I could get indignant, they dropped the price to $34,998. I was in. Had planned to buy the car and leave it behind, but had concerns about Virginia inspection a month later if that became my responsibility and not CarMax’s (there are inspection items that are not warranty items), and so I instead paid the $940 to have it transferred east. It took about a month and last night I bought it and brought it home. Paid another $3,000 for the warranty so out the door for $39,998 with taxes. Base model, nothing fancy, automatic (it’s my commuter car), and ridiculously clean and unmolested. Unfortunately, I am almost $5,000 over my unicorn budget but this is only the second 911 I’ve seen over the past year selling under $35,000 before taxes and MaxCare warranty (and I snagged both of them!) so no point in waiting longer for a cheaper one. It’s now or never. I love it.