by "Amoore100" (amoore100)
Published 05/22/2017 at 20:40
by "Amoore100" (amoore100)
Published 05/22/2017 at 20:40
Tags: Used Car Face-Off
; Volkswagen
; Passat
; W8
; Touareg
; Phaeton
STARS: 4
It’s been a long long while since I’ve done a Used Car Face-Off and never before on a Monday, but with AP tests done and a
particular car conveniently popping up on Craigslist
the circumstances just seemed right.
So, with that said, today we have three of Ferdinand Piëch’s masterpieces for an almighty Volkswagen future that was never realized. Which of Ferdinand’s Follies will be your favorite that you won’t mind dumping thousands of dollars into annually to keep going?
The first contestant: 2003 Volkswagen Passat W8 Estate - $7,800
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The first of Piëch’s great inventions was this, the people’s Passat for the rich. Not satisfied with already having the A4 as VAG’s entry executive, Piëch decided to overlap segments haphazardly with this 8-cylinder family wagon. Here, though, is an exceedingly rare stick-shift estate version which came in double digits to the states, most of which are now tucked away in climate cooled garages or junkyards, depending on the depth of the owners’ pockets. $7,800 is a low cost of entry especially for this extra exclusive member of the breed with 126K miles, but will maintenance costs in the quadruple digits for a relatively regular car mean that you’d rather risk it with another of Piëch’s monsters instead?
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The second contestant: 2004 Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI - $7,500
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Next up in Piëch’s great repertoire was this, a ten-cylindered family SUV. A far cry from the proletariat V6 petrol that my aunt currently uses to shuttle her five year old around SF, this beast put out a respectable 309 hp and a massive 553 lb ft of torque when new although a few ponies have probably escaped over its 157K mile lifespan. Still, that’s a lot of motor for the money and this Touareg is probably good to tow just about any trailer you’ve got, until it breaks of course. Is it the ultimate family hauler for you?
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The third contestant: 2004 Volkswagen Phaeton V8 - $7,000
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Ironically, the car that cost the most new and was Piëch’s flagship back in 2004 is the cheapest of our three today, probably because of its 162K miles on a relatively ordinary V8, at least compared to a W8 and a twin-turbodiesel V10. That didn’t mean the car was ordinary, though, as every single damned aspect of this thing has been engineered to perfection. However, are you willing to see if that engineering has held up over the past decade and a half, or is the Phaeton a box of knick-knacks, each waiting to break at its own time?
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"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw)
05/22/2017 at 20:50, STARS: 2
Having worked on and driven all three, and having no great love for any, I have to give the nod to the hilariously overtorqued Touareg. Such a piece of shit vehicle, but that V10 makes it an absolute riot. A friend owns one, it costs an arm and a leg to run, and he’s bought a 2016 3.6 gas Touareg to daily in its place, but he can’t bring himself to sell it because it’s just so stupid. The W8 with a stick could be fun, I’ve only tried the automatics and they’re really underwhelming, slow actually. The Phaeton I just can’t get my head around, why drive one of those when you could have an A8?
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
05/22/2017 at 21:30, STARS: 1
I remember seeing a V10 Touareg for the first time, it was one of the first Touaregs I ever saw, actually. And of course it was towing a boat. I wanted one, badly. I went to the VW configurator and saw that a base model was around, maybe just under $40k. A fully optioned V10 was about $70k. Which is when I realized how stupid they are. I still wanted one.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
05/22/2017 at 22:16, STARS: 2
I’ll just set my wallet on fire, thanks.
"Amoore100" (amoore100)
05/23/2017 at 02:02, STARS: 1
Two Touaregs sounds like a terrible plan. I support it 100%.
"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw)
05/23/2017 at 02:11, STARS: 2
It is a terrible, terrible plan. But I’m glad he’s committed to it, because seriously the V10 is the dumbest and best thing ever.
"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw)
05/23/2017 at 02:14, STARS: 2
I still respect the thing. I hate the Touareg, the first gen versions are legitimately awful, and I take care of the thing for him so know what it costs to run, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t make me giggle every time I get on it.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
05/23/2017 at 09:30, STARS: 0
Aren’t there some relatively simple service items... not quite as mundane as belts, but maybe... O2 sensors? That require engine-out? I remember something about this... maybe it was from Doug DeTouareg. He should own one of these, for all the trash he’s talked about them.
"TFSIVTEC drivesavolvo" (drivesaswedishcarmadeinbelgium-)
05/23/2017 at 10:04, STARS: 1
Can I have all 3?
I’ll just drive whatever is least broken on any given day.
"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw)
05/23/2017 at 12:48, STARS: 1
02 sensors don’t that I know of, but pretty much anything else with the exhaust does. My buddy’s V10 leaks oil like a sieve at the top back of the engine somewhere and he’s just ignoring it because we need to pull the thing to reseal it. We don’t really want to do it and he doesn’t really want to pay for it. He also figures the transmission and/or transfer case is going to die any minute and doesn’t want to pull the motor only to have to replace the trans shortly thereafter. Or the turbos, which also require engine out.
"torque" (torque01)
05/24/2017 at 21:54, STARS: 1
Phaeton is the answer Duh.
Why? B/c it’s a Bentley wearing an affordable pair of blue jeans (vs. Bentley’s regular attire (bespoke tux)). Plus (fake?) stealth wealth, anyone that doesn’t know what it is, will think it is a Passat.
“Fake?” B/C typically people don’t get rich making horrible financial decisions like purchasing a 13 year old German luxury car
"Amoore100" (amoore100)
05/25/2017 at 02:11, STARS: 2
Ironically, when I got your comment notification, I happened to be rewatching this for the fifth time.
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I want a Phaeton someday. Unless Volvo makes an S-Class rival, of course.