Hi all - considering buying a V8 VW Phaeton and I'd like to ask some questions to an owner. If anyone can help please send me a pm? Thank you.
rented one when they first came out. at the time i thought it was better than s class or 7 series.....pity about the badge. they should have created another brand.
Part of the appeal I think is that is is badged a VW, so it's a sleeper and not a 'look-at-me' kind of car. In fact some Phaeton owners slap a Passat badge on the back and almost all non-car enthusiasts really think it's a Passat. If questioned they say it's the long wheel base model. The older V8's have depreciated so much that they are a bargain. I have looked into purchasing one, the parts and maintenance can be expensive and sometimes hard to find, but if you can afford it then I think it's a good choice. Watch Clarkson's take on the Phaeton, and he doesn't even really like German cars: http://youtube.com/watch?v=KmGNRMOpg7E
The Phaeton kinda reminded me of my old Benz E500. Its one of those cars that not everyone knows about, but those who own them really appreciate their engineering. Not sure if they had alot of bugs, but it would seem to be one of the best used cars you could buy for the money their going for these days. The Clarkson Top Gear review clearly shows what a standard this car was held up to when created.
I see the W12 as the real value. Don't forget this chassis is basis for the new Bentley CGT and Flying Spur too!
I like the phaeton.. Really takes a huge hit in depreciation and never really sold at MSRP as far as I could tell. The only concern I would have is that the rumor was...most VW dealerships here in the USA really didn't have the expertise to service the vehicle. The Phaeton is a sophisticated and complex vehicle. I'm not sure I'd want one without an extended warranty. I've always thought they were cool and I remember the lease deals were zero down and 500 a month. That was a good deal too. VW wanted to move the metal. Check them out on ebay and watch the transaction prices. I've seen some over and over again as the reserve often times aren't met.
Don't see too many of them on the market (probably cause they didn't sell well new) but there are several 8s and 12s on Ebay with BIN prices in the VERY low 30's and high 20s (the W12s seem to be in the 32K price range) This is an incredible value when you consider what they sold for new and realize what a beat down the original owner must have taken.
Aren't these cars pretty closely related to the Audi A8? Wonder if an Audi store would work on one. Must have missed that lease special. I would have been all over the car for that sort of money had I known that they could be had for that little. That is an incredible value for a car that stickered for the price that it did.
Thanks for the info/advice guys. Would you rather get the W12 for $5-10k more? I think that may be what I really want. And probably would depreciate less than the 8 long-term...
Anything looks good with BBS LMs. see pics. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
how are the w12 engines holding up? i never tok this car into consideration but I have to say that the prices are really low and are making the car very appealing...I mean it's a lot of car for the money... i see more w12 for sale here in Europe than V8's...
This is true. Originally the (I believe W12) Phaeton's were only allowed to be serviced at select VW dealer's and those dealers had to provide a V10 Touareg loaner. I would defiantly check to see if your local dealer can service the car before purchasing one. EDIT: They do look good! (my pic) Image Unavailable, Please Login
