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-   -   Buying a used VW Phaeton? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/luxury-imports-niche/270465-buying-used-vw-phaeton.html)

Hi,
I've always been a fan of the VW Phaeton and found a good 2012 V6 in good condition available for 10L. Is it worth investing in the car since I've only heard voices of concern and caution about it so far.

I also know those problems were during the production when Ferdinand Piech was alive. I read that the problems were looked at and the Phaeton that hit 2009 were the watered down version of what Piech had in mind but yet largely resolved and had parts from Passat and the Touareg. Is this true?

In that case, can I go for this since I've already test drove the car and it drives like a dream. AC needs to be fixed but other than that I don't see any issue with the car.

Need some light on this from the experts. Kindly help.

BTW I had a VW Vento for 10 years before I sold it a while while back and was searching for Phaeton for a long time and found it in the market recently and don't want to lose this window.

No way! Your risk appetite is crazy TBH.

The Phaeton is a very rare car and I assume getting parts will be a nightmare. Plus, it's an S class rivaling car, so the cost of parts will be equally high, if not more.

If it's a project car you want to enjoy, why not a reliable variant of a Mercedes E/S class? I'm pretty sure parts will be easily available.

There is a reason why Touaregs and Phaetons of that generation have resale values that would plunge like anything. They are simply over engineered for the sake of it and even simple tasks end up being nightmares. For starters, I may ask you to find out how the AC can be repaired. Should be a good sign of how further repairs would pan out.

Ofcourse, all depends on your risk of appetite. IMO, unless you are a VAG fan and it is one of those V8, V10, W12 models (were they sold in India?) that you can hold onto until they appreciate for novelty sakes, it is just money spent on a car that may either be a beauty to own or one error away from being written off.

Too complex, too old, too unreliable = avoid even if he gives it to you for half the money.

Your last car was a Vento. Buy a safer example that will still be a HUGE upgrade from your Vento. A pre-owned Octavia, 3-Series etc.

https://classifieds.team-bhp.com/buy.../Touareg.html/
You can have a look at this one. A VW Touareg V10. Previously owned by a BHP-ian and so might be in better shape than others.

Today is Sept 11th, do you want to repeat another tragedy today? You will need to find a Bentley mechanic for this.

The AC is complex, meant to cool the car at 50 degrees outside to a chilling 20 degrees. Dr Ing. Piech disliked air con blowers and the AC is programmed to cool specific areas using specific vents opening and closing appropriately.

The engine is okay. Car has 2 batteries and a complex electrical system

A V10 swallows both the green stuff and the sticky stuff and literally spits it all out as black smoke. Money torques!!!

It's a money pit. Don't fiddle with temptations.

Rent a Bentley with the same engine for a week after every quarter if you're longing for the feel of a brilliant car. My neighbour has bought a decade old Bentley from BBT in a similar thought process. He enjoys the car with an assurance that it can actually be maintained & repaired reliably.

Please post an update assuring us that sanity prevailed. Not that buying/renting is sane, but still !

Would you buy a 10 year old S class for the same money? Don't let the VW badge fool you, the S class will be cheaper to maintain and easier to find parts for than this.

Invest in a car? Unless you run the car as a taxi or buy an old barnyard find Bugatti, restore it to Pebble Beach levels and flip it for a million dollars you never INVEST in a car. Cars are always vacuum cleaners for money and we buy them because we love cars and want to burn some money. With that general madness out of the way let us address your particular brand of madness. . .

I was the Product Head at VW when the stuck RHD Phaetons were to be dumped on India. "Over my dead body" was my answer. The words used when despite my objections the vehicles were sent to India will be fresh in the memory of those who were present in the meeting. So I know what I am saying when I conclude with one word . . . DON'T!

Thank you so much, guys! You have given me so much to consider and marinate on.

Big NO!

There is a reason why a VW from this age is so cheap and that is due to the sheer maintenance nightmares that these cars are.

Just to give you my own example, I recently bought a 2013 VW Jetta TSI from a good friend of mine who was moving abroad for his new job. Although he looked after the car really well, the car gave 4-5 major problems within the first month of ownership. We were looking at a water pump replacement, broken gear mounts, cracked window rotors, and a shifter cable. Sounds simple enough right? Sure was, but VW guys charged 52K all inclusive and the car was in the workshop for 2 weeks since the parts were not available.

While the Jetta was a mainstream car in India, imagine the hassle and costs behind procuring the parts should things go wrong for the Phaeton.

My advice: Walk away, if you are absolutely adamant on getting a similar car go in for a Diesel Passat from 2012-13 and leave around 2-3L for when things go wrong. :thumbs up

Can you share photos and more details? like number of owners, km run, location, service history, etc. etc.

Single owner, 72000 kms, so far had only changed fuel, air filters, brake disc, oil change, fuel pump, pipe line and batteries. Serviced in VW dealership till 2018. No available history post that. That’s a bit of a concern.

AC has some problem not sure if it’s just gas or compressor. That would be a major concern if it’s anything other than gas. Blower works fine.

Some upholstery has been peeled off from the headliner. Button start doesn’t work but I guess it has to do with the second battery. Key start works. Other electronics works fine.

As most members have suggested, the Phaeton is a HUGE no-no, spares are astronomically expensive and difficult to find, and the complexity of the car will require specialised mechanics, Walk away and save your money.

If you really want an upgrade, I suggest the new Virtus, a pre-owned Jetta/Passat or a pre-owned 3/5 series.

Goodluck :)

The problem isn't Ferdinand Piech being dead in Germany. It's that you're alive in India and will have to deal with the headaches of a rare, premium, flopped, out of production, German sedan from a company which is anyways not at the top of the service experience charts here. Like everyone above me has said- Avoid!