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Originally Posted by adi.mariner

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.

This might be the biggest risk of them all. The engine has to be dropped for any kind of work, its such a tight fit.

Quote from the article I've linked:
https://jalopnik.com/the-volkswagen-...are-1822934503

"The VW dealers all had to install special split fork lifts just to service Touareg V10's!"

You need to be an eccentric billionaire with a penchant for quirky cars to buy a V10 Touareg. Kudos to you if you are. Here's my ₹0.02 on this matter below:

1. Read this article from top to bottom. https://differentcarreview.com/2019/...ton-2002-2016/

2. Do you have a really good garage or mechanic that you know? I'm not talking someone who can work magic on mechanical issues and make your car run perfectly. That is a given. I'm talking someone with extensive electronics experience - reading and understanding OBD codes, troubleshooting faults in complex systems, ability to take apart the car and put it back together without breaking anything more... Do you have a contact like that?

3. Ignore the VW service history. It should be of zero comfort to you. They do not train their staff to use their heads. They train their staff only to follow a procedure blindly. The service center would only have done oil changes (on the transmission too, if we're being optimistic), and very basic stuff such as wiper blades, or light bulbs. I do not think (actually I hope) that they have touched anything else. You should look for detailed service manuals for this car online. Your mechanic should be able to read them. A decent amount of technical proficiency would be helpful, too. You will have to do a THOROUGH check on the entire car and flush every fluid in the car possible on the day of purchase. This means engine oil, trans oil, differential oil, and coolant. Then there is the matter of checking every belt on the car - timing belt, drive belt, alternator belt etc. I would replace all of them as well.

4. Do you have a contact in a foreign country that can supply you with spares? Don't even think about getting support from VW India. Gaskets, small plastic components, proprietary tools, fuel pumps etc - everything will have to be sent in from abroad.

5. Are you prepared to spend lavishly on maintaining the car? I mean like spend another ₹10-15L on the car in the next 5 years?

6. Do you really, really, really want this car? Are you looking specifically for a Phaeton or do you simply have a penchant for large German saloons? (I'm of the latter type actually, hence my asking). Why do you want this car? Is there anything in specific that you want? Just some food for thought, I'm not asking for answers.

If your response to all the above is positive, I think you should buy this car. You can think of it as a marriage, literally, considering the complexity and age of the vehicle. Divorce will be tough and expensive. Premium German sedans do not take lightly to poor maintenance. It's gotten this far with routine oil changes, now is when the real problems may start to crop up. A quick search on the internet reveals that the car in general seems to be reliable, but a German is a German. The challenge is immense but not insurmountable with the right people and the right tools. I would personally find it a safer bet buying a Japanese import of the same vintage, but that's just my opinion.

Please be prepared to use the car often if you purchase it (say 2 times a week bare minimum for 20km non stop). German cars do not take kindly to being left standing.

Please let us know if you buy the car, we look forward to sharing your excitement :-D

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Mods - can't edit my previous post, kindly add the below to it if possible.

The plus point is that in my 20mins of online searching, the majority of the long term reviews have heaped praise on the car for its reliability, with only a handful of people complaining about major repairs (I came across only 2).
This is the only reason I would recommend buying this car if you agree to everything else. If it had a poor reliability record then I would echo the sentiment of nearly every other post on this thread.

Life is short, some decisions set you apart from the rest. It would be great to see the car find another home with a fellow tBHP member.

[1.2TSI7DSG]

If you are able to find a mechanic who can replace the phaeton parts with those on a Audi A8 why not...

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by shutterdragon

Is it worth investing in the car since I've only heard voices of concern and caution about it so far

So do you want to evaluate the 'voices of concern and caution' or 'Invest' in the Phaeton?

If either of the above two, I strongly suggest finding a V12 or a W12 engine. (Since you are in the market for rare and fun to own cars give the 3 star a chance)... Especially try the AMG (supercharged) V8 or the V12 ones, they should go for real cheap.

Drive them around for the moneys worth until they run. Eventually they will end up in a corner of a Garage or roadside covered in dust into the imported exotics thread.

Either ways, consider it as a 10 Lacs Vacation/Investment in Thailand for 3-6 months.

EDIT

Just wanted to highlight my point further... I am currently a Dubai resident and known for its fancy cars and love for expensive rides. See the below live ads from dubizzle, a OLX kind of website in UAE. Out of 36,000 cars on sale there is just ONE Phaeton for sale while there are nearly 50 Maybach's. Such is the rarity of the Phaeton.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by shutterdragon

was searching for Phaeton for a long time and found it in the market recently and don't want to lose this window.

How crazy are you about the Phaeton? Casual search or a burning desire to own one?

See, if you'd made a thread about spending 29L on an audio install on a Kia Sonet, you'd get the same "you mad, bro?" responses. But there is a guy out there for whom it made sense because he was crazy about audio installs. And the responses there are (rightly) very positive.

If you have the budget for it, set realistic expectations and red lines around how much you're willing to spend on it and when you'll quit, then it is a once-in-a-lifetime project. Good luck!

[GeeTee TSI]

A project car is exactly that, daunting with lots of efforts and money thrown in. Restoring a 2012 Swift for example, is not a project owing to the same reason. The challenge is being in India, as opposed to markets with generations of models sold with garage mechanics with that level of experience.

I, for one would love to read about a detailed account of a Phaeton restoration in this forum from a courageous BHPian

[RMN]

If 10 -15L is the max you can budget for your primary vehicle, forget about the VW Phaeton. There are plenty of people buying Mercs & BMW's for that price and not being able to keep up with the maintenance, so Phaeton is out of the question.

Go for it only if you are ready to write of 10L, love the Phaeton (like I do :P ), and you've got another vehicle!

[Carguy9902]

Sir, kindly stay away. Run in the opposite direction of cars that have no service history during the pandemic years.

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Originally Posted by ajmat

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.

Without digressing from the main discussion of the thread I'm super curious about this AC anecdote. I'd love to know more.

[TorqueKnight]

Hi,

Though there is a big risk involved in buying a rare car, I would recommend you to buy only if you’re able to find a good mechanic in Chennai who must be an expert/guru in complex German luxury cars.

A well maintained single owner 72k run car is a good buy but if you have confidence on your mechanic and has the ability to source the spares from abroad then go ahead with the purchase.

Thanks,
TK

[McLaren Rulez]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmMDGyr8y4o

Useful points in the top comment.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by ads11

Without digressing from the main discussion of the thread I'm super curious about this AC anecdote. I'd love to know more.

The brief was to produce a luxury car to cruise all day at 300km/h at 50 degree C while maintaining a temperature of 20 degree C inside. Dr Piech detested blown air and the noise. Normally cold air is blown in, gets mixes with ambient air until the desired temperature is reached.

In this case, sensors detect sunlight and temperatures in different zones and vents automatically open and close.

More here

[VwRabbit]

Unless you know or have a garage of your own that specialises in these cars a big NO, VAG cars of that era were so complex and over engineered and also a Pheaton which can be easily mistaken for a Passat even for an expert eye has less snob value compared to say a VW Touraeg which was a rebadged Q7 and also the Pheaton shares its underpinnings with the Audi A8 and shares very less with the in-house VW family and more with the bigger sisters Audi and Bentley, these cars were CBU’s and their repair cost because of their complex nature will be astronomical even for a simple AC repair not to mention finding parts will be a pain.
And although you mentioned the 2009 watered down V6 version the other one which I think cannot be found in India unless some one privately imported it is the W16 6 litre version which shares technology and platform with the Bentley Continental GT and the Flying Spur, even the lower versions will have to have the same platform as these and much less in common with the Passat at least in my opinion, one can only imagine how much of an effort will it be to maintain these cars in today’s day and age especially in our country since there were very few sold.

[Cresterk]

Originally Posted by Ferruccio

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!

That is very interesting. May I ask why you were against bringing these cars to India? Also any other interesting anecdotes about you time as product head would be lovely to hear

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by Ferruccio

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!

If I am correct, we have met around mid 2011 for the VW Passat drive