2004 Volkswagen Phaeton: Third-quarter update

[BMWDave]

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2004 Volkswagen Phaeton: Third-quarter update
Summer Haulin?: Phaeton?s space, ride, make family trips comfy
MIKE FLOYD
Published Date: 7/18/05
THIRD QUARTER
MILES DRIVEN (quarter/to date): 6491/22,464
FUEL MILAGE (quarter/to date): 18.05 mpg/18.11 mpg
FUEL COST (quarter/to date): $827.12/$2,741.74
MAINTENANCE: 20,000-mile service, including oil change; replaced broken center console button, replaced air conditioning compressor, resealed windshield (all covered under warranty)
DAYS OUT OF SERVICE (quarter/to date): Four/five
READERS: If you own one of the following, we?d like to hear from you: Volkswagen Phaeton, Dodge Magnum, Scion tC, BMW 545i, Porsche 911 Carrera, Chevrolet Corvette, Land Rover LR3 and Honda Ridgeline. Send comments for use in future updates to autofile@crain.com .

As we head into the homestretch with our People?s Limo, the sun has finally been turned up in the Midwest. When the heat is on, vacation days start getting burned on the regular.

And with the lack of a ginormous ute in our long-term fleet (a Land Rover LR3 is in the pipeline), the staff has been arm-wrestling each other lately to see who gets to use the honkin? big, luxo-loaded Phaeton for their summer excursions.

All of the road-trippin? has helped to put 22,464 miles on the odometer through the third quarter. Aside from some minor complaints about the lack of a rear-seat DVD setup and satellite radio (about the only things this car doesn?t have) and a less-than-stellar navigation system, our travelers laud the Phaeton?s many positive attributes.

Like its room. A family of four?s gear for a week was swallowed up by the vehicle?s cavernous trunk. Rear-seat passengers are treated to enough legroom to satisfy Yao Ming, and amenities galore help to keep our long-distance travelers safe and comfy.

?In the six years the family has been making the trek to the Florida Panhandle, this was by far the most comfortable ride for me,? said one staffer.


Most importantly, comments keep piling up in the logbook praising the Phaeton?s superior on-road demeanor. This car laughs at road imperfections, scoffs at inclement weather, blasts past pokey pockets of traffic. Too bad there is no American autobahn, because this cruise ship would no doubt be spending a lot of time in triple digits with little effort.

?Get into this limo-sized VW and, like any proper big luxury sedan, it makes the world go away as fast as the traffic in the rearview mirror,? said another staffer. ?This is good.?

Unfortunately, as the summer started in earnest, things began to heat up in the cabin as well. The Phaeton?s air conditioning compressor quit cold turkey at the tail end of one of the most recent trips, turning its occupants into a pack of sweat hogs.

Like the cracked windshield we experienced in the second quarter, the compressor first had to be ordered, helping to keep the vehicle out of service for three days total. Luckily, it wasn?t the six weeks or so it took to get the windshield. While it was at the shop, we had a broken button in the center console area fixed up. All repairs were covered under warranty.

As for the windshield, after it finally arrived on the slow boat from Deutschland, we had it replaced in the second quarter. We thought that would be the end of it, then staffers started noticing the normally whisper-quiet cabin was noisier than usual, especially at freeway speeds. A bad seal of the new windshield was identified as the culprit. It was fixed free of charge when we took the car in for its warranty-covered, 20,000-mile service.

To the dealership?s credit, unlike the shabby treatment we received from the outfit that handled our long-term Jaguar XJ, the VW service folks have been super, throwing in a free set of all-season floor mats in an effort to make good. It is what you would expect when you have issues with a $74,000-plus vehicle.

Despite its recent troubles, the staff will no doubt be in for a few more arm-wrestling matches over the smooth-sailing Phaeton throughout its last few sun-drenched months in our long-term stable.

[Raghavan]

i really like the VW Phaeton, except for it's heavyness. i'd still get an A8 because of the badge, the aluminum, and the looks too.

[ifcar]

The fact that a group of people are fighting over driving a Phaeton for free is no surprise, especially when you consider the other cars probably available in the AutoWeek extended-use fleet. Another reason why a comparison is more important than a solo review.

[sportyaccordy]

LOL I completely forgot about the Phaeton! Completely unnecessary car...

[BMWDave]

LOL I completely forgot about the Phaeton! Completely unnecessary car...

Welcome to the forums :)  Hope you have a great time here :)

The Phaeton is actually, not that there are huge rebates, a extremely great car for the money.  I believe you ca get a W12 Phaeton for only 53K now.  Thats a great deal.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

"MAINTENANCE: 20,000-mile service, including oil change; replaced broken center console button, replaced air conditioning compressor, resealed windshield (all covered under warranty)
DAYS OUT OF SERVICE (quarter/to date): Four/five"

Its nice to see that this high end VW has above average reliablility(vs other VW).

[TBR]

LOL I completely forgot about the Phaeton! Completely unnecessary car...

Welcome to the forums :)  Hope you have a great time here :)

The Phaeton is actually, not that there are huge rebates, a extremely great car for the money.  I believe you ca get a W12 Phaeton for only 53K now.  Thats a great deal.

$53k used that is.  

[BMWDave]

LOL I completely forgot about the Phaeton! Completely unnecessary car...

Welcome to the forums :)  Hope you have a great time here :)

The Phaeton is actually, not that there are huge rebates, a extremely great car for the money.  I believe you ca get a W12 Phaeton for only 53K now.  Thats a great deal.

$53k used that is.

Well considering the car was less than a year old...   Still a great deal.

[ifcar]

That was once. Can you still find a W12 at that price?

[BMWDave]

That was once. Can you still find a W12 at that price?

I'll check :)

[ifcar]

It's been an hour, so I guess you didn't find any. <_<

[TBR]

I checked earlier and 53k isn't an unusual price.

[ifcar]

Then you should have no trouble finding an example or two currently on sale.

[TBR]

This is the cheapest one I found:
http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=1...=en&cardist=823

I looked when Dave posted that ebay listing and I don't have much of a memory.  

[ifcar]

That settles that. You cannot, in fact, currently find a W12 for $53K. Do not quote prices that are no longer available.

[TBR]

Do not be so snippity

[BMWDave]

That settles that. You cannot, in fact, currently find a W12 for $53K. Do not quote prices that are no longer available.

I've seen them go for that before.  Just because I cant find one deal now, doesnt mean they dont exist.

[Raghavan]

Do not be so snippity

that's iffy's nature.

[Tom]

Market dictates price.  What they go for is what they are worth.  Would you pay 60k for one.  I sure as hell wouldn't.  I'd take a look at BMW or MB for that kind of money.

[TurboDan]

That settles that. You cannot, in fact, currently find a W12 for $53K. Do not quote prices that are no longer available.

If you're a good negotiator, you could get that $57K model down to $53K.

[ifcar]

That settles that. You cannot, in fact, currently find a W12 for $53K. Do not quote prices that are no longer available.

If you're a good negotiator, you could get that $57K model down to $53K.

Then you could get the $53K one for less as well, what's the point there? The market no longer offers the same choices as it did a month or two ago when people here found that deal, and it's wrong to pretend otherwise.

[ragnacor1234]

I have a suggestion for an update...