VW Phaeton 2004 reg

almillar

We're playing the depreciation game here.
Show me a 2004 Merc S-Class or BMW 7-Series with the same mileage and in the same condition. If you find one, OP should buy it instead.
OP - if you've considered the MPG, insurance, tax and servicing all being higher for the 100k miles you plan to do, you'll have a very nice car to waft around in. Even if you have to do without heated rear seats!

fivetide

skivenov wrote: »

Good point. it's got to be said though, anyone who's ever used Mercedes satnav will love the VW one, even if it is 8 years out of date

They've fared well in customer satisfaction surveys (where Merc generally get slated).

Yes the MB Command can be a bit fiddly from what I've heard although, better than the BMW I-Drive (again, not through personal experience).

Sure the last warranty direct report said the most reliable car you can buy second hand is a 2006 onwards Mercedes E-Class though. Same issue applies though, if something does go wrong it is likely to be something serious rather than minor.

skivenov

fivetide wrote: »

Yes the MB Command can be a bit fiddly from what I've heard although, better than the BMW I-Drive (again, not through personal experience).

Sure the last warranty direct report said the most reliable car you can buy second hand is a 2006 onwards Mercedes E-Class though. Same issue applies though, if something does go wrong it is likely to be something serious rather than minor.

MB Command's not so bad to use when you're used to it. It's just that it's good at getting lost! :rotfl:

Sad thing is, I've never found any manufacturer's satnav to be as good as an £80 TomTom, apart from Renault... who just stick a TomTom in the dash.

sunshinetours

skivenov wrote: »

MB Command's not so bad to use when you're used to it. It's just that it's good at getting lost! :rotfl:

Sad thing is, I've never found any manufacturer's satnav to be as good as an £80 TomTom, apart from Renault... who just stick a TomTom in the dash.

My 5 series has a DVD system so not as ideal as an online system however it works well. The I-drive works brilliantly and all the haters I assume never really spend time trying it - with voice command its even better

GolfBravo

fivetide wrote: »

Sure the last warranty direct report said the most reliable car you can buy second hand is a 2006 onwards Mercedes E-Class though. Same issue applies though, if something does go wrong it is likely to be something serious rather than minor.

Warranty Direct report? More like Warranty Direct press release to give them most free media exposure.

I don't know what their E-class sample size is and whether they include declined warranty claims, but according to TÜV E-class build quality is only just above average. Just take a look at their 2012 survey report below - major suspension and steering failures.

fivetide

Yes - they press release it. Not exactly a disaster.

Sure it isn't super scientific but:

"And if it's reliability you're after, a survey of 20,000 warranty policies recently carried out on European cars between 3 and 6 years old by Warranty Direct named the W211 Mercedes E-Class (2006-) as Europe's most reliable used car. Its 10% failure rate was 5% better than the next best car, Skoda's Fabia."

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=26404

It's not like I work for them. It was just an interesting (I thought) news story and has relevance to the thread.

It does say the most common fault is axle/suspension but the failure rates are low. That seems to fit what I said, it isn't that likely to go wrong but if it does it won't be something minor, it'll be something pricey.

Notmyrealname

Timay wrote: »

To say that they were/are £50,000+ to buy when new and a used 04 reg car I have been looking at that looks very tidy is available for just under £5000 with only 68,000 miles on the clock.

Just basically wondering if there is anything that goes seriously wrong with these cars? Can see there been any big issues though as its was built as VW flagship vehicle but didn't catch on and sell well, which I guess is the main reason for the low price, that at the looks (as it looks like a big VW PASSAT)

VW built them to be a world beating car. They are built about as well as you will ever see from VW.

Downside is the petrol V6 will do 25-30MPG, the diesel isn't much better.

But for luxury barge motoring on the cheap it doesn't get any better.

GolfBravo

fivetide wrote: »

It's not like I work for them. It was just an interesting (I thought) news story and has relevance to the thread.

No worries FT, I'm not criticising you - I should have worded my post better, sorry my fault.

My point was that Warranty Direct created this "front page" news a few weeks ago by pulling this "survey" out of their backside. Honestly, claiming that the E-class is Europe's most reliable used car is simply b/s - they haven't done their homework properly (hardly any statistical validity in their findings), their main aim was to generate free publicity for themselves.

mattyprice4004

Robisere wrote: »

The advice given by GolfBravo is spot on.

Yes, as all VW cars they have tremendous build strength and quality. However, this was an experimental model, a one-off vehicle, whilst all other VW's you can think of, are high-volume cars, They sell in huge numbers, which is why the VAG group is the world's biggest-selling car and commercial manufacturer.

It will lose at least another £500 the moment you drive it away. It may suffer wear to any parts within the period you own it, which means it will cost you. It will cost even more to run.
Why not buy a Jag or Merceds? Better still, a good big Audi?
If you buy the Phaeton, you might have a good year with it, except for your frequent visits to the pumps. And the hefty Insurance costs. And the tyre fitters, if that is you can find tyres for it.

All VW cars having tremendous build strength and quality? Not quite these days! They make some proper tat.

skivenov

sunshinetours wrote: »

My 5 series has a DVD system so not as ideal as an online system however it works well. The I-drive works brilliantly and all the haters I assume never really spend time trying it - with voice command its even better

I'd agree there, I-drive ain't bad when you've taken time to learn how to use it, too many people believe everything Clarkson tells them.

I can't get on with the voice controls in anything, but I have a strong accent and never spend long enough in one vehicle for it to get used to me.

Still get back ache whenever I drive a beemer though, but that's another story.