[Long] VW Phaeton - soon to be bargain Used buy of the decade?

Ive been keeping on eye on Phaeton prices for quite a while as they continue to tumble. I had a V10TDI version about 4years ago and friends/family still romance about it. Much more than any photo or paper spec can impart, it was a stunning car to simply sit in. The fitment, the craftsmanship, the leather, even the hinges were simply a cut above what passes as "premium" these days. Over 100 patents were registered for the Phaeton, its the showcase for the next 10years of trickle down enhancements to the rest of the range.

For those that dont know, the Phaeton is handbuilt by a small team of elite engineers at the Glass Factory in Dresden. Based on the VAG D1 Steel platform, its platform shared (which is an understatement, both cars share interior layout and most chassis components) with the Bentley Flying Spur.



Aside from some of the early 3.2litre engines, all Phaetons are Automatic and AWD (Torsen Mechanical 4motion) and all have 4 selectable suspension comfort levels plus 2 ride heights. . Looking at Ebay.co.uk / Autotrader (Irish models and pricing not enough to use as benchmark), we get these price points:


Under £3500
Gets you a 2003-2004 3.2litre V6 model, 240bhp, 8.9sec to 60, 23mpg. Considered the worst of the range (the car is over 2ton, 3.2litre V6 not strong enough) its still staggering to think for close to £3k you still could own what could have been reshelled into a Bentley. Be warned though, its fairly slow, truly show over go cruiser.

Under £5500
Should bag you a 4.2 V8 model, the "sweet" spot of the petrol line up. 335bhp, 6.7s to 60, 21mpg, its clearly a better suited engine than the 3.2 (close MPG but vastly better performance). Considered the "sporty" model, the V8 actually sounds quite nice too and is rev-happy. Its also geared more aggressively than the Audi A8 4.2.

Under £7500
At this point you can get the "sensible" option in the line up, the 3.0TDI. Still its only 29mpg and 240bhp, so not really terribly interesting. VW UK also had a deal on these when new and many were sold heavily discounted.

Under £10k
At this point the V10TDI 5.0 is an option. Although I had one and loved it, it is a very pointless engine.. 300bhp and only 24mpg (in a diesel). Nothing gets off the line as fast but I suspect the V8 petrol (being 200kg lighter and noticeably higher BHP) is a better option. Almost the same MPG too. Still, a funny car to blast off in, mine was remapped to 350bhp and 650ft/lbs torque (ie 880nm).

Historically the W12 (6.0litre petrol NA) is about 10% more than the V10TDI but its super rare used and likely will retain values better being the rare edition of a rare car.


Im thinking the V8 model which offers performance on par with a Audi S8 (D2), decent economy (much better mpg than the S8!) would make a excellent LPG or low commute cruiser. I just cannot find anything that touches it at that price point, its cheap not because its bad, but because its an over-engineered commercial failure. Which makes it the best case used buy ever! :cool:


Would Irelands love of Passats/VW get over the fear of tax to realise this bargain? Not likely eh? :pac:



PS: MPG figures are combined, not Motorway or City.