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tidester, host
King Kong edition of the Touareg SUV (Inside Line)
Steve, Host
I am seriously considering purchasing a 2004 V6 Touareg (Premium 2 package) with 17,500 miles. I have read about so many issues in this forum that I'm really hesitating. I love the look and feel of the vehicle but worry about reliability. I'll be using it for some long distance traveling.
1. This car is certified by the dealership. They give my 2 yrs/24,000 additional warranty plus the remainder of the existing warranty. Would a dealership certify a car that has had prior issues?
2. The Carfax History is clean (1 owner, personal use, no accidents, etc.) How reliable are these? I know they won't list VW recalls and don't know if this particular vehicle has ever been recalled.
3. I negotiated to a $29,000 + TTT. Does this sound fair?
4. Finally - the other SUV I'm considering is a pre-owned 2004 Acura MDX Touring. Although I find it boring in comparison, I do think it's more reliable.
I need to make a pretty quick decision. Any insights would be so greatly appreciated. Thanks!
The T-reg, by almost all accounts: Looks better, drives better, feels better. Granted- it probably won't be the most reliable vehicle on the road. Many of the 'problems' associated with them in the beginning were more annoyances than serious mechanical issues. That, coupled with dealers that didn't know how to fix this new-fangled vehicle created plenty of issues. On the other hand, I have a few friends now with t-regs, and none have had any serious problems. Sure, the tire pressure guages give false alarms, and there are other imperfections. Oil changes aren't cheap either. Think about: 1. how good of service you think you'll get from this dealer, and 2. how you personally, emotionally handle adversity. If little problems are going to drive you nuts, or will you have a passionate relationship with a truly magnificent, one of a kind, SUV.
Oh- read the extended warranty that they're offering you, and make sure you know what it's truly worth. There are all kinds and prices of aftermarket warranties. Some aren't worth the paper they're written on.
Also-I'm no expert on T-reg pricing, but read the 'prices paid' forum and check out what people are getting brand new ones for. (ther are some great deals out there) Sounds like you might be able to do a tad better on the price.
Although I'm a little worried about what happens after the warranty is over (I'm on my 4th cd player), I also know I'm driving exactly the vehicle I wanted. What a joy to drive. By the way, my VW dealer pretty much treats me like a king without my asking. I guess Acura and Lexus are like that too. On the other hand, I dont think VW corporate quite backs up what they've asked the dealers to do. Maybe that will change.
That's not a 2006 model then. Early fall is when the 2007 models come out (from other companies).
A bit of Trivia. General Motors invented the 'model year' for cars. Great marketing idea!
Sprechen Sie Bling (Inside Line)
Steve, Host
I hope this helped
I just got back from the auto show. There's nothing out there that touches it. The Land Rover LR3 is a bad joke for the money. The BMW X3, Cadillac SRX and Honda Pilot are all pretty nice if you don't need to go off-road.
How do your backseat passengers enjoy the ride, any complaints? We have 2 girls, 10 and 15, that love the room and comfort of the Pac.
Thanks again!
My little ones are also grown up and have left the nest. My wife thinks the seat is hard in back, but then again, we hardly ever agree on cars or comfort. She has hers, I have mine. I like hard seats, as long as they fit. Whenever I've ridden in back, I 've been comfortable. It is smaller in back than any other 5300 pound car I'm aware of. The 4runner is not bad in back, probably even roomier.
I understand that the V-10 will be made available in 07.The V-10 is somewhat of a dirty engine and not legal in some states.
Rumor is VW is working on bringing the V6TDI to the states but no one knows when yet.
Thats the one I am waiting for. I have the V6 now no problems in the past year of ownership "Knocks on wood"
or do the rest of you look at the new Hyundai Tucson and think its a pretty good looking little 'ute.
Looks a lot like the Touareg- doesn't it?
(I just said "looks")
They keep catching my eye.
:shades:
Looking for a great bargain...35k range...$400/month lease range
The second coming of the 2007 Volkswagen Touareg (Inside Line)
Steve, Host
When we put the car in reverse not only does the backup camera come on but the radio comes on as well. My dealer says this is the same as all of them. I find this hard to believe and can think of no reason why this should happen. Any Help? (The radio goes off when you shift fron reverse to drive.)
I would think a dual-path power source to the screen would solve the problem. One path controlled by the radio power switch and the other controlled by the reverse gear switch. Basically, it could be run inline with the reverse lights. The problem with running it that way would be that the second power path would have to be defeated by the primary power path if it is active. In which case, you'd have no reverse lights.
But anyway, it could be more logically integrated but VW chose not to.
I had 1 wiper blade replaced under warranty due to a dead spot in the blade, and have used RainX since, which has greatly improved wiper performance. If I had a complaint it would be the auto-rain sensor is unreliable.
As for $1800 brakes, I look at it this way...I'm driving a 310HP, $55k car which weighs 2.5 tons empty. Good brakes are a small price to pay for safety. I had a minor fender bender when a woman made an illegal left hand turn in front of me. What should have been a major head on was almosted avoided because the car stopped on a dime. Now you want to talk expensive...a cracked headlight lens, scratched bumper, curb rashed 18" alloy, and front quarter panel set her insurance company back $5500.
I ended up buying Toyo Proxes S/T's which are 109V rated. More than enough for the Treg's load and speed. Tire dealer gave me a 30 day return guarantee since I was skeptical, but have to say these tires have been great. Treadwear rating of 420, so I'm expecting about 30k miles out of them. We'll see. Not so sure they would be great snow tires since there is no siping in the tread design, but I was able to pick up an additional set of take-off 18" Manhattans on the Club Touareg Forum for $500 (for all 4), and put a set of dedicated snows (Pirelli Scorpion Ice and Snows) for $759/set installed. They get great reviews on both 1010tires.com and Tirerack.com. Actually looking forward to the first snow fall.
The auto rain sensor could be better.
To have rotors and pads on all 4 wheels toast at 40k miles, that's a bit excessive. I am not an aggressive driver, mostly highway and easy suburban. Pads at 30-40k and rotors at 60-80k would be a little more like it. While my rotors were just in spec, they would have never made it through another set of pads, hence replacement. The brakes are indeed good, but not that good. Five cents a mile just for brake consumables? I think that's nuts. After this one's sold, it will be a long time before I look at VW's again.
Parts for all cars are ridiculously high. I'm happier when I have to buy fewer rather than more.
The Inside Line story is here:
Paris Preview: Volkswagen Tweaks the Touareg
You sound a bit bitter about your T-Reg.
I am the biggest pain to satisfy with cars,trucks,Suv's.
We came to Florida from Vermont with a Jeep Wagoneer Limited, Land Cruiser. WE now have also a Wrangler and a 06 Xterra for my daughter upstate NY in college.
I read all the bad things about the T-Reg and waited two xtra years til the '06 came out with the excellent help of VW customer service telling me which was the official 'o6.
I drove one on the dirt,pity the salesman, my wife said,tighten your belt as we took off,with 2 police vehicle watching the fun a s I also drove it dead into a deep sand
pile. Then put it into 4 x4 and very slowly drove it out.
Her vehicle was green and taupe,took a plane to a dealer who I spoke with over the phone,he guaranteed me the price,picked me up at the airport with her vehicle,back to the dealeship as I called her and said it looks super. After signing and giving a check,I drove out after reading the break in, I loved it, do not drive the vehicle more than 120 mph the first 3000 miles, I found a dirt 8 lane future highway under construction, so I jumped into it, switched to 4 wheel,called her on the cell,she threaten my life if I got it dirty,only had to drive it 980 miles. Got to the end, on to highway and kicked it in the butt to 3 digits,WOW, I had drive race cars for 9 years for Jaguar,MB amd Dodge. This T-reg at 100+ was grand.
Got it home,all my kids also got to drive it to school and 16K miles later after two oil changes,THE MAJOR PROBLEM, the garage door opener didnt work,humm, she broke a piece of plastic when putting the rear seats down,my wife drops
stuff,and the computer just got nuts,which took a service call to fix,my wife destroys brakes, tires, she parks with the go into system,Oh,the first time coming home with the colored light array inside was outstanding,there is too much junk but who cares,it drives great. I tried to get my yougest interested in one but its an old ladys car she
says. We are still on the first set of brake pads. Her T-Reg is the 6 cyl with the added HP,I think its fine for her,the V8 must be grand but in this country there's nowhere to push it. We are moving back up north to the mountains next year and I will be stealing hers this winter to go skiing with.Oh, I will be changing the tires to a more aggressive tread,there goes 100+.
I stand by everything I said. It's all true. You will find out for yourself. I never said the car is not impressive on or off the road. There is nothing on the road that matches it, even today. All that comes at a price, and I'm not willing to pay the money or time to keep it rolling. Oh, and by the way, let me know what you get on it when you trade-in. My dealer offered me 43 percent of MSRP for my 30 month old, 45k mile Touareg. I should have leased it.
It's for sale if you want another one.
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tidester, host
Volkswagen Touareg
tidester, host
My wife wants to be back in a SUV and I am having a hard time justifying the Toureg versus the Chevy Tahoe. Obviously somewhat of an apple to oranges comparison but that's what its come down to.
1) We live in the south so the AWD is not a necesity and we have priced the Tahoe w/wo AWD. Any other thoughts on this?? Is the AWD the reason that so many current owners complain about poor tire life?? and low fuel economy?
2) Are the later models reliability records any better than the 03/04 models??
3) Do you have to use premium unleaded?? Does it void the warranty if you don't?
4) Obviously GM's 100K warranty bests the VW 60K warranty any rumors on VW matching the GM offering....
Help me make sense of all of this...is there a safety advantage (crash protection) that makes the VW a winner?? I have loved our VW products and the service from our dealer has been great (although lately pricey) but for the same $$ or less the Chevy seems to be luring us away from the fold....
Thanks,
Don