Anyone have a Volkswagen Touareg?

[Rural]

 Test drove a 2004 Touareg today. It's at a local dealership, 111,000 miles, $4100.


The fuel mileage is face punch worthy, no question (17mpg at the very best).  But that's going to be the case with anything with four-wheel-drive, and the storms lately have really driven home to me how much we need it. My health is not such just now that I can hike up the mountain to our house, and my car only makes it sometimes after storms.


 That car is just on its last legs – currently needs a catalytic converter, a  front bearing, and maybe a control arm. It has 240,000 miles on it. It's a Kia Rio. The little dealership will give us $800 on it for a trade-in, and we're thinking that that might be worthwhile. We paid $1200 for it three years ago.


We did drive a little Prius at the same dealership, but it wouldn't make it up our driveway, either. Plus, if we drove at high enough speed to get up here it with any regularity, I think we would tear it completely up in about a year. I don't want to do that to a Prius that someone else could use.   Besides, my husband is tall enough that he couldn't see well out of it – he would definitely have to duck to watch red lights, for example.


We also drove a Jeep Compass, which was nice, but which had some definite engine knock that I don't want to mess with.


 If we don't buy the Touareg, we keep looking for something like a Jeep Grand Cherokee. So the fuel mileage is not really an issue – the Touareg should get slightly better than a Cherokee. However,  I'm reading about of lots of expensive maintenance on a Touareg, so I was wondering if anybody here has one.  Currently, it seems to be in great shape. I've put it in a spreadsheet, along with a bunch of other vehicles, and annualized costs for purchase and fuel over three years come out on the low end of the locally available options. Not quite as cheap as another Kia Rio at a different dealership,  but after looking at that one, unfortunately it's not an option – it's clearly been used as a mobile meth lab.


 So, thoughts on the Touareg, anyone? Anyone with first-hand experience?

[Thinkum]

My thoughts on the VW Touareg, as a former VW GTI owner is that VW's are not worth the price or headache. Every single service related issue with a VW, and there will be a fair amount, cost at least 2x that of a non-German car. If I needed 4WD I would look at a Japanese vehicle like a RAV4, CRV, or Subaru Forester. VW's have nicer interiors, handle well, brake well, and are fairly safe. On the flip side, they have inflated maintenance prices and seem to always have one issue or another pop up. If you're set on a Touareg, check out VWVortex for any known issues. Good luck.

[lbmustache]

Oh my gosh, Touaregs are the worst, especially an 11 year old one! That is the first year of production too. Numerous, numerous, problems. A total headache. Electricals are a nightmare and everything is expensive to fix.

Read: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?6949416-Why-are-used-Touareg-s-so-cheap&highlight=touareg

And also read: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?7116744-touareg-forum-is-dead-please-learn-me&highlight=touareg

[pbkmaine]

The Car Talk guys always recommended Subarus for people who wanted AWD.

[Le Poisson]

Wasn't the Tourag equipped with the same engine as the Chrysler Pacifica? Another great 4wd vehicle to avoid.

[RWD]

What's wrong with an Outback or similar? More reliable and much better fuel economy. Approximately the same interior volume as a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The Touareg is a very capable vehicle and can be a good choice for an enthusiast that wants to actually go off road and/or tow ~7000 lb. But they are very expensive to own and a terrible choice from a financial perspective.

Wasn't the Tourag equipped with the same engine as the Chrysler Pacifica? Another great 4wd vehicle to avoid.

I don't think there's anything shared between the Touareg and the Pacifica.

[Le Poisson]

What's wrong with an Outback or similar? More reliable and much better fuel economy. Approximately the same interior volume as a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The Touareg is a very capable vehicle and can be a good choice for an enthusiast that wants to actually go off road and/or tow ~7000 lb. But they are very expensive to own and a terrible choice from a financial perspective.

Wasn't the Tourag equipped with the same engine as the Chrysler Pacifica? Another great 4wd vehicle to avoid.

I don't think there's anything shared between the Touareg and the Pacifica.

You're right - a little digging and its teh Routan that is a rebadged Chrysler.  As you were, carry on.

[gooki]

That's a mighty sharp price. Especially when you consider it shares many of the same mechanics as a Porsche Cayenne.

My father in law owns one. He's had to replace the battery (very specific size, cost approx $500), and one of his air suspension parts needed to be replaced. He was quoted $6000 for the repair from the VW dealer, ended up buying the oem part from China and getting the local mechanic to install for a total cost of $600.

So all up he's only spent an extra $1k on non standard maintenance, and he must have owned it for at least four years so far.

[Rural]

Thanks, all, and do keep the thoughts coming if you have them.


Thinkum: I'd definitely be interested in a CRV or Outback. It's actually hard to find a used Outback, but a CRV is more likely. Never seen a RAV4 for sale, but I'd def. test drive if I did


Note we're really looking locally because I'm just not up to driving into the city and then looking at cars, the and they cost more there.


Lbmustache: that's the first year of American production, yes. Thanks for the links


Pbk and Rwd: yes, I did very much like the one Subaru I test drove, but none available, and when they are, price is high. I'll keep looking.


Prospector, my reading suggests it's a porche cayenne, which I guess explains part prices.


Gooki: thanks. Yes, it's a great price and for now it's in great shape. Sounds like your father in law's experience hasn't been so horrible. I'd read horror stories about the cost of brakes online and then I priced them - pads at $59 and rotors at $99. I'll price the battery. I hear it's under the drivers seat.

[The_path_less_taken]

Car dealers have seasonal price changes: it's going to be an "El Nino" <cue stormy sound effects> year....the price of 4x4s goes up.

Not sure of the topography where you live, but the law of supply & demand dictates that things are often cheaper where there are a lot of them and they're not valued as highly: in the flatlands.

It might be time for some keyboard time on cars.com or something like it to see what the 4x4 of your dreams is like in a neighboring area where people don't 'need' them. Or perceive they need them, which can be a different thing...

I blew out my right knee: I'm not going to go lay in eight inches of wet slush and chain up a car. I'm going to push a button. Icy flat terrain is fine, but if you really are "rural" and have unpaved mountain crap to drive through...I think a 4wd is the way to go. My unpaved, not level driveway is over a tenth of a mile and it is 4x4 only two months out of the year in a light snow year. This year....I expect I'll be using it plenty.