10k: Seller Submission: 2004 Volkswagen Phaeton V8

The Volkswagen Phaeton was a big luxury cruiser built by Volkswagen on a shared platform with the Bentley Continental GT and Flying Spur.  The Phaeton shared engines with the Audi A8, but attempted to offer a Mercedes S-Class luxury experience at an E-Class price.  Today the Phaeton offers luxury and prestige for the price of a used Kia and maybe if you pick the more common V8 model you won’t get stuck with a huge maintenance bill for rebuilding the W12.  Find this 2004 Volkswagen Phaeton V8 for sale in Corpus Christi, TX currently bidding for $5,100 reserve-not-met and $11,000 buy-it-now.  Seller sub from Dain MC.

The Phaeton V8 model cost more than $65,000 before adding options and was only sold from 2004 to 2006 and while that sounds expensive, it was a $15k upgrade to change up to the W12 engine.  The V8 was rated at 335 horsepower (100 hp shy of the W12) but you won’t miss the extra oomph when you pay the man at the pump or the man under the lift.  Anything other than basic service on the W12 can be excruciatingly expensive, but the 4.2 liter V8 was put in all kinds of Audi cars, so replacement parts (especially for the DIY mechanic) are cheap and plentiful.

The Phaeton offered an ultra luxury experience which was state of the art back in 2004.  Ten years later, most of those features have made their way into a well optioned economy car, but you still cannot match the ride quality of a 5000 lb vehicle.  When the Phaeton hits a speed bump, the earth moves and the Phaeton continues on its trajectory.  Not a good car for a narcoleptic or someone looking for a sporty/fun ride…but it does a great job chauffeuring around kids and making you look classy. 

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