I recently had the opportunity to drive a Phaeton. It was a marvelous car. Powerful and smooth and everything else you would want in a $70+ thousand car. I loved it. That said I don’t think they will sell many. People aren’t ready to buy $70,000 VWs (That’s just the V8, the 12 is over $100K). Even Mercedes didn’t think people were ready to buy a $350,000 MB and they were already a luxury brand. Setting all that aside the real problem is the complexity vs. the imbedded service culture at Volkswagen. There is a significant difference in the way you treat a high-end customer and a high-end car vs. a mid line customer and car. There should be some great deals on 3 year old Phaetons though. They will probably depreciate like Yugos.

MB vs. VW. I’ve been a Mercedes guy since my dad’s friend bought a new 230 in 1967 but the Passat is a beautiful car. Maybe it comes down to front drive or rear wheel drive. I’ve read about some quality issues. Like MB they are mostly software/computer type problems. It’s no wonder when you consider the complexity of a modern car.

Anyway, my 2¢ worth.

TCG
92 500E
86 300E
74 450SL