[contivertible63]

I'm looking at an 05 V8 tomorrow with 120k miles. The miles are a concern for me, as this will be my first ever VW (all of my cars have been Ford/Lincolns) and can't really afford any major repairs for at least the first year. The owner says it has a new rain sensor windshield, new water pump, fuel pump, drive shaft and timing belt.

Would any of you suggest some good questions for me to ask at the viewing? Are there any things to look out for with this particular year? Is there anything you can think of that I should anticipate replacing/servicing at 120k miles?

Many thanks in advance for your help. I am very excited to become a Touareg owner, and member of your community. I just really need it to be reliable, as I won't have the money for any repairs for a while.

Val

 

[volkswagendude]

I don't want to sound like an antogonist, but if you can't afford to pay for the repairs or upkeep for the first year, should you really be buying a vehicle that used to cost $60000+ brand new?

This is the problem with these kind of vehicles. Their depreciation overshadows the reality that it is still what it is, and that is an expensive toy to own.

If you are still hard up to own one, then I suggest you take it to a VW dealer or Independent "guru" if you know one, and have them do a no holds barred inspection. Check the brakes, suspension components, driveshaft, and have them check for codes.

 

[contivertible63]

Upkeep I can handle. I am just not familiar with the life of the Touareg drivetrain, electrical, common problems, etc....especially for that year in particular. I had a Lincoln Navigator that I bought with 50k miles on it. I put another 105k of my own miles on it with no major problems. If I buy this Touareg with 120k miles, it will be the highest mileage vehicle i've ever purchased, so a little insight on common problems with these cars would help. I have a general idea of what to look out for in used cars, and my friend has a scanner to check the codes at the viewing.

 

[volkswagendude]

Most common, weakest, meaning short lived parts on the first go around, are the valve body in the tranny, and driveshaft. Thankfully, those parts have been updated when it comes to repair day.

As far as wear and tear maintenace items go, 5500lb will take its toll on OEM brake parts and tires. Alignment is very important on these vehicles also.

As far as electronics go, Kessy module and possibly door handles on the keyless system(if so equipped) will likely be an issue at some point, if not already. Headlights are a sore point. The hex mechanism used to uninstall the headligfhts on the T1(not T2) is very weak, and prone to seizing, and ultimately snapping. New parts are not updated on those, so best is to keep well lubricated once repair is performed. Electronically, the contacts on the back of the headlight assembly, male to female contact are also suspect. Lesser electronics prone to problems, are chime speaker in the instrument cluster. Not sure about the repair method for this one, but only option seems to be complete cluster replacemnet at this point.

Oh yes, Touaregs like to eat batteries for lunch too. If yours is the original one, budget in for one now.

 

[BonesNTX]

I have a 2005 V8 for sale with only 71K miles= Puuurfect condition