Equipment
6.0-liter W12, rated at 420 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque. Spins the four wheels via a 5-speed automatic transmission and Volkswagen's 4Motion all-wheel drive system.
Condition
Phaetons are extraordinarily maintenance-intensive, and the costs do not reflect the Volkswagen badge on snout and tail. Cars and Bid’s example has managed to cover an impressive 180,000 miles since new, incurring over $50,000 in repairs since 2011 alone. Even with that substantial investment, this Phaeton isn’t perfect. The sale notes a number of exterior scratches, dings, undercarriage rust, and wear present on interior trim.
Market commentary
Yes, it looks like the Phaeton takes its Bentley roots a bit too seriously. Like the Continental GT and Continental Flying Spur that share VW’s D1 platform, the Phaeton clearly presents an opportunity for your dollar to go a long way—just make sure there are plenty more where the first buck came from, as you never really pay off a W-12 Phaeton, you just transfer the loan note from the bank to your local VW specialist. According to the Cars and Bids listing, this 2004 VW Phaeton originally sold new for $81,690, or around $130,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of this writing. Envisioned as a stealthy, comfort-oriented limo alternative to the sportier A8, the Bentley-based Phaeton never sold in healthy numbers aside from Germany and China, where enough moved to justify refreshes and updates until final discontinuation in 2016. Just over 84,000 Phaetons sold globally, but only roughly 3,400 moved in the States, and only 500 of those carried the wild 6.0-liter W-12 in place of the standard 4.2-liter V-8. Conceptually, they’re quite fascinating cars; VW Chairman Ferdinand Piëch decreed ten engineering parameters to the development team that the nascent Phaeton must match prior to entering production. The full list isn’t public, but we know one of them was the car must be able to cruise at 186 mph with an exterior temperature of 122 °F while the occupants relaxed in 72 °F perfection. We don’t track Phaetons in the Hagerty Price Guide, but considering we maintain an average agreed value of $12,100 for our Phaeton policies in the U.S., this looks to be bought right in-line with the market when taking into account condition and mileage.