docwra Posted March 8, 2017 Posted March 8, 2017 (edited) Realised the other day that my 135i was a bit good and a bit expensive to keep smashing 20K miles onto a year. Business is also going quite well so I thought it was time to treat myself ....... First up was a test drive of an Alfa Giulia QC - amazing car, very quick and felt lovely on the road. Unfortunately test drive was pretty short and didnt give me much of a chance to open it up much but if it had been 45K Id have put a deposit down there and then. Unfortunately £65K and a £22K GFV doesnt add up. Next was an M2, I manged to find one to drive but when I told them I wasnt going to buy for at least 6 week they said they'd rather not put miles on it, fair enough I suppose. Beautiful car but pretty uninspiring interior, no way to turn TC fully off and 11 month waiting list ........ and still a crap GFV, how does that work? Also much slower than my current steed, doubt it would handle as well either. Considered Cayman 987/981 but then realised there is no point in having to make a decison which car youre going to take to the Nurburgring, particularly if one is depreciating heavily. So the decision to buy a diesel luxobarge was made! Following an epic FB thread narrowed choices down to Range Rover, Jag XJ/XF, 7 Series BMW or a phat Merc. Realised I already have a Range Rover, tested an XJ but it didnt ride that well (big wheels), XF would be great as a single car but wasnt really special enough, Mercs were all a bit too sensible or V8 and mega juicy. Drove an E65 730d and loved it, but then this happened: For those that dont do a recognise on sight (why would you, theres only 64) its a V10 VW Phaeton. Some specs: V10, twin turbo diesel - 308hp, 550 lb/ft at 2K RPM Air suspension, 4 damping settings, 2 ride heights 18 way electrically adjustable seats with heat, aircon, 6 way adjustable lumbar and massage Draughtless 4 zone climate control, passive heating (wood slides down over the air vents) Double glazing, 4WD, intelligent gearbox, HBA, EBD, CDC, ASR, ESP, EDL, ABS And its genuinely awesome - the only car that rides like it is a Rolls, its faster than my brothers 123d and over 100 getting on for as quick as my 430hp 135i and is returning over 30mpg despite being driven like you drive a new car totally silent at 80mph, totally isolated from the road, its a weird experience. Even the missus likes it, its easily the best luxobarge Ive ever traveled in and the best Bahnstormer Ive driven - looking forward to a quick jaunt over to Ostend next week and I bet it doesnt even notice it. Only concern is if anythign goes wrong (a single injector is £1K and it has 10, for instance) but you only live once right? Edited March 8, 2017 by docwra 4 Quote
RDON Posted March 8, 2017 Posted March 8, 2017 i have seen a couple of these and had a bit of fun racing with one and they do bloody shift! i was really surprised how well they handle. Quote
un1eash Posted March 8, 2017 Posted March 8, 2017 Boss's mum has the W12 version which has something like 440bhp. 1 Quote
Ekona Posted March 8, 2017 Posted March 8, 2017 My god, that wood interior! You must be a lot older than you look fella Great purchase, I didn't realise they were so rare either. Any car with a T-shaped gear stick like a jet fighter throttle is okay by me 1 Quote
docwra Posted March 8, 2017 Author Posted March 8, 2017 My god, that wood interior! You must be a lot older than you look fella Younger than you mate (I think) ...... Great purchase, I didn't realise they were so rare either. Any car with a T-shaped gear stick like a jet fighter throttle is okay by me It makes V10 noises as well, cant do better than that Quote
Paul K Posted March 8, 2017 Posted March 8, 2017 one of my former colleagues has had a phaeton, and he reckoned it was the best car he's ever had! Quote
Dracostan Posted March 8, 2017 Posted March 8, 2017 Interior trimmed in highest quality David Dickinson 2 Quote
Si8pny Posted March 9, 2017 Posted March 9, 2017 What a great Q car. Didn't realise there was only 64 in the UK! Quote
monkeybrain1234 Posted March 12, 2017 Posted March 12, 2017 No offence but Admire the spec, but can't get over the looks! 2 Quote
docwra Posted March 12, 2017 Author Posted March 12, 2017 Its a lot better in the metal TBH, well proportioned rather than fat but I really dont know why they didnt work a bit harder on the wheels, they are pants. Quote
docwra Posted March 23, 2017 Author Posted March 23, 2017 Bollocks Car had a few minor issues (boot wouldnt open from buttons, just from the key, handbrake ineffective, one of the rear doors doesnt unlock every time) so mailed dealer about 10 days ago - got told he was on holiday. Just tried to call and got no answer on any numbers, website is down ......... yep, hes gone out of business. These things happen but whats particularly annoying was that I paid another £200 for an extended warranty (electrics) but he doesnt seem to have actually given my details to the warranty company, marvellous. :rant: So, keep an eye out for Marcus Edgington, I certainly will be. Quote
rabbitstew Posted March 23, 2017 Posted March 23, 2017 My god, that wood interior! You must be a lot older than you look fella Hahaha! That was exactly my first impressions! I didnt realise he was a pensioner! Mad car, but surely when you factor in the running costs, depreciation, insurance etc you may have well just continued to use the 135i ? 1 Quote
docwra Posted March 23, 2017 Author Posted March 23, 2017 Depreciation isnt going to be a lot, I paid £6500 for it. Its better on fuel than the Bimmer at 31 mpg and has gone straight onto a trade policy so insurance isnt a problem. In the last month BMW has had coilovers, alignment and corner weighting, 2 new front tyres, new front discs, oil cooler, coilpack, plugs .......... Id rather not wear it all out again too quickly 2 Quote
R35LEE Posted March 23, 2017 Posted March 23, 2017 Sound purchase mate! I would have gone 7 Series but at least your new monster is something a little different Quote
rabbitstew Posted March 23, 2017 Posted March 23, 2017 Depreciation isnt going to be a lot, I paid £6500 for it. Its better on fuel than the Bimmer at 31 mpg and has gone straight onto a trade policy so insurance isnt a problem. In the last month BMW has had coilovers, alignment and corner weighting, 2 new front tyres, new front discs, oil cooler, coilpack, plugs .......... Id rather not wear it all out again too quickly Fair enough! Its also subtle enough looking that you can park it somewhere and not worry too much about it. Quote
docwra Posted March 23, 2017 Author Posted March 23, 2017 Sound purchase mate! I would have gone 7 Series but at least your new monster is something a little different The 7 I tried was excellent, really nice and ridiculously cheap for what it was but this was a bit special, lets hope it doesnt go wrong eh? What are you up to these days, still in NE? I should be heading up to visit my mum again soon, let me know if you are and we could catch up over a beer Quote
gareth29 Posted March 23, 2017 Posted March 23, 2017 Great choice, often wondered about these but wouldnt have been brave enough to go for the V10 - enjoy. Looking forward to updates. Quote
docwra Posted March 24, 2017 Author Posted March 24, 2017 The idea was that with a dealer warranty and an extended warranty it wouldnt be too risky. Im on my own now and scared Quote
gareth29 Posted March 27, 2017 Posted March 27, 2017 I've got every faith in all that VW over-engineered goodness - it'll be fine Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.