Touareg vs Tiguan

This post is mainly to vent but feel free to point to out the error in my logic if you feel I'm wrong....

I've been helping my girlfriend look at cars. After weeks of looking, driving, discussing them, etc... I thought she had come to a decision. She walked away from small crossovers like the Santa Fe, RAV4, Tiguan, etc because she said "it's too small". She likes the Toyota Highlander but hasn't found one that she likes. We found a nice, certified 2007 VW Touareg V6 with only 25K miles on it for $26500. After 2 weeks of me arguing with the dealer and coming to a deal she's thinking that she doesn't want it. She doesn't want to spend that much money and is now looking at a certified 2009 VW Tiguan for $22,600 that also has 25K miles (a lot for a 2009).

The Touareg is AWD, has heated, leather seats in the front and rear, dual zone climate controls in the front and rear (4-zones), it's larger too which helps with a car seat, and even drives better. MPG is 16/20.

The Tiguan SE is 4-cyl, FWD, has a better sunroof, also heated leather seats in the front (only), no dual zone climate controls, etc. MPG is 18/24. She drives about 12K miles per year so fuel savings is not that much on 2-3 MPG difference.

My rational for the Touareg is that it has taken more deprecation and will hold resale better over the next 3 years while the 2009 model will continue to depreciate at a higher rate so that initial $4K difference will be minimized. In the meantime, the Touareg is a much nicer vehicle.

Am I missing something?

Am I missing something?

Just the fact that it isn't what "she" wants.

Well actually I did get that. Funny thing is she really likes the Touareg better. I shouldn't let it get to me but her failure to see past the initial $4K difference is killing me.

Touareg, hands down

We used to have a Toureg. Awesome car BUT the v-6 cannot get out of it's own way...

You will be visiting the repair shop frequently.

Be prepared.

get this so you can pull something with it and gets the same mpg.
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/ctd/1558895904.html

I just picked a used touareg V8. Find one with good service records and look up the VW real drivers extended warranty. We love it. Comfy as all hell perfect for our family of 4. Only down side is it drinks 91 octane like an alcoholic. Small price to pay for a nice vehicle that is fast as hell, comfy, fun to drive, looks great and can tow a boat or go through snow no problem. I agree with your theory about the depreciation.

Jim is always prepared to naysay, but never has any documented facts to back up his statements.

Jim, stop trolling if you don't have anything to document your claims, or give me some hard facts about why you hate all German cars.

Either that, or you could make Jim happy and we could all be driving Honda Civics. Apparently the japanese are the only ones able to build cars.

Chad.... It's her choice. Allow her to make it. The worst thing you could do is push her toward a car she doesn't like. Then she's stuck with it. At least if she makes the decision she has nobody to blame but herself if she doesn't like it.

Also, FWIW... Make sure she gets what she really wants. When my wife and I were dating I tried to get her to buy a nice pre-owned BMW 3-series. She really wanted it, but couldn't justify the cost. Two cars and $10k in depreciation, who knows how much in interest, she finally bought the car she wanted in the first place. My personal thought is to just nut up the first time. Get what you really want, and hold onto it. Just my thought.

You will be visiting the repair shop frequently.

Be prepared.


We've had three VW's in recent years and never had a single issue with any of them.

Evan, good advice. I was really just venting because she couldn't understand my logic and was driving me crazy. I think she's going to buy the Touareg and blame me when something goes wrong.

Didnt mean to get the German car lovers all bent out of shape. Just stating facts.

The 2009 Volkswagen Touareg reliability score of 4.0 out of 10 is the Predicted Reliability rating provided by J.D. Power and Associates. This score is based on trending the past three years of historical initial quality and dependability data from J.D. Power's automotive studies, specifically the Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) and the Initial Quality Study (IQS).

Like all Volkswagens, the 2009 Touareg2 is covered by a three-year/36,000-mile basic limited warranty. Powertrain coverage is provided for five-years or 60,000-miles. The new Volkswagen Carefree Maintenance program provides free scheduled maintenance for three-years or 36,000-miles.

http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Volkswagen_Touareg/2009/Reliability/

Chad, good luck. Ha, ha, ha. I've drivin a Q7 with the 3.6 in it and thought it did just fine. I'm sure a Toureg with that motor would be great.

Yah, yah, yah... I can read studies all day long. Of the cars I've had under warranty: wifes Jetta never went back for warranty, wifes Boxster never went back for warranty, wifes Audi has never gone back for warranty. So I guess I've just been lucky.

That said, everyone says the Ford 6.0 is junk, too and mine never went in once for warranty, either.

I guess I should play the lotto.

http://www.jdpower.com/autos/ratings/dependability-ratings-by-brand

Looks like you should buy a Jaguar, apparently. Who saw that coming. Ha, ha, ha.

Looks like some slightly contradictory reporting here. Hmmmm.

Here's the problem with JD Power and consumer reports on the Touareg... they are based on the 2004 model and were never re-evaulated after quality had improved on later models.

I've had 2 VW's.. a 7 year old GTI while living in Germany that I drove the heck out of everyday at 100mph+ and it never gave me one problem. The other is 2006 Jetta TDI that my ex-wife left in the driveway with the sunroof open during a thunderstorm in 2007; 3" of standing water in the car. Insurance replaced the seats, radio, steering wheel, GPS, carpet, etc but I was worried about the potential VW electrical problems... No issues to date.

I've owned 4 Japanese cars and they were reliable. In fact, I bet my money that they would be more reliable than a German car. The problem is that every now and then.. you have to drive them.

" The problem is that every now and then.. you have to drive them."


Hahahah. I love my 530i!

We're on our 4th VW. Couple of minor issues, like sensors failing that result in check engine lights, but they've never let us down. I'll continue to buy them.