At $19,999, Is This 2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI A Daunting Deal?

If there's one thing today's Nice Price or No Dice Touareg has in spades, it's tarmac-torturing torque. That's made possible by its monster V10 TDI mill, which also happens to make it one of the hardest cars in the world to work on. Let's see if it's priced in a way that makes that challenge seem appealing.

Set in 1910's Iowa, Meredith Wilson's "The Music Man" is best remembered for its show-stopping songs and the film version's main performance of Henry Hill by an excessively charming Robert Preston. What stuck with me about the story, however, was the catchphrase uttered by the mayor's daughter, Zaneeta, played by Susan Luckey in the movie, who punctuated most sentences with "Ye Gods!"

Ye gods... er, the gods weren't shining on the 1974 Buick Apollo 350 we looked at on Tuesday, despite the car having been named for one of the Greek Pantheon of other-earthly orchestrators of fate. At issue were the car's somewhat lackluster appeal and, by contrast, its high $9,500 asking price. Sadly for its seller, that didn't stand a prayer in our vote, eventually ending up with a 65% "No Dice" loss.

I don't think anyone would argue Volkswagen got a little weird back in the early aughts. The company, known for and named for being the car of the people, attempted a push into the rarified air of a higher-end, more exclusive (and hence more profitable) auto category. This was at the behest of the then CEO Ferdinand Piëch, the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, who drove the company's R&D budget to historic heights. The result was a handful of new models, market entries, and engines that made Audi execs go, "WTF?" Unfortunately for Piëch and VW, most of those turned out to be flops. They were glorious flops, but flops nonetheless.

One vehicle introduced in VW's upmarket push that survived, and in fact, thrived was the Touareg. An entry into the extremely hot SUV/Crossover category, the five-door 4Motion wagon hit a lot of the right chords for car buyers. It was also one of the most expensive cars VW ever offered, only ceding the title to the limited-production and crazily expensive Phaeton.

Over the course of its production run, the Touareg offered an amazing array of engine displacements and cylinder counts. This 2004 Volkswagen Touareg has one of the most interesting—and most difficult to maintain—engines in that lineup: the 5.0-liter V10 direct-injected turbo-diesel. That massive mill, crammed into the tight confines of the Touareg's engine bay, delivers a solid 309 horsepower and an astounding 553 pound-feet of torque. That was enough that, in a promotional stunt, VW had a V10 Touareg tow a 747.

The problem, of course, with an engine so large and complicated in so small a space is that almost every major repair is an engine-out affair. It's a good thing, then, that this Touareg is said to come with an extensive service history in its Carfax report and to be a one-owner car with a mere 98,176 miles under its belt. The dealer offering the car further claims it to be "100% stock, with no modifications!"

The seller also notes the Touareg V10's appreciable exclusivity. Not many were sold here in the States, as Volkswagen had trouble meeting ever-tighter emissions regulations during the model's production run. That meant it sat out the 2005 model year and was only available in some states for the next three years until the engine was pulled from the option list. What VW later did to make its diesels appear less dirty is scandalous, but that doesn't affect this model.

Its diesel engine may not be the cleanest in the world, but the rest of this Touareg does present as neat and tidy. The white-over-gray leather color combo is described by the seller as "popular," but it's more inoffensive than aspirational. The ad accurately describes the car as having no significant flaws, with bodywork and paint appearing unmarred, and the factory five-spoke alloys seemingly having no history of curb encounters.

Craigslist

The cabin isn't just clean; it looks almost as new. As we discussed, this was part of VW's attempt at upmarket cars, and the materials and specs bear that out. This Touareg is loaded to the gills with features and luxury accommodations. It also has more buttons than one might be used to coming from a more modern car. Yes, there's an infotainment screen in the dash with built-in navigation, but it's surrounded by a sea of buttons and knobs. There's also wood and brightwork, adding to the fanciness.

With fuel prices skyrocketing, this may not be the right time to even be considering a V10-powered anything. Of course, those fuel price increases are only felt by the poors, serving only as a minor inconvenience for the wealthy. This Touareg was originally intended for the well-to-do, and that shouldn't change now. Let's now help them out and advise on the value of this clean-title Touareg at its $19,999 asking price.

What do you think about spending a buck shy of twenty grand for this rare twenty-two-year-old ten-cylinder SUV? Does that seem like a good deal and a solid plan? Or is that too much for what's likely the tip of the iceberg on fuel and maintenance costs, no matter how richy-rich you might be?

You decide!

Portland, Oregon, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Chris Reyes for the hookup!

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