Buick Lucerne vs VW Phaeton
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I've noticed the same similarities, especially from the rear. Now if only the rest of the Buick was half as good as the Phaeton...
The Phaeton is dead...VW is no longer building it because of low sales and lack of interest from the VW faithful.
Nice car, but it was too expensive for the average VW buyer. VW has seemed to have forgotten that it's the Peoples' Car, not the Rich Man's Car. Check the prices on a new Passat or Jetta lately? Sticker shock to say the least. VW is really alienating or snubbing it's core customer base big time with their newfound jacked up prices. Considering their financial woes, this is not a good idea because sales are not going to be good on their two core platforms.
Nice car, but it was too expensive for the average VW buyer. VW has seemed to have forgotten that it's the Peoples' Car, not the Rich Man's Car. Check the prices on a new Passat or Jetta lately? Sticker shock to say the least. VW is really alienating or snubbing it's core customer base big time with their newfound jacked up prices. Considering their financial woes, this is not a good idea because sales are not going to be good on their two core platforms.
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Facts please. The Phaeton is not dead, neither is its D3 platform twin, the Audi A8. VW will, per VW CEO Pietschesrieder, keep making the Phaeton until a replacement comes out. The Phaeton was admittedly a failure that's likely connected to VW quality and management problems going back to about 2000.
Your prognosis of VW's future is in my opinion dead-wrong. VW will be one of the two or three Euro manufacturers surviving for a long time to come. Watch VW gaining an even stronger foothold in China in the very near future.
Your prognosis of VW's future is in my opinion dead-wrong. VW will be one of the two or three Euro manufacturers surviving for a long time to come. Watch VW gaining an even stronger foothold in China in the very near future.
Difference is the Phaeton has better quality along with it being twice the cost.
Another factor is you must be a AARP member to drive any Buick.
There's too many other cars in that class I would buy before buying a $75K Phaeton.
Edmunds.com review.
Pros
Powerful engine lineup, superb interior craftsmanship, standard all-wheel drive, more passenger room and simpler interior controls than competitors.
Cons
Excessive weight impedes handling, poor fuel economy, premium price for a non-premium brand.
There's no doubt that the Phaeton is a full-size luxury sedan of the highest caliber. Like every other premium luxo-cruiser on the market, it delivers heaping amounts of power, faultless construction and enough luxury amenities to keep four passengers content even on the longest of trips. There's a reason it costs as much as it does, and those with the means to buy it aren't likely to be disappointed.
But the question remains: Why buy the Phaeton and its Volkswagen baggage when you could get one of its equally competent and more prestigious rivals for roughly the same price? Rational reasons are few and far between. The Phaeton doesn't offer anything that the others don't and its slightly lower price has little relevance for this class of car. Since its launch in the fall of 2003, the Phaeton has by all accounts been a sales flop. Then there's the question of its future. In the likely event that Volkswagen decides not to build a second-generation Phaeton, owners of this car will be left holding the keys to a very expensive experiment. If that's a risk you're willing to take, the Phaeton will most likely reward you with many years of faithful service. If it's not, buy one of its equally qualified rivals instead.
But the question remains: Why buy the Phaeton and its Volkswagen baggage when you could get one of its equally competent and more prestigious rivals for roughly the same price? Rational reasons are few and far between. The Phaeton doesn't offer anything that the others don't and its slightly lower price has little relevance for this class of car. Since its launch in the fall of 2003, the Phaeton has by all accounts been a sales flop. Then there's the question of its future. In the likely event that Volkswagen decides not to build a second-generation Phaeton, owners of this car will be left holding the keys to a very expensive experiment. If that's a risk you're willing to take, the Phaeton will most likely reward you with many years of faithful service. If it's not, buy one of its equally qualified rivals instead.
Another factor is you must be a AARP member to drive any Buick.
There's too many other cars in that class I would buy before buying a $75K Phaeton.
Edmunds.com review.
Pros
Powerful engine lineup, superb interior craftsmanship, standard all-wheel drive, more passenger room and simpler interior controls than competitors.
Cons
Excessive weight impedes handling, poor fuel economy, premium price for a non-premium brand.
There's no doubt that the Phaeton is a full-size luxury sedan of the highest caliber. Like every other premium luxo-cruiser on the market, it delivers heaping amounts of power, faultless construction and enough luxury amenities to keep four passengers content even on the longest of trips. There's a reason it costs as much as it does, and those with the means to buy it aren't likely to be disappointed.
But the question remains: Why buy the Phaeton and its Volkswagen baggage when you could get one of its equally competent and more prestigious rivals for roughly the same price? Rational reasons are few and far between. The Phaeton doesn't offer anything that the others don't and its slightly lower price has little relevance for this class of car. Since its launch in the fall of 2003, the Phaeton has by all accounts been a sales flop. Then there's the question of its future. In the likely event that Volkswagen decides not to build a second-generation Phaeton, owners of this car will be left holding the keys to a very expensive experiment. If that's a risk you're willing to take, the Phaeton will most likely reward you with many years of faithful service. If it's not, buy one of its equally qualified rivals instead.
But the question remains: Why buy the Phaeton and its Volkswagen baggage when you could get one of its equally competent and more prestigious rivals for roughly the same price? Rational reasons are few and far between. The Phaeton doesn't offer anything that the others don't and its slightly lower price has little relevance for this class of car. Since its launch in the fall of 2003, the Phaeton has by all accounts been a sales flop. Then there's the question of its future. In the likely event that Volkswagen decides not to build a second-generation Phaeton, owners of this car will be left holding the keys to a very expensive experiment. If that's a risk you're willing to take, the Phaeton will most likely reward you with many years of faithful service. If it's not, buy one of its equally qualified rivals instead.
The VW Phaeton is no longer being imported into the U.S., though the marque's sales figures have fared better overseas. After existing stock is sold off over here, that's it for the Phaeton in the U.S.
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Most models that are made overseas don't ever get imported into the US. That doesn't mean they're dead. The claim was that VW was not making the Phaeton anymore, which was an incorrect statement.
I never stated that the Phaeton wasn't continuing in production for overseas markets.
If VW had done with the Phaeton what Mercedes did with the Maybach, i.e., NOT put the parent company's name on the car, I think things would have been a lot different in the US. If they'd left off the VW and just badged the car "Phaeton" it would have had a cache all its own without the pedestrian baggage that comes with the VW name.
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I didn't say you stated that. 99 said the Phaeton was dead and that VW was no longer building it. See third post from the top in this thread.
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You are projecting. The pedestrian image is but in your head. The times of the Beetle are long gone. You might as well say BMW should stick with building Isettas.
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I don't think so. Brand identity in the US is a BIG factor for those willing to spend over $50K for a car. How successful do you think Toyota would have been with the Lexus if they had branded it as a Toyota and sold it through Toyota dealerships? Same thing with Infiniti for Nissan. These two companies made a conscious decision long before the first car was loaded on a ship to differentiate these luxury brands from the parent name and company and it paid off. Mercedes/BMW/Audi buyers who would not be caught dead in a Toyota flocked to the showrooms and the rest is, as they say, history. VW should have taken the same approach, IMO.quote:
Originally posted by moribundman:
You are projecting. The pedestrian image is but in your head. The times of the Beetle are long gone. You might as well say BMW should stick with building Isettas.
I think you'll find that Buick quality is as good if not better than any European manufacturers.Especially VW.
The Euros are in third place in quality behind the Japanese and the US.
[ March 20, 2006, 06:43 PM: Message edited by: 59 Vetteman ]
The Euros are in third place in quality behind the Japanese and the US.
[ March 20, 2006, 06:43 PM: Message edited by: 59 Vetteman ]
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Yes, some people will fall for brand names. People who are clueless.
[ March 20, 2006, 06:44 PM: Message edited by: 59 Vetteman ]
[ March 20, 2006, 06:44 PM: Message edited by: 59 Vetteman ]
Phaeton = Way too expensive, bottom line.
The Lucerne is not a bad car for the over 80 set. GM actually did that one right.
[ March 20, 2006, 06:44 PM: Message edited by: 59 Vetteman ]
The Lucerne is not a bad car for the over 80 set. GM actually did that one right.
[ March 20, 2006, 06:44 PM: Message edited by: 59 Vetteman ]
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I think an 80 year old will need a car a lot hotter than a Buick to pick up some hot chicks.
PS: I've had a Buick. It was the single worst piece of refuse I've owned in my life.
PS: I've had a Buick. It was the single worst piece of refuse I've owned in my life.
What I'll never understand is why VW felt they needed a high end luxury car when the same manufacturer builds Audi. In any case, the profit margins increase much faster with price than does the added cost to build the higher end car.
However, if VW had built their 2001 Microbus concept instead of the Phaeton (from what I've read they didn't have the $ to do both), they'd be awash in profits with the coolest minivan on the market:
Instead VW's going to rebadge next-gen Dodge Caravans.
However, if VW had built their 2001 Microbus concept instead of the Phaeton (from what I've read they didn't have the $ to do both), they'd be awash in profits with the coolest minivan on the market:
Instead VW's going to rebadge next-gen Dodge Caravans.
I spent quite a few hours behind the wheel of a V8 Phaeton. Impressive car. Expensive too. I liked being able to adjust the suspension while driving on a long road trip that had straight aways and curvy roads. Heated and cooled seats were a nice feature as well.
I thought it did not share the A8 platform though...I thought it was a ground up design.
I thought it did not share the A8 platform though...I thought it was a ground up design.
Not only does the Phaeton share the A8 platform, that platform is also the basis for the new 195 mph Bentley Continental Flying Spur.
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