G?day,
After sitting on the sidelines for months and voraciously reading everything I could find on Touareg?s I have finally taken the plunge and purchased a 2005 Shadow Blue V8. I found the car in Melbourne, Australia via the internet. It had 19,500 klms, 12 months new car warranty and a good price - $67,000. (@ $US62,310) The car had been owned by a Melbourne CEO who lived and worked in Camberwell and occasionally travelled to Mornington Peninsula to visit the wineries. I flew down from Canberra with the usual worries about whether the car would live up to the photos and the description of ?in immaculate condition?. I am glad to report the car was exactly as described. It had the usual V8 features including satnav and sunroof. After completing vehicle checks I pronounced myself satisfied, handed over my cash and received a weighty Owner?s manual and two sets of keys. With the Dealers parting words of ?Enjoy it sonnie!?, I headed off for a 700klm trip to Canberra.
The trip was a great chance to get to know the car. It was raining lightly on the Hume Highway and a little greasy at times. However, the Treg handled it with surefooted grace, poise and power. Did I say power?? Ohhhh boy!! I was grinning like an idiot the first time I dropped it into Sport and used the paddle shifters to raise the engine from a low warble to a delightful, menacing howl. Remember Wily E Coyote chasing the Roadrunner? First, his legs start spinning. Suddenly, they engage and take off yanking his body behind him and then his head catches up. Well, my experience in the Treg was similar. Despite her bulk the Treg can move when she wants. Indeed, I feel she?s a sort of Leopard tank (also designed and built by Germans) craftily hidden below curvy blue and chrome lines.
Many of you have already spoken about the quality of the Touareg interior. Suffice to say I felt cosseted and pampered and the leather steering wheel did a great job absorbing the sweat leaching from my palms as I gripped the wheel. I loved the King of the Road driving position and the feel of the vehicle. I was wondering what sort of jungle juice Jeremy Clarkson was on when he bagged the Touareg on Top Gear. For me it was pure pleasure.
There is a lot to explore about the car but I found myself getting a pang of anxiety and thinking, ?What the?..??!!? when an automated function, like rain sensitive wipers, sprang into action unexpectedly. Still it has to pass the spouse and daughter test. As I pulled into our driveway I found my wife and daughter were fighting about who would get the front seat. My wife won. She loved the individual climate control and the glove box wine cooler. My daughter reckoned the instrumentation lighting was like a red meteorite shower. In a flash, my wife replied, ?You?re just star tregged!!? Neither wanted to get out of the car!
So far so good. I plan to use the vehicle for some limited off road use, plenty of trips to the snow, runs up to Sydney with the business and, of course, the usual suburban stuff in Canberra. There have been no mechanical issues to date. As far as I can tell the only thing done under warranty, apart from a service, is a piece of trim has been replaced. My only gripe is the tyres. The previous owner replaced two of the 18??Bridgestone tyres with Goodyears. I really don?t like the idea of two different pairs of tyres on the car. Grateful for any advice on whether I should change all four with new tyres and if so any suggestions for replacements. Also, as far as I can tell, I don?t believe the car has had the VWA 90D7 recall work. Unfortunately, no photo?s just yet. I need to get the Treg into the car wash. Once she?s clean and polished I?ll load up a few for your viewing pleasure.
The Treg?s a blast. Beam me up Scotty! :mrgreen:
Cheers,
Colin
2005, Shadow Blue V8
After sitting on the sidelines for months and voraciously reading everything I could find on Touareg?s I have finally taken the plunge and purchased a 2005 Shadow Blue V8. I found the car in Melbourne, Australia via the internet. It had 19,500 klms, 12 months new car warranty and a good price - $67,000. (@ $US62,310) The car had been owned by a Melbourne CEO who lived and worked in Camberwell and occasionally travelled to Mornington Peninsula to visit the wineries. I flew down from Canberra with the usual worries about whether the car would live up to the photos and the description of ?in immaculate condition?. I am glad to report the car was exactly as described. It had the usual V8 features including satnav and sunroof. After completing vehicle checks I pronounced myself satisfied, handed over my cash and received a weighty Owner?s manual and two sets of keys. With the Dealers parting words of ?Enjoy it sonnie!?, I headed off for a 700klm trip to Canberra.
The trip was a great chance to get to know the car. It was raining lightly on the Hume Highway and a little greasy at times. However, the Treg handled it with surefooted grace, poise and power. Did I say power?? Ohhhh boy!! I was grinning like an idiot the first time I dropped it into Sport and used the paddle shifters to raise the engine from a low warble to a delightful, menacing howl. Remember Wily E Coyote chasing the Roadrunner? First, his legs start spinning. Suddenly, they engage and take off yanking his body behind him and then his head catches up. Well, my experience in the Treg was similar. Despite her bulk the Treg can move when she wants. Indeed, I feel she?s a sort of Leopard tank (also designed and built by Germans) craftily hidden below curvy blue and chrome lines.
Many of you have already spoken about the quality of the Touareg interior. Suffice to say I felt cosseted and pampered and the leather steering wheel did a great job absorbing the sweat leaching from my palms as I gripped the wheel. I loved the King of the Road driving position and the feel of the vehicle. I was wondering what sort of jungle juice Jeremy Clarkson was on when he bagged the Touareg on Top Gear. For me it was pure pleasure.
There is a lot to explore about the car but I found myself getting a pang of anxiety and thinking, ?What the?..??!!? when an automated function, like rain sensitive wipers, sprang into action unexpectedly. Still it has to pass the spouse and daughter test. As I pulled into our driveway I found my wife and daughter were fighting about who would get the front seat. My wife won. She loved the individual climate control and the glove box wine cooler. My daughter reckoned the instrumentation lighting was like a red meteorite shower. In a flash, my wife replied, ?You?re just star tregged!!? Neither wanted to get out of the car!
So far so good. I plan to use the vehicle for some limited off road use, plenty of trips to the snow, runs up to Sydney with the business and, of course, the usual suburban stuff in Canberra. There have been no mechanical issues to date. As far as I can tell the only thing done under warranty, apart from a service, is a piece of trim has been replaced. My only gripe is the tyres. The previous owner replaced two of the 18??Bridgestone tyres with Goodyears. I really don?t like the idea of two different pairs of tyres on the car. Grateful for any advice on whether I should change all four with new tyres and if so any suggestions for replacements. Also, as far as I can tell, I don?t believe the car has had the VWA 90D7 recall work. Unfortunately, no photo?s just yet. I need to get the Treg into the car wash. Once she?s clean and polished I?ll load up a few for your viewing pleasure.
The Treg?s a blast. Beam me up Scotty! :mrgreen:
Cheers,
Colin
2005, Shadow Blue V8
