A Used W12 VW Phaeton Costs New Corolla Money, Until That First Engine-Out Repair Bill Arrives

Best known for affordable icons like the Golf and Beetle, Volkswagen attempted the unthinkable at the turn of the millennium: building a world-class luxury flagship. The result was the Phaeton—a masterpiece of over-engineering that ultimately proved a sales disaster. Today, VW’s forgotten luxury experiment stands as one of the ultimate bargains on the used market. Let’s look at how Volkswagen’s boldest gamble unfolded.