Are either of these a good deal?

[dub-Nation]

I am thinking of trading in my lease for a used Routan from the dealer.

My dealer has two Routan's in stock. Both at 2009s. Not sure if there were any changes since 2009, but please let me know if there are.

1) 2009 VW Routan SE / BLACK on GRAY / $30,000 Miles - $16,950 without Pre-Owned Certification

2) 2009 VW Routan SE / WHITE on GRAY / $60,000 Miles - $??? (Comes with Sunroof and Roof Racks) with Pre-Owned Certification

I figure the SE is the best for me instead of the SEL, because I can always add and upgrade the radio and TV options. Just looking for a good platform to start off with.

Please help. Should I do it?

[aeitingon]

seems like an ok price. lots of changes since '09 (most importantly the engine changed in '11). people will tell you the 2009 is the most problem-prone. Mine has be ok so far (bought it used 6 months ago).

[dub-Nation]

Is the new motor a VW motor or still a Dodge motor?

Also, got more info on the White One, it's close to the same price $16,550 and it comes with PreOwn Certification.

[huskerdave]

I would go with 2011 and above if possible, it had the new 3.6L engine with more horsepower than the old 3.8 or 4.0 that came in the 2010 and under. I think the 09 SE was a 3.8l engine... Not the best and got some bad reviews and the 09 SEL had the better option of the 4.0. If you have a room to move up on cost, I would go with a 2011. I waited for a year and got a 2011, I am glad I did. Oh and all years are pretty much Chrysler/Dodge sourced including the engines..

[bond007pr]

I agree with what huskerdave said, but if you were to choose between the 2, go with the white one, it's certified, if something goes wrong, it will be still covered by warranty.

Thanks

[paf]

The biggest issues with routan that seem to be mentioned are:

1) Brakes (almost everyone had theirs share of woes with OEM brakes)
2) Engine Oil consumption in small percentage of cars
3) Resale value

Assuming that the first 2 have solutions the 3rd one will hurt the most. Depending on your financial objectives the 30K / 16.5 deal would be best because you still have time to observe 1 and 2 under warranty and 16,5 is not much for a car these days (I remember when you could buy a brand new Caravan for 12K... does that date me?).

IF buying new might be an option for you, again, consider #3 -- how much to you want to retain from your car after 3,5,7 years?

[dub-Nation]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think we are going to wait abit, possibly till next year when things get more settled on our end. We plan on trading in our lease MK6 Jetta S for something with more balls and more room.

It's a toss up between a Routan and a Tiguan. I want Routan and the wife wants a Tiguan. It's an on going battle, but we'll see who wins in our family.

Thanks again everyone!

[Zambee500]

Seems a bit high on the price. Just took a quick look at the web-site of my local VW dealer, and they have three '09 Routan SE models as CPO and all of them are <$16k w/ 40-50k miles. They were all priced in the mid-to-upper $17s and "just reduced" by about $2k and now in the $15s. And that's just asking price.

If it were me (again), I wouldn't get an '09. I'd try for an '11 to get the new engine, even if it meant stretching the payments over an extra year. If I couldn't afford that, and couldn't wait, then I'd go for a '10. The '09 MY was the first year for VW (even though '08 was first year for Dodge and Chrysler), and VW worked out some kinks from the '09 MY for '10. You lose a few options with '10, but it doesn't sound like you're looking for all of the options anyway. I would have preferred leatherette (SE) to leather (SEL & SEL Premium), but the 4.0L (SEL & SEL Premium) was more important to me than the 3.8L (S and SE) so I ended up in an SEL. I would absolutely make that same choice again if I had to get an '09 or '10. The '11 and '12 only offer one engine, so that makes the decision easier if you can afford to get the newer MY.

Resale value sucks bad on these, so if you can wait a little bit the '11 MY should fall into your price-range soon enough.