This 97,000-Mile Volkswagen Phaeton W12 Is So Clean, There's No Way It Would Ruin Your Life

Photo: Cars & Bids

The Volkswagen Phaeton is one of those cars that, at least on some level, everyone who knows it exists wants to experience. It’s basically a Bentley with a Volkswagen badge, and these days, even a Phaeton W12 can be temptingly cheap. Then again, there’s a reason they’ve depreciated so much. As it turns out, a Bentley with a VW badge still comes with the running costs of a Bentley, and buying a cheap Phaeton could easily ruin you financially. What if you bought one that was incredibly clean despite being driven nearly 100,000 miles, though?

The car in question is a 2004 Volkswagen Phaeton W12 Premiere Edition painted in the rarely seen color Antibes Blue Metallic, and it’s currently for sale on Cars & Bids. And while the listing says it has 97,000 miles on the odometer, you’d never know it just by looking at the car. Aside from some minor interior wear and one cracked rear passenger speaker, this car looks like it’s barely been driven, and from 10 feet away, you wouldn’t be wrong to assume it’s hardly ever been driven.

Photo: Cars & Bids

Sure, buying any of the other Volkswagen Phaetons out there would be a terrible idea, especially if you got one with the complicated 6.0-liter W12 engine. But this one is so nice. It’s so clean. Surely, this particular Volkswagen Phaeton W12 can be trusted, right? This Phaeton and this Phaeton alone would definitely treat you right. It would start every time and never leave you stranded. It would barely need any of that expensive maintenance that all the other Phaetons use to drain your savings, cause an irreparable rift in your marriage, force you to move into a studio apartment and keep you from seeing your kids except for every other weekend.

After all, if it was going to do all of those terrible things to you, why would it look so good? So safe? So approachable? We’re telling you. You can definitely trust this Phaeton. It is the one Phaeton that won’t ruin your life. We promise.