[s-cars] Non Audi, but VAG question.... VW Touareg V10 TDI vs. V8 opinions?

[Jim Fleischer]

Thanks for the info and opinions, everyone.  From the responses so far, there are die hard V10 TDI fans extolling the virtues of limitless torque and great gas mileage, and those warning of the added expense of regular maintenance and the possible horrors of an engine out service.  Then there is the gas hog V8, of which there are sooooo many more to choose from with fewer miles and at substantially less initial purchase cost.  It seems that there is no question that either would perform just fine for my intended use, it comes down to availability and whether or not I want to spend the $15k+ on a TDI when I can find plenty of V8’s out there for less than $10k.  That $5k+ can buy a lot of gas….

Not gonna lie, I am always attracted to the “top of the line” models of any car I buy, and the TDI is that animal.

>From a general maintenance standpoint, I am used to working on my own stuff 98% of the time.  I am assuming that the V8 would be more likely to be easily maintained on the road than the V10 TDI?  I know they both are going to have greater maintenance considerations than a Ford F150 et al, but I just can’t see myself in something American after having been in mostly Audis for the last 23 years.  Is this a safe assumption?  One other thing, as I’ll be relocating to Whitefish, MT at the end of the summer from Eagle, CO, I would expect there would be greater options for service for the V8 up north than the V10 TDI.

I’m open to other vehicle suggestions, however it seems like the best bang for the buck at the moment is the 2005-07 V8 under 100K miles for less than $10K is the best option for me currently.  Further opinions/suggestions are more than welcome and encouraged.  Thanks!

Best regards,

Jim Fleischer
’95 urS6 avant, 210K
’04 Allroad 6-speed manual, 179K
’89 4Runner SR5 V6 5 Speed, 324K!
23’-25’ Airstream TBD…..