My brother found one with about 80k on it for about $20k. The intent is to have his wife use it as the kid hauler for about a year.
What kind of issues (if any) do these things have? Is that 4.2 V8 one of the direct injection motors that can get really gunked up over time?
I should also note that he lives in Alaska.
I’m not sure if anyone here has one or has personal experience with them.
My touareg had a air bag fail at 130K or so but it was a 04 and that will happen on a 10-12 year old car. The 4.2 is a stout engine. From my research the 4.2 V8 is a better choice than the V6 mostly because they get about the same real world MPG and the V8 sounds fantastic. Yes they are plagued with intake carbon issues. It will have to be cleaned at some point.
edit: I loved my touareg to death. I miss it, and it was probably one of the best vehicles I have owned.
Seems like if his budget is 20k he’d be much better off looking at non-lux brands so he could get something newer and less likely to have problems than an 8 year old 80k SUV.
If I was trying to be ballin on a budget I would not even look at German vehicles. I would be all over Lexus or Infiniti.
I believe it’s the same motor or similar to what’s in the s4. They are plagued by timing chain issues and its a $3,000+ job
+1
Let me clarify the premise of this purchase:
a) He only needs it for a year
b) He needs something with minivan capacity
c) He lives in Alaska so no FWD minivans
d) He wants the comfort features for his wife
Are you sure? I did a quick search and read that most are pretty stout. But this is why I’d like those who know more about Audi to comment.
I was in the same type of situation 2-3 years ago when I bought my 4runner, same budget, I really wanted a touareg but the didn’t want to deal with the issues of a 50k+ mile German car.
I have taken my 4runner from 60k-90k, its still on all OEM parts, that type of stuff doesn’t happen in a Touareg.
Also the Q7 is at a Chevy dealership where the salesman told him it had a V6… so he’s NOT going to have access to maintenance records, etc.
They actually did look into 4Runners as well. But they might not even need it for another 30k.
Pre purchase inspection is key here. If it’s been meticulously maintained, it has the potential to be a good truck, however the asking price is really steep. These are 16-17k trucks all day long.
However, if I didn’t do my own work, I likely wouldn’t own one.
Alaska 
Is there anything he can look for to rule it in or out?
That generation of 4.2L does not have the common timing chain issues. At that mileage I wouldn’t worry about a clogged intake port issue. Other than possible MMi issues, those I have seen, I wouldn’t worry about it and move forward with the purchase. The only thing I would do before pulling the trigger is see if they can find a reputable independent mechanic that works on them.
At what mileage does it become an issue?
For those reading this thread, this is was we’re talking about:
Thanks, I’ll have him look for potential sunroof leaks / water intrusion. My truck had a similar problem where water knocked out the Bluetooth module and since everything is fiber optic the nav / audio didn’t want to work.
And yeah I told him he’ll have to find a place to take it. Definitely not the dealership where it’s being sold, lol.
Know what the best “comfort feature” for a family hauler is? Not having some old German engineering leave you stranded in the wilderness of Alaska being eaten by bears. Having fancy Audi features comes in a close 2nd though.
Still voting for a well optioned Pilot, Highlander or CX-9. For 20k you can get a CPO and a year from now sell it for just slightly less than you paid all while not worrying about trying to find Audi Q7 parts in Alaska.
Lease something more affordable for a year.
I was considering a Q7- Q5 a few years ago but I decided to buy a 08 touareg w/ 2 year CPO warranty. Only reason I went that route was my intentions was to get rid of it after the 2 year CPO warranty was up and thank god I did. I sold it to my mom and I told her to get an extended warranty before the CPO ran out. Sure enough 4 days after CPO warranty ran out she had to get the drive shaft replaced (common problem from what i read on the VW forum). Anyways I decided against the Q7/Q5 because the CPO and financing was a no brainier from VW.
We actually went to a 4runner after the Touareg and I hate it. My wife loves it but I don’t even drive it I hate it so much. Luckily we leased and it will be replaced with something else.
If he’s set on a Q7 find one from the south. My .02.
Just for comparison… I think it was June of 2012 I bought my 2008 Touareg VR6 down south (VA) with 22k miles on it for close to 25k… not a spot of rust on the thing.
I think he should just barter for an old conversion suburban like the Brown Family
Just buy a used Escalade if you want to ball but are poor. Toss some blades on it and a boom in the truck to finish the poor.
Selection is an issue here. When they looked at Toyota they were told they’d need to order one new if they wanted 3rd row seating.
For example there are only 2 used Honda Pilots for sale in a 500 mile search from his house, and all are nearly $30k.
It’s not as back-woods up there as you’d think but it’s not as easy to find exactly what you want. Here we can search multiple states, dealerships can do trades out of state, etc.
They found this on a used lot and thought it fit the bill.
Appreciate the input though.
Sorry didn’t read he lives in Alaska. Been one of those days.
