Love them or hate them, cars developed under the tutelage of Ferdinand Piech are certainly memorable. Veyron, Continental GT and now the XL1 are three cars you can't fail to have an opinion about.
All are known as products of Piech's exacting attention to engineering detail, where seemingly trivial factors are meticulously optimised and refined to the nth degree. The fact the Veyron (and probably the XL1 also) sell at a loss for VW is the corollary of Piech's approach to development.
But experiencing Piech's work doesn't come cheap. Today we've seen the price of the XL1 'confirmed' at 119,000 euros, for example and, though they have depreciated, Veyrons aren't likely to become YKYWT fodder anytime soon. Furthermore, though original four-door Continentals have done just that, £30,000 isn't really that cheap.
£6.5K though, in the grand scheme of things, certainly is. That's all this rather badly photographed, 142,000-mile Phaeton will cost you, interior resplendent with wood trim that's probably best described as tan coloured.
But it is the V10 diesel. Behind the BMW tri-turbo unit and maybe the XL1, it's the most PH-worthy of all diesels. Though its 310hp and 553lb ft no longer raise eyebrows in 2013, they were staggering figures back in the mid-2000s. And V10s are just cool, petrol or diesel.
Phaeton clearly too big even for pictures
Remember the Phaeton's USP? Piech claimed that this 2.5-tonne barge could maintain 186mph in 50-degree heat whilst the cabin temperature remained constant at 22 degrees Celsius. This is despite no Phaeton being capable of more than 155mph.
It's that sort of approach that makes it more appealing as a used prospect. The interior is festooned with kit though, so check everything works. And though it's a diesel, the Phaeton is still a 5.0-litre V10; claimed mpg is 24 and CO2 is rated at 308g/km. But there's no cambelt to change and VW has never issued a recall for any Phaeton.
Moreover, this particular V10 has been serviced 10 times (the last 6,000 miles ago at the start of the year) and the MOT runs until April. A fairly detailed ad makes the Box Brownie pics all the more bemusing.
Other V10 Phaetons are around for nearer £10K, making this car a rather interesting prospect. The wantonly inoffensive styling is hardly inspirational, but isn't that all part of the Phaeton appeal? It's a rare example of the engineers winning, and we can't help but admire it for that.
VW PHAETON V10 TDI
Price: £6,500
Why you should: When will there be another chance to buy a V10 diesel for £6,500?
Why you shouldn't: S-Class, 7 Series, XJ, A8...
See the original advert here