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My youngest girl and her husband bought a Touareg in 2011. Never had any issues with it at all. She's driving a 2013 model now and her only complaint is fuel mileage, otherwise zero issues with either vehicle. I do have a bud that has a Highlander that he wishes somebody else owned. He can't keep the POS out of the dealers shop. It's always there for something and it's never cheap. If you want a Toyota, consider the Sequoia. I know several folks with those and they love them. Otherwise, look at a Tahoe with the 5.3 FLEX engine. They're fairly bulletproof and get great fuel mileage on the hiway if you have a clue how to drive, anyway. Even though I buy Fords, avoid the Expedition. The engines suck at best with the 5.4 3V engine being the worst in reliability and power. If you can afford new, look at the new Explorer. It's one tough platform.
I don't know about the current gen of the Touareg, but the first gen was indeed worse than average for reliability.
Basically, you had a Porsche designed chassis and drivetrain, but with VW engines and VW electronics. They didn't mesh well, electrical gremlins popped up all the time. The Cayennes on the other hand, are amazing SUVs. It's rare to have problems with them.
I would also tell you to consider the MDX, but they have their problems too. Ours has intermittent electrical gremlins that are very annoying, and even more annoying is that the dealership can't figure out what's wrong to fix them. We prefer the Cayenne way more than the MDX.
Buying a new vehicle to "Save Gas" is 98% of the time a losing proposition.
If one does a TON of millage and makes a BIG jump (ie: Ford Excursion to Toyota Prius), there will be a difference.
OP is going to lose money. I would venture to say an Avalanche averages around 16mpg. Neither Highlander or Touareg is going to do much better compared directly, and is going to lose badly when the cost of trading up is factored in.
That being said, between the two, I'd go with the Highlander. I have a Q7 which shares parts with the Touareg. I bought it new. I would not buy a German car used. I also think a Tahoe/Yukon is a good suggestion, however it's 90% the same thing as an Avalanche, so what's the point?
I bought a 2014 HL brand new and couldn't be happier with it. I only got the LE edition and it serves me right in every way. I put only 5k miles in 4 months owning it. I highly recommend it.
ALL SUVs are ugly, so that shouldn't be a concern. Lets face it, they are all boxes on wheels that don't handle, brake or avoid accidents well, not to mention are as aerodynamic as a brick. Just get the cheapest one.
ALL SUVs are ugly, so that shouldn't be a concern. Lets face it, they are all boxes on wheels that don't handle, brake or avoid accidents well, not to mention are as aerodynamic as a brick. Just get the cheapest one.
I am looking at a used SUV and seem to have narrowed it down to a Highlander or Touareg, model years 2010-13
Do you want a used vehicle that is made in USA or made in Slovakia?
Enough said.
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