Volkswagen Touran - Anything to be aware of when purchasing used one?

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Mon 15 Jul 2019 19:25
Volkswagen Touran - Anything to be aware of when purchasing used one? - Teshy

Hi all,

This has come to be my go-to place for any car related decisions nowadays as the most knowledgable forum :)

We are looking to puchase a 7 seater (or more accurately, a 5+2) as we occassionally have to provide a lift to aging parents (who we find increasingly need our help) in addition to our family of four.

We have seen a few cars (citroen c4, smax, etc) but the Touran seems to have a good blend of reliability, space and comfort.

We do approx 9-10k miles a year with a blend of local nursery drop offs/pick ups during the week and then further distances on the weekend (including into Londons soon-to-be extended ULEZ) as we are active and tend to be out and about.

I'm searching for the latest model in the latest shape (2016 onwards) with a max of 40k miles done. Armed with a budget of 15k, that gets us an SE 2016 example with a 1.6 diesel engine.

A few questions for this:

1) are there any gremlins about this car/engine that i should be aware of?

2) is there any significant work which would need to be done around 40-50k which i should budget for?

3) is 40k a reasonable top mileague or should i get more generous with my search?

Any help would be hugely appreciated! Thanks!

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Mon 15 Jul 2019 19:56
Volkswagen Touran - Anything to be aware of when purchasing used one? - badbusdriver

The 1.6 diesel in this car is the very same one at the heart of the 'dieselgate' scandal, and should be avoided like the plague.

If you want a reliable 5+2 seater, get a petrol engined Toyota Verso or Mazda 5.

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Mon 15 Jul 2019 20:09
Volkswagen Touran - Anything to be aware of when purchasing used one? - badbusdriver

Your budget would get you into a 2018 Verso 1.6 petrol, that is probably the safest place to put your money from a reliability point of view.Here is one from Motorpoint,

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20190710993...1

After looking, i see that the Maxda 5 was discontinued in 2015, but having said that, you'd get into a 2014/2015 like this car for about £10,

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20190615903...1

If you really wanted diesel, then a Kia Carens 1.7 CRDi is what i'd be looking at. Your budget would get you into a 2017/2018 car with 5/6 years warranty remaining. Here is one from a Kia dealer,

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20180530700...1

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Mon 15 Jul 2019 20:47
Volkswagen Touran - Anything to be aware of when purchasing used one? - SLO76
The post 2015 diesels weren’t affected by the emissions scandal and although EGR and DPF issues are still too common, particularly on cars used for low mileage but this engine isn’t as bad as it’s made out to be. There’s loads of Skoda taxis running it with massive mileages up and I personally have a Polo with the smaller 3cyl version which has proven very reliable, though the EGR cooler was replaced under warranty and numerous minor issues such as door locks have been a minor pain. It has recently been no bother at all despite being 7yrs old with 80k up.

If you’re a low to moderate mileage user I’d try to find one with the excellent belt driven 1.4 TSi. Buy at the same age and you’ll avoid the earlier versions timing chain worries. Just avoid any with the unreliable DSG gearbox.
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Mon 15 Jul 2019 22:01
Volkswagen Touran - Anything to be aware of when purchasing used one? - daveyjp
Plenty of issues. Look at VW, Audi Seat and Skoda. For your mileage leave the diesel on the forecourt.

They are a gamble and LEZ rules won’t get relaxed over the years.
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Tue 23 Jul 2019 14:34
Volkswagen Touran - Anything to be aware of when purchasing used one? - Teshy

Hi all,

Just wanted to circle back and thank everyone for their comments. On the back of your advice we are ditching the diesel idea and are looking at the petrols : most likely the 1.2 TSI (manual)

I noticed the 1.4 petrol was recommended but these may be a little out of our price range as they seem to be considerably more expensive to purchase.

Edited by Teshy on 23/07/2019 at 14:35

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Tue 23 Jul 2019 15:11
Volkswagen Touran - Anything to be aware of when purchasing used one? - Teshy

Badbusdriver - to confirm, we looked at these alternatives but we decided on the Touran because it has isofix points in the 3rd row (an essential for us) - albeit fully aware that those are more reliable options.

We also saw the Alhambra, Sharon, Galaxy etc but these were just too long for our needs.

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Tue 15 Jun 2021 19:57
Volkswagen Touran - Anything to be aware of when purchasing used one? - Michelle Punnett

I'm aware this message thread was a while ago, but we are considering buying a used 2017 Touran, and I was just wondering what your thoughts were about yours?

Thanks!

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Tue 15 Jun 2021 20:39
Volkswagen Touran - Anything to be aware of when purchasing used one? - badbusdriver

I'm aware this message thread was a while ago, but we are considering buying a used 2017 Touran, and I was just wondering what your thoughts were about yours?

Thanks!

Given that the likelihood of the OP still visiting the forum is virtually nil (given their was no indication the OP actually bought a Touran), you'd be better just looking at owners reviews on this website (along with others such as Autotrader and Parkers) rather than expecting a response here.

But buying a Touran of that age, so long as you avoid the diesel and DSG gearbox, shouldn't cause any problems. Some think the 1.2 is going to be a bit underpowered, but I don't. As long as you accept that with 110bhp it isn't going to be particularly quick, but it has enough torque at low revs (thanks to the turbo) that even a car full isn't going to be too much like hard work.

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Tue 15 Jun 2021 20:42
Volkswagen Touran - Anything to be aware of when purchasing used one? - SLO76
Afraid it was another thread where I don’t believe we ever heard what they ended up buying. I personally would advise opening up your search a bit as the Touran was never a big seller and isn’t around in huge numbers, at least not with the 1.4 TSi petrol or the 2.0 Diesel variants with manual gearboxes that I’d recommend.

The 1.6 diesel seems to be more troublesome than the 2.0 and the bigger engine copes better with full loads. The 1.2 TSi is really a bit weak for such a heavy car with a fully family onboard but for local use I imagine it would be ok. The fragile DSG automatic is best left alone when buying used.

I’d add in the Vauxhall Zafira too which is spacious, comfortable and good value used. The 1.4T SRi in particular is a good model and there’s plenty of these about. The diesels are of Fiat design and best avoided again. The Ford C-Max is a good car as long as you avoid the Powershift auto and the 1.0 Ecoboost engines and the bigger S-Max is good but again avoid the auto.
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