Why would anyone want to pay $70,000 for a Volkswagen Touareg diesel? Well, the same reason anyone wants to overpay for a regular old car nowadays. They can’t get it anywhere else. Although, just because the dealers are asking for it doesn’t mean they will get the boosted asking price. Seriously though, why are dealers trying to sell Volkswagen Touareg diesels for $70K?

Why would a Volkswagen Touareg diesel be worth $70K?

The short answer to why would a Touareg diesel be worth so much money is that the automaker had never sold them before. Thanks to the Volkswagen diesel scandal of the 2010s, VW stopped selling diesel cars in 2016. If you don’t remember, Volkswagen Group was cheating on emissions tests in its diesel-powered vehicles. As a result, the automaker was fined billions of dollars and stopped selling diesels in the United States.

Volkswagen vehicles like the Golf and Passat were available with a four-cylinder TDI diesel engine pre-scandal. Touaregs came with a TDI V6 diesel, which makes them worth more money today. Not only did they go unsold after production, but they have a bigger engine than the other Volkswagen diesel options.

Dealers are asking $60,000-$70,000 for low mileage 6-year-old Volkswagen Touareg

Firstly, the chip shortage has caused a shift in the used and new car market like never before. Everything is expensive, but especially vehicles that are difficult to find. Want to talk about something difficult to find? How about the Volkswagen Touareg diesel that ended production in 2016? Since these models are so rare, they’ve become highly sought after. Enter a few units that have barely been driven before into the used car market, and you’ve got yourself one overpriced Volkswagen.

Most listings for used offerings of the Touareg TDI are the base Sport trim or mid Lux trim. The two originally went for about $50,000 and $55,000, respectively. As of right now, the 12 most expensive options in the country are over $60,000, with the highest being a base model for $73,900, according to Edmunds. Although that doesn’t mean customers are willing to pay the premium price, we’re sure someone will eventually if they want one of these badly enough.

Does the Volkswagen diesel scandal hurt its value?

Would the Volkswagen Touareg diesel models being sold for such a high price be worth even more if not for the scandal? It isn’t likely, but anything can happen in the current car market. Dealers asking for so much extra cash for a vehicle involved with something like this, especially cheating on emissions tests, is a bit too much. Not to mention, despite their low mileage, any vehicle sitting since 2016 will probably have some parts that are wildcards.

Edmunds noted that consistently replacing the fuel filter on the V6 TDI engine is essential. It’s pretty safe to assume that didn’t happen very often over the last five or six years. Overpricing and marking up cars is nothing new in 2022. However, the Volkswagen Touareg diesel models are harmful to the environment, and charging this much for one because of rarity is pretty outrageous. Especially when a new fully electric ID.4 that is environmentally friendly starts at $40,760.

Should you buy an overpriced Volkswagen Touareg?

A rare diesel-wielding SUV like this might be tempting to some folks, especially when it gets 30 highway mpg and can tow 7,700 pounds. However, a 6-year old vehicle is not worth tens of thousands over its original MSRP, no matter how you twist it. We wouldn’t recommend giving any dealer a look if they’re offering these models for ridiculous prices like these. It just isn’t worth it when nicer, newer, more reliable vehicles are available for less.