Used 2009 Volkswagen Routan for Sale near Atlanta, GA

I love this van. It has all the amenities to keep kids occupied on long trips while keeping the comfort of an easy chair. This van has a lot of stowaway so storage/hauling small to medium furniture is easy. Back up camera and powered rear mirrors make seeing behind you a cake walk. Power everything makes opening/closing doors (including hatch) as easy as touching a button.

It's got a Chrysler motor, a 4.0 liter plant. It's got Chrysler tires, Chrysler suspensions, Chrysler shocks. It's a model made before electric conversions, so it'll run good on regular gas. What do you say? Is it the new Bluesmobile or what? (Apologies to Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi) I was looking for a Chrysler Town and Country with the Swivel n' Go seating option, on paper it looked like a great idea and the perfect solution for long car trips. In the real world, the swivel seats have some issues... The included "table" is completely useless, due to the interior space, swiveling isn't as easy as you would think, and with the seats swiveled reclining for either the driver or passenger is pretty much impossible (which might explain why Dodge and Chrysler discontinued the Swivel option...) However, I wanted seats with more padding and comfort than the thin collapsible seats that come with the popular Stow n' Go option. Enter the VW Routan. Chrysler enthusiasts hate it because it's not American, VW enthusiasts hate it because it's not German, so it has not been the successful entry into the minivan market that Volkswagen was hoping for.... which is why 2012 will be the final model year for the Routan. So, why would I buy a widely hated, much maligned, and discontinued "Frankenstein" of a mini-van? Price and comfort. I was able to buy a fully loaded Routan with the 4.0 liter engine for $1,000 less than a Chrysler Town & Country with the same year and about the same mileage. The Town and Country didn't have the entertainment package, nor the navigation package, and was powered by Chrysler's 197hp, 3.8 liter V-6. So, for less money I get an upgraded engine with 50 extra hp, all of the bells and whistles, plus a free sunroof and more comfortable second row seats? SOLD.

I've owned the Routan for a week. I've gotten raves from all my friends. I love it. The interior looks better than the Chrysler. I have read so many negative reviews. I don't get it. First off, the reviewers feel it's awful that the Routan started as a Town & Country. Yeah, Dodge and Chrysler are so bad that GM and Ford can't compete with them. Volkswagen started with the best American-made mini-van (designed for mainstream Americans), then changed the things they didn't like. They dressed up the interior trim. Maybe Chrysler didn't want to share Stow-n-Go Captain's chairs, but VW put in more comfortable seats. They wanted something with European mystique, so they changed the nose and tail. Then they changed the suspension to take out some of the wallow. You end up with the best of two worlds. The dealer kept telling me "It's not a mini-van," then he'd use some lame descriptor. The Germans have a word for it: Grossraumlimousinen. That's good enough for me.

Just bought a used 2009 VW Routan. So far it drives great and has the major features we were looking for (leather interior, heated seats, sunroof, Bluetooth). The automatic doors are a nice feature and the stow away back row is handy as well. It is not the roomiest minivan on the market, but it does offer more features than your typical Dodge Caravan. While it does seat 7, there is only clips for 3 car seats.

Well, I do love the way the thing handles! Folding rear seats-right into the floor leaves plenty of cargo space when it is needed...and in floor storage is awesome too...no more balls rolling around the inside-not when you can contain them! over all a great van! We average 20 mpg city and close to 24 mpg highway-for a 6 cylinder van you cant get much better than this!