# 2010 SEL Premium vs. 2011 SE w/ RES & NAV



## e-dubb (Apr 6, 2011)

I'm torn between the two and would deeply appreciate the forum members' insight.

The mileage on the 2010 is 14k. The new SE will be about $4k more...are the new model's features worth the price difference?

Thanks in advance to those who answer. I have been cruising these forums for the past 5 years or so (happy owner of a 2006 Rabbit that has given me ZERO issues) and I respect the opinions/insights of the well informed.


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## VWroutanvanman (Feb 12, 2011)

*2011 better?*

There's not a lot to get excited about when comparing a 2010 to a 2011, unless a lot more horsepower is something you could use. Load up the van often? Or do you carry adults in the mid-row seats? The '11 middle seats slide back. Perforated leather high on your list of must haves? I do like the dark brown lighter brown interior of the '11 than the ceylon beige on my '10 SE w/RSE. You could order a Routan in Mango Tango and have one of the few Routans in that color. If you're looking for an RSE system, you could install the one from Mopar.com. Has Chrysler upgraded the brakes on the '11's? That may be a very good reason to buy a new Routan. Or does Yankee Candle sell a "new car fragrance? Good luck with your choice.


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## e-dubb (Apr 6, 2011)

VWroutanvanman said:


> There's not a lot to get excited about when comparing a 2010 to a 2011, unless a lot more horsepower is something you could use. Load up the van often? Or do you carry adults in the mid-row seats? The '11 middle seats slide back. Perforated leather high on your list of must haves? I do like the dark brown lighter brown interior of the '11 than the ceylon beige on my '10 SE w/RSE. You could order a Routan in Mango Tango and have one of the few Routans in that color. If you're looking for an RSE system, you could install the one from Mopar.com. Has Chrysler upgraded the brakes on the '11's? That may be a very good reason to buy a new Routan. Or does Yankee Candle sell a "new car fragrance? Good luck with your choice.


Dealer just closed the gap from ~$4k to about $1800...

The back seats will be for children 99.9% of the time. @ 0% financing, I'm oing new. Because this is "for the kids", leatherette seems to be preferable to real cow hide.

Thanks a ton for your feedback  The "brake issue" is definitely something I need to research.

Wife would not approve of Mango Tango and she'll be driving it most of the time. I think it's pretty cool, though.


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## VWroutanvanman (Feb 12, 2011)

*Go new!*

Just $1800 for a new Routan? My '10 SE w/RES just passed 14,000 miles, so I'm close to what you are trading in, except yours is an SEL (with leather, right? And the 4.0L?). Am I reading that right about the $1800? If so, then the Routans are holding on to their resale value very well. That certainly is a good reason to consider new. Again, good luck with your new SE. We don't have a lot of info (feedback) on the 2011's, so if you do go new, let us know all about it.

And the '11's do have perforated V-tex, so they might be cooler to sit on.

Oh, wait. I get it now. You're deciding between a '10 or an '11. Tell me a 100 times and I get it. Definitely go new. The '10 is already almost 2 years old, as the first ones came out in Sept. 2009.


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## e-dubb (Apr 6, 2011)

About $1800 difference (after incentives). 27995 for 2010, 29800 or so for the 2011. Have yet to see if this includes destination and "document" fees.

Hopefully the I'll qualify for the 0% financing on the 2011. If not, I'm prequalified @ 3.57% on either the 2010 or the 2011. 

With the gap that small, I'm definitely going new. The 2010 (which is loaded and incredibly NICE) is 3 hours away and the dealer that's talking the good stuff is less than an hour away.


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## paf (Dec 6, 2010)

> About $1800 difference (after incentives). 27995 for 2010, 29800 or so for the 2011. Have yet to see if this includes destination and "document" fees.


I'd say that's a no brainer then -- even if there was doc fess included. Just the year difference is a lot to consider - you have 14K more worth of warranty left if you go with the 2011. There are also few toys that I would rather see on the car (such as much more functional steering wheel), nifty roof rack and sliding 2nd row seats than the leather and power goodies you get with the SEL. 

Then again -- you are the judge of what you will consider as valuable (but if you ask me, i'd go for the 2011).

Good luck!

pf


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## Steveaut (Sep 16, 2010)

What I consider:

2010:
Power Seats, Power Gate/Doors, Better Sound System (sub and amp), Leather, Blinkers in the mirrors (safety), silver mirrors, 115v power outlet, heated second row (I don't know if that is in the SE), towing package (shocks, coolers), power folding rear seats.

2011:
Better motor, nice steering column, longer warranty, roughly two more oil changes for free, power, no wear and tear, new car feel/smell, bugs may have been worked out, although my 2010 doesn't seem to have any bugs yet.

This is a tough one for me. I am all about options and in the options race, the 2010 Premium wins hands down. I would want the Premium over the SE. So I would try to negotiate down the 2010 another 1k. Tell the dealer you have decided to shop the competition for a Premium. That will force their hand to negotiate further on that 2010 or lose your business. You know they took that Premium in on a steal and they have room to move. They are pushing the 2011 SEs because there is a ton of them out there and VW has pretty good incentives. Go with the Premium.


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## e-dubb (Apr 6, 2011)

Went with the 2011 SE (w/ RES & NAV) in tanzanite. Tanzanite doesn't translate in the picture I've seen so I thought it was black until I was up close. 

Anyhow - the wife absolutely loves it. It's for her, so that's what matters.

Thanks all for input


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## Steveaut (Sep 16, 2010)

I went with the dark blue too, i guess that's the tanzanite. It is tough to tell its blue and not black.


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