Oh God. Fix that apostrophe, please.

Which would you have voted out, Jonny L.?

...First Chrysler, then that abomination "Weber" thing, and now this...The automotive apocalypse is nigh!

Jonny - A Scirocco, perhaps? Or an air-cooled Fox? ;)

I suggest the VW W12
http://www.rsportscars.com/eng/cars/vw_w12.asp

I am a big fan of the Phaeton. But the W12 really rocks my socks.

"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."

At least we've still got that classy, well built C4 up in the mix!

Why not the obvious R32?

But I'm getting a Volkswagen in the Fantasy Garage.

The Jeans Beetle?

@Brian E:
Because it's too obvious, obvs!

I say Golf Syncro, Vanagon Westfalia Camper, or whatever the J-niks think makes fitting retribution for this unfortunate result of democracy.

@Al Navarro: Hmmmm.... i went camping in Pismo once in a Vanagon Westfalia Camper. It had the viscous coupling AWD system.

We got stuck

So you want a Volkswagen in the Fantasy Garage?

How about a twin turbo, 4-motion Beetle Convertible?

http://hpamotorsports.com/projects_finished_cabri-OH.htm

Or you could wait for the Passat R36 - the possibly the dullest VW on the road in standard trim, but tweaked into a serious contender for sleeper of the year :)

I would much rather see a first gen GTI in the garage then the 100K Passat.

I'm dissapointed too, The Coupe 9 deserved the boot.

I understand why you gotta have a VW. I would too.
Why not try a nice '72 Karmann Ghia cabriolet?

I never had the opportunity to drive the W12 Phaeton, but I did do 1200 or more miles in V8 Phaeton. While it did drive nicely, I encountered way too many problems in the week I had it.

1) the automatic trunk lid wouldn't open with the remote. It took opening the owners manual how to figure out how to open it with the key. The switchblade key fob then broke while trying to open the stupid trunk.

2) the nav system locked up in the middle of Wyoming. It took stopping for gas and "rebooting" the car for it to work again. I guess it runs on Windows. ;)

3) The air-conditioned seat malfunctioned and went into heating mode. Thankfully it was the passenger seat, but it sure didn't make my wife happy.

Booo hiss.

The masses are asses.

I had a 70 Karmann Ghia. Black vinyl interior was wicked hot in the summer. Fav VW was always my second one-a VR6 Corrado. Hell of a car.

@rflagg: I call BS on that one because if there's one think Jalopnk comments have taught us, is that only Corvettes are built THAT shitty.

Power to the volk. BTW, John Adams was a pompous ass who was also America's first president to be voted out of office. The system works.

how about one of these 21 windowed beauties?

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2007-michigan-vintage-volks...

http://www.herbie.dk/medlemsbiler/busse.jpg

can we maybe get that crazy Claer VW T4 Van with the RUF tuned 3.6 litre Porsche motor and AWD.

http://www.claer-automobile.de/startseiten/t-4-main.htm

Thank God. The Peoples super-expensive luxury car is gone.

If you're upset with the voting lets switch to a run off system where the "winner" or "loser," in this case, must get 50% of the vote.

I would describe how a runoff works, but you're all smart people...use wikipedia, or read the recent news on the French presidential election.

say it aint so ma!

I am not surprised, but very disappointed by the loss of the Phaeton. What a slick monster. I voted for the Corvette, because Corvettes just are not very Jalop cars. But that is past....

As far as other VWs, when I slide thru a corner I wish for AWD, and certainly the 2004 R32 is a worthy nominee, as BrianE suggested. But the high-performance, Audi's-little-brother period for VW is relatively new, heralded by the GTI mkI and Scirocco.

Now, the original Beetle and Microbus are a touch common and obvious for the JFG. Even the Karmann Ghia is pretty common -- and underpowered -- but I'd vote for it.

What about the Thing? Jalopniks need a beach car!

I too am sad to see the Phaeton leave. There's a soft spot in my heart for Q-ships like that, and I think it deserved to be in the garage, at least more so than the Honda or the Corvette.

But, if a VW is going to be inducted, I think the obvious choice is some form of HPA-tuned R32. AWD, a twin-turbo VR6, and Porsche brakes are nothing to scoff at, presuming tuner cars are going to be nominated in the future, and not just factory cars.

Jonny, for chissakes look at the photo you posted for the Phaeton. That alone supports the boot...it couldn't be more generic and boring.

@R-GTI:
While the Thing would be a great choice, how 'bout a Meyers Manx? Now there is a great beach car. And it started a whole new industry, as well.

If you insist on a platform that VW shared with Porsche then the VW 914 is a much better choice than the Toureg.

While I miss the Phaeton, your unstable, unbalanced dictator like threat to put the Toureg in the garage proves Churchill's quote that "Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried."

@Vintage Racer: Hey Boss, how about a Fiat Jolly?

I have the R32 and the Toureg. Please put one of these in the fantasy garage so that I can justify their existence in mine.

MasterShake is spot on with the vintage 27-window lovefest, but in the modern era at last the best VW's have four rings in the grill (and I say this with a VW in my real garage)....

which brings me back round to the orignal S8, quite possibly the best looking and driving large uber sedan of the modern era

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-igbaHBQjHQ

@jonnylieberman: You should have taken the flying version...
http://jalopnik.com/cars/notag/hoon-of-the-day-the-vw-hipp...

The VW replacement needs to be some form of microbus.

I will accept nothing more.

Since 400+ people chose to oust the Phaeton, how about allowing them to only use the Vette, Maserati, and the Honda. They don't deserve to drive anything else. I guarantee those cars would be their last choices.

Can we at least keep the Phaeton in the Jalop fantasy driveway? Can use it to get to work when the Maser breaks down and we're not feeling scuzzy enough to drive the Vette.

@Silverman:

2 words. Mini Moke.

If I could put any VW in the garage, it would without hesitation be a Bader Racing Karmann Ghia 993 RS. Now that's Brucetastic, and it's even the proper Carrera Silver. The sports car VW & Porsche should have built.

I'd also nominate the Volks-Porsche 914/4, but I have a conflict of interest because I own one.

@Vintage Racer: And miss out on the wicker seats and fringe? (and super Abarth open engine cover tuning potential)

@Silverman:

Good point. I'm going to go with you on this one and nominate the Jolly as the silliest car for the JFG!

one more shot at the phaeton.

My test:
A car is not made "special" by merely being good.
It is special for being positively "______" (fill in the blank) in the face of "_____". and made you think and feel ____. So much so that you would rather have one rusting away in your garage while you scrounge the internet for parts in a venture that would have bought you a new or almoest new, GOOD car.
------------------------------------------------
ok, the above is really the point. feel free to ignore the rest. I think you can infer the point, the rest just spells it out.

If I could state it better, I hope it will be the mantra for picking fantasy garage cars in the future....
------------------------------------------------
If the first blank is:
"competent, and surprising for its overengineering despite its looks and price relative to cars of the same talent"

And the second blank is:
"wearing a badge that nobody wants to spend that much money for"

And the third blank is:
"it's a volkswagen, but it's a GOOD volkswagen"
(that quote by william shatner, no less)

Then, mr shatner, when he feels the tug someday for a new, powerful, luxurious, silent, expensive, 4wd, overengineered german limo but can't buy a new phaeton, will he scour the junkyards, read through german-only assembly manuals so that he will never be separated from his darling phaeton?

I SAY NO! He will buy an audi, a phaeton by any other name. And probably an aluminum a8. Or maybe he'll realize he lives in california and all those excess diffs are doing is adding weight and turning his understandably affordable gasoline into heat and that his wheels could be further from the center of gravity and that maserati now has an automatic quattroporte. (which is less special, more good than the first, rear transaxle QP) Or that the next XJ won't be retaining the familiar but classic styling trend of the last 40 years (each has usually been less special, but more "good" than the previous, but the termination of the line will make the current car fond to the memory) and suddenly that shape may disappear from roads except in the garages of lunatics who may post here. Or that the next 7 series probably will look a lot more like the newest 5 and the bangle butt will be softened. (hold up now...) Or maybe he'll just buy a corolla. (HEY WAIT!)

ok,ok, I doubt it, but what's the difference? he bought a GOOD car, he will eventually be replacing it with another, but not with a SPECIAL car. If replaces it with a jag, it'll be a new one, not a perfectly maintained xk120. And probably not even a just-replaced xkr-r stirling moss edition.

as time goes to infinity, if you ask someone to point out a "good car," he'll either point to the driveway, as their humble steed reliably and stylishly clicks away its residual heat of its daily grind, or if they're wise they'll point to something made with their previous car's recycled parts.

Ask the same guy to point to a special car, and he'll tell you to go talk to the nutjob down the street that's spent a fortune keeping up his detomaso but won't speak to the guy you've been speaking to anymore because he asked him in '97 why he didn't just buy the new corvette c5.

That's why the quad-cam zr1 is still in the garage, despite the concurrent c4 being cheaper and almost as good in every relevant way, and the later c5 and c6 even moreso.

It's also why the RT12 and any other modified turbo 911 (or any modern porsche for that matter, since the gt3 rs is a recurring model in the 911 lineup now) will not be a fixture in the fantasy garage or any other "special" cars list.

Noooooooooo! Phaeton!

Again, fuck everyone who voted for the Phaeton. :)

@Vintage Racer: yeeessss... The Manx is pretty awesome. But as far as VW-badged VWs, the Thing is It.

Although I got to thinking, the mid-80s Quantum Synchro was pretty cool. Good performance for a "car for the people" complete with goofy VW/Audi engineering. 20V 5-cylinder, Audi's quattro 4WD (NOT the viscous coupling synchro) and it initially only came in a wagon and manual tranny.

But unless Jonny can really wring out a superb write-up, I can't see it getting many votes.

If there's one good thing to come from this, it's that the oddball (which honestly, all Fantasy Garage cars should be, to some extent) Coupe 9 didn't get the axe.

So, to fill our VW quota, we need a Porsche-powered Bus

...I find the comment about "only corvettes are built that shitty" to be hilarious.

VW's suck. 8 year old toyotas run like 5 year old ford's, and 2 year old VW's..according to that infamous quote.

VW? puh-lease.

@danmangt40:

If I weren't drunk, I'd think your post unfocused and rambling. Presently, though, I think you've perfectly captured the problem with the Phaeton. It's good. Very, very GOOD. But it's in no way SPECIAL.

@peakay:

thats part of the reason it belongs in the JFG. its the ultimate sleeper. looks like a 20,000$ sedan yet its a $100,000+ 200mph luxury car.