Thinking about a TT...

[850CSi]

With the A4 likely to be departing our ownership as soon as we return from our vacation, I've been thinking a lot about what's going to replace it.

There's the possiblity of it ending up a decision between the '06 A4 [which my dad seems to favor due to a lower sticker price and quattro for the winter] and the E90 325i. Most of you know of my love affair with the E90 3-Series.


However, there's still the possibility that we might forgo both of those cars [in part becasue I really don't want my dad spending that much on a car for me to drive, even if it is HIS] and get something cheaper, in the low $20K range.

A 2002 Audi TT with roughly 30K to 40K miles can be had for that price. I'd defenitely go for a quattro. The TT is a bit heavy for its size, 3200lbs. and it has bad weight distribution. However, all of the numbers are very similar to my A4, which I love driving. And I need a rear seat, even if it is nearly useless. It serves as a nice storage area.
One major factor attracting me to a TT is that MOST of them are manuals. The TT is a looker inside and out... It was on the C/D 10Best for 2 years, and they said "It begs to be driven hard".  It placed last in a performance-oriented comparison test, mainly because it was more of an everyday car compared to the rest, and the 180HP version they tested was a bit slow for a performance comparison. They still noted that it 'steered sharply'.

Basically, from all I'm hearing, it seems to be my A4 shrunk and reshaped into a very good-looking coupe. And I can get one for a good price.


When is the TT going to be redesigned completely?


Whaddya guys think?

[850CSi]

It's going against some very tough competition, though...

[FlatBlackCaddy]

I thought the TT was Jetta/Golf based(i think its golf).

[850CSi]

I thought the TT was Jetta/Golf based(i think its golf).

Yep. Golf. The Jetta's also based on the Golf.

That's one thing that's discouraging me, mainly because the TT's quattro system is a Volvo-like Front-biased Haldex setup rather than the normal Torsen system in other Audis.

[ifcar]

Insurance would be extremely expensive, especially with your driving record. Not only would a 4-door be more practical, but it would be much less expensive to insure.

[cozmik]

Insurance would be extremely expensive, especially with your driving record. Not only would a 4-door be more practical, but it would be much less expensive to insure.

That's not necessarly true. It would depend a lot on his insurance company. My father is an agent for State Farm, for example, and he has said that they go not by the color number of doors, etc, but rather by the previous history of that vehicle. That is, cars with a history of being in mroe wrecks are more expensive to insure than cars with a better record of staying in one piece. Some other insurers are the same way.

[Speed_Racer]

I test drove an 02 (I believe) with the 225 hp Turbo and the 5 speed. That thing was definitely quick enough. The car handled very nicely; the steering was direct and was weighted perfectly. The brakes were powerful and the interior appointments were quite awesome.

I really enjoyed it, and might consider it in the future. Im sure you would like it too. In the right colors, it looks very sharp.

[ifcar]

Insurance would be extremely expensive, especially with your driving record. Not only would a 4-door be more practical, but it would be much less expensive to insure.

That's not necessarly true. It would depend a lot on his insurance company. My father is an agent for State Farm, for example, and he has said that they go not by the color number of doors, etc, but rather by the previous history of that vehicle. That is, cars with a history of being in mroe wrecks are more expensive to insure than cars with a better record of staying in one piece. Some other insurers are the same way.

A TT probably wouldn't have the best record there, either, but that is a much better system.

[BMWDave]

I've heard a stigma (not saying I believe in it) that Audi TT's are mainly driven by women and gay men.  That said, I would still get a 325i even without that, and most certainly a used 3er that you could pick up for the same price as a TT.  It will handle better, most probably be faster, it will handle better, be a lot more practical, etc.

[Run Away]

Well, they always place near last in comparos. Plus I don't find their styling attractive at all and pretty much think of them as gussied up Golf GTIs. However, I love calling them titties.:P

How about a Golf R32?

[BMWDave]

Well, they always place near last in comparos. Plus I don't find their styling attractive at all and pretty much think of them as gussied up Golf GTIs. However, I love calling them titties.:P

How about a Golf R32?

A gold R32 would be really cool, although I would still go for the 325i.  

[Tom]

The vert is kind of a chick car...you're thinking about the coupe right?

Wait, you said you wanted a back seat.  These are 2-seaters...

[BMWDave]

The vert is kind of a chick car...you're thinking about the coupe right?

The coupe is also a chick car a little.

[Tom]

The vert is kind of a chick car...you're thinking about the coupe right?

The coupe is also a chick car a little.

Maybe, but it's more agressive than the convertable for sure.

[BMWDave]

The vert is kind of a chick car...you're thinking about the coupe right?

The coupe is also a chick car a little.

Maybe, but it's more agressive than the convertable for sure.

For sure.

[Run Away]

Fo' sho'.

[Fire It Up]

Fo' sho'.

Fo Shizzle.  

[Tom]

Beeach

[Fire It Up]

While were offtopic.....

[BMWDave]

Lets get back on topic

[850CSi]

Insurance would be extremely expensive, especially with your driving record. Not only would a 4-door be more practical, but it would be much less expensive to insure.

That's a good point, I'll have to look into that. Note that there's actually only 1 accident on my record, and I think our insurance is done differently, I'm just an addition to the entire family. I don't know how it works.

We're with Allstate, BTW. Our Insurance agent is a family friend.

And, Ifcar, you would know... How good is TT reliability?
I'm only going to be keeping this car for 4-5 years MAXIMUM, because, again, it's going to be still my dad's, and when I graduate, I'll buy my own ride. So if I buy one now with around 30K miles, I'm thinking it'll have nearly 80 or 90K when I'm done with it. Are TTs good up to that point?
I'd also be looking for something CPO.

And sure, something with 4 doors is more practical, but I rarely ever use my A4s rear seats (95% of the time, It's either just me or me and my sister in my car), and it's going to be even used less when I'm off to college. As long as something has a back seat, it doesn't really matter whether it has 2 or 4 doors.






BTW, I'd probably prefer a 180 version over a 225. I don't need the 225s speed, and it's more thirsty.

[850CSi]

I've heard a stigma (not saying I believe in it) that Audi TT's are mainly driven by women and gay men.  That said, I would still get a 325i even without that, and most certainly a used 3er that you could pick up for the same price as a TT.  It will handle better, most probably be faster, it will handle better, be a lot more practical, etc.

But at the same time, every man and his dog has a 3-Series in the State of Illinois. It doesn't matter to me, but the TTs uniqueness would be nice, as there really aren't that many around here (Surprising, considering how popular Audis are with the Chicagoan crowd). In addition, I love my A4. I love the way it drives, and I love AWD in the winter, and I just plain love Audis (My first username on C/D nearly 4 years ago was 'Audi S8 quattro'), even though I still prefer BMW. By the reviews I'm seeing, the TT shares a LOT with my A4.

[850CSi]

Well, they always place near last in comparos. Plus I don't find their styling attractive at all and pretty much think of them as gussied up Golf GTIs. However, I love calling them titties.:P

How about a Golf R32?

I guess it's a matter of taste.



I don't need the R32s speed. And insurance... I wouldn't want to even think about how high it would be, even though I'm not paying it.

[850CSi]

The vert is kind of a chick car...you're thinking about the coupe right?

Wait, you said you wanted a back seat.  These are 2-seaters...

Coupe.

My dad wouldn't even consider a used 3-Series convertible, a 4-seater. He has something against convertibles, believes them to be too inconvenient for the Chicago winter, even though a modern convertible isn 't really bad at all. If I was going down to 2 seats, I'd probably just get an S2000.

While the rear seats in the coupe are nearly useless, people underestimate the value of the back seat as a storage area, especially for an HS/College student. Hell, my A4s back seat rarely carries human cargo.

[850CSi]

The vert is kind of a chick car...you're thinking about the coupe right?

The coupe is also a chick car a little.

Maybe, but it's more agressive than the convertable for sure.

I think it's more than aggressive, especially the ones that came with the 17" Audi /S/ style wheels:





Most of the TTs in my area are decently priced, and are 5-Speeds with the 17" wheel package. B)  

[850CSi]

And BTW a lot of the time I project an Image that I always favor the sharper stiffer more track-capable car, which is why I tend to favor BMWs so much. It's only that way to a certain point. I don't need a monster performer, but personally, I HAVE to have a car that his direct and well-balanced steering and exhibits average to minimal body roll and is capable of thrills. I like the balance my A4 posesses, even if it has a little too much body roll and its weight distribution is not exactly great - It still steers excellently and is VERY tossable. That's why the TT appeals to me so much--because its very nice inside and out but is more than capable of being tossed around. That's why, for example, I'd probably never buy an M3 Convertible over a 325Ci as a daily driver. Because the latter is just more comfortable and has adequate power and would save me half the money.

[850CSi]

Here are some Autotrader examples. Two of my uncles have incredible connections to the car marketplace here in the area and they know how to bargain [trust me], so consider anywhere from $1K to $2K off those prices.


http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=1...isp=y&cardist=7
^VERY low mileage...

http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=1...rdist=18#vdptop

http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=1...sp=y&cardist=24

http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=1...ardist=7#vdptop


http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=1...sp=y&cardist=16




Just a few.

Again, one of the factors really luring me to a TT is the selection of manual-transmission cars. It's not as easy to find, say, a 3-Series coupe with a stick.

[280Z Turbo]

R&T seemed to like it in a recent comparo with the 350Z, Boxster, and Z4. It placed 2nd.

You know who came 1st.  

[850CSi]

R&T seemed to like it in a recent comparo with the 350Z, Boxster, and Z4. It placed 2nd.

You know who came 1st.

The 3.2 DSG is getting very positive reviews. And why not? 250HP and one of the world's most advanced and best gearboxes.



Who came 1st... the Z car?

[280Z Turbo]

The Z came dead last. That's fine, I don't much care for the 350Z.

However the TT beat both Zs, which is quite impressive considering it's Golf based.

Needless to say, The Porsche was first. Of course, the Porsche or Ferrari is always first, unless the Corvette is involved, but that can only win based on price.