New Car - Audi TT - and a comparison with my Boxster S

BigT

BigT

BigT

Soldato
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So my wife decided she needed a car to take her to and from work round the M25 now that she has a new job. She's always wanted a TT and since we're moving to be a 2 car family I wasn't really bothered as long as I kept my Boxster.

So a couple of days ago we picked this up;


aditt1hp1.jpg


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'02 TT 225. Denim Blue, xenons, Bose and a black leather interior are the options on it above the standard stuff. I looked at dozens as there's a lot of stock about and this was by far the best. Despite being a one owner example and having a full service history ahead of schedule (belts and pumps have been done twice), it will die in 21K miles as it has done 79K. :D

After a little haggling I got it for £7,800 with the wheels refurbed and the warranty extended to two years at their expense.

It struck me that some people might think about buying a TT or a Boxster so I thought I would give my initial opinions on the differences. Plus points for the Audi when compared to the Porsche are the interior, equipments levels as standard and practicality. Also for long journeys the seats seem to be much comfier, although they are not as supportive for spirited driving. You sit on them more than in them like in the Boxster.

After that the Boxster S wins pretty much on everything else. It is quicker in a straight line, in the twisities and is a far more involving drive. You are far more aware of what is going on with the car and despite the TT being 4 wheel drive, I feel the Porsche is more sure footed bizzarely. Also the turbo charged power delivery delivery of the TT has caught me out. A couple of times I've pulled out of a junction in second, floored it to move away from traffic and nothing has happened until the revs hit 2.5K. These things don't happen in the Porsche, but I'm sure with adjustment it need not be a problem, but for me I prefer a torque-ier N/A engine I think.
 
I was under the impression that only the V6 was Quattro and that all of the turbos were FWD?

*EDIT*

Just read up on Parkers, I stand corrected :)
 
£7800, very nice. Looked at quite a few of these but all the ones around £10k seemed to be owned by women who 'just drove them' and this reflected in the condition. Looks like you found the needle in the haystack, lovely car.
 
Crikey, can't be bad for £7,800!

Looks good too. My friend has one of these on a 53 plate. Suffice to say I'll never own one as I find it somewhat cramped, but still, it is a nice car. :)
 
Very nice, and a good price as well. Get it remapped and you should see it around 270bhp... then compare it to the Porsche in a straight line :)

Goody
 
I think the prices are dropping like any other car, but also this was quite high mileage. I think most female buyers (of which the TT gets its fair share of) equate low mileage with better. I looked at one the same price but on a Y plate but only 48K miles. It was clear that it was far more abused than this example. Fortunately my wife listens to me.
 
Christ are they this cheap now? I had a couple of them in the early days and resold them for almost the same as I bought them. But kids nowadays mean I'm firmly back in 4 door territory.

But at this price I could just be tempted to get one again.
 
I still like the Audi TT despite the image. I reckon a remapped one would be quite fun.
It would tick all the boxes that I currently have

* must be fairly inconspicuous (there's loads of them around)
* must have a bit of practicality (it has back seats - albeit for midgets)
* must be quickish (270BHP remap should solve that)
* must handle ok (never driven one yet but surely it can't be *that* bad can it?)
 
Skeeter said:
Wow, you managed to convince a woman to buy a car with 79k on it?!?! Thats an achievement in itself!
Click to expand...

I was quite impressed I managed it too.

Eidolon said:
must have a bit of practicality (it has back seats - albeit for midgets)
Click to expand...

The manual makes me laugh. It states that no person over 150cm tall should ride in the back seats, so that's 80% of adults. In reality I believe it can be reasonably comfortable over short journeys if one person is in the back and swings their legs up onto the rest of the back seat.
 
That is pretty good for 7k mate, must say extremely jelous looks in good nick!

I really want a TT in black with nice alloys would you mind spraying it black and selling it to me for 7k? :D
 
Well it was nearer £8K, but thank you. Black is a far more desirable colour so I think you'll have trouble in finding one for that sort of price in A1 condition. The thing that struck me was how much colour and mileage count for/against different TTs. I know it is true of most cars, but it seems more so with the TT. Again I'm being completely sexist and putting this down to a larger than average amount of female buyers.

For example if you like Olive green and value condition/service history over how many miles a car has done then you can pick up a real bargain of a TT. Having said that the credit crunch is hitting everything hard. I wish this 3.2 had been up when I bought my wife's as if it checks out it is a steal:

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-u...DI&model=TT&min_pr=&max_pr=10000&max_mileage=

4 years old, low mileage and £9.5K from a dealer!
 
eidolon said:
I still like the Audi TT despite the image. I reckon a remapped one would be quite fun.
It would tick all the boxes that I currently have

* must be fairly inconspicuous (there's loads of them around)
* must have a bit of practicality (it has back seats - albeit for midgets)
* must be quickish (270BHP remap should solve that)
* must handle ok (never driven one yet but surely it can't be *that* bad can it?)
Click to expand...

I'm of pretty much the same opinion. I think they still look good almost 10 years on, they can look quite plain but with the right wheels, lower ride height and some of the external body bits from the V6 I think they can look really good. The interior for me is the best bit, it's just a great piece of design and an enjoyable place to be. The high door line and dash really make you feel snug inside, although this could be translated as closed in dependant on what you like.

With the seats folded down they are surprisingly practical. You can fit a lot in, even a mountain bike.

Driving wise, it depends what you want really. For me the only major downside is the lack of feedback through the wheel which I understand is something a lot of the Audis suffer from. Also I don't think that the damping is that great, the ride is hard and it crashes over bumps so I would probably change the suspension if I got one.

There is loads of grip though and despite what many people say I like the haldex four wheel drive system and find it easy to get on with. It is more than happy to direct enough power to the rear when traction at the front is low and the back will step out when provoked.

Despite the image I really like them, I just wish I was insured on my Dad's permanently.
 
You can fit a mountain bike in them? Didn't realise that. I need to be able to fit 2 in though! (can you get a roof rack for them?)
 
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