Spec me a £10k Coupe

.Griff.

.Griff.

.Griff.

Soldato
Joined
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Location
Shropshire
Due to a change in circumstances I'm looking to swap my 172 Cup for something a bit more refined and I fancy a coupe.

Budget

10k. Not that I necessarily want to spend every last penny but I would spend the lot for the right car.

Usage

Social only. No commuting. It would be used only in the evenings and weekends to do the usual shopping and visiting friends/family. There's no kids or dogs to consider. I don't play Golf, go Skiing or have a part time job as a removal man.

Age

The newer the better but I'd be prepared to go back as far as 06/07. Not really interested in anything older.

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So far I've come up with two consideration - Mk2 Audi TT V6 and a BMW Z4 3.0SI Coupe. Note - It's probably fair to say I know more about the TT than the Z4 so I might not have all the facts correct on the BMW yet.

TT

Pro's - Personally I like the aesthetics of it. Interior seems a nice place to be with the right amount of toys. Quattro/Haldex AWD. VAG so plenty of specialists/independents, cheaper servicing and parts.

Con's - Vr6 engine is a bit dated now. High emissions/high tax bracket. Fuel economy not great but not too concerning given the limited mileage I'll do. Window regulators and Bose amps fail with frightening regularity.

Z4

Pro's - Supposedly the better drivers car than the TT. Straight six engine has a good reputation. Decent performance.

Con's - Can't quite decide on the aesthetics yet. Looks awesome from some angles, not great from other angles. Interior looks a bit bland. Can imagine it would be very expensive to fix/service but I might have this wrong.

I think that's about it for the two cars above. I did briefly consider the 350Z but there's a few things about it which puts me off.

Over to you lot...
 
.Griff. said:
Not at all. Pistonheads is a bit sparse but loads of sub 10K MK2 TT's on Autotrader, eBay etc.. Take my word on it, I've been looking/researching every day for four months.
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There isn't many to choose from, I've had a quick look and most of them look awfully worn (shiny steering wheels etc, creased seats).

This looks okay:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif.../6/radius/1501?logcode=p#advertSummaryContent

And this one:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...stcode/cv130bz?logcode=p#advertSummaryContent

The rest look like dogs at under £10k... :o
 
What does 10k get you mk2 SLK wise, does it get you into a 350?

S2000 probably not on the cards if you're wanting something more refined and by the looks of it wanting a more lazy/larger engine.
 
Blackhawk47 said:
There isn't many to choose from, I've had a quick look and most of them look awfully worn (shiny steering wheels etc, creased seats).

This looks okay:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif.../6/radius/1501?logcode=p#advertSummaryContent

And this one:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...stcode/cv130bz?logcode=p#advertSummaryContent

The rest look like dogs at under £10k... :o
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I'll take a look at the links afterwards but you seem to be missing the point somewhat.

While at this very moment there may not be a plethora of MK2 TT's out there for 10k or under over the last four months I've seen many fine examples come and go so I know your earlier comment is somewhat irrelevant.

Added to that the premise of this thread isn't to debate how many TT are available rather it's to see what other cars are out there that I've not considered.

:)
 
Thats fine, but I think if you've been looking and closely watching TTs for the last four months, then its clear that is what you want to get. Personally prefer a TT over a 350z. ;)
 
Having been in this position myself for a while, Z4 Coupe wins it imo. TT has a nicer interior but has no aura or presence about it, the Z4 has a great stance and actually feels a bit special. Saying that I'd love to try a DSG V6 TT, but apparently the gearboxes are just timebombs waiting to bankrupt you!
 
Chris1712 said:
Having been in this position myself for a while, Z4 Coupe wins it imo. TT has a nicer interior but has no aura or presence about it, the Z4 has a great stance and actually feels a bit special. Saying that I'd love to try a DSG V6 TT, but apparently the gearboxes are just timebombs waiting to bankrupt you!
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Have you had the opportunity to drive both at all?

I agree with the sentiment about the gearbox. I'd definitely want a manual if I went for the TT.
 
Blackhawk47 said:
Thats fine, but I think if you've been looking and closely watching TTs for the last four months, then its clear that is what you want to get. Personally prefer a TT over a 350z. ;)
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It probably does come across that I'm leaning towards the TT and that's what I intended to get hence the four months of research. However it's taking longer than I expected to receive the funds necessary and in the meantime I've decided to broaden my search with the Z4C the first "alternative" on my list.
 
Ev0 said:
What does 10k get you mk2 SLK wise, does it get you into a 350?

S2000 probably not on the cards if you're wanting something more refined and by the looks of it wanting a more lazy/larger engine.
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A few years ago I'd have jumped at the chance of an S2000 but I don't really want something you need to rev the nuts off to get anywhere however good a car it might be. Wrongly or rightly it comes across as a bit "tinny" and not as substantial as the TT or Z4C.

melchy said:
£10K these days seems to get you an early (2006) highish mileage E92 335i SE.
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I can't say I'd ever considered an E92 so thanks for the suggestion. I'll admit the amount of 3 series and derivatives confuses me so do you have any links to a good example?

AndrewNR said:
A facelifted e46 m3.
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While I did say I wouldn't do many miles I think the running costs of an M3 would be a bit on the high side for me.
 
.Griff. said:
Have you had the opportunity to drive both at all?

I agree with the sentiment about the gearbox. I'd definitely want a manual if I went for the TT.
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Driven a Z4 Coupe & the 2.0TFSI TT Manual. I've heard the V6 in the TT is a peach, but not managed to drive one manual or otherwise. I want to try a 350z aswell, but I'm in no rush.
 
.Griff. said:
What year was the TFSI? I'm pretty sure I'm correct in thinking earlier MK2 TFSI's were FWD only and after 08 the option of Quattro was added.

Having driven both what set the Z4 apart for you?
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Yes you're right it was FWD, so not a particularly fair comparison I guess. The TT is a more mature drive, leaning on boring. Interior is more solid (typically Audi), but feels quite cramped. The biggest thing is its complete lack of 'event' IMO, it's quite a numb car. Z4 Coupe has such great stance just sat still it looks ready to launch, the drive is a bit more agile and obviously a lot quicker but I only drove the 2.0T TT. Z4 Coupe felt like a real sports coupe, I think you need to drive a V6 Quattro to properly compare though.

As it stands, if a nice Z4 Coupe comes up nearby with good spec I'll likely grab one. But in the meantime as my savings swell I'm eyeing up 370z's and E89's, after all the TT, Z4 and 350z are all 10 year old cars now!

EDIT: I suspect that the differences between a V6 TT and the Z4C will be very subjective, and it appears you have a vague preference towards the TT. Guess you'll have to suck it and see! The one thing the TT has in it's favour is availability, in all my months of looking at Z4s there have only been a handful worth looking at whereas there are LOADS of TTs. The Z4 (as with most BMWs!) is very 'option sensitive', and the good ones go within days. The TT you've only really got Cruise/Bose to look for, heated seats standard on the V6, not sure magride came in until 2008 so probably out of budget.
 
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Blackhawk47 said:
Lol Z4 coupe and TT are not 10 years old. :p
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Well the E86 was just a facelift really, it's mostly the same as the E85 2003. TT is based on the 8P A3 which came out in 2003. At least the engines got upgraded in the E86 I guess, the V6 in the TT is the same as the mk1 tt and mk4 R32 Golf.

melchy said:
Seems for £10K the Z4 can be quite high mileage. This thread has tweaked my interest somewhat. Does this one look any good?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201305136729746
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10k will get you a 06/56 with 60-80k on it. From what I've read the mechanicals are pretty solid so mileage isn't much of an issue, suspension might be due a refresh but the expensive bits are well built.
 
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