I'm currently thinking about getting a TT and wanted to get people's opinions on some of the older models. I'm trying to decide between the A3 and TT actually. Going from a little Miata i'm looking for a bit more room and creature comforts. I'm looking for a daily driver, including the winters so the AWD system of the TT is definitely a selling feature, the lack of cargo space is not however.

There are 2 TT's on the market that i'm considering at the moment, an 03 and an 05. Both are from dealers. The dealer selling the 03' can't give me too much info. on the history of the car so i'm concerned about the timing belt/water pump issue. Not to mention the fact that the car was in an accident. The 05 has a clean record with 2 owners and has paddles shifters, while the 03 is manual. Here are the details...

2003 Black, $16,000 CDN
92,000 km
Manual

2005 Silver SLine $20,000 CDN
130,000 km
Auto

Would love to get people's opinions on these 2 TT's. I like the 03 because of the low miles and the fact that it's black but am concerned about the accident and whether my mechanic would be able to see if the timing belt and water pump were actually changed, good chance they weren't yet.

 

Likely the 03's timing belt has not been done if the car has 92,000km's so you would likely have to count on changing it out in the near future just to make sure. You don't want to assume it's been done, and everyone say's to get this changed out by 100,000km's to be safe. Can the dealer give any you details of the accident? If it's a biggy they have to disclose the information to you. My 03 has been a good daily driver, and it can carry decent luggage and such if needed, just don't count on getting anyone into that back seat!!

 

I'm actually going to look at an 01 this week as well. The specs are:
147,000 kms, black.
timing belt and water pump have been changed
comes with winter and summer tires
$11,500 OBO (CDN)

does the timing belt have to be changed every 100,000 k, along with the water pump? Wondering how much more Km's i'll get out of the car since it already has 147,000 km's on it already...

 

It should be changed at a 100,000km interval, and since you are right at it, you might as well change out the water pump because it's a very minor additional cost. If it fails in between a timing belt service it's a major expense. Can you find out when the 01 had the timing belt service? Perhaps they waited until 120,000km's or something, then at least your good for another 70K or so. Is it a 180 or 225?
I don't know if I'd go back as far as an 01, when I was buying mine I read tons of forums and felt they became a bit more reliable as they worked the bugs out.

 

The 01 owner told me the belt was done at 100,000 km's. Not sure if one can go up to 200,000 km to change it again or if there is a chance of it breaking before then? It doesn't say whether the 01 is the 180 or 225 model. The seller said he's only had the car for 4 months and it's been in an accident, all things that raise some red flags.

I believe the 03' would have to have the timing belt done and a dealer is selling it, all adding up to a pretty pricey purchase. The 05' is the most expensive, it's silver, not my favourite color but not bad and it has the DSG, which i'm still unsure about as i've always driven manual sports cars. i'm sure it's great for the city though.

 

Audi continuously improves their models each year, so get the newest one you can find. Be patient and go for low kilometer cars.

The TT coupe has an amazing amount of space once you fold down the useless back seats. I think of mine as a Tiny Truck. Here is my mountain bike in the back of my TT, all I have to do is remove the front wheel and one pedal.

 

Welcome to the forum!

I made the jump from a Miata to an 03 TT almost two years ago and now I am hooked on Audi. I loved the Miata's and wasn't happy to part with the last one, but I was done with parking a car that I love to drive for 6 months of the year.

Not sure how familiar you are, but not all TT's are equipped with quattro AWD. The 2005 is definitely quattro, but the 2003 and 2001 could be either quattro or FWD. Look for the quattro badges, but if you can get the VIN numbers, Audi Canada can tell you exactly how the cars were spec'd. In 2003, The FWD cars are the one's that Alan is referring to as a 180. The quattro cars were 225. (Referring to their HP.) In 2001 the 180 was offered in both drive trains.

You should be fairly pleasantly surprised with the cargo room in the TT. When the back seats of the TT are folded, it offers exactly the same cargo space as the A3 with it's seats folded. Which coming from a Miata, is a huge difference. If you want even more cargo room in the TT, you can always do the "rear seat delete." As the rear seats in the TT are useless to anyone over the age of 10, it's a modification a lot of TT owners have done.

Between the the original two you were considering, the 2003 and 2005, there are substantial differences between the two cars. You've already noticed that the 2005 is an "automatic". The transmission is actually the first DSG (now known as S Tronic) transmission that was offered in an Audi. The DSG equipped TT's were also all equipped with the 3.2 litre VR6 engine. The 2003 (and 2001) will have the 1.8T I4 engine. Both engines and transmissions have their advantages, but it comes down to personal preferences.

I strongly suggest driving both (or all three now) cars thoroughly. The DSG transmission was something I used to believe in on paper, but would never own. I've been driving a DSG equipped TTS now for just over a year and absolutely love it. It took me a good couple of weeks to get over not having the clutch and having the car shift for me (when not in manual mode) but in the long run, it's taught me how and when to shift better. Again, this is all personal preference, so give them both a go. Oh, and make sure you drive the 2005 in "D" then in "S". You should notice a pretty big difference between the two. "D" is meant to be more fuel efficient with earlier up shifts and later down shifts. "S" is meant to be more performance oriented with later up shifts (as late as redline if you are pushing it) and earlier down shifts. Notice that the DSG transmission "blips" the throttle right before downshift for you as well.

Take the 2003 to a good body shop that you know and trust. They should be able to see anything that might have been replaced in the accident. For that matter I would take any and all of them, if you are able.

Alan's right about the timing belt. If the previous owner of the 2003 knew he was selling the car and isn't necessarily an enthusiast (forum junkie like us) he likely hasn't had the timing belt/water pump done. Most guys that know this car/engine get it done much earlier than every 100000km, but that is the Audi recommended mileage. The water pump on my 2003 TT failed at highway speed at 60000 km, just outside of the four years of warranty expiring. The full price of the repair from the dealer would have been $4000.

 

Hey guys,

thanks for all your helpful advice and info. I've been on a couple of other forum's and was surprised to see how little traffic there was, so it's good to get some feedback as i'm trying to purchase something in the next week or two. I'm definitely drawn to the driving experience of the TT as it feels more like my old Miata but with more guts. The main reason i got rid of the Miata however, was the fact that the little things you take for granted just got to me after awhile. The acrobatic roll you need to perform to get in and out of the car, the lack of AC and space were also major annoyances.

Apart from the three TT's i'm looking at, i'm still considering the A3 because of the space issue and good reviews it's received. I have a hard time believing that the TT has the same cargo room as the A3. The specs i have found is that the Miata had 5 cubic feet, the TT 10 and the A3 36 cubic feet of cargo room.

The first TT i drove a few weeks ago was manual, black and i can't stop thinking about it . I test drove the silver 05 DSG this past weekend and it just didn't feel the same, even with the 3.2L. Maybe it just takes time to get used to? The manual just felt like it had more get up and go. I'm in the city however so the DSG is appealing when it comes to city traffic. The manual wasn't as fun in stop and go traffic.

I spoke with my mechanic and he had mentioned that the Quattro's tend to have more problems in the long run. He also gave me a quote of $650 CDN for a timing belt/water pump and oil change. Seems a lot cheaper than some of the prices i've seen thrown around the forum. If it will last meet for another 100,000 km's, that's not too bad.

 

i like the dsg...and have the 6spd....i think and feel the dsg is just all around better!! try and get the dsg you will love it!! tony was a BIG 6spd man but saw the light and is in love with his dsg today...

oh and welcome.
some old pics but good ones....enjoy!

 

my tt is a 2002 and still pulls hard! not that i drive it hard im @ 150k and still smile everytime i look at it.