MK1 TT 3.2 V6 Quattro - good idea?

[Woody]

Hopefully moving to a new place with a bigger/usable garage in the near future.
I've had the OK from the O/H to get a 'toy'.

Now ideally I'd like a 7 type kitcar but that's not going to happen for various reasons.

Said 'toy' will need a roof, 4 seats and a semi-decent boot space and be no more than £5k.

So I thought the MK 1 TT V6 fitted the bill quite nicely - don't mind if it's manual or DSG.

Something like this one: 2003 Audi TT Mk1 V6 DSG

Would this be a bad idea?

Any words of wisdom - other than don't do it!

What should I look out for on these?

[Dave Hedgehog]

do it

fit miltech exhaust

find lots of very long tunnels

the rear seats are unusable by anyone over 5 stone

[Woody]

Dave Hedgehog said:

do it

fit miltech exhaust

find lots of very long tunnels
the rear seats are unusable by anyone over 5 stone

Should be fine for my 6 & 10 yo lightweights then lol.

[SuperchargedVR6]

2 grand more gets you into a MK2 TT 3.2, which is a vastly better car to look at, sit in and drive, imo. Worth putting some pennies away for a bit longer.

[the-photographer]

http://clubgti.com/showthread.php?275972-Audi-TT-m...

[Dr G]

Yeah; they were fun things back in the day but have turned out to be reasonably high maintenance cars. Engine, gearbox, and suspension issues can all cause grief.

They were never quite as fast as the fuel economy suggested they should be although the soundtrack is wonderful.

[seadragon]

I had the MK1 TT 240 QS and it was awesome, goes like a rocket. Yes it doesn't have the big engine but it has the 2 tone styling and the interior is nice and racy. I loved it.

[catso]

Woody said:

What should I look out for on these?

Assuming the mechanicals are the same as an A3, 3.2 quattro (I can't comment on TT specific faults); then be aware of potential timing chain tensioner failure (although given the age one would think it would have already been sorted if it were likely to go), my old A3 had this at 40k ish miles/5 years and although I got it mostly good willed by Audi, they originally quoted me over £1600 in labour alone (16 hrs, engine out job).

Also potential DSG/mechatronic failure, mine was fine even at 12yrs/80k but these were the first generation of DSG and were therefore more likely to fail and replacement/repair is expensive.

Other than that, in the course of 12 years ownership my A3 needed a new oil cooler, radiator, cooling fans and 3 batteries which I suppose are not out of the ordinary so, fuel aside it wasn't too expensive to run.

[Gren]

SuperchargedVR6 said:

2 grand more gets you into a MK2 TT 3.2, which is a vastly better car to look at, sit in and drive, imo. Worth putting some pennies away for a bit longer.

Agreed. My mk1 (225 not the V6) was starting to turn into a money pit after 70k miles - cracked springs, arbs, radiator fans, dashpod. All happened within a year.

Never had a single problem with the mk2 over 6 years other than replacing the rear dampers.

[dafeller]

The discussion about aesthetics really gets you nowhere on this: people who realise the Mk1 is a design icon can't be bothered with the homogenised looks of the later models. The later ones handle better according to Jeremy Clarkson, but it lacks the bespoke nature of the MK1 interior, etc. I like the Mk1.

The Mk1 can be made to handle as it should with some minor tweaks that undo the Health & Safety updates: polybushed, cookbots, adjustable rear control arms, R32 arbs, etc. If you like the Quattro concept and enjoy driving AWD, they're a great thing.

The 3.2 is just about the best sounding thing you can have. I have the DSG and yes, it requires an oil change every 40K, the Haldex requires a change twice as often. Such is the price of a sophisticated all-wheel driveline. At this point, the DSG controller, the Mechatronic unit, is a common market item and can be rebuilt/replaced for somewhere between £300 and £500, and it is wise to buy a car where this has been done if the can has more than 80K on it.

I just had my annual inspection and oil change (motor) and it cost me £170. Everything was perfect on it, as it was two years ago the last time this was done.

Maybe that all sounds expensive, but you have to weigh it against how much you enjoy the car. I get close to 30mpg on a tank and I enjoy it a lot. A lot. I have never gotten out of a drive to the office or a Sunday's B Road and said 'gee, I would/could have enjoyed that more in a cheaper car'. I feel like it's a HUGE amount of car for the money at this point; £5,000 should get you a really nice car and it always feels special.

But that's just me.