My Car History - Audi TT 2.0TFSI S tronic
Discussion
Hello PH! Long time lurker, new user here and I thought I'd fill in a bit of my car history here although a lot of it won't be to some peoples tastes, we all make mistakes and live and learn and all that...
I'm Shafz, I'm 21 from London and my car history is as follows:
Car number 1 - 18 - 1997/P Toyota Starlet 1.3 16v Sportif - May 2011-Oct 2011
This was my 'first' car, although not the most 'inspiring' of first cars it did everything I wanted it to do, it was 'nippy' - 75bhp in 850kg, completely poverty spec, wind up windows, no AC, radio/cassette, manual mirrors, didn't even have a rev counter, but I loved it, it was freedom. I covered 5000 miles in 6 months in this car just being an 18 year old and driving everywhere! It was in the family for 11 years (Mum purchased it in 1999 then I bought it off her when she got her new car for the princely sum of £500 with only 42000 miles on the clock).
In those 11 years it was completely reliable but obviously being an 18 year old I decided to ruin it. I lowered it on springs from the SR model, added genuine toyota clear indicator lenses, added 15" Ripspeed - I know! - alloy wheels to it, 6x9s, stereo, front seats from a starlet GT turbo, the usual 18 year old tat to it basically! But it was completely reliable and dependable but over time and after 6 months of no air conditioning, suede seats, and a heatwave I decided it was time to go, cue car number 2.
Car Number 2 - 18 - 2000/W Volkswagen Golf 1.6 8v SE - Jan 2012-Feb 2013
The day I got it, at a travelodge carpark having traveled to Newcastle to get it:
Now this is the car I owned second longest out of any car I've owned - a whole 13 months - I decided it was time for me to start building NCB and I'd also wanted a car with a few more toys. I'd been checking autotrader for VW Polo and Golf 1.4s but then to my surprise the 1.6 was only a little bit more to insure than the 1.4! I then set my heart on the SE spec 1.6 as it came with more extras such as front and rear armrest, CD player, 8 speakers, alloys amongst other things and came across this one up north.
A phonecall to the insurance company and a train ticket later and I'd gone and picked up what is to me, my first car. As much as the starlet will always be the first car to give me that freedom on the road, I will always count the golf as my first car as it was my first proper buying decision and one I traveled to get! I bought it in January 2012 with 60k on the clock, but it wasn't short of issues. It had a problem with the throttle body sticking, the cambelt was due, brakes were shot, suspension was creaking. I fixed the throttle body, got the cambelt and brakes done then had to deal with the suspension. I found out a set of coilovers was actually cheaper to buy than four springs and shocks so a phonecall to the insurance company later and I was given the go-ahead to fit coilovers to it. I then lowered it to such an extent on the standard 15" alloys that I couldn't get over the speedbumps in my area, now any sane person would raise the suspension, but me? I decided to put some 18" alloys on it. I then proceeded to go crazy with it, full red/black recaro interior from a GTI, exhaust, angel eye headlights (now I look back at it they were truly horrible), black grille but there was a problem...
It was slow. In 13 months I'd only covered 3.5k miles in it, vs the 5k miles in 6 months in my starlet. I just couldn't gel with it. It was uninspiring to drive, lacked the nippy and somewhat 'playfulness' of the starlet, it wasn't very responsive and 100bhp really wasn't enough for a car that big. I owned it for 13 months, got my first years NCB and decided it was time to move on to...
Car number 3 - 19 - 1994/M Toyota Starlet GT Turbo - Feb 2013-Sept 2013
Now this was a cracker. It was and probably still is the fastest car I've owned. It was an animal, I was scared of it for months. It was running a TD04 turbo from an Impreza, proper jap import with the indicators on the wrong side - cue lots of windscreen wipers around roundabouts action for a few weeks - it was lairy, it made all sorts of turbo noises and as a 19 year old - I loved it! It was surprisingly cheap to run and had dyno print outs for 176bhp and it weighed nothing. However reliable like my first starlet? It was not. The bonnet was up every weekend and something new had popped up or some other issues - Lesson learnt here, don't buy other peoples projects. I changed pretty much everything to get it to run right and then realised it was time to be sensible, I'd got myself a higher paying job with a commute and as fun as the hot hatch was, it was time for me to move on.
Car number 4 - 20 - 2005/05 BMW 325i SE E90 Manual - Sept 2013-Present
I still own this car and it's my current daily driver. It was my first RWD car, my first 6 cylinder, my first true 'luxury' car and I was, and still am very happy with it. It makes a lovely noise, is fairly good on fuel on a motorway run, it is incredibly comfortable and it was pretty well optioned and I got it on the low mileage of 51k and 2 previous owners. It was a very good road trip car and comfortably took me between London and Leicester, Nottingham and anywhere else I needed to go. It also handles very well and it was kind of nice to be tooling around in a BMW saloon at my age. In 18 months only 1 thing has gone wrong and it was a problem when I bought the car of the valvetronic motor going wrong, £220 later and that problem was sorted and the car's been spot on ever since. I've fitted OEM BMW Blackline rear lights to it as well as facelift headlights from the LCI model which added the angel eyes. it looks subtle but classy, no chavviness with this one!
I've taken it to Santa Pod twice, here it is pictured with my friends Civic VTi and Honda Integra Type R's in the queue
It ran a fairly respectable 15.4 at 90.7mph in full road weight and it was quite funny seeing this BMW saloon in SE spec running the quarter mile against Civics and far more interesting metal, but this highlighted something that I was missing, I never did get to do the civic thing.. I'd bought a BMW saloon at 20, was I growing up too fast? I decided to get myself a toy to play with. All my friends had Hondas so...
Car Number 5 - 21 - 2002/52 Honda Civic Type R - June 2014-Present
Picture from the advert:
Now this, this is the best car I've owned. It's somewhat raw, communicative, fast, the engine is superb, it's very responsive, grippy, and gives me the hooliganism the 325i just can't. I bought it with the intention of it being a weekend car or a car to track but I find myself in the mornings walking past the 325i and getting straight into the Civic. It's gearbox is wonderful, it's reasonably good on fuel off VTEC, and it's a car I wanted since seeing the 'Bye Bye GTI' adverts in 2001, as well as the countless TV reviews where it beat all the other hot hatches around the track. Obviously this being a toy I set to work.. ruining it?
Anyone familiar with the Civic type-R will know the midpipe on the exhaust is comically small and restrictive. The exhaust started to develop a blow after 5 weeks of ownership so I decided to put a 2.5" catback exhaust on it. Some may call it excessive but it's still a silenced system and it does sound rather good and isn't as loud as many other civics I've heard. I've fitted the rear anti roll bar from a Japanese spec civic type R as it's slightly thicker (22mm vs 19mm) which allows the rear to rotate more, as well as grooved discs and mintex pads. I plan to get Eibach lowering springs and get a fast road setup done in the near future. I'm very happy with this two car stable at the moment and I'm not sure what I want next, the civic will definitely stay but the BMW I struggle to find a replacement I'd want.
Picture of both cars together:
Anyway that's my car history and if you've managed to stick around this long to read it, thanks!
For the too long, didn't read crowd:
1. 1997 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16v Sportif
2. 2000 Volkswagen Golf 1.6 SE 8v
3. 1994 Toyota Starlet GT Turbo
4. 2005 BMW 325i SE Saloon Manual - Current
5. 2002 Honda Civic Type-R EP3 - Gone
6. 2007 Audi TT 2.0TFSI S tronic - Current
I'm Shafz, I'm 21 from London and my car history is as follows:
Car number 1 - 18 - 1997/P Toyota Starlet 1.3 16v Sportif - May 2011-Oct 2011
This was my 'first' car, although not the most 'inspiring' of first cars it did everything I wanted it to do, it was 'nippy' - 75bhp in 850kg, completely poverty spec, wind up windows, no AC, radio/cassette, manual mirrors, didn't even have a rev counter, but I loved it, it was freedom. I covered 5000 miles in 6 months in this car just being an 18 year old and driving everywhere! It was in the family for 11 years (Mum purchased it in 1999 then I bought it off her when she got her new car for the princely sum of £500 with only 42000 miles on the clock).
In those 11 years it was completely reliable but obviously being an 18 year old I decided to ruin it. I lowered it on springs from the SR model, added genuine toyota clear indicator lenses, added 15" Ripspeed - I know! - alloy wheels to it, 6x9s, stereo, front seats from a starlet GT turbo, the usual 18 year old tat to it basically! But it was completely reliable and dependable but over time and after 6 months of no air conditioning, suede seats, and a heatwave I decided it was time to go, cue car number 2.
Car Number 2 - 18 - 2000/W Volkswagen Golf 1.6 8v SE - Jan 2012-Feb 2013
The day I got it, at a travelodge carpark having traveled to Newcastle to get it:
Now this is the car I owned second longest out of any car I've owned - a whole 13 months - I decided it was time for me to start building NCB and I'd also wanted a car with a few more toys. I'd been checking autotrader for VW Polo and Golf 1.4s but then to my surprise the 1.6 was only a little bit more to insure than the 1.4! I then set my heart on the SE spec 1.6 as it came with more extras such as front and rear armrest, CD player, 8 speakers, alloys amongst other things and came across this one up north.
A phonecall to the insurance company and a train ticket later and I'd gone and picked up what is to me, my first car. As much as the starlet will always be the first car to give me that freedom on the road, I will always count the golf as my first car as it was my first proper buying decision and one I traveled to get! I bought it in January 2012 with 60k on the clock, but it wasn't short of issues. It had a problem with the throttle body sticking, the cambelt was due, brakes were shot, suspension was creaking. I fixed the throttle body, got the cambelt and brakes done then had to deal with the suspension. I found out a set of coilovers was actually cheaper to buy than four springs and shocks so a phonecall to the insurance company later and I was given the go-ahead to fit coilovers to it. I then lowered it to such an extent on the standard 15" alloys that I couldn't get over the speedbumps in my area, now any sane person would raise the suspension, but me? I decided to put some 18" alloys on it. I then proceeded to go crazy with it, full red/black recaro interior from a GTI, exhaust, angel eye headlights (now I look back at it they were truly horrible), black grille but there was a problem...
It was slow. In 13 months I'd only covered 3.5k miles in it, vs the 5k miles in 6 months in my starlet. I just couldn't gel with it. It was uninspiring to drive, lacked the nippy and somewhat 'playfulness' of the starlet, it wasn't very responsive and 100bhp really wasn't enough for a car that big. I owned it for 13 months, got my first years NCB and decided it was time to move on to...
Car number 3 - 19 - 1994/M Toyota Starlet GT Turbo - Feb 2013-Sept 2013
Now this was a cracker. It was and probably still is the fastest car I've owned. It was an animal, I was scared of it for months. It was running a TD04 turbo from an Impreza, proper jap import with the indicators on the wrong side - cue lots of windscreen wipers around roundabouts action for a few weeks - it was lairy, it made all sorts of turbo noises and as a 19 year old - I loved it! It was surprisingly cheap to run and had dyno print outs for 176bhp and it weighed nothing. However reliable like my first starlet? It was not. The bonnet was up every weekend and something new had popped up or some other issues - Lesson learnt here, don't buy other peoples projects. I changed pretty much everything to get it to run right and then realised it was time to be sensible, I'd got myself a higher paying job with a commute and as fun as the hot hatch was, it was time for me to move on.
Car number 4 - 20 - 2005/05 BMW 325i SE E90 Manual - Sept 2013-Present
I still own this car and it's my current daily driver. It was my first RWD car, my first 6 cylinder, my first true 'luxury' car and I was, and still am very happy with it. It makes a lovely noise, is fairly good on fuel on a motorway run, it is incredibly comfortable and it was pretty well optioned and I got it on the low mileage of 51k and 2 previous owners. It was a very good road trip car and comfortably took me between London and Leicester, Nottingham and anywhere else I needed to go. It also handles very well and it was kind of nice to be tooling around in a BMW saloon at my age. In 18 months only 1 thing has gone wrong and it was a problem when I bought the car of the valvetronic motor going wrong, £220 later and that problem was sorted and the car's been spot on ever since. I've fitted OEM BMW Blackline rear lights to it as well as facelift headlights from the LCI model which added the angel eyes. it looks subtle but classy, no chavviness with this one!
I've taken it to Santa Pod twice, here it is pictured with my friends Civic VTi and Honda Integra Type R's in the queue
It ran a fairly respectable 15.4 at 90.7mph in full road weight and it was quite funny seeing this BMW saloon in SE spec running the quarter mile against Civics and far more interesting metal, but this highlighted something that I was missing, I never did get to do the civic thing.. I'd bought a BMW saloon at 20, was I growing up too fast? I decided to get myself a toy to play with. All my friends had Hondas so...
Car Number 5 - 21 - 2002/52 Honda Civic Type R - June 2014-Present
Picture from the advert:
Now this, this is the best car I've owned. It's somewhat raw, communicative, fast, the engine is superb, it's very responsive, grippy, and gives me the hooliganism the 325i just can't. I bought it with the intention of it being a weekend car or a car to track but I find myself in the mornings walking past the 325i and getting straight into the Civic. It's gearbox is wonderful, it's reasonably good on fuel off VTEC, and it's a car I wanted since seeing the 'Bye Bye GTI' adverts in 2001, as well as the countless TV reviews where it beat all the other hot hatches around the track. Obviously this being a toy I set to work.. ruining it?
Anyone familiar with the Civic type-R will know the midpipe on the exhaust is comically small and restrictive. The exhaust started to develop a blow after 5 weeks of ownership so I decided to put a 2.5" catback exhaust on it. Some may call it excessive but it's still a silenced system and it does sound rather good and isn't as loud as many other civics I've heard. I've fitted the rear anti roll bar from a Japanese spec civic type R as it's slightly thicker (22mm vs 19mm) which allows the rear to rotate more, as well as grooved discs and mintex pads. I plan to get Eibach lowering springs and get a fast road setup done in the near future. I'm very happy with this two car stable at the moment and I'm not sure what I want next, the civic will definitely stay but the BMW I struggle to find a replacement I'd want.
Picture of both cars together:
Anyway that's my car history and if you've managed to stick around this long to read it, thanks!
For the too long, didn't read crowd:
1. 1997 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16v Sportif
2. 2000 Volkswagen Golf 1.6 SE 8v
3. 1994 Toyota Starlet GT Turbo
4. 2005 BMW 325i SE Saloon Manual - Current
5. 2002 Honda Civic Type-R EP3 - Gone
6. 2007 Audi TT 2.0TFSI S tronic - Current
Edited by ShafzC on Monday 10th April 11:19
Edited by ShafzC on Saturday 27th May 23:24
Edited by ShafzC on Friday 3rd July 02:33
Great history - I had 10 + years of bumbling around in pretty dull cars like the Golf 1.6, a Polo 1.4 and a 205 1.1 to name just a few. Having an E90 325i and a CTR at your age is amazing.
Apart from the Starlets I've personal experience of the other 3 - I don't need much of an excuse the show of a pic of my 2002 EP3 (I know the windows are illegal, they were changed) -
Almost 10 years since I traded it for an Impreza WRX, still have fond memories but doubt I would have another, as great as it was.
Apart from the Starlets I've personal experience of the other 3 - I don't need much of an excuse the show of a pic of my 2002 EP3 (I know the windows are illegal, they were changed) -
Almost 10 years since I traded it for an Impreza WRX, still have fond memories but doubt I would have another, as great as it was.
andy118run said:
Great history - I had 10 + years of bumbling around in pretty dull cars like the Golf 1.6, a Polo 1.4 and a 205 1.1 to name just a few. Having an E90 325i and a CTR at your age is amazing.
Almost 10 years since I traded it for an Impreza WRX, still have fond memories but doubt I would have another, as great as it was.
Thanks about the comment about it being amazing having these cars so young, but I have no real outgoing expenditures and my hobby is cars, the E90s are really very good value for money at the moment especially the 325i's as everyone is kind of shying away from the 6pot petrols in favour of the diesels, and as you mentioned in your thread everyone overlooks the 325i and goes straight for the 330/335, making the 325i a very attractive used buy, and a brilliant brilliant car, I often get comments that it looks more expensive than it actually was!Almost 10 years since I traded it for an Impreza WRX, still have fond memories but doubt I would have another, as great as it was.
Impreza WRX was a car that was on my list next but I'd probably want a WRX STI after the CTR as the WRX doesn't have enough for it to stand out to me in my opinion, I'd ideally want a hawkeye STi but then running or even trying to get an insurance quote on one at 21 is insane! How did you find the WRX after the CTR out of curiosity?
Nice little fleet their OP, I especially like your TD04 Starlet, my mates TD05 Starlet is still pretty much the fastest thing I've ever driven - wanted to buy that car off him so badly but wasn't in the position to at the time. I'm sure I've seen your BMW before but as I'm in Yorkshire that's probably unlikely
ShafzC said:
How did you find the WRX after the CTR out of curiosity?
Loved my WRX - 
Pretty much a bog standard WRX, apart from the previous owner upgrading the exhaust and speccing it with the STI spoiler. So easy to drive/make progress after experiencing the EP3, which you obviously need to drive near to the redline to make the most of the engine. Would choose the Impreza all day long. Can't comment on the STI or the various special editions but the performance figures of the WRX with the prodrive package or indeed the STI with the PPP certainly appealed to me.
Posting from my mobile so apologies if this turns out weird
Andy118run - That is stunning! The blobeye and hawkeye are my favourite of the more recent Impreza shapes, and that's exactly what I did, and didn't want to hear about the WRX! Now it's back on the list for a potential next car but I'd keep the CTR and maybe replace the BMW with it, I'm not sure. I do know they're quite thirsty but to be honest if I enjoy it I don't mind spending a bit more on fuel (the E90 isn't the most economical around London itself to be honest), thanks for your insight into ownership of it!
Remagel2507 - Thanks! The starlet turbo was the scariest, fastest in a straight line and most exciting car I've owned, when it worked nothing could come close to it but it was a bit unreliable and a bit scary to daily drive in London! It was raw and required immense concentration just to keep it in a straight line (mine didn't have an LSD so torquesteered worse than anything I've ever been in). In regards to my E90 that's unlikely that it was mine but I'm in Leicester a few times a year in it but never Yorkshire, though I bought my civic type R from Yorkshire!
Andy118run - That is stunning! The blobeye and hawkeye are my favourite of the more recent Impreza shapes, and that's exactly what I did, and didn't want to hear about the WRX! Now it's back on the list for a potential next car but I'd keep the CTR and maybe replace the BMW with it, I'm not sure. I do know they're quite thirsty but to be honest if I enjoy it I don't mind spending a bit more on fuel (the E90 isn't the most economical around London itself to be honest), thanks for your insight into ownership of it!
Remagel2507 - Thanks! The starlet turbo was the scariest, fastest in a straight line and most exciting car I've owned, when it worked nothing could come close to it but it was a bit unreliable and a bit scary to daily drive in London! It was raw and required immense concentration just to keep it in a straight line (mine didn't have an LSD so torquesteered worse than anything I've ever been in). In regards to my E90 that's unlikely that it was mine but I'm in Leicester a few times a year in it but never Yorkshire, though I bought my civic type R from Yorkshire!
Edited by ShafzC on Thursday 26th February 07:19
Nice history so far! I always wanted a Starlet GT Turbo. A mate of a mate had one and it always looked like it went like a train! Not sure how standard it was but you could really hear the turbo spooling on full chat.
I can echo Andy118's comments about going from a CTR to a WRX. Overall I think the WRX is in a different league. A lot more steering feel, much more grunt lower down, yet still revvy for a turbo motor. The WRX, in standard form, is pretty comfy too - almost grand tourer esque. It's also got total grip unlike the CTR which actually used to be able to spin the wheels in 3rd gear in the wet...!! I loved the VTEC (the sound!) and as you say the gearbox is a thing of beauty but I found the steering completely numb. It made it a difficult car to drive quickly, particularly in the wet, as you never knew what the front tyres were doing. I do miss the moment when the engine switched cam profiles though.
My old CTR
And the Scoob
I can echo Andy118's comments about going from a CTR to a WRX. Overall I think the WRX is in a different league. A lot more steering feel, much more grunt lower down, yet still revvy for a turbo motor. The WRX, in standard form, is pretty comfy too - almost grand tourer esque. It's also got total grip unlike the CTR which actually used to be able to spin the wheels in 3rd gear in the wet...!! I loved the VTEC (the sound!) and as you say the gearbox is a thing of beauty but I found the steering completely numb. It made it a difficult car to drive quickly, particularly in the wet, as you never knew what the front tyres were doing. I do miss the moment when the engine switched cam profiles though.
My old CTR
And the Scoob
Wow, really nice Subarus, guess I might have found a replacement for the BMW then! I should get another years NCB hopefully in November as well as being 22 by then so I'll see what quotes are for them, I live in a fairly high risk area of London though so we'll see!
How are they on fuel, also I agree with the numb steering feel comments about the EP3, especially by having the E90 before the EP3 with heavy nice direct hydraulic steering, the EPS in the civic feels a bit numb!
How are they on fuel, also I agree with the numb steering feel comments about the EP3, especially by having the E90 before the EP3 with heavy nice direct hydraulic steering, the EPS in the civic feels a bit numb!
Cheers for the comments, must get a thread going in here at some point as I've been enjoying the 'car history' threads in here of late. The wagon made a lot of sense to me as I surf and cycle a fair bit - wagon means you can sling bikes and boards in easy.
I think if you got a Scoob you really wouldn't be disappointed. MPG is a bit of a mixed bag - some people can't get much more than 26mpg and others can get 30+ without too much trouble. There's a thread in the Scoob section you should have a read of - http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
When doing longer trips I could get 30-32mpg on a trip no problem. Lately I've been doing more town stuff and I'm getting about 27mpg out of a tank.
I think if you got a Scoob you really wouldn't be disappointed. MPG is a bit of a mixed bag - some people can't get much more than 26mpg and others can get 30+ without too much trouble. There's a thread in the Scoob section you should have a read of - http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
When doing longer trips I could get 30-32mpg on a trip no problem. Lately I've been doing more town stuff and I'm getting about 27mpg out of a tank.
Update 2 years on, Civic type-R gone. Most fun car I've ever owned, covered just shy of 4k miles in it but in November 2015 it was time for it to go. Can do a full write up of my ownership experience should anyone be interested.
E90 325i is still here, I love this car more and more every time I drive it however - My commute isn't done by driving anymore which means this might have to go too.
This means I have some of the money left over from the Civic, plus whatever I get from the sale of my BMW to put towards something 'interesting'.
At 24 with some no claims under my belt at the moment I've been looking at the typical Blobeye WRX STI's as mentioned previously, Evo 8 260 GSRs, maybe getting a 335i as I do love my 325i but it's lacking a bit in the 'fun' department and doesn't feel as quick as it did to me at 20. I've got a lot of thinking to do, was even thinking of a MK5 GTI and then pocket the rest of the cash to save for something better when I turn 25 next year and insurance drops even more.
Apologies for links dying in the first post, I shall try and rectify when possible.
E90 325i is still here, I love this car more and more every time I drive it however - My commute isn't done by driving anymore which means this might have to go too.
This means I have some of the money left over from the Civic, plus whatever I get from the sale of my BMW to put towards something 'interesting'.
At 24 with some no claims under my belt at the moment I've been looking at the typical Blobeye WRX STI's as mentioned previously, Evo 8 260 GSRs, maybe getting a 335i as I do love my 325i but it's lacking a bit in the 'fun' department and doesn't feel as quick as it did to me at 20. I've got a lot of thinking to do, was even thinking of a MK5 GTI and then pocket the rest of the cash to save for something better when I turn 25 next year and insurance drops even more.
Apologies for links dying in the first post, I shall try and rectify when possible.
That's funny. Also went from a 3-series BMW (albeit an E91 320dA) to an EP3 Type-R and I can't help to drive it all day long. Also lusted for an MKV GTI before the Type-R. Exceptional engines, good driving position, etc. But around here MKVs tend to rot (front wings, rear wings, lower parts of doors), don't know how's it in the UK.
And an Impreza would be a good bet, although around here they tend to blow up if they're not in stock form (racing on frozen lakes + iffy tunes on high mileage engines = tend to go clickety clack). Perhaps it's again better in the UK.
As you're rather fond of your E90, have you thought of a BMW M car? RS Clios-Meganes may also be worth looking into.
And an Impreza would be a good bet, although around here they tend to blow up if they're not in stock form (racing on frozen lakes + iffy tunes on high mileage engines = tend to go clickety clack). Perhaps it's again better in the UK.
As you're rather fond of your E90, have you thought of a BMW M car? RS Clios-Meganes may also be worth looking into.
chillbill said:
That's funny. Also went from a 3-series BMW (albeit an E91 320dA) to an EP3 Type-R and I can't help to drive it all day long. Also lusted for an MKV GTI before the Type-R. Exceptional engines, good driving position, etc. But around here MKVs tend to rot (front wings, rear wings, lower parts of doors), don't know how's it in the UK.
And an Impreza would be a good bet, although around here they tend to blow up if they're not in stock form (racing on frozen lakes + iffy tunes on high mileage engines = tend to go clickety clack). Perhaps it's again better in the UK.
As you're rather fond of your E90, have you thought of a BMW M car? RS Clios-Meganes may also be worth looking into.
My sister owns a MK5 golf (albeit a 1.6 FSI) with the rust on the front arches etc and every time I drive it I imagine what a 2.0T DSG GTI is like - I might give one a test drive. Imprezas can be owned by 'the wrong crowd' here who don't look after the ones in the cheaper price bracket so would have to look at the higher end of the market and preferably a 2.0 over a 2.5. And an Impreza would be a good bet, although around here they tend to blow up if they're not in stock form (racing on frozen lakes + iffy tunes on high mileage engines = tend to go clickety clack). Perhaps it's again better in the UK.
As you're rather fond of your E90, have you thought of a BMW M car? RS Clios-Meganes may also be worth looking into.
In regards to the M-cars, for my budget I'd only be able to afford to buy and insure an E46 M3, or perhaps an SMG model and the maintenance on them scares me - however this would be purely a weekend car so could be manageable.
I must check how much a megane 250RS is as they've crossed my mind but I've always been German or Japanese when it comes to my car choices - I need to have a go in a hot Renault!
Thanks for the suggestions, the EP3 really was a wonderful thing, I miss it more than any car I've previously got rid of.
Small update - Got a new (to me) car!
Whilst looking for a replacement for my EP3 type R, I started looking at MK5 GTI's and Leon FR's and the usual 2.0T cars, but the Leon interior didn't really appeal to me and the golf seemed too 'sensible' seeing as I still own my E90 325i SE, I decided to look at coupes.
At first I looked at 350Z's as I quite like my Japanese coupes, however running a 3.5 V6 (I would've wanted a later model with the HR engine), and kind of wanting an automatic due to living in London and 90% of my driving being inner city - I decided to look elsewhere.
I looked at Audi A5's, but they seemed too 'boaty' and too 'similar' to my 3 series to be a weekend car that'd give me a radical enough change, also they're very heavy.
I then stumbled across Audi TT MK2's. I never really liked the MK1 but I drove a MK2 briefly in 2013 albeit a manual 1.8TFSI and quite enjoyed it, so I started searching for MK2 TT 2.0TFSI S tronics. I found a few that matched my budget and criteria and eventually settled on this one:
A 2007 Audi TT 2.0TFSI S tronic, Phantom black, one family owner from new, black heated leather, extended leather package, BOSE, Adaptive bi-xenon headlamps, reverse parking sensors, and 19x8.5 seemingly genuine Audi wheels (inner stamps say Germany but I haven't looked into it yet properly). The car had covered 61000 miles and was seemingly on the original timing belt so I got the timing belt and water pump changed a day after buying it, and I am LOVING it so far.
This is my first automatic and the S tronic box is so buttery smooth in town, yet the paddles and the sport mode give me a majority of the control I need in certain situations - the 'DSG farts' are addictive.
On the 19" wheels shod with 245/35/19 rubber it really does grip and handle well and feel quite planted, a real pleasure on some of the roads on the 220 mile journey home from collecting it. It isn't as quick as I'd thought it would be but these engines do take kindly to a remap so that's perhaps on the cards but aesthetically I'm happy with how it looks - if I had bought a model with 17" alloys I'd have wanted these 19's anyway - and the xenon headlamps look way less dated than the halogen alternative.
It isn't practical but due to still having the 325i it really doesn't matter and as a weekend car it is a very nice place to be, it feels quite special to be in for a car of it's price point and it's not as thirsty as I thought it would be in town.
I've had to adjust my driving style dramatically though - a civic type R it is not! My car history has mostly been cars that you really have to wind out to get the best of them and the TT is the opposite. It has a lot of torque down low but the power itself seems to tail off past 5000rpm - It prefers swift progress rather than being grabbed by the scruff of the neck which is a change to me and I'm hoping a remap will help the K03 turbo pull more sweetly throughout the rev range.
Sorry for the essay but this is my new car and my thoughts on the first week and a half of ownership.
Whilst looking for a replacement for my EP3 type R, I started looking at MK5 GTI's and Leon FR's and the usual 2.0T cars, but the Leon interior didn't really appeal to me and the golf seemed too 'sensible' seeing as I still own my E90 325i SE, I decided to look at coupes.
At first I looked at 350Z's as I quite like my Japanese coupes, however running a 3.5 V6 (I would've wanted a later model with the HR engine), and kind of wanting an automatic due to living in London and 90% of my driving being inner city - I decided to look elsewhere.
I looked at Audi A5's, but they seemed too 'boaty' and too 'similar' to my 3 series to be a weekend car that'd give me a radical enough change, also they're very heavy.
I then stumbled across Audi TT MK2's. I never really liked the MK1 but I drove a MK2 briefly in 2013 albeit a manual 1.8TFSI and quite enjoyed it, so I started searching for MK2 TT 2.0TFSI S tronics. I found a few that matched my budget and criteria and eventually settled on this one:
A 2007 Audi TT 2.0TFSI S tronic, Phantom black, one family owner from new, black heated leather, extended leather package, BOSE, Adaptive bi-xenon headlamps, reverse parking sensors, and 19x8.5 seemingly genuine Audi wheels (inner stamps say Germany but I haven't looked into it yet properly). The car had covered 61000 miles and was seemingly on the original timing belt so I got the timing belt and water pump changed a day after buying it, and I am LOVING it so far.
This is my first automatic and the S tronic box is so buttery smooth in town, yet the paddles and the sport mode give me a majority of the control I need in certain situations - the 'DSG farts' are addictive.
On the 19" wheels shod with 245/35/19 rubber it really does grip and handle well and feel quite planted, a real pleasure on some of the roads on the 220 mile journey home from collecting it. It isn't as quick as I'd thought it would be but these engines do take kindly to a remap so that's perhaps on the cards but aesthetically I'm happy with how it looks - if I had bought a model with 17" alloys I'd have wanted these 19's anyway - and the xenon headlamps look way less dated than the halogen alternative.
It isn't practical but due to still having the 325i it really doesn't matter and as a weekend car it is a very nice place to be, it feels quite special to be in for a car of it's price point and it's not as thirsty as I thought it would be in town.
I've had to adjust my driving style dramatically though - a civic type R it is not! My car history has mostly been cars that you really have to wind out to get the best of them and the TT is the opposite. It has a lot of torque down low but the power itself seems to tail off past 5000rpm - It prefers swift progress rather than being grabbed by the scruff of the neck which is a change to me and I'm hoping a remap will help the K03 turbo pull more sweetly throughout the rev range.
Sorry for the essay but this is my new car and my thoughts on the first week and a half of ownership.
Edited by ShafzC on Saturday 27th May 23:22
Edited by ShafzC on Tuesday 30th May 21:05
wjb said:
Interesting car history, and great choice with the TT.
They are really nice and i think the 2.0 tfsi will remap to 240hp ish at stage1 which is plenty for the road.
Thanks! Yeah I'm seeing that the APR remap makes 252bhp/303lbft on 98 octane (I only intend to run it on V power), and I'd likely go for a custom remap from R tech in Leicester cause I've only ever heard good things about them from friends and it isn't a 'generic' remap so to speak, so that power and torque in a car not much heavier than my type R will be fun, especially in town. They are really nice and i think the 2.0 tfsi will remap to 240hp ish at stage1 which is plenty for the road.
The TT with this gearbox is a really nice place to be in London to be honest, surprised I never tried a DSG/S tronic box sooner and is giving me ideas for an ex lease golf R as a jack of all trades car when I eventually want to settle down and own a Swiss army knife of a car when it's time to 'grow up' - but quite a while for that yet!
Edited by ShafzC on Thursday 8th June 20:08
coopedup said:
Nice write up and interesting history, keep it coming please.
Thanks, I'm currently looking at the OEM RNS-E Sat nav for these on eBay as I quite like the OEM look and functionality such as maintaining the track information on the screen between the dials and such - However they're significantly more expensive than say an alternative Pioneer AppRadio4 with substantially less functionality.My only gripes with the car right now is the lack of excitement when being 'hooned' cause although it's not slow by any means, it's a very torquey engine in the low/mid range and dies up top and as a weekend car it hasn't truly made me smile like the EP3 or GT turbo did - hoping the remap will sort this because it's just me nitpicking really, I live in an area where you can't even go 5/10ths let alone anywhere near 10/10ths.
Double post but, having spent more time in it, it truly is a relaxing place to be for the drive around London, it's smooth, has power when you need it although still not extremely quick but now I've learnt how to utilise the rather different powerband to what I'm used to, I'm loving it! It's a very point and shoot car and now there's actual 99 octane in it and not the 95 I had no choice but to put in when collecting the car, I've noticed it's a lot more 'lively' - so shall be run on V power/Momentum exclusively from now on.
There's a few common faults to sort with the car but luckily guides are everywhere, unfortunately the great weather we had has now stopped which has halted progress - will resume in due time.
However this has highlighted another thing.. this is the first car I've owned with heated seats and now I truly think it's an option I won't be able to live without! On the lowest and medium setting it's just about right.
Nearly a month in and my initial concerns about it not being as fun as I thought have gone, it's not the finest handling car by all means - or the quickest - but it has some potential and is a really good all round car for me - also no usable space in the back means no taxi service!
There's a few common faults to sort with the car but luckily guides are everywhere, unfortunately the great weather we had has now stopped which has halted progress - will resume in due time.
However this has highlighted another thing.. this is the first car I've owned with heated seats and now I truly think it's an option I won't be able to live without! On the lowest and medium setting it's just about right.
Nearly a month in and my initial concerns about it not being as fun as I thought have gone, it's not the finest handling car by all means - or the quickest - but it has some potential and is a really good all round car for me - also no usable space in the back means no taxi service!
Another update:
Had a slow puncture in the left rear tyre due to a nail, decided as the front tyres were matching Avon ZZ5s and the rear tyres were Dunlop SP Sportmaxx's.. I could get 2x Avon ZZ5s for the rear for only £80 more than a single Dunlop SP sportmaxx and therefore end up with a matching set all round.
So I went on to purchase the most expensive tyres I've bought so far in my car history (Who knew 245/35/19 would be so expensive eh?) and get them fitted, and once I got to the garage to get them fitted I realised buying a rear pair was the correct choice! The right rear tyre had been patch repaired previously and now with fresh matching rubber all round the car feels so much better on the road, I'm way more confident in it.
I've also bought a Pioneer AppRadio4 SPH-DA120, I'm slowly piecing together the pieces needed to get it to fit and work well with the BOSE amp - so this will be a job for mid next month.
I also got the air conditioning regassed because I felt it needed it - and judging by the results of the test when regassing it, it didn't have any leaks but was a bit low.
Am I in love with it yet, that is the question.. and the short answer is Yes.
The long answer is that it's a very nice place to commute in, the torque in town, instant overtaking shove, light but somewhat communicative (for EPS and it being an Audi) steering and the brilliant S tronic gearbox make it such a nice place to be in town. The adaptive bixenons are amazing at night but I'm already too used to the power so a remap will be on the cards in the future. The car is giving me around 25.4mpg on my commute of 7 miles each way - stop start traffic mainly. I took it to Hertfordshire and after some time on the motorway/private roads I can get 33ish mpg out of it including some blasts to some.. mph
I also want to do a oil service so bought some quantum oil + bosch oil filter as well as a pollen/cabin filter which I changed because the A/C was getting regassed anyway. I also want to get an S tronic oil and filter change done within the next month for peace of mind.
Costs of ownership so far excluding car + insurance + fuel:
6 Months Road Tax - £132
2x Avon ZZ5 245/35/19 tyres + fitting and balancing - £244
Pioneer AppRadio4 - £269.25
Air Con Regas - £32.95
Oil + filters - £60
Cost so far: £738.20
Had a slow puncture in the left rear tyre due to a nail, decided as the front tyres were matching Avon ZZ5s and the rear tyres were Dunlop SP Sportmaxx's.. I could get 2x Avon ZZ5s for the rear for only £80 more than a single Dunlop SP sportmaxx and therefore end up with a matching set all round.
So I went on to purchase the most expensive tyres I've bought so far in my car history (Who knew 245/35/19 would be so expensive eh?) and get them fitted, and once I got to the garage to get them fitted I realised buying a rear pair was the correct choice! The right rear tyre had been patch repaired previously and now with fresh matching rubber all round the car feels so much better on the road, I'm way more confident in it.
I've also bought a Pioneer AppRadio4 SPH-DA120, I'm slowly piecing together the pieces needed to get it to fit and work well with the BOSE amp - so this will be a job for mid next month.
I also got the air conditioning regassed because I felt it needed it - and judging by the results of the test when regassing it, it didn't have any leaks but was a bit low.
Am I in love with it yet, that is the question.. and the short answer is Yes.
The long answer is that it's a very nice place to commute in, the torque in town, instant overtaking shove, light but somewhat communicative (for EPS and it being an Audi) steering and the brilliant S tronic gearbox make it such a nice place to be in town. The adaptive bixenons are amazing at night but I'm already too used to the power so a remap will be on the cards in the future. The car is giving me around 25.4mpg on my commute of 7 miles each way - stop start traffic mainly. I took it to Hertfordshire and after some time on the motorway/private roads I can get 33ish mpg out of it including some blasts to some.. mph
I also want to do a oil service so bought some quantum oil + bosch oil filter as well as a pollen/cabin filter which I changed because the A/C was getting regassed anyway. I also want to get an S tronic oil and filter change done within the next month for peace of mind.
Costs of ownership so far excluding car + insurance + fuel:
6 Months Road Tax - £132
2x Avon ZZ5 245/35/19 tyres + fitting and balancing - £244
Pioneer AppRadio4 - £269.25
Air Con Regas - £32.95
Oil + filters - £60
Cost so far: £738.20
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