R32, GTI and TT looking forsome info.
Discussion
Hi folks,
A surprise car change opportunity has come across my desk recently.
My old man had an accident last week, he is fine but his car was written off, totally not at fault and insurance has confirmed this.
Anyway he is about to retire in 2 months and he is looking to replace his car with something and he suggested buying my A3 TDI from me, as he can fit a towbar and hitch up his trailer and be happy days.
This provided me with an opportunity, basically i was looking at changing my TDI next year to something a bit newer (Audi is an 53 plate) and has a few more toys, as the TDI is a bit poverty spec.
The main candidates are basically all the same car underneath but there are a few differences.
Basically i was looking at a 2006 R32 - Always liked them, circa £10k gets quite a few with about 30k miles, all the toys etc, downside is fuel and tax but these arent a deal breaker, just have to adjust from 45mpg to 25mpg!
Golf GTI of the same sort of era, either an edition 30 or mk6, same as the R32 but about 30-35mpg however not as special as the r32 (in my eye) they are a nice solid car and will last especially if kids appear in the next 3 years (remote but poss).
Audi TT mk1 sport or mk2 V6 - again very similar to the golf but the sport does have a nice element of being a bit different and will be a nice car for me before i get too serious and have the wedding and kids
Wild card is a DC5 integra, loved my DC2, and the DC5 is just a slighlty plusher version, however not sure if i want the more frantic engine of VTEC again, i do like my torque.
Looking to change in about April, so looking at costs just now.
The main thing i was looking at finsing out from the PH folks is for any major issues i should be worried about, mainly with the TT sport and R32, i.e. engine faults, common problems, things to look out for.
This isnt so much a what car thread, more just some info from owners etc, so i can add to my knowledge before purchase.
Thanks all.
A surprise car change opportunity has come across my desk recently.
My old man had an accident last week, he is fine but his car was written off, totally not at fault and insurance has confirmed this.
Anyway he is about to retire in 2 months and he is looking to replace his car with something and he suggested buying my A3 TDI from me, as he can fit a towbar and hitch up his trailer and be happy days.
This provided me with an opportunity, basically i was looking at changing my TDI next year to something a bit newer (Audi is an 53 plate) and has a few more toys, as the TDI is a bit poverty spec.
The main candidates are basically all the same car underneath but there are a few differences.
Basically i was looking at a 2006 R32 - Always liked them, circa £10k gets quite a few with about 30k miles, all the toys etc, downside is fuel and tax but these arent a deal breaker, just have to adjust from 45mpg to 25mpg!
Golf GTI of the same sort of era, either an edition 30 or mk6, same as the R32 but about 30-35mpg however not as special as the r32 (in my eye) they are a nice solid car and will last especially if kids appear in the next 3 years (remote but poss).
Audi TT mk1 sport or mk2 V6 - again very similar to the golf but the sport does have a nice element of being a bit different and will be a nice car for me before i get too serious and have the wedding and kids
Wild card is a DC5 integra, loved my DC2, and the DC5 is just a slighlty plusher version, however not sure if i want the more frantic engine of VTEC again, i do like my torque.
Looking to change in about April, so looking at costs just now.
The main thing i was looking at finsing out from the PH folks is for any major issues i should be worried about, mainly with the TT sport and R32, i.e. engine faults, common problems, things to look out for.
This isnt so much a what car thread, more just some info from owners etc, so i can add to my knowledge before purchase.
Thanks all.
Have a browse of the VW, AUDI subforum on here as you wll get far more sensible answers from people who actually own the cars you are asking about.
General view is if you can deal with the fuel usage a R32 is "the special one" and in the real world is barely 1-2mpg difference. The only real advantage of the GTI is if you want to be able to remap it to have a better HP figure but in most situations the R32 is the quicker point to point, has good in gear acceleration and the sound of 6 cylinders :-)
General view is if you can deal with the fuel usage a R32 is "the special one" and in the real world is barely 1-2mpg difference. The only real advantage of the GTI is if you want to be able to remap it to have a better HP figure but in most situations the R32 is the quicker point to point, has good in gear acceleration and the sound of 6 cylinders :-)
I've had 3 TTs - Mk1 225 Coupe, Mk1 V6 Coupe & Mk2 V6 Coupe. Mk2 is much the better drive. Early Mk1s, including my 225, were a heap of trouble with lots of common problems, mainly sorted on 2004 models onwards. My later Mk1 V6 had few problems, the Mk2 was pretty bullet proof. Both the V6 cars had DSG/S-Tronic transmissions and both were trouble free and made me a convert to dual clutch gearboxes. The manual box of the 225 was OK but nothing special.
The 225 turbo engine (1.8T) was impressive for such a modest displacement lump, the 3.2 V6 smoother - the 1.8 being the more sportier IMHO with the V6 being a better 'GT' engine. Although I didn't have a Sport model I have driven one and found it to be very good.
The brakes on the Mk1 aren't that good with fade setting in earlier than I was ever comfortable with, Mk2 brakes are a lot better but still not brilliant.
Build and material quality are first rate and I preferred the interior of the Mk1.
They were all 4WD (or as 4WD as the Haldex system allows) and were extremely sure footed - in real world conditions they will see off more expensive, exotic machinery on twisty 'B' roads. A lot of rubbish is talked about the handling which is not as understeery as most would have you believe as long as you learn to drive them on a slow in/fast out basis. I miss the ability to get on the gas on or before the apex of bends/corners and really power out when they tend to go neutral and adopt a very controllable four wheel drift. Go in fast and they will understeer - they require a completely different driving style to a rear wheel drive car being more akin to front wheel drive but you can get the power down earlier. The trick is to get the fronts to slip so the rears come into play but not so much that understeer remains - takes some practice to balance the Haldex system that way. Brilliant in the snow by the way where you can smile and wave at most other BMWs and Mercs!
The 225 turbo engine (1.8T) was impressive for such a modest displacement lump, the 3.2 V6 smoother - the 1.8 being the more sportier IMHO with the V6 being a better 'GT' engine. Although I didn't have a Sport model I have driven one and found it to be very good.
The brakes on the Mk1 aren't that good with fade setting in earlier than I was ever comfortable with, Mk2 brakes are a lot better but still not brilliant.
Build and material quality are first rate and I preferred the interior of the Mk1.
They were all 4WD (or as 4WD as the Haldex system allows) and were extremely sure footed - in real world conditions they will see off more expensive, exotic machinery on twisty 'B' roads. A lot of rubbish is talked about the handling which is not as understeery as most would have you believe as long as you learn to drive them on a slow in/fast out basis. I miss the ability to get on the gas on or before the apex of bends/corners and really power out when they tend to go neutral and adopt a very controllable four wheel drift. Go in fast and they will understeer - they require a completely different driving style to a rear wheel drive car being more akin to front wheel drive but you can get the power down earlier. The trick is to get the fronts to slip so the rears come into play but not so much that understeer remains - takes some practice to balance the Haldex system that way. Brilliant in the snow by the way where you can smile and wave at most other BMWs and Mercs!
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