Mk1 TT or old Jimny?
Discussion
Dear PHers,
I'm not aware of this comparison having been considered. Humour me, if you will.
Moving to a high moor, so it does snow for a few days and the commute is often icy.
My DD is an old M135i with Quaife and winters, which is fine unless there is more than 6 inches of the white stuff. Looking for a cheap second car to deal with this.
I was set on an old Jimny because they are briliant little jeeps with a low ratio box.
But when I searched for 4x4 under £3k there are literally dozens of TT 225s for the same price.
I'm thinking if I fit a rear LSD and all-season tyres, the only demerit over the Jimny is ground clearance.
But you get an aching icon of design, a lovely 1.8T motor and the first whiff of special Audi interior.
I drove a Jimny in Greece last month. It was a soft top and it was very loyal on the tough stuff. But it was a terrible drive, more tool than car.
I'm tempted by the TT.
I'm not aware of this comparison having been considered. Humour me, if you will.
Moving to a high moor, so it does snow for a few days and the commute is often icy.
My DD is an old M135i with Quaife and winters, which is fine unless there is more than 6 inches of the white stuff. Looking for a cheap second car to deal with this.
I was set on an old Jimny because they are briliant little jeeps with a low ratio box.
But when I searched for 4x4 under £3k there are literally dozens of TT 225s for the same price.
I'm thinking if I fit a rear LSD and all-season tyres, the only demerit over the Jimny is ground clearance.
But you get an aching icon of design, a lovely 1.8T motor and the first whiff of special Audi interior.
I drove a Jimny in Greece last month. It was a soft top and it was very loyal on the tough stuff. But it was a terrible drive, more tool than car.
I'm tempted by the TT.
My 2p. Rather than Jimny, old Grand Vitara. Same year and mileage, half the price. Choice of larger engines, petrol and diesel, short or long wheel base(I've got the SWB and just like the Jimny it has 0 boot space making tip runs and shopping a bit of a seat folding faff about). Same gear layout, selectable and low range. Only slightly compromised for full off road by independent front suspension.
nunpuncher said:
You could probably sneak into a 3l petrol X3 for £3k.
I considered a TT for similar reasons to yourself but after research I concluded that the 3.2 would be a better (read as less potential hassle) purchase.
The 3.2 is nice but I think you pay a BIG road tax on that engine in comparison.I considered a TT for similar reasons to yourself but after research I concluded that the 3.2 would be a better (read as less potential hassle) purchase.
I have a Mk1 1.8t TT, roadster with Baseball leather. I used it when we had snow on normal road tyres and it was very good. If you had winters and an LSD I am sure it would be quite impressive. You can also get a "motorsport" adapter for the Haldex to make it split the torque more to the rear.
You sit very low in the TT so with the roof down and heater on with the heated seats you can drive topless all year round.
The TT is very capable on snow and ice, but it's pretty low. Will deal alright with a road that's been scraped, but it'll just ground out otherwise. They're also often blighted with irritating faults that take a great deal of time and money to work through. Cheap ones moreso - I'm sure some would be fine but beware!
The Jimny can rust like a 70s BL product, so inspect the underside carefully.
The Jimny can rust like a 70s BL product, so inspect the underside carefully.
davepao said:
Dear PHers,
I was set on an old Jimny because they are briliant little jeeps with a low ratio box.
I was set on an old Jimny because they are briliant little jeeps with a low ratio box.
davepao said:
But when I searched for 4x4 under £3k there are literally dozens of TT 225s for the same price.
I'm thinking if I fit a rear LSD and all-season tyres, the only demerit over the Jimny is ground clearance.
But you get an aching icon of design, a lovely 1.8T motor and the first whiff of special Audi interior.
I drove a Jimny in Greece last month. It was a soft top and it was very loyal on the tough stuff. But it was a terrible drive, more tool than car.
I'm tempted by the TT.
I guess the question is, how much more capable will the TT be than your BMW? It's the ride height that makes a big difference in the snow, not just the depth of the snow, but the ability to ride up over a bank, verge or snow drift.I'm thinking if I fit a rear LSD and all-season tyres, the only demerit over the Jimny is ground clearance.
But you get an aching icon of design, a lovely 1.8T motor and the first whiff of special Audi interior.
I drove a Jimny in Greece last month. It was a soft top and it was very loyal on the tough stuff. But it was a terrible drive, more tool than car.
I'm tempted by the TT.
The 4wd system in the Audi is I believe only 2wd until it detects slip, so will be less effective than the 4wd system in the Jimny,
300bhp/ton said:
The 4wd system in the Audi is I believe only 2wd until it detects slip, so will be less effective than the 4wd system in the Jimny,
I am not sure of the logic behind this. Surely you only want 4wd when there is slip in the instance of what the OP wants it for?The haldex is only ever going to be 2wd really as it doesn’t have locking diffs, it just applies a brake to the unladen wheels so at best 2 wheels will be driven in a slip scenario.
I would expect a Jimmy to be far superior as a true 4wd off-roader but in the U.K. the TT on winters with a slippy diff would deal with 90% of what winter will ever throw at it I would have thought.
300bhp/ton said:
There is no such thing. There was a GP1... which is where some think the Jeep name came from and eventually the brand.
The dictionary doesn't create or define meanings, it only records them. Common/popular usage of words is what, eventually, gets a word entered into the dictionary.Fact is, everyone knows what someone means when they refer to/describe an off-roader as a 'jeep', just the same as how no one huffs and rolls their eyes when someone says "get the hoover out", "do you have any sellotape" or "pass me that biro" (except maybe James Dyson).
a few years ago I was faced with the prospect of commuting weekly to both kent and the north east from the midlands over the winter. The local garage had both a mk1 TT and a gen 2 subaru forrester. I tested them both and bought the fozzie, seemed a more involving drive, and was probably ultimately more weatherproof. it wasn't fast, being the NA 2.0l but could be hustled cross country - one of my favourite cars to date.
OP could probably get a H6 outback/legacy for the budget
OP could probably get a H6 outback/legacy for the budget
cj2013 said:
The dictionary doesn't create or define meanings, it only records them. Common/popular usage of words is what, eventually, gets a word entered into the dictionary.
Fact is, everyone knows what someone means when they refer to/describe an off-roader as a 'jeep', just the same as how no one huffs and rolls their eyes when someone says "get the hoover out", "do you have any sellotape" or "pass me that biro" (except maybe James Dyson).
Misusing a word is not really a good argument. Fact is, everyone knows what someone means when they refer to/describe an off-roader as a 'jeep', just the same as how no one huffs and rolls their eyes when someone says "get the hoover out", "do you have any sellotape" or "pass me that biro" (except maybe James Dyson).
Caddyshack said:
I am not sure of the logic behind this. Surely you only want 4wd when there is slip in the instance of what the OP wants it for?
The haldex is only ever going to be 2wd really as it doesn’t have locking diffs, it just applies a brake to the unladen wheels so at best 2 wheels will be driven in a slip scenario.
I would expect a Jimmy to be far superior as a true 4wd off-roader but in the U.K. the TT on winters with a slippy diff would deal with 90% of what winter will ever throw at it I would have thought.
The trouble with this type of drive system is you need to get slippage before it works. And sometimes you want to minimise wheel spin. The haldex is only ever going to be 2wd really as it doesn’t have locking diffs, it just applies a brake to the unladen wheels so at best 2 wheels will be driven in a slip scenario.
I would expect a Jimmy to be far superior as a true 4wd off-roader but in the U.K. the TT on winters with a slippy diff would deal with 90% of what winter will ever throw at it I would have thought.
sawman said:
a few years ago I was faced with the prospect of commuting weekly to both kent and the north east from the midlands over the winter. The local garage had both a mk1 TT and a gen 2 subaru forrester. I tested them both and bought the fozzie, seemed a more involving drive, and was probably ultimately more weatherproof. it wasn't fast, being the NA 2.0l but could be hustled cross country - one of my favourite cars to date.
OP could probably get a H6 outback/legacy for the budget
Having driven both the TT would have mullered forrester in anything but 6 inches of snow.OP could probably get a H6 outback/legacy for the budget
I like Jimny (had one for a few weeks as a hire car in Barbados and was good fun and surprisingly capable) but their propensity to rust is legendary. I don't think I've seen any vehicle with so many MOT failures available down to rot.
Wouldn't you get a decent Landrover Discovery for your money?
Wouldn't you get a decent Landrover Discovery for your money?
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