MK1 TT V6, what do I need to know?
Discussion
We're on the look out for a 4wd that we can fit 2 young kids in that is enjoyable to own and drive.
There are loads of other options we probably should consider but none of them are getting me or the mrs very excited. We haven't ruled out a 996 C4 but in all honesty it's probably overkill and a little riskier than we'd be comfortable with.
The MK1 TT is starting to appeal. I realise a mk2 might make more sense and indeed be a better car to drive but we both view the mk1 as a fairly iconic piece of design and it appeals more than the slightly more conservative mk2.
The 1.8T engines don't appeal. I've been there a couple of times and I know they're effective but they do absolutely nothing for me.
So if we do this, it would be a 3.2 V6 Coupe. Big appeal is obviously the noise. But I think they're probably pretty depreciation proof and a reasonably sensible ownership prospect.
From my brief research, I can see that it's worth looking for a car that has had chain tensioner done or budgeting for it (~£2k?) and the mechatronics unit on the DSG box can be another £2k job. There are a few manuals around but I did like the DSG on my recent Cupra 300 for day to day use. Do those early DSG's boxes behave similarly or are they a little clunkier?
Anything else we should look out for?
A few more questions:
Did any come with factory fitted cruise control? I realise it can be retro fitted but does sounds a bit of a faff.
I presume an aftermarket head unit is the way to go to get bluetooth streaming and maybe USB or are there any magic boxes that retain the OEM head unit?
Is bose worth seeking out and does it make replacing the head unit any trickier?
Anybody have any experience of how capable these are on winter tyres? We are imminently moving to somewhere that sees it's fair share of snow and we'll be living half way up an ungritted fairly steep incline. Ground clearance not necessarily critical but traction will be. I realise we'll need it to be able to brake as well but we can get out onto main roads by going up hill if need be. I just don't want us to be stuck every time it snows a bit!
Last one for now, the standard alloys and the BBS options look like total kerb magnets. Are any of the factory options or even wheels from other models better in this regard?
There are loads of other options we probably should consider but none of them are getting me or the mrs very excited. We haven't ruled out a 996 C4 but in all honesty it's probably overkill and a little riskier than we'd be comfortable with.
The MK1 TT is starting to appeal. I realise a mk2 might make more sense and indeed be a better car to drive but we both view the mk1 as a fairly iconic piece of design and it appeals more than the slightly more conservative mk2.
The 1.8T engines don't appeal. I've been there a couple of times and I know they're effective but they do absolutely nothing for me.
So if we do this, it would be a 3.2 V6 Coupe. Big appeal is obviously the noise. But I think they're probably pretty depreciation proof and a reasonably sensible ownership prospect.
From my brief research, I can see that it's worth looking for a car that has had chain tensioner done or budgeting for it (~£2k?) and the mechatronics unit on the DSG box can be another £2k job. There are a few manuals around but I did like the DSG on my recent Cupra 300 for day to day use. Do those early DSG's boxes behave similarly or are they a little clunkier?
Anything else we should look out for?
A few more questions:
Did any come with factory fitted cruise control? I realise it can be retro fitted but does sounds a bit of a faff.
I presume an aftermarket head unit is the way to go to get bluetooth streaming and maybe USB or are there any magic boxes that retain the OEM head unit?
Is bose worth seeking out and does it make replacing the head unit any trickier?
Anybody have any experience of how capable these are on winter tyres? We are imminently moving to somewhere that sees it's fair share of snow and we'll be living half way up an ungritted fairly steep incline. Ground clearance not necessarily critical but traction will be. I realise we'll need it to be able to brake as well but we can get out onto main roads by going up hill if need be. I just don't want us to be stuck every time it snows a bit!
Last one for now, the standard alloys and the BBS options look like total kerb magnets. Are any of the factory options or even wheels from other models better in this regard?
edthefed said:
Have you tried 2 young kids on the back of a TT ?
Ive had 2 Mk1s...and rear space is very minimal
I haven't but a pal had one and seemed to manage okay with kids similar age. Only really need to fit one in the back as the other can go in the front most of the time if need be. We do need to see for ourselves though. Ive had 2 Mk1s...and rear space is very minimal
Traction is very good even with an all season tyre. Mine is quite capable on summer rubber. The earth strap on the Haldex often rots off (or is insufficient through the housing on earlier cars) so it may not function. Check on wet grass.
You can buy Isofix mounts for the back seats.
The V6 is heavy, so understanding that it’s not the most dynamic drive will help. The DSG is meant to be good but Mechatronic failure is far too common.
You can buy Isofix mounts for the back seats.
The V6 is heavy, so understanding that it’s not the most dynamic drive will help. The DSG is meant to be good but Mechatronic failure is far too common.
2gins said:
You won't get 2 in the back unless the driver has little legs.
There's a blind spot from around 18 months to 4 years where the legs stick out in front of them instead of dropping down into the footwell. I have seen one 4 up but it didn't look like much fun.
I'm assuming it will be okay with one in the front and the other behind but shall check. We were okay with an evora and 997. Are TT's any smaller? There's a blind spot from around 18 months to 4 years where the legs stick out in front of them instead of dropping down into the footwell. I have seen one 4 up but it didn't look like much fun.
bangerhoarder said:
Traction is very good even with an all season tyre. Mine is quite capable on summer rubber. The earth strap on the Haldex often rots off (or is insufficient through the housing on earlier cars) so it may not function. Check on wet grass.
You can buy Isofix mounts for the back seats.
The V6 is heavy, so understanding that it’s not the most dynamic drive will help. The DSG is meant to be good but Mechatronic failure is far too common.
Yeah, I'm not expecting the last word in nimble road manners but from reading a bit about it should be fine for our intended use which will be the odd winter school run or getting me to work from time to time. You can buy Isofix mounts for the back seats.
The V6 is heavy, so understanding that it’s not the most dynamic drive will help. The DSG is meant to be good but Mechatronic failure is far too common.
Thanks for note about earthing. Will check that. I notice some cars have had a Haldex service as well. Is that a must do/big job?
Starting to think a manual might be our best bet.
Haldex service is a must-do really, the intervals I’ve seen vary but five years/50000 miles is reasonable. It’s an easy job on a lift with the funny shaped filter removal tool and takes about 15 minutes.
I’ve just done the gearbox oil on my manual one - doing so on the DSG also entails a filter and is well worth doing too.
I’ve just done the gearbox oil on my manual one - doing so on the DSG also entails a filter and is well worth doing too.
bangerhoarder said:
Haldex service is a must-do really, the intervals I’ve seen vary but five years/50000 miles is reasonable. It’s an easy job on a lift with the funny shaped filter removal tool and takes about 15 minutes.
I’ve just done the gearbox oil on my manual one - doing so on the DSG also entails a filter and is well worth doing too.
Cheers/ Much appreciated. I’ve just done the gearbox oil on my manual one - doing so on the DSG also entails a filter and is well worth doing too.
Gad-Westy said:
Did any come with factory fitted cruise control? I realise it can be retro fitted but does sounds a bit of a faff.
Cruise control is about a 2-hour job to retrofit, £200ish if you don't fancy DIY- New indicator stalk
- Run wire from stalk to ECU
- Add a code using VCDS
On the audio front, I'd tend to look for the Bose setup, the cars are cheap enough now it makes next-to-no difference to the price of any particular car.
From experience, 2 young kids very quickly become 2 slightly older but considerably bigger kids which means a TT would have a limited lifespan unless its only being used for short journeys. We were in a similar position earlier in the year and were put off the TT for that reason although mine are 8 and 11 so ones out of car seats and the other is in a booster for a little longer which means they'd actually have more space than the car seats take up.
Still on my list to own though and like you, a 3.2 is preferable over a 1.8T although when I was looking, decent 1.8Ts seemed quite plentiful whilst the 3.2s seemed to be knackered.
Still on my list to own though and like you, a 3.2 is preferable over a 1.8T although when I was looking, decent 1.8Ts seemed quite plentiful whilst the 3.2s seemed to be knackered.
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