Audi TT MK1s

[Split_Pin]

There has sprung up for sale in my street one of the above.

 

From an ebay search, it looks like these are getting cheap. A decent earlyish example in 225 tune seems to ne around £1500 if you are prepared to travel.

 

I am thinking about something cheap and quickish for a possibly daily but I am unsure, may just keep the Megane.

 

The 53 plate example in my street is too dear for me at 3 bags. Its also the lower powered 180 and it has fluid leak at the front.

 

Does anybody have any experience of these or should I not even consider one? Any big liabilities or weaknesses?

[loserone]

The 180 auq in the ex-lobster ex-trigster ex-loserone ex-wilsonsquared ex-johnk toledo was plenty fast enough, I imagine it'd be a hoot in one of these.

 

ISTR johnk chipped it to over 200bhp as well.

[bigfella2]

Also watch out for sludged up pick up pipes in the sump, like some of the later Saab's

[Split_Pin]

Rust.

Temperamental heater blowers/pipework.

Brake callipers made of chocolate.

Rust.

Total lack of steering feel.

Not being anywhere near the quality product their reputation suggests and so being vastly overpriced.

 

Speaking as an ex-Audi owner here...

 

Shit photo, but the car was 11 years old at the time, look at whats creeping out from behind the sill covers.

 

Rusty! by Tayne, on Flickr

I had a nagging feeling that the above might be the case. Hmm, not for me then.

[purplebargeken]

Do look ace though.

[cort16]

There’s always loads of broken ones on gumtree, which I always think is a bad sign .

I had the chance of one for 1100 quid last year but it had loads of weird electrical problems, knackered window motors and rust . That’s s nice engine though (given the turbos not knackered ).

 

As said by tayne the looks don’t add up to the driving experience . Still would though .

V6 is nice.

[bigstraight6]

No, an over rated hairdresser’s conveyance. A few people I know that have had the misfortune to actually own one of these things have regretted it. Mind you I’m a bit biased as I loathe most things with a four circle grille badge..

[Split_Pin]

This is why I like this place. Yet more motoring headaches that I do not need, avoided.

 

PBK is right though they do look ace. I had a 1/18 diecast one when the TT first came out but I sold it. I think I shall have another so I can enjoy the aesthetics without the liability!

[FakeConcern]

I don't know anything about them except the early Bauhaus style ones look great and will surely be rated "Classic" and start to go up in value just when every long term owner has got rid.

[twosmoke300]

Dull to drive imo . Better off with an a3 or an mx5 depending on what you want from the car

[Bren]

Old audi =

[AdeMk1]

I owned the 180 bhp AUQ Skoda Octavia vRS, basically the same platform.

It was remapped to 220 bhp and was decatted.

In the 6 months I had it I replaced 4 coil packs, the diverter valve, removed and cleaned the sump and pick up pipe and the SAI system kept throwing up the EML.

Went well when it was working ok which was about 1 week in 6 months!

Soon shifted it on.

[Parky]

I seem to recall the instrument binnacles develop issues but exchange ones are available. My bro in law and one of my friends both had one. Bro's was a blue "x" reg which broke a rear wishbone and needed a replacement binnacle, my friend had a silver one on a 51 plate and apart from constantly buggering up the stupidly low profile wheels against kerbs had no issues. His mechanic did struggle with the cambelt which was fiendishly tricky to do - mechanic charged a fixed fee for it, wished he hadn't after the job entered day 2

 

Mike Brewer bought a cheap one on Wheeler Dealers with first and second gear missing. Edd fixed it for 50p but if it was one of us you can guarantee we would need a £1000 rebuild

 

Personally I like them and I think they are now cheap enough and interesting enough to look at more seriously. I would probably go for the simplest engined model though to give myself half a chance of being able to do anything on it myself

[timolloyd]

I ran a 225 version of one of these for a while (on a long term loan) and thought it was ace. A well cared for model will be fine. I'm far from an Audi fan boy, but these are great: handling and performance and pretty comfortable.

 

They sold loads, and they depreciated quite quickly, which is why they're a Bumtree darling, being swapped every Saturday night for broken X boxes.

 

Yours sounds like it'll be better than that.

[SiC]

Aren't these a nightmare to work on? A concept car that got rushed into production because of the interest it gained.

[AnthonyG]

It’s just a Golf in a sharp suit, can’t be that hard to deal with. The concept was in about 1995 so they had 3 years or so to work out how to make all the bits fit in.

[Skizzer]

I ran a 225 version of one of these for a while (on a long term loan) and thought it was ace. A well cared for model will be fine. I'm far from an Audi fan boy, but these are great: handling and performance and pretty comfortable.

They sold loads, and they depreciated quite quickly, which is why they're a Bumtree darling, being swapped every Saturday night for broken X boxes.

Yours sounds like it'll be better than that.

This. I had one from new (a 225) and did about 75,000 happy miles in it. Sure if you want a track car there are sharper options out there, but they’re a good balance of being plenty of fun to drive without being exhausting when you just want to get somewhere far away. Surprisingly practical too. I would ignore what blokes in the pub tell you about hairdressers.

 

Can’t really comment on the reliability or running costs now they’re up to 20 years old, but for what it’s worth literally nothing ever went wrong with mine.

[Guest Hooli]

Do look ace though.

 

https://www.specsavers.co.uk/

[dieselassist]

My brother was looking at these constantly about 6months back; they are mega cheap here; even the 225BHP BAM engine coded Quattro versions, as insurance co's will not touch them, given their age/power etc and any other excuse they can think of...

 

...there are not that many for sale, at any one time but the testless one are 800- 1000 - its usually a case of the owner/seller having given up draining his/her wallet to keep them tested; n they have to price it accordingly to find the right victim...

the really early quattr0 ones have dire handling/cornering characteristics - ridiculed by TG at the time- I think they (audi)  sorted all that with a stiffer ARB n links or something, on the facelifted version of the mk1...

 

The rear calipers seize up if they are left unused for any length of time, n the rear discs can wear to wafer thin unless pad changes are kept ontop of... The 180BHP AUQ (I think) is actually a stronger unit than the 225BHP BAM code unit; many folk in the VAG world start with the 180BHP block n build it up to or beyond the 225BHP version, using bits from the BAM code engines, bigger turbos etc.

[sporty-shite]

I've been considering one of these, but I'm a bit nervous about buying a cheap one that's been abused. I think I'll end up risking it though. If it's anything like the AUQ engined Leon I had, it should be fine. That thing was still strong as an ox after 160k.

[dieselassist]

They've also 'tumbled out of bed' price wise as they are not now as 'bankable' risk wise to buy, as, these days, they cant be broken for bits later n the money recouped, like they once could; a lotta the TT bits would be used to  urgrade mk4 Golf's; eg the front wishbones are alloy on TT and allegedly stronger than the pressed metal versions on the mk4; bits like the rear haldex was also common to the mk4 4motion... anyways, nowadays as nearly all mk4 golfs have become worthless, theres no market for the bits; a mate of mine found this out about a year ago; after buying a poor running Quattro coupe- all he managed to sell was the leather interior - I think the remains of it still fester in a mate of his yard...

[AMC Rebel]

No, an over rated hairdresser’s conveyance. A few people I know that have had the misfortune to actually own one of these things have regretted it. Mind you I’m a bit biased as I loathe most things with a four circle grille badge..

 

 

My hairdresser and her boyfriend had one - it was loads of trouble.

[inconsistant]

My dad pinned for a TT for years, and in the end he got a really nice late mk1 52 plate 225bhp one that was in great condition, which may or may not have been chipped to 250+ by a previous owner. He's had it for about 10 years I think, and it's his pride and joy. It's garaged but used regularly, looks amazing, feels nice to travel in, and has been mega reliable. He's driven it across Europe and managed 35mpg. Because he drives it wrong.

[Guest]

Like sitting in the bath with a helmet on. I'hm oot.

[fastblatt]

I’ve got a 3.2 roadster with the dsg gearbox. I think it’s great and looks brilliant . Shitbag to work on though. Very tight in the bay. Was 33k new (bought mine for a lot less two years ago) Don’t know any hairdressers that could afford that. Things do go wrong and are well documented. Check out the tt forum.

[HillmanImp]

I remember when they first came out, this lass I was mates with got one as a company car. My other mates and I were well jealous but were pissing ourselves a few weeks later when she found out she was up the spout as it was the least child friendly car you could buy at the time other than an Atom or something.

 

Depressingly that kid can probably drive now.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Theyre a car far better car than reported; but worth nothing here; they're caught between the rock and the hard place (getting difficult to insure because age)

 

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars?sort=price%20asc&words=Audi%20tt&year_to=2005

 

Edited to add - it's fashionable to flame MK4 golfs and their derivatives; but I don't know think it'll be the consensus within 10 years, disregarding 'scene', they're much better than claimed (and not difficult to work on with a lot of collective knowledge on there)

[Jim Bergerac]

A Banham X21 is the only sensible* choice.

[jon.k]

That's a coincidence, I was looking at these earlier. Are they any good at motorway-bashing? I guess something like a mk4 golf which I thought was ok when I had one. 

 

As posters above have said, I think the ideal of a quick, smooth, grand touring style car which oozes quality might not match with the reality.

[Vince70]

I saw a very early straight unmolested example on a R plate (must of been private) that came up for £1100 with lowish miles in the obligatory Silver with black leather and it had the twin exhaust so I’m guessing it was a 225, if I had the money etc.

 

I just wondered did any of the early cars escape the rear spoiler retrofit.