Audi TT...'01 Quattro Roadster...thoughts/experiences?

[4re Nut]

A local lot has what appears to be clean 113K mile version. I drove it today around town and on the interstate and it seems reasonably tight, better than I expected.

Top is in very good shape with exception of the top edge of the glass has come loose and I'm not sure if that is a complicated (i.e $$$) fix or not.

I don't see any signs of water leaks in the interior and the trunk looks near brand new.

This is somewhat an impulse buy. I'm not "in the market" but happened to see it when passing the lot.

This would be my new DD and my commute is ~ 60 miles roundtrip on primarily interstate so the miles will rack up fast.

I did some quick googling and it seems the consensus is along the lines of "fun, sporty but expensive to own/fix." Since I'm not a DIYer the latter is concerning especially given the miles now and to come.

The CarFax is fairly clean, a couple small repairs but nothing huge. The a/c compressor was replaced ~ 11K miles ago so hopefully that has plenty of life. However, the thought of any drive-train issues has me seeing many $ signs. The dealer will give me a 6 month/6K miles warranty that covers major mechanical, a/c etc but I will burn thru the miles quick.

One interesting (concerning?) thing I noticed on the CarFax is that it shows the car had ~ 106K miles on it in Dec. 07 (last time the miles are reported) and now it has just under 113K miles. Thus, only ~ 7K miles in over 4 1/2 years...that just doesn't sound right. I asked the dealer if they knew any of the backstory and they said they bought it from the family of an older guy that just passed away and they assume he just didn't drive it much...classic little old lady to church with a twist.

Anyone have an experience with this model they can share and/or any forum links? I plan to dig a bit deeper myself too.

Fortunately the lot is closed on Sunday so I have an extra day to fight the impulse and do my due diligence!

TIA.

[S Brake]

Audis suck to maintain. I was quoted $950 for a new catalytic converter on my A6, did it myself for under $300. Another quote for new spark plug wires was $350 and I did it myself for $60.

[agup48]

Talk to Latsyrc.

[Ryan S.]

Audizine.com

What motor does it have? My dealer gave me the 225hp one to try out for a day in 2001. It was a coupe and rather fun.

Never heard anything bad about the TTs. Rather simple car. Old A6 is a different thing IMO and shouldn't be compared. I have an A4 with the 1.8t that has been super strong.

[parkerfe]

My 2010 S5 was one of the best cars I ever owned.

[parkerfe]

Originally Posted by S Brake

Audis suck to maintain. I was quoted $950 for a new catalytic converter on my A6, did it myself for under $300. Another quote for new spark plug wires was $350 and I did it myself for $60.

Of course you can repair your own car for less money than you have to pay a dealer to do the work. That applies from a TaTa to a Ferrari.

[S Brake]

Originally Posted by parkerfe

Of course you can repair your own car for less money than you have to pay a dealer to do the work. That applies from a TaTa to a Ferrari.

My examples were just a small slice of the problems I've had with the two Audis I've owned. Cost of parts and repair is one thing, but the number of problems I had in the 11 months I owned the car put a bad taste in my mouth.

[4re Nut]

Originally Posted by S Brake

Audis suck to maintain. I was quoted $950 for a new catalytic converter on my A6, did it myself for under $300. Another quote for new spark plug wires was $350 and I did it myself for $60.

I recall the posts regarding your Avant. Wagons are big so they have more things to break; small convertibles have few moving parts, right?

Originally Posted by agup48

Talk to Latsyrc.

Will PM; thanks.

Originally Posted by Ryan S.

Audizine.com

What motor does it have? My dealer gave me the 225hp one to try out for a day in 2001. It was a coupe and rather fun...

Thanks. 225hp turbo and it was/is a blast to drive.

[jomoyer]

I had a 2001 Silver 225hp Coupe for three years. It was an absolute blast to drive. Being in the midwest, the quattro made winter driving a breeze - granted I had Blizzaks on it. The only issues I had with it were minor - but annoying - electrical problems. Window switches went out, the buttons on the radio wouldn't work, etc. Took awhile to diagnose and fix. All of the work on it was luckily covered under warranty. Work on these cars can be costly. I sold mine with around 50k miles on it, so I can not attest to the longevity of the engine. Good luck with your purchase, I miss mine dearly.

[Ryan S.]

Originally Posted by S Brake

My examples were just a small slice of the problems I've had with the two Audis I've owned. Cost of parts and repair is one thing, but the number of problems I had in the 11 months I owned the car put a bad taste in my mouth.

Which models and year? Early A6s are well known to have issues...

[S Brake]

Originally Posted by Ryan S.

Which models and year? Early A6s are well known to have issues...

1999 A6 Avant and a 1999 A4 sedan, both with the 2.8 V6.

[4re Nut]

Per my digging it appears that the timing belt and water pump are the weak points with the former needing to be changed every 60K.

I don't think the car I'm looking at has the service records but per CarFax it was "serviced" every ~ 5K miles at a dealer thru late '07 @ 105K miles.

Given the regular service history and the overall condition of the car it might be safe to assUme () the work was done but even if so it might be time for another belt change. A forum thread dated in '07 stated, "it will cost about $300 DIY or $900 at a shop." Ugh.

Originally Posted by 4re Nut

...One interesting (concerning?) thing I noticed on the CarFax is that it shows the car had ~ 106K miles on it in Dec. 07 (last time the miles are reported) and now it has just under 113K miles. Thus, only ~ 7K miles in over 4 1/2 years...that just doesn't sound right...

I might have the answer to the low recorded miles the last few years, per CarFax...

...Instrument cluster replaced/repaired...

This was after the last mileage record of ~ 106K. A dealer did the work so I hope no funny business took place but you never know.

I have an email into my insurance agent for a quote and that will certainly be a factor of "cost of ownership."

...to be continued...

[Ryan S.]

Originally Posted by 4re Nut

Per my digging it appears that the timing belt and water pump are the weak points with the former needing to be changed every 60K.

I don't think the car I'm looking at has the service records but per CarFax it was "serviced" every ~ 5K miles at a dealer thru late '07 @ 105K miles.

Given the regular service history and the overall condition of the car it might be safe to assUme () the work was done but even if so it might be time for another belt change. A forum thread dated in '07 stated, "it will cost about $300 DIY or $900 at a shop." Ugh.



I might have the answer to the low recorded miles the last few years, per CarFax...



This was after the last mileage record of ~ 106K. A dealer did the work so I hope no funny business took place but you never know.

I have an email into my insurance agent for a quote and that will certainly be a factor of "cost of ownership."

...to be continued...

Dirty secret on my 1.8t. I went well over 80k before having my belt done. Nothing blew up.

[Devilsolsi]

DON'T DO IT!!!

I had a 2000 TT Coupe Quattro (180 hp version) that I bought back in 2003. Had it for a few years and couldn't get rid of it quick enough. It seemed like it was in the shop every other month for $1K repair of some sort. I replaced warped brake rotors and tie rods multiple times, fuel pump, MAF sensor, gauge cluster, etc..

If I recall correctly I bought the car 3 years old with around 40K, and got rid of it around 80K 2.5 years later.

[4re Nut]

Originally Posted by 4re Nut

...I have an email into my insurance agent for a quote and that will certainly be a factor of "cost of ownership."...

FWIW, the agent quoted me $115/month and for comparison the same year Miata is $82/month.

Originally Posted by Devilsolsi

DON'T DO IT!!!

I had a 2000 TT Coupe Quattro (180 hp version) that I bought back in 2003. Had it for a few years and couldn't get rid of it quick enough. It seemed like it was in the shop every other month for $1K repair of some sort. I replaced warped brake rotors and tie rods multiple times, fuel pump, MAF sensor, gauge cluster, etc..

If I recall correctly I bought the car 3 years old with around 40K, and got rid of it around 80K 2.5 years later.

Yikes, hopefully they worked the bugs out the next model year.

[S Brake]

Originally Posted by 4re Nut

FWIW, the agent quoted me $115/month and for comparison the same year Miata is $82/month.

Sheesh, I pay $83/month to insure both of my cars.

[tfazio]

I had a 2000 TT coupe with 180HP from 2001 to 2004. I had a lot of electrical issues with my car. Heated seats had to be repaired twice, dashboard failed and had to be replaced, power window failure, a brake booster problem which made the car undriveable. Numerous lights went out prematurely too. My car was a certified preowned car so everything was covered under warranty. I sold it 6 months before the warranty expired. My car had lots of rattles too. I enjoyed driving the car but I do not miss it and would never buy another 1st generation TT. If maintenance costs are a concern I would pass.

[4re Nut]

Originally Posted by S Brake

Sheesh, I pay $83/month to insure both of my cars.

I have the luck of living in the state with the highest rates: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorze...surance-rates/

...
According to a just-released study conducted for Insure.com, Louisiana residents were found to pay an annual average of $2,536 to insure their cars. That’s more than twice as much as a typical driver will pay in states like Maine, Iowa or Wisconsin.

The 10 states the study determined as having the highest annual auto insurance rates are:

Louisiana: $2,536
Oklahoma: $2,047
Michigan: $2,013
West Virginia: $2,002
Washington, D.C.: $1,866
Montana: $1,856
Rhode Island: $1,830
Wyoming: $1,732
California: $1,709
Georgia: $1,694
...
Here’s the 10 states in which residents tend to pay the lowest rates for car insurance:

Maine: $889
Iowa: $985
Wisconsin: $987
Idaho: $1,011
North Carolina: $1,022
Vermont: $1,063
Ohio: $1,099
South Carolina: $1,108
New Hampshire: $1,133
Arizona: $1,176
...

[4re Nut]

Originally Posted by tfazio

I had a 2000 TT coupe with 180HP from 2001 to 2004. I had a lot of electrical issues with my car. Heated seats had to be repaired twice, dashboard failed and had to be replaced, power window failure, a brake booster problem which made the car undriveable. Numerous lights went out prematurely too. My car was a certified preowned car so everything was covered under warranty. I sold it 6 months before the warranty expired. My car had lots of rattles too. I enjoyed driving the car but I do not miss it and would never buy another 1st generation TT. If maintenance costs are a concern I would pass.

Thanks for the feedback and maintenance costs are a big concern.

I will probably pass on this particular car but darn it is tempting.

The smart play for me is to get a nice Miata, those things are bullet-proof. However, they aren't as plentiful as I hoped (at least in ~ 150 mile radius) and hold their resale value well (good for owner, bad for buyer ). Plus, I need to lose some weight to be comfortable in one, which should be motivation!

[atomicskiracer]

Originally Posted by 4re Nut

Thanks for the feedback and maintenance costs are a big concern.

I will probably pass on this particular car but darn it is tempting.

The smart play for me is to get a nice Miata, those things are bullet-proof. However, they aren't as plentiful as I hoped (at least in ~ 150 mile radius) and hold their resale value well (good for owner, bad for buyer ). Plus, I need to lose some weight to be comfortable in one, which should be motivation!

Love my Miata, not fast, but fast enough to fly past much "faster" cars on the track. You are correct about them being bullet proof, and when something does break, it's inexpensive and easy enough to do yourself. Finding one in decent condition is a bit of a challenge though, it took me around a year to find mine..