Anyone on here have a TT. I am looking into getting a new car, and I have a few requirements that I am pretty sure there is no car that meets them all.

Convertible
Manual Transmission
Enough Room for a set of golf clubs AND a passenger (don't want to stick them in the front seat)
All wheel Drive
Can find a descent used one for under $30,000.

Any ideas? First thing that came to mind was the TT, but I don't think the golf clubs would fit. And the convertible A4 doesn't come in a manual transmission (gay).

11/20/2006 11:39:42 AM

AWD in a nice package and convertible with a MT is pretty hard to find stateside. You can get an B5.5 A4 Quattro with a manual for under 30k and acceptable miles, however.

11/20/2006 11:48:56 AM

may i ask your reasoning on awd?


and suggest a boxster if its something stupid

11/20/2006 12:10:30 PM

I may be able to compromise on the AWD, but the reasoning is: Handling, Launch, and rain/snow driveability (I live in the mountains, so it actually snows).

Please explain B5.5, I haven;t heard that before. I am not real familiar with Audi terminology.

Is there enough room in the Boxster's trunk for golf clubs???

[Edited on November 20, 2006 at 12:44 PM. Reason : .]

11/20/2006 12:43:36 PM

b5.5 is the chassis code

unfortunately there is no b5.5 a4.. b5 -> b6

the passats had a b5.5 due to a mid-generation facelift.

[Edited on November 20, 2006 at 1:02 PM. Reason : ...]

11/20/2006 12:58:36 PM

Two cars spring to mind for me: Saab 9-3 and Volvo C70. They're both only FWD, but it sounds like you want wet weather handling anyways, and FWD is almost as good as AWD there anyways. Both, surprisingly, come standard with a 6 speed manual. Saab's in particular depreciate fast, so you can probably find one in your price range. Both have decent power, not race car, but not boring either.

I can't think of any cars that could possibly fit all your parameters, especially when you throw in "Can find a descent used one for under $30,000.", so I thought I'd throw those options out there.

11/20/2006 1:15:08 PM

Get a Honda S2000. My dad has one and has no problem fitting his clubs in the trunk. It meets everything you want except for AWD.

11/20/2006 1:22:00 PM

^ I drive one, and I really wouldn't recommend it if he lives in the mountains and doesn't have another car to drive in bad weather. It SUCKS on ice...trust me.

11/20/2006 1:30:08 PM

if you plan on keeping the car past its 80k milliage(sp?) mark you are really really really going to want to consider the maininance costs of owning a TT and long term reliability before you buy one.

a fun search that I did while I owned my a4 was "2002 audi a4 failure"... if you do it for TT's you'll find message boards with lots and lots of people lamenting over the repair and maintenance costs... your also going to see this with Saab's... any european car will be very expensive to maintain... but Audi's are nightmares... incridibly fun to drive for the first 60k... but you won't find a whole lot of them with >120k

11/20/2006 1:40:08 PM

Quote :

"but Audi's are nightmares... "

well it is a volkswagen isnt it?

11/20/2006 1:46:27 PM

Were all A4's on B5 before the current? I thought the car had like three facelifts before this gen?


(I'm a total Audi N00b)

11/20/2006 1:59:39 PM

Quote :

"a fun search that I did while I owned my a4 was "2002 audi a4 failure"... "

whats your fucking point?

Quote :

"Results 1 - 10 of about 107,000 for audi a4 failure"

Quote :

"Results 1 - 10 of about 328,000 for honda accord failure"

Quote :

"Results 1 - 10 of about 129,000 for toyota corolla failure"

[Edited on November 20, 2006 at 2:09 PM. Reason : all cars break.. all cars require maintenance.. if you dont wanna deal with it, dont drive...]

11/20/2006 2:08:54 PM

^ that only works if you normalize the data

there have been a shit ton of hondas produced for each audi

11/20/2006 2:10:44 PM

i was just trying to show that even the supposedly most reliable cars break...

[Edited on November 20, 2006 at 2:16 PM. Reason : and i couldnt find production numbers...]

11/20/2006 2:16:32 PM

ok but then look at average repair costs... and it will be honda $400 and audi $2k...

sure all cars break... but most cars don't break catastrophically and then break your bank and your will to live...

I'm just saying I was so excited about getting such a beautiful car for a pretty good price I didn't look into long term... mainly b/c I wasn't driving very far every day when I bought it... then I started driving 50miles a day and the miles piled on and I rolled past 60k in the blink of an eye... lights start comming on about once every 2 weeks... and every time I would do a search on it and it would come up with something else that cost people $1-2k to get fixed...

so I got rid of it... I miss it a lot... but I have a MUCH better peace of mind now...
(I went from an A4 quattro to an RSX-S and the RSX-S handles much better and is a LOT faster than the 1.8t and no turbo spool to deal with(yes thats a drivers thing but whatever)... I don't worry about repairing my RSX-S... the only time I miss teh AWD is when I can't power slide onramps... AND I don't have to replace 4 tires at a time anymore... b/c AWD is worthless without decent tires)

[Edited on November 20, 2006 at 2:57 PM. Reason : peace of mind]

11/20/2006 2:53:37 PM

I wouldn't be surprised if the Accord and Camry by volume were greater then all Audi production. Not saying its the case, but they are built in large quantities.

I think really it boils down to the used car you're buying and how the previous owner treated it with regards to recalls and what not. No first iteration of any model car is bug free: Honda is notorious for transmission issues on TL's first release (and the NSX) for instance and every model of every car has little bugs that were fixed by TSB's and later MMC's.

To say that you will without a doubt have issues after say 60k is a bit of a blanket statement because that may not be the case. You just have to be aware that problems exist and budget yourself to address them.

Basically, the conclusion of the story is that all cars really suck and if I could actually ride the bus to work everyday in an economical manner I would.

11/20/2006 2:54:12 PM

An Audi TT is a VW. Its built on the same chasis as the MK4 Golf/Jetta, not an Audi A4. SO if you are going to say it sucks at least compare it to the right cars.

11/20/2006 3:16:47 PM

Get the TT. I'd get the coupe though...how often will you use a convertible in the mountains anyway? Fuck Honda's and fuck front wheel drive, they are for secretaries. Also the TT gets good mileage. It seems to fit in right with your price range and requirements, so what's the argument?

11/20/2006 3:24:39 PM

Quote :

"FWD is almost as good as AWD there anyways."

eh?

11/20/2006 3:41:00 PM

I wasn't trying to argue...

the original post said that he's looking for something with those characteristics and that the TT was on the top of his list.

I presented a point that long term reliability and cost is a serious point to consider on any european car expecially VW/Audi and expecially the turbo'd motors.

Its just a point to consider when choosing a car, I made a mistake b/c I was excited and didn't properly research and I'm just mentioning that researching this would be important before jumping into a purchase... at the very least you know what to expect shortly down the road...

I'd also say personal preference that the TT's are kinda girly... but then again thats a weak point to make considering the non-type S version of my current car is a complete chicks car and a TT would dominate my car (but its also in a different class)

11/20/2006 4:17:06 PM

Why did you buy a non type S if you mind me asking?

11/20/2006 4:53:01 PM

http://tinyurl.com/yfnjnn

mid engine still has the weight over the drive wheels so its better than F-R for snow/rain + you'd be getting one of the best balanced cars ever.

and is less metro then a tt vert.

11/20/2006 5:02:49 PM

heh, I bought the type S after all...

the original one I test drove had 50k on it... so the clutch or clutch cable was probably shot... and also since the -S has a somewhat performance clutch it has about half the travel of the audi so the first time I drove one I was probably trying to push it through the floor...

I would have purchased a Yaris before a non type S RSX... and I'm only kinda kidding about that...

but 3 weeks and 2k miles on a 6speed and its not that bad at all... expecially since I can ride 2nd gear most of the time in stop and go... heck I could drive around anywhere but highway in second gear with a 8100rpm redline... (but I don't )

11/20/2006 5:05:00 PM

Quote :

"ok but then look at average repair costs... and it will be honda $400 and audi $2k..."

just curios as to what job you're pricing.. or did you just pull those numbers out of your ass as i'm suspecting?

11/20/2006 5:20:17 PM

Yea, the girly argument doesn't have a lot of effect on me. I buy and drive a car because I like it, not because of what someone else thinks of it. To that account, I currently drive a Mini Cooper S. and trust me, I've heard the girly crap, but its a blast to drive and I like it, so screw them. Plus I Auto-Cross it, and it totally kicks ass, so...

Matt, golf clubs are the issue with the TT, and a pretty big issue. I like to play after work when the weather is nicer, and that means I pretty much leave them in the back of my car at all times in the Spring/summer. Sticking them in the only passenger seat ALL THE TIME really isn't an option.

Seems like I'll have to give up on at least one of my criteria, just not sure which one I am willing to compromise on.

11/20/2006 5:25:04 PM

i'm waiting for the new tt-s or the s-3 to become affordable....

but even then i may still purchase a subie.

11/20/2006 5:46:48 PM

ok the numbers might be slightly out of my ass... but here's a legitimate one...

timing belt job is $1500 from an audi dealership and like $600 from a honda dealership... so perhaps not the 5x increase that I was purporting but it is a 3x... shop rates and parts cost drive this...

When I bought mine I had a friend who was really good with VW's... I didn't really think through the part of me moving away... to a place where I don't even have a place to work on a car... so any work that I need done would have to be done by a shop... and its hard to find a competent mechanic so I would have had to take it to a dealership for anything...

if you do your own work it wouldn't be nearly as bad but the parts are still more expensive...

I'm just putting it out there to do your research and if your going to be sold on a fun ass to drive car you might as well know what your up against.... At least being prepaired for that type of thing will make it easier on you...

11/20/2006 6:34:49 PM

I just had my timing belt/water pump/ tensioners/ idler pulley etc done for 600, just get the parts online though an audi part wholesaler, and get an audi shop to do the work. Audi's are reliable cars, just like any car can be reliable if you take care of the car in the first place and perform the scheduled maintenance and dont let shit completely wear the fuck out.

I love my 99 A4, wouldn't trade it for anything, cept maybe a 01.5 S4 mmm biturbo goodness

11/20/2006 7:25:55 PM

goFigure

Good thing you don't have anything against it being a girl car...but a old ex-girlfriend had the coupe version of the TT. It was red and it was a blast to drive. I actually considered a black or grey one for a while. Have you ever seen the coupe?



I don't remember that much cause it was a while ago we dated, but I'm pretty sure you could fit some clubs in the back of that one.

11/20/2006 7:29:06 PM

I drive a convertible 350z. its ok. looks great. it gets compliments all the time. I paid 26500 for it. and it beat out the TT on all the tests that I saw... well, in terms of performance. I get 21 mpg. the trunk is tiny. and it doesnt have AWD.... I would assume its terrible in snow and ICE. its pretty damn quick though. Nothing like the 03 cobra i had but its a well engineered car unlike the cobra.

11/20/2006 7:34:51 PM

Just another random thought in here. Have you considered the VW Eos? It's fairly new, and you probably won't be able to find one used. It's FWD, but it's a convertible that seats four (bound to have more than enough room for your golf clubs), can come with a manual transmission, and I believe you can get it with the 2.0T starting at $29,990.

11/20/2006 9:31:44 PM

^

wow

that thing is ugly

especially when the top is up

11/20/2006 9:38:26 PM

paging jnpaul

he has like a 99 A4, really nice car that I just drove a couple nights ago, but it has a bunch of stupid warning lights on like the ABS which are expensive to fix. I think he has like 90k miles or so on the car.

11/21/2006 1:50:29 AM

I saw that eos on the VW page last time I was on it, and like it, but I'm pretty against buy a new car. Maybe I should just keep what I have until someone comes out with what I need.

11/21/2006 9:37:37 AM

All cars under 40000 have a fatal flaw of some sort.

That would be a good bet.

11/21/2006 9:49:42 AM

Quote :

"All cars under 40000 have a fatal flaw of some sort. That would be a good bet."

fixt

[Edited on November 21, 2006 at 10:35 AM. Reason : stupid bracket]

11/21/2006 10:35:02 AM

No way dude.

Audi RS4, BMW M5...HAWT.

Same for Supercars.

11/21/2006 10:55:34 AM

e46 330ci. not AWD, but it snows in germany too.

11/21/2006 12:42:48 PM

Quote :

"mid engine still has the weight over the drive wheels so its better than F-R for snow/rain + you'd be getting one of the best balanced cars ever. and is less metro then a tt vert. "

I saw a Boxster on 540 in a snow storm one time and that guy was struggling worse than any other car on the road. He probably had summer tires on there, but it was pathetic. The rear end of the car was in a perpetual fishtail from the road having a slight bit of camber, he was unintentionally moving towards the right side of the highway, and he was barely making any forward progress. I have a feeling that guy ended up having to park it and wait for the snow to melt.

Plus, maintenance costs are pretty high in comparison to just about every other car on the road.

11/21/2006 12:55:44 PM

Yea but how often does it actually snow in RTP, NC?

11/21/2006 2:42:07 PM

bout once a year.

11/21/2006 4:33:05 PM

did you fuck heads read the part where he said he lived in a region with periodic snowfall?

11/21/2006 10:40:31 PM

once a year is periodic.. with a period of one year...

11/21/2006 11:28:57 PM

LOL

11/21/2006 11:40:39 PM

^^^^^that sounds like summer tires. Nothing you can do about that.

Quote :

"Get the TT. I'd get the coupe though...how often will you use a convertible in the mountains anyway? Fuck Honda's and fuck front wheel drive, they are for secretaries. Also the TT gets good mileage. It seems to fit in right with your price range and requirements, so what's the argument?"

Ya know, the only Honda mentioned in this thread is the S2000 and its WELL KNOWN to be RWD. Dipshit

Autoxing a TT? Well I suppose it'd do well, but its well known not to handle as well as its peers. But cars like that with AWD are few and far between...

[Edited on November 21, 2006 at 11:41 PM. Reason : k]

11/21/2006 11:41:27 PM

Isn't teh TT actually based on the Golf platform?

11/21/2006 11:44:15 PM

yes, with the addition of real rear suspension & awd. some other more minor improvements as well.

11/22/2006 12:30:06 AM

Quote :

"Ya know, the only Honda mentioned in this thread is the S2000 and its WELL KNOWN to be RWD. Dipshit"

Uh oh hit a soft spot...

I was talking about Honda/Acura. Don't see a S2000 mentioned, but did see a RSX and TL. Sorry fwd is gay and so are Integras.

11/22/2006 9:34:10 AM

AVON and I bought one upon entering college (2000) it has been a great car, minor electrical problems here and there but all around nice car. don't use the orginal tires get some off tire rack that will last more that 20k. ours is a coupe so i know nothing of convertables but we have around 87k on it now and drives just as tight as when we first got it.

11/22/2006 9:48:19 AM

^^^^ welcome to 2 days ago

Quote :

"An Audi TT is a VW. Its built on the same chasis as the MK4 Golf/Jetta"

11/22/2006 10:50:07 AM