My Second TT

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Aug 10, 2006 | 05:54 AM

artthurs

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Audiworld Junior Member

Joined: Aug 2006

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My Second TT

On a whim back in early 2002 I walked into my most local Audi dealer to have an up close look at the TT. I had casually been a follower of the car, saw some random magazine ads, and saw very few on the road. Still, something continued to fuel my interest in this car, even despite awareness of the high speed lift off problem of the very early models.

Upon visiting my dealer, I was drawn immediately to the white TT Roadster right by the entrance. The car had the baseball optic interior and it was gorgeous. My whimsical intent, in my mind, was rapidly turning into a purchase decision. Pragmatism set in and my test drive ended up in a 225 Quattro Coupe in Brilliant Black with Aviator Gray interior. Two days later, that car was mine. Despite never owning what is an essentially two seat car and a lifestyle that demanded a larger car, I never looked back. In light of several German sedans prior, this would be the best car I had owned.

If I made any mistake in the overall purchase, it was to lease this car. I had always leased in the past and actually never really saw a car come off lease. I always traded out in the later stages of the lease. The TT was different though. It was the first car that ever came off lease and ended up on a one way drive to the dealership only to find enjoyment in another's driveway. Lifestyle changes prohibited a buy out but I figured I would get over the TT.

A few months went by and I still missed the TT. Then, seemingly out of left field, I would end up working for an Audi dealer in sales and the TT urge renewed itself full force. The bulk of new inventory was centered on the DSG models, a fine transmission that I could never warm up to in the TT. Drawn to the TT as one of the few purist intended cars on the market, only a manual would do for me. Thus my search for an affordable, early model TT began.

To make things interesting, I wanted something in a TT that I didn't have before. Without a need for pragmatism this time out, I limited my search to roadsters. I saw a couple of 180 models and grew interested. Sure I had experienced the 225 and questioned whether the 180 would suffice, but I rationalized that without Quattro the difference was probably not so great. I drove the 180 and found it entirely enjoyable and as maneuverable as the 225. Driven by a strong desire to be back in a TT, any mechanically sound TT, I bought a 2001 Lake Silver/Black TT 180 Roadster. The joy of TTness is back, in convertible form, with an engine still spirited enough to more than amply move this rolling work of art that the TT always was.

Perhaps as the months go by, I may consider a software upgrade. For now, the performance is not in question. The totality of what the TT is and was is fully embodied in this 2001 Roadster. It just feels great to be back with a TT.