The TT and e31 BMW as companions is logical. What interested me first was my familiarity with Bosch Motronics which is very similar between the two. At first, I was thinking that going from a V12 to a I4 as a daily driver was a downgrade, but not at all. I haven't looked at the weight to horsepower ratio, but the TT has been quick and fun. What I like about the e31 is the torque and 50 mph to 100 mph acceleration. In Atlanta traffic, I have been surprised that the 5-speed manual Audi has been less work than the automatic BMW. On the BMW in a traffic jam,(huge traffic jam) you have to keep a very heavy foot on the brake pedal to keep from moving forward. It's hard to believe, but it can be exhausting after an hour or so. (And I'm in shape. More than 100 miles per week on a road bike.) On the TT, you just drop into neutral with a light foot on the brake. On the e31, parts are more difficult to find sometimes, but the TT has a lot of parts that are shared across the Audi/VW 1.8T platform. Right now, I need cats for the e31, and from the dealer, it's about $4,000 not including labor. Aftermarket will come out to about $500 including labor.