eddeeeee

I am looking at a 2001 TT Quattro Turbo roadster wih 21000 miles. Is this a car worth buying? Works great as a second car, but I am unsure about quality, common problems, etc. Could anyone advise me. I have never owned an Audi or known anyone who has. Thanks.

dee chaser

if thats only 21000 miles then yes u should but at the same time be prepared to invest some money into it down the road. im not saying you will have to but i sure invested alot just my advice

eddeeeee

Would I need to prepare to spend a lot because it is similar to my dad's Fiat that was in the shop for major repairs every month or because it is fun to drive and you wear out your brakes and tires too quickly?

dee chaser

every car is different but in my situation ive owned a 02 tt 225 model for about a year and a half i love it to death it catches everyones eyes and u get tons of compliments thats why i say get it. but since ive had this is a list of wat ive done to it so far of course i got the car wit 95,000 on and it now has 130,000
timing belt = 1500
some kinda of vacume pump = 400
master cylinder = 600
clutch, slave cylinder, presher plate =1000

thats all that i have be able to replace so far. right now i have a check engine lite on for like my secoundary air intake. i havent figure that out wat that is yet. i also have a grinding noise coming from my rear wheels when i turn and that probably and hopefully going to be the bearing and nothing worst. those r just my problems u might not have any of those problems. u will have to change the timing belt at around 90,000 miles because if u dont and it brakes while u r driving it will cost alot more and cound end up dropping a cylinder and who knows wat else. i say get the car because u cant help but fall in love wit it. hopefully u wont have the same problems i have.

dee chaser

i beleive my brakes r fine but have been through a set of tires since 90,000 but thats partly my fault because they werent properly aligned and the bottum of the tire i was tipped out. another good thing is u get great mpg i do mostly highway driving and the car keeps track of ur average mpg (along wit alot of other thing) but i average 30 mpg and i prefer the 100% gas. when i ran part ethonol gas in my car it lowered my mpg and it felt like i had to push on the gas more to do the same thing wit real gas in it. idk im no pro these r just ones opinions

SlapTTy

There seems to be something wrong with your keyboard.

eddeeeee

Is there anything in particular that I should look for to make sure it is in good shape? I've never owned an Audi and don't know their quirks.

dee chaser

nothing really comes to mind i think there is a sensor for just about everything so if theres no check engine lite on you should be fine. except for the timing belt you have to change it somewhere around 90,000 cause you dont want to take the risk of having it brake on you

Black BeauTTy

Man, is there no good advice out here anymore?!?! I'll add some color for you. Obviously, every car is different so I am not going to say that my experience is typical, just that it is my experience. I bought a 2001 225 QC new and now have 90K on it. It might as well be an Accord in terms of reliability and I have modified it a fair bit. I also drive it like I stole it. The TT is a good car out of the box but can be made into a great car with a few well invested dollars and lots of reading to get proficient at simple things. Mine has been virtually trouble free for all 90K.

Let's talk about your potential car. At 21K for a 2001 it tells me this thing has been a weekender at best. Mine is my DD...I figure what is the point of owning a nice car and customizing it, if all it does is come out on sunny day!?!? It's crazy! Drive the thing and drive it hard! Yours has probably never been beat on with those miles. Miles aren't everything though and there are some common faults with the TT that should be addressed if you buy it. First and foremost is to replace the timing belt, tensioner and water pump. Get a good kit from DieselGeek and have a shop put it on. Too many have failed and the cost to repair is big bucks and involves a new top end of the motor. Lots of people have had issues with the MAF sensor, I really haven't experienced this but it is pretty cheap anyway, I'm on my second...no big deal. It is a typical german over engineered piece of sensory nonsense but it plays a key role in sensor and ECU cross talk. The other common fault is the instrument cluster. No rhyme or reason but many have failed. There are replacement options at dealers under an extended warranty through AoA but you should verify this with your local dealer. Then there's minor things like the sulfur in the gas causing some grief with the fuel senders but that is easily remedied with running Techron through a couple times a year.

Buy it, mod it, drive it, love it.

usayit

Going through the same process...

2001 Quattro Roadster with 19.5k on the clock. Had everything inspected and decided to jump on the deal. I went into the decision knowing that I need to put away some funds just in case. The TT is my first German car. I always buy used; Mazdas, Toyotas, Dodge, Jeep, Nissan. So the cost of ownership will be higher than I am used to but hey... first for everything. Here's my experience so far:

* Had the timing belt service/water pump done soon after purchase. Peace of mind. $900 kmd
* For kickers I had the DV and chip done while I was at it. Also at kmd. $500
* New tires. The originals were dry rot. I went with Coopers Zeon Sport A/s. Satisfied. Nice compromise between performance and All weather. $500
* Replaced the spark plugs. 1 hour of my time, instructions from web, and $20-$30 for plugs. Nothing special. NGK copper plugs. I've had good experience with them in my supercharged miata.
* Front sways bars squeek over bumps. Common problem with bushings. I need to get them replaced.
* The button between the gas pump and trunk release popped out. WTF? Thank goodness it wasn't a real switch (no connections to it) so I glued it back into place.
* The head rest on the passenger seat rattles. I'm used to rattles as I've owned many convertibles. I simply pushed the seat back until the head rest is against the roll bar.
* The driver door makes a noise. I have determined its the deteriorated rubber piece that the crash bar mates with. Looks easy to replace but I'm having trouble locating a part number. Probably will post a thread about it soon.
* At 30k miles, I started throwing an check engine code. Started out as a P1136. Clean the MAF. Later replaced the MAF. Now throwing P1128. Checked the plugs for signs of detonation. I did a check for vacuum leaks and couldn't find any. I'll probably have a mechanic take a look at it.
* Someone put a small ding on my door on an otherwise flawless body. Grrr.. oh well.. detail shop / dent shop in the spring.

That's it. Overall, nothing major. . yet. The engine code doesn't look serious but I am out of ideas. Upfront cost for maintenance and then small issues here and there.. Its still a blast to drive and I am happy. Keep in mind that i got the car for a steal and well under market value. If I had paid $3-$5k more for it, I think I would have been a bit disappointed. If I had paid what I see TT's advertised for in local ads, I think I would have been mad at myself. I am also used to purchasing older used cars (with issuse) so my expectations were already aligned.

So my advise... its a good car that can have issues here and there. Put money aside for maintenance (parts are notably more expensive than the other cars I have owned). I wouldn't jump on any Audi TT unless it was for a steal. I would get it if the price was at market price.