Frznrth

Hi
Before I've even gotten much feed back as to if a TT might be even remotely a good choice for a 17 year old - another post - I went and looked at Kijiji and found one that sounds very tempting. An 01 with 150,000 Km that supposedly is in "remarkable" condition and has had very good maintenance - was originally owned by a dealer's family member. Seller is very motivated as is moving out of country soon - least that's the story.

The big possible RED FLAG is a "Level 2 performance chip" that the 2nd owner had put in when he bought it 6 years ago. Normally I would run from anything that was chipped. Is this the case with audi's too? Can it handle the chipping without any likely damage? Would a good assessment by a dealer be able to tell me if it has been "pushed" too hard?

Any further comments if this would be a possible good choice for a 17 year old would be more than appreciated. He'll need to afford maintenance from what he makes flipping burgers.

Thanks

Frznrth

Another option - I found an 05 with 114,000 Km for $5,200 more than the 01 with 150,000. Lower Km and the V6 worth the extra?
No turbo to worry about and a chain instead of a belt?? - less maintenance??

Vegas-roadster

I would not buy a chipped car even though it should have minimal impact on its maintenance because it has a much higher probability of having been driven aggressively while chipped.

IMO, the 2002+ cars are more reliable than the 00 and 01 which had several new design issues and recalls. The V6 is a sweet engine. The 1.8 needs a new timing belt every 5 years or 100km.

J. Patterson

My 01 coupe has been APR chipped for 13 years and 130000 miles. Very few problems have been due to the chip. ( almost none except a MAF within a month after installing the chip)
On the other hand, the hard track use that the car has had has caused more than a few issues. Stage 1 chips on 1.8s are extremely reliable. Bigger turbo swaps on the other hand are very problematic. All this said, the 3.2 VR6 is a great car as long as the DSG trans is solid and you don't mind not having a manual trans.

Frznrth

Thanks.
We will check out the one with a v6. He actually thinks he'd prefer an auto with the paddle shift option.

We drove a 99 TT just to see. Was in horrific shape so not an option at all but was good to see. Even with all the issues it was still fun. My biggest complaint was that you seem to sit so low that you can't put your arm comfortably out the window and the top of the windshield seems like it doesn't go up far enough. Sort of a claustrophobic feeling. Something you just get used to?

J. Patterson

You do except on the banking at Daytona. I had to slump way down in the seat in order see around the bowl :-)

Mister Bally

The major issue with the 1.8 L engines are the cast connecting rods. If driven hard, especially if the ECU was tuned, more stress from this can lead to a thrown rod. Installing forged rods really help.

For a 17 YO flipping burgers, The sudden part costs of an older TT can mean walking/bicycling between paychecks. Unless you have a spare car to lend him once in awhile.

Check out my son's TT saga at the link below. This happened just a few months after he pulled just the transmission to replace his clutch (which was $550.00 in parts and he did all the work himself). He was 21 at the time.
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/tt-...story-2901563/

Frznrth

Thanks. I think that seals the deal on staying away from the i4. Especially one that may have been pushed.

Walpole5

You do know that you can raise and lower the seat. That should ease the problem you have seeing out.

Frznrth

We didn't see any way to adjust seat height. It was all manual. Good to know it's possible though. Am going to check out a 2nd generation this week. Will look for that.
Thanks.