Hi,

My boss is selling his red 2000 TT, 180HP, 57,000KM (+- 36,000 miles). I really want to buy it but can just about afford the price, so I want to make sure there are no major repairs due that I'm not aware of. I want to avoid getting stuck with a car I can't afford to run and I have very little margin.

Would really like to hear from you guys if there's anything major I should look out for. Heard people mention the timing belt that needs changing (some say every 4 yrs, some say it depends on mileage). Anything else? Tires? Leaky steering servo?

In your opinion what are the big repairs that could really up the maintenance costs?

Thanks for your advice. Really want this car!!! :-)
Martin.

 

I hate to say it, but if you can barely afford the car perhaps you should look elsewhere. Audi's are fairly expensive when it comes time to repair. Timing belt for example usually runs 3-5 times the cost of a car such as a Honda. Even the most babied car could have a random failure which even a complete vehicle inspection wouldn't catch.

If you are still willing to risk this, the FAQ at the top of the forum though goes over most of the known issues.

 

yes, pass on the car. If you can barely afford it, it is not something you shold hop on. I was in a similar situation and picked up mine - I got a great deal on mine, which is the only reason i got it. As soon as I got it, I dumped about 700 into it. Thus far in my 2 month of owning it, i've put just over 1000 into it.

2001 TT Quattro Coupe
new timing belt, waterpump, diverter, mass airflow sensor, pressure regulating valve / pancake pcv, premium spark plugs, fuel filter, poly engine mount, front bumper repaint, rim repaint, boost gauge, etc, etc.

 

Yeah pass ive had mine for six months and out that time span it has been in the shop 14 times granted most of those times were for the same problem that they couldnt seeem to fix but finally did. Audi's are expenive if you aint got the cash to keep em on the road then stay away! Good luck with finding another car.

 

my suggestion - buy a used SRT-4. That's the other car I was looking into. I work in an office, so an Audi was more of a luxury sport car for me. At 26, I can afford all of my repairs, just not so much for the upgrades. I paid ~10k for my 2001 TT Quattro Coupe with 79k on it. If you really have to get a TT, you might try going for a 2000 180, or older 225 and set some money aside for repairs.

 

If you can do maintenance yourself, it's not out of the question. Does the owner have complete records? How long has he owned the car? Has he had any problems? When I bought my 2001 180 quattro I did a pile of maintenance; engine oil, trans oil, Haldex fluid, rear diff oil, coolant, flushed the brake fluid, new tires, painted the wheels (they were pretty curbed), recolored the driver's seat bolster, touched-up the driver's rocker panel (lots of shoe scuffs). Total was about $1500 (tires were about $700). If you can do this stuff yourself, consider it, but if you can't, forget it!