Hey everyone.

My name is Eric. I'm almost 18, and am graduating High School in about 10 days at the semester. I will be working till college, and plan to finance a 2001 or 2000 Audi TT. I checked Kelly Blue Book, and they run from 8,500 - 10,000$ depending on milage. I live in Colorado, so the roads are fairly salty in the winter and detrimental to a car. The Audi TT has all wheel drive however, making it good in the snow right?

Are these cars reliable? I will be working only part time in college asI will have 15 or 17 credit hours >_<.

How do they handle in the winter? I snowboard a lot, and I know it doesn't have a lot of room but would it be possible to fit it?

I am currently driving a Volvo 850 GLT wagon. I do have a girlfriend, but, this thing is not really helping. I'll be attending Colorado University, and the TT looks perfect.

I've never driven stick before but I'll learn. If anyone could help me out, I'd really appreciate it. Thank you for your time.

Eric

 

Hey and welcome!!!

Alright snow is not an issue with quattro... just dont be stupid, but it handles great for snow...

as for your snowboard, yes it will fit, the back seats will go down (if you get a coupe) roadster im not sure, my board fits though.

As for learning stick... very very very easy in a TT... i didnt know how to drive stick and drove mine off the lot... im also 18 so yea. But haha clutch, put it in gear, little gas, slow off clutch and good haha... it really is not hard at all.

Good luck!! any more questions just throw them up

 

For that price, you'll be either looking at a 100k+ quattro or a 80k or so FWD. Probly with a bunch of dumb things wrong with it. Read this before you buy:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3443644

Yep, the FWD's not bad either, but remember, quattro doesn't help you stop.

I'd say the contrary compared to other coupes of its size. The trunk's pretty big...fold down the seats you might get away with a board. If not...raise the roof (rack).

What's wrong with a ******* wagon? Keep in mind TT has no usable (for girlfriend purposes) backseat.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

A *******' wagon? Maybe if it were 1972, but its 2007 and that sounds scary. My volvo is dirty, old, and need repairs often.

Anyway, thanks for answering. Quattros are harder to break in? Is that what you mean? And, is the insurance pretty awful? How about repairs? I would love to get this car, but if the total cost of it is brutal I might have to back down (not that I want to.)

My parents would help me some with my insurance and repairs occasionally, but I see that it takes just premium gas. I'll be living in Boulder, Colorado (Anyone local? awesome.), so my bike will probably be my main method of travel until winter or road trips. I probably won't drive it all the time to keep miles down and it in good condition.

Since Audi is a European brand, it probably hands similar or better than my volvo (in the sense its more solid, American cars are often awful for that.). Obviously my wagon is huge and heavy, however it has the exact same horse power. 180. The TT is probably a third of the weight making it a good deal faster, and I would love to drive manual.

My plan is to learn how to service a lot of my own car's issues. I have a friend who has a E46 330ci BMW who joined a forum, and is now installing his own angel eyes and cold air intake with little or no problems. I would love to be able to have that sort of proficiency with my car, and that would save costs. I've looked around, and there seems to be a lot of information.

 

the coupe has enough room with the backseat down for two people's boards, boots, extra gear, etc. The Quattro gives a feeling of confidence on the roads, but remember, as stated above... IT DOESN'T HELP YOU STOP.

Plus, imagine the fun you can have late night in a snowy lot with the ESP turned off. Once you learned how to drive a manual, that is. But it's easy, anybody can learn if they want to.

Insurance tends to be higher since the cost of repairing these cars is considerably higher (to the insurance company's eyes) and thus they pass those expenses on to you in the form of a higher premium.

But some things are worth the extra dollar. If you work and make that $ then you might as well like what you have to pay for. Sure, a (insert your alternate vehicle choice here) may be cheaper, but if you like something why not get it?

 

Ah. Yea, i'm guessing the insurance and repairs are not as bad as, persay, a BMW or Mercedes, but they're probably not nearly as cheap as my volvo.

My parents said they would help me finance this audi.

I've read that the first TT, (2000 make), has fewer engine troubles than some of the newer 225bhp models. Is this true? I'd hate to get the oddman out version.

 

IMO, this is not a good car for a full time college student. Maintance is about $1K per year alone. Plus if you buy a basic, high miles TT, expect some repairs. Insurance at your age on a turbo sports car would be insane. The TT would get dented and door dings at college. I would suggest you look elsewere.

 

I have to agree with jakej. I love my TT but put a decent amount of money into it each year if not in maintenance, in preventative maintenance. I live in Colorado as well (Boulder) and the TT is awesome (I track it in the summer and use it to go snow boarding in the winter).I've also finished college and work full time so I am not a slave to the car (which is what I was back in high school and that wasn't much fun).
Another good car in the winters (and incredibly popular in Colorado) are Subarus. They are reliableand overall less expensive to own and operate (my wife drives a Subie Outback turbo wagon). Yes they aren't as glamorous as a TT, but in my opinion, they might be a better choice for someone starting college. Plus they are all AWD and some have turbos (watch the insurance though).

Just my 2 cents.