Cheap Fun: 2003 Audi TT Quattro
The Bauhaus styled mark 1 Audi TT was released in 1998 to instant acclaim and backpats all around the Volkswagen group board rooms. Wait…Volkswagen? Yup, the TT was built on VW’s Group A platform, which means it shares its front-engine front-drive default setup with the Volkswagen Golf and New Beetle, but with a number of significant upgrades. Find this 2003 Audi TT Quattro offered for $6,900 in Santa Cruz, CA via craigslist.
The seller doesn’t specify if this TT is the 180 horsepower or 225 horsepower version, but a peek on the inside shows a 6-speed manual shifter, which means this is the 225 horsepower 1.8T with the larger K04 turbocharger and a few other upgraded goodies.
The 1.8 liter inline-4 has 5 valves per cylinder and pushes 225 horsepower and 207 ft-lbs of torque into all four wheels via a Haldex 4-wheel-drive system. It isn’t often that a nice example of the 225 horsepower TT shows up in my favorite TT color, so I give this one two thumbs up.
See a better way to drive a classic? tips@dailyturismo.com
I remember a lady friend once looked at a TT driving by.
I asked her what she thought of the styling.
"It looks like a squashed Bug", she said.
Given its VW underpinnings, I thought her analogy quite witty.
(Well, and I kinda liked her, so…)
-Stan (the now-married-and-the-bug-lady's-a distant-memory Stan)
These look fun but I was always scared away by the reliability.
versus when you want a car that looks reliable and you're scared away by fun – diesel Camry, perhaps
I thought these looked better before they added the spoiler, but apparently the Germans thought the rear end lifting contributed to unsightly wrecks on the autobahn. I guess unspoiled styling isn't as important as scenery unspoiled by wrecks, but you would think they could have figured out the aerodynamics before they went into production.
Agreed about the spoiling spoiler. I wonder if it can be easily, and cheaply, removed. I doubt they're as necessary here in a land where drivers can't legally go for v-max on public roads.
If you're going to be victimized by VAG maintenance costs, might as well go Porsche? But this is beautiful.
As a 2001 TT (225HP) owner and former VW/Audi/Porsche salesman I'm pleasantly surprised by my TTs' above average reliablity. Besides sheduled timing belt/water pump change at 60Kmi and 15 years of age I changed bad starter, failed coils and MAF sensor. That's it, still has original brakes at 62Kmi and I'm not easy on the brakes.
Won a couple of SCCA Regionals with 16V GTI and still have VR6 one so I'm not easy on my VW/Audis and would encourage people on the fence to give 'em a try. Just try to keep up with the maintenance.
I had an '04 TT Roadster with the 225hp V6 and auto/paddle shift tranny and loved it. I had it at first, then it went to my ex-brother in law and both us whipped the snot out of it where it continued to run flawlessly for almost three years of flogging… until my brother-in-law put it in the ditch. I also remember some immature drag racing in the wet where this car with AWD and traction control seriously embarrassed some much faster rides. Good times.
I Have an 02 convertible. It likes to eat CCM's and its latest one was of Bulgarian flavor. I had to waterproof it for it to survive. Love the car almost as much as my old Saab 900 turbo. Weird styling is my thing.