Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Audi TT looks good. And, with its VR6 engine and DSG gearbox, it should have the goods to back up those looks. Let’s find out if its price tag is in full support as well.
Quite a few of you discounted any consideration of yesterday’s 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STi simply because of the unflattering stereotype associated with this model’s typical owner. That’s unfortunate, because that negative profile could probably be rehabilitated simply by enough regular folks buying and driving this model.
Another unfortunate aspect of yesterday’s WRX was, apparently, its $13,000 asking price. While the seller claimed that to have been set to encourage a quick sale, fully 57 percent of you felt that it slowed things down to a No Dice crawl. I guess the expensive STi is a stereotype we’ll just have to live with.
Speaking of living with something, have you’ve ever wanted a classic VW Golf R but were put off by its roomy cabin and sensibly-allotted cargo capacity? If you’re thinking to yourself, “hell yeah” then this 2005 Audi TT Quattro S-Line may be the car for you.
That’s because the Audi TT and the Golf are kissing cousins under the covers, sharing a floorpan and a lot of the same mechanicals. In the case of this 3.2 S-line, those parts are shared with what was, at the time, the top Golf you could get, the Golf R.
Sharing parts and a platform with the Golf means that the TT wears its engine sideways rather than using the longitudinal placement of larger Audis. It also means that its Quattro drivetrain is more akin to Volkswagen’s 4Motion system than the layout in those bigger siblings.
The engine here is VAG’s 3.2-liter narrow-angle V6. From the factory, that was spec’d at 247 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque. While making those numbers, these engines sound both lovely and distinctive.
Next to that mill is Volkswagen’s six-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) that is actuated using either a fairly unassuming console shifter or a pair of behind-the-wheel buttons. This model was, in fact, Audi’s first dalliance with the DSG. The ad claims that, unlike yesterday’s Subaru, none of the mechanicals on the car have been modified since it left Ingolstadt.
Both the TT’s name and design hearken back to earlier pages in Audi’s history. The TT is taken from the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy race and follows the practice of an Audi predecessor, NSU,of naming models in honor of that race. The body design takes cues from the Auto Union (another Audi ancestor) racecars from the prewar era. In the 3.2 S-Line, the design is massaged to include additional vents up front, a mesh pattern valance bracketed by dual exhausts in the back and a taller spoiler on the hatch lid.
All of that looks to be in fine fettle on this 141,000-mile example. The clean-title car also features factory wheels with no signs of curb encounters and headlamp covers that are reasonably clear.
The two-tone gray leather interior seems to have held up its end of the bargain as well. The steering wheel looks a bit shiny from use, and there’s apparently a small stain on the driver’s seat cushion, but those seem to be the only complaints. The Multi-Function dash display even seems to have all its pixels pixelating.
The ad for the car is brief in its description. It notes the mileage and title info, along with the listing of new tires and the three keys that come with the car. Oh, and also that the a/c is cold.
There’s no mention of maintenance, such as when was the timing belt was last changed or the DSG serviced. That omission could lay the path for wiggle room on the car’s $6,900 asking price should the work be overdue.
Values on old TTs aren’t all that great to begin with, although the more capable S-Line models do bring a premium when they’re in nice shape. If this one has outstanding regular maintenance needs that just makes for a more compelling argument over its price.
This car appears to be in pretty nice shape. And, discounting any such immediate mechanical maintenance needs, could be a hoot and a half to own and drive. Could it, however, be worth that $6,900 to do so?
You decide!
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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