Z3 or TT?

[beanie]

Thanks guys, some great info- much appreciated

Tim- that really is a lovely looking example-As spikey says though, I doubt we'll find one like that for our budget sadly.

It seems then, that the only real biggie is the boot floor/diff area on the z3.Although I'm fairly confident at checking over cars I'm a little unsure as to how easy this will be to spot- looking at pictures it's easy to see the cracks and faulty welds but faced with a grubby car and limited access I wonder if it will be as obvious as it seems. are most of the welds and mounts easily visible without having to dismantle half the car or scrape off underseal?

Little niggles like radiators and weeping rocker gaskets are pretty much the norm for many older cars so i can live with them-in fact id far sooner have to spend on something like that than chase around electrical or odd reccurring issues that just light up the dash.

I'm not sure the more old school feel is necessarily a bad thing - the only cars my girlfriend drives with any regularity are the company fiat panda and punto which are hardly shining beacons for feel and experience so as long as its mechanically up together I can see her loving something like a z3!

 

[Smartbear]

Thanks guys, some great info- much appreciated

Tim- that really is a lovely looking example-As spikey says though, I doubt we'll find one like that for our budget sadly.

It seems then, that the only real biggie is the boot floor/diff area on the z3.Although I'm fairly confident at checking over cars I'm a little unsure as to how easy this will be to spot- looking at pictures it's easy to see the cracks and faulty welds but faced with a grubby car and limited access I wonder if it will be as obvious as it seems. are most of the welds and mounts easily visible without having to dismantle half the car or scrape off underseal?

Little niggles like radiators and weeping rocker gaskets are pretty much the norm for many older cars so i can live with them-in fact id far sooner have to spend on something like that than chase around electrical or odd reccurring issues that just light up the dash.

I'm not sure the more old school feel is necessarily a bad thing - the only cars my girlfriend drives with any regularity are the company fiat panda and punto which are hardly shining beacons for feel and experience so as long as its mechanically up together I can see her loving something like a z3!

Hi beanie, if you pull back the carpet & lift out the tool tray from the boot the damaged welds will be obvious, the broken spot welds allow water in & turn rusty-the good ones will have unbroken paint & will be rust free
Regards

 

[beanie]

that's good, I wasn't sure if there would be that sticky sound deadening on the boot floor.
Cheers

 

[nfbr]

As someone who works for an Audi/VW Specialist - We deal with a lot of TT's on a regular basis. My boss (and company owner) absolutely loves the Mk1 TT's, where I honestly can't see what's good about them?

I can however say from experience they are terrible cars, They don't stand the test of time anywhere near as well as the Mk4 Golfs do and are incredibly fault prone!
We commonly do 1-hour vehicle inspections for customers having just bought a Mk1 TT (whether it's a 150ps FWD model, a 180ps or 225ps Quattro model) and they always come back with ridiculous lists full of issues! Regularly totting up to over £3,000's worth to get them back straight again.

Terrible cars, I developed a huge dislike for them in the 7-8 years I've been in my job.

I'd rather have a crappy diesel Golf than a TT any day!

 

[nfbr]

the TT isn't a Roadster

Eh?

 

[mr wilks]

As someone who works for an Audi/VW Specialist - We deal with a lot of TT's on a regular basis. My boss (and company owner) absolutely loves the Mk1 TT's, where I honestly can't see what's good about them?

I can however say from experience they are terrible cars, They don't stand the test of time anywhere near as well as the Mk4 Golfs do and are incredibly fault prone!
We commonly do 1-hour vehicle inspections for customers having just bought a Mk1 TT (whether it's a 150ps FWD model, a 180ps or 225ps Quattro model) and they always come back with ridiculous lists full of issues! Regularly totting up to over £3,000's worth to get them back straight again.

Terrible cars, I developed a huge dislike for them in the 7-8 years I've been in my job.

I'd rather have a crappy diesel Golf than a TT any day!

Have you specifically not mentioned the 3.2 V6 or just forgot to include them ?
You should also mention that many of the cars will be 12-13 yrs old , have covered decent miles & most probably have had owners who can afford to buy them but not maintain them :wink:
There's good & bad examples of most used cars as i'm sure you are aware

 

[TitanTim]

the TT isn't a Roadster

Eh?

Thats not a Roadster in the true sense of the word, I don't see the difference between it and a Golf Cabriolet.

Tim.

 

[nfbr]

Have you specifically not mentioned the 3.2 V6 or just forgot to include them ?
You should also mention that many of the cars will be 12-13 yrs old , have covered decent miles & most probably have had owners who can afford to buy them but not maintain them :wink:
There's good & bad examples of most used cars as i'm sure you are aware

The 3.2 is useless, they are a horrible engine to drive with. Terribly underpowered for their weight.

You've hit the nail on the head! They are getting on a bit and most people who buy them get them as a fashion accessory, thus don't look after them. That and Audi's "long life" servicing ruining them too!

There are a lot of decent examples out there, however they are the ones owned by the enthusiasts who from experience, really do not want to let them go.

Thats not a Roadster in the true sense of the word, I don't see the difference between it and a Golf Cabriolet.
Tim.

IMHO - 2 seats + soft top + based around a coupe = Roadster.

 

[beanie]

Thanks for your thoughts nfbr, interesting that you find them noticeably worse than the mk4 golf as I'd assumed they'd be pretty similar with reliability and problems for obvious reasons. I wonder if it's a case of more enthusiasts are buying them now and are more likely to check a little deeper? That or the owners are running to the next fashion accessory at the arrival of bigger bills? Are there any problems you've found that are unique to the TT?

 

[Machine monkey]

As someone who works for an Audi/VW Specialist - We deal with a lot of TT's on a regular basis. My boss (and company owner) absolutely loves the Mk1 TT's, where I honestly can't see what's good about them?

I can however say from experience they are terrible cars, They don't stand the test of time anywhere near as well as the Mk4 Golfs do and are incredibly fault prone!
We commonly do 1-hour vehicle inspections for customers having just bought a Mk1 TT (whether it's a 150ps FWD model, a 180ps or 225ps Quattro model) and they always come back with ridiculous lists full of issues! Regularly totting up to over £3,000's worth to get them back straight again.

Terrible cars, I developed a huge dislike for them in the 7-8 years I've been in my job.

I'd rather have a crappy diesel Golf than a TT any day!

O bloody hell what's your opinion on the diesel mk2??? Not that it really matters it's under warranty. But should we keep it at the end or hand it back smiling knowing we are dodging a bullet!! I had a MK 1 and agree had lots of trouble :thumbsdown:

 

[thepits]

Tim.

OT :lol:

BRSCC badge on the dash? :?

 

[beanie]

Well, it's been a long old journey but the end is finally in sight. We've covered hundred of miles, seen 11 cars at all points in and around the budget and met some interesting characters along the way :lol: it's still not over though as thanks to the widely varying bureaucratic procedures here, my girlfriend needs an identity card to buy the car in this city! Yep, had she bought it a few miles up the road (or potentially spoken to a different person about it) this wouldn't be needed!

One thing that has surprised me is that despite what Internet may tell you, about half the cars we saw (all 1.9 16v apart from one 2.0) had signs of boot floor separation. One, that was otherwise stunning, had 3 completely popped welds with rust on several others and had just been to bmw for a full pre-sale inspection and given a clean bill of health :roll: none of the owners had a clue about this problem and all were a little taken aback when it was pointed out. Not as much as the chap who's car had clearly been on a straightening jig at some point though shame, as we'd have bought that had it been straight.

In the end we've gone for the only 2.0 six as, despite being higher miles, it had clearly been looked after, had a good roof, interior and body but needs little doing in the short term. The rear window is a little scratched (but that just means I can break out the polish and get all ocd on it :lol the rear wishbone bushes, rear shocks and rear arb links will need doing eventually but it's a good honest car and those things are minor compared to some of the issues we've seen (the '45k' mile car with petrol for oil and a service 'gap' of 10 years was a bit worrying!)

Anyway, thanks for all the input and fingers crossed we've made the right choice. Even with the most thorough checking you still never know. :|

Pics? Er, yes. They will come , assuming Italy and it's paperwork doesn't get the better of us!