Mischievious GS

Hi,

I haven't been on the forums in a loooong while because of traveling, and I'm finally making a move back to Vegas soon. I've owned a 1GS in Hawaii which I loved, and I'm looking to pick up another car when I'm in Vegas. After looking at car ads on Craigslist, eBay, and here, I'm surprised to see some 2GS below 8k and a few 3GS at 13-15k. Many have pretty high miles, but I've bumped into a few that have decent mileage. Personally, I love Lexus cars, but I'm open to other options as well. My fiancée wants to get a Mercedes, but I've tried explaining to her that I'd rather get a $15k Lexus rather than a $15k Mercedes any day. Besides that, for some reason I've always liked the Audi TT (1st gen), and I've seen A lot listed below 10k. I have no experience with Audi, but from some research on the web, it seems that the 1st gen TTs have their share of problems. Anyone have any real life experience with this issue? Would anyone have any other options at a good used car to pick up? My budget is around $15k-ish, but can go higher if it's something me and my fiancée both like.

TL;DR

- Budget of 15k-ish looking for a decent used car. Need advice.
- Wondering if an Audi TT would be a good buy at below 10k.


Not sure where to post this, but posted to CL because most CL people are pretty open and helpful with their responses unlike some other forums (in my experience)

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

I think it's the same chassis at the VW GTI, right?

If you don't care for the open top, the GTI may be a better bargain to maintain as well as to insure.

And consider VW reliability. If you're on a budget, you have to think of that...

mmarshall

The 2Gen Lexus SC430 provides the TT's basic looks with a much richer/plusher interior, fun-in-the-sun droptop, and significantly better reliability....though, for a used-car, at a somewhat higher price.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

The Audi forums will give you better info on a TT

Mischievious GS

I'm not to fond of any VW models, and I have heard the same reliability issues exist with VW also.

I did look into the SC as an option since I love the way it looks. I have found a few hovering at 15k ish, but usually with high miles or salvage titles.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

I'd rather take a high mileage sc than any low mileage vw/audi-I value reliability

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

15K for a SC is doable, if you look hard enough, there are some. I would get a high mile SC430 than a low mile TT anyday. Sc430 is bullet proof.

Mischievious GS

Seems like the consensus is a high mileage SC430 > Audi TT. I had a feeling i'd end up sticking with a Lexus as a used car. Are there any major things I should look out for when looking for an SC? I've actually seen several hovering near the 10k-13k area that had salvage titles. Some said only minor things with a salvage title, while some had things like a branch falling on the roof. How much does a salvage title hurt the resale value of a car?

Edit: I just went into the SC430 Forums for the first time, and found some great info there.

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

Never ever buy salavage cars, sellers always tell you there is ”only” minor damage before. I am an insurance agent, and I can tell you it takes at least 60% of the car's worth on the damage to be salvage/total loss ( the percentage depends on state, of course). And a salvage vehicle is greatly depreciated, and doesn't drive as original and expect more than usually repair later. I won't even pay half of the market value of the car if it's rebuilt.

BTW, welcome back to Vegas, let me know if you need any help locally.

Mischievious GS

thats great info! ive been seeing a ton of salvage/rebuilt cars on craigslist and almost 90% of them always say that it was minor damage or something along the lines of "it never should've been salvaged". I was beginning to think that some of them might not really be telling the truth...

just curious, how does one access the total value of a used car? is it off the KBB value?

thanks for your help. are you a car insurance agent? i'll definitely be needing insurance for something or another when i actually arrive in Vegas.

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

Estimated value of a car from an insurance company is a combation of market value ( what people selling ) and KBB book value. KBB is a good source to have a general idea of how much the car is worth.

1sWt2GS

iTrader: (6)

salvage cars.

get a 2gs



realistically though you never know what can be wrong with salvaged cars.

a COMPLETELY totaled salvage car can quickly turn into "oh, it was stolen" or "a branch fell on it" anything to sell the car

Fizzboy7

The TT, like most older Audi/VW's will be an expensive car to maintain over the longrun. If you are okay with that, then I'd go for it. The TT is very unique, modern, and iconic. I believe one day later down the road the first gen TT will be a collector's car.

Mischievious GS

Honestly, the main reason I looked into an Audi TT was because I wanted to do a project like this...



which seemed like a cheaper option than doing an SC430 like this...



From the research i've gathered, seems that the TT is pretty problematic even at lower mileage whereas the SC430 is pretty solid if maintained well.

I might need to look into a 2GS as a starter car since i've seen some pretty decently priced ones while i'm waiting for a decent SC to pop onto my radar.

DustinV

I have a 1998 Volkswagen Golf 1.6 SR Automatic which is the same platform (PQ34) the 1st-generation Audi TT is based on.

I bought the car second hand and have now amassed over 250,000 km on it. It's never missed a beat and nothing has ever gone wrong. Basic maintenance and scheduled visits to the shop help keep it in great shape. And this Golf is pretty nicely loaded up with features, to.

I'm selling it within the next few months and I'll be buying a Citroen DS3 because I want something a bit more exciting.