Try before you buy?
I’m not entirely sure what planted this seed. I’m not really in the market to buy another car just because I like it; I’m a one-car type of guy, mostly for financial reasons. So when I look at buying a car, it’s to replace the one I already have.
In the past my car has needed to tick a lot of boxes, although these days a few boxes have fallen off the list. No baby buggy, no work commute, no big child seats… so my current steed, which ticked many, could maybe give way to a bit of compromise.
But why a first-generation Audi TT? First, I think they look great, and always have done; it’s a design icon, as Stephen Bayley told us in
Octane 191. Second, I could probably afford a decent one from the sale of my Mk1 Skoda Fabia VRS SE, and word on the street is that TTs are on the up while my diesel warm hatch, well, isn’t (yet). Third, they look great. Fourth, Evan Klein just bought one, and it looks great. Fifth, on last month’s 911 vs E-type cover shoot, Oliver Winbolt of The Splined Hub mentioned he had just picked one up and he loves it… and I’m guessing that it, too, looks great.
So it seems that now is the time to buy one, and all the signs are pointing me that way. Just one problem. I hadn’t driven one.
Luckily, Audi Heritage has just acquired an early TT (another sign?), and after a bit of fettling it was ready for an outing. It’s a 225 coupé, the model I have my eye on with the more potent version of the 1.8-litre, four-cylinder
From top
Still looks like a concept car; our art ed satisfies his inner designer; early example lacks stabilising tail spoiler. turbocharged engine, and it doesn’t cost any more in road tax than the 180bhp version. And it comes with a manual gearbox, so no expensive DSG worries.
I lower myself in and get comfortable; these soft leather seats are very inviting. The dash is simple enough not to offend, but a scattering of silver dials and adornments remind you you’re sitting in a classic ’90s design. The steering feels firm as I pull away; the TT is heavier than it looks and can give the front suspension and tyres a hard time, but even after 130,000 miles this one still feels tight, with no knocks or rattles.
I’m up to speed now, car and driver warming up and getting to know each other. The steering has lightened up and the Quattro fourwheel drive (standard on the 225) offers confident grip. I really quite like this TT – it’s easy to drive, fun if you exercise it and there’s a ‘classic’ feel about it, kind of oldschool and not overly assisted.
It won’t blow you away as a driver’s car, but as a fun everyday machine that you can whip into life on the country lanes it really sits comfortably with me. And did I mention that it also looks great?
A couple of hours on some quiet backroads really has me in a stir. I’ve had fun, but would the romance fizzle quickly? Will those looks keep me interested if it starts to play up and demand money left, right and centre?
Let’s say I’ll be keeping an eye out. My only hesitation is getting rid of a reliable, frugal and rare-ish car to feed the early onset mid-life crisis that is stirring within.