Hello Everyone
Thank you very much for letting me join your massively helpful forum.

I bought my first ever Audi TT three months and 6,000 miles ago. So thought I’d post my first impressions. However, I’m conscious that you guys are real experts, and I’m right at the start of the TT learning curve. So if my comments are wrong, do please correct me!

first, what led me to buy a 2008 TT? Well I heard the media reports that Audi was stopping production. I couldn’t believe it! They had always been such cool cars. I thought I’d much rather have a TT than a lot of the other cars that are out there. I also want to make the most of petrol engined cars whilst we still can in the UK. And manual gearboxes (though I appreciate that’s personal preference and objectively DSGs outperform manuals on pretty much every metric).

so my first decision was coupe or roadster. Heart said roadster, head said coupe, mostly so I could get my mountain bike in the back (which I can, ahem just, with both wheels and one pedal off!). Next decision was gearbox - only one choice for me - has to be a manual for a more involving drive. Then engine - I quickly grasped that there was a huge amount of love for the 4 cylinder turbocharged cars. But me being me, the V6 engine appealed.

when I was looking (end of January) there were about 12 - 15 manual 3.2 coupes on the market. Ropey high mileage ones around £2.5k. Looked after enthusiast cars at £5k to £6k. I ended up plumping for a silver one that sat between those two brackets. 114,000 miles, pretty good MOT history, mixed service history but had had a recent service and had a full MOT. Here it is as purchased from a car dealer:

View attachment 532888

so first impressions:

1. ROAD NOISE. I bought the car about 230 miles from home. When i turned on to the dual carriageway to get back, taking it steady as getting to know it around 60mph, i couldn’t believe how loud the background road noise was. I do about 20,000 miles a year in my daily driver, so I did think “I’ve made a mistake, I’d better turn round and take it back”. But in other respects I thought it was a very cool car, so I gave my head a wobble and told myself to get on with it. I have subsequently managed to reduce the road noise a bit by swapping the front wheels (Pirelli’s with 3 - 4 mm tread) with the back wheels (Toyo Proxes 6mm tread).

2. Torque. Just a beautiful amount of torque from low revs. Amazing for a NA engine. Combined with the relatively low weight of the TT this makes for really relaxed driving. A particular favourite on long evening drives up the M1 back from working in the south once a fortnight, is leaving it in 6th in the 50mph lane closure and then, when it returns to 70mph, gently feeding in some power, getting to 80mph very smoothly, but seeing the cars that were on my bumper in the 50mph, now 300m plus behind. Effortless.

3. Short Gearing. I don’t know if mine has been tinkered with in the 16 years before I got it and had the final drive ratio changed, but driven with mechanical sympathy around town, I am comfortably in 4th gear by 30mph. Compared to all the auto and electric cars on the road, I find the short gearing means it keeps me busy in town and I’m slower than most stuff at getting back to 30mph from junctions etc.

4. Build quality. I’m continually staggered by the build quality of the car, especially given its age.

5. subtlety. Without wanting to offend anyone, I love how subtle the TT is. Particularly in now unfashionable silver. It just quietly goes about its business without drama, pops and bangs, or over-wrought styling. Which I really appreciate in a daily driver.

6. The character of the V6 engine. I love the sound. I love its effortlessness at low revs, and its urgency at higher revs. I’m really glad I went for this engine, never having managed to sample a VR6 or 3.2FSI back in the day.

if you’re still reading, you deserve a medal! Let me know if you think any of my comments are misinformed and I’ll change my view with more time and miles.

all the best,
Tom

I bought a VR6 last year. The sound 😍😍

 

I'd gladly chop my FSI in for a VR6, hard to beat that engine note!

 

Regarding the road noise: check tire condition/age and the trunk. I have pretty much the same car as you, and the road noise is not partucularily noticeable.

Your tires may be worn out or rubber hardened due to age, and/or trunk may be missing the underhatch lining parts.

 

Thanks JPE61. Interesting that yours doesn’t have intrusive road noise. On mine, The rear tyres are 2020, the fronts 2023. I was going to keep going with them until they got down to 2.5mm but I’ll crack on and change them in the coming weeks.

 

Good link here for service and maintenance with some specific topics for the 3.2 VR6 -

https://www.ttforum.co.uk/threads/faq-most-popular-links-for-service-maintenance-and-general-mk2-information.2026770/?post_id=9569967#post-9569967

 

My first TT was a VR6 manual. Like you loved the exhaust note and the torque. I now have a 2 litre DSG which I am really happy with, especially due to dropping from 20" rims to 19". You really feel the potholes with the 20" rims. But its still a TT with all the good feelings that come with driving it. But I do miss the growl of the 3,2 with an aftermarket exhaust fitted.

 

Slap a back section exhaust from a TTS on the V6 (quad tip variant) and the engine really sings. Much better than the stock V6 exhaust. How do I know this? - I’ve just done it 😁. Requires a facelift rear bumper and diffuser, but oh my god…..best money I’ve spent on my V6 since buying her in 2021.

I went to town cleaning up the used exhaust system I bought from a TTS, overkill but that’s just me 😂

 

Was that an OEM back section or an after market?

 

Like you I've just recently bought a 2007 Vr6 Roadster DSG, mine has only done 75000 and has a good service history over its time. There are little things that need tidying up but I also wanted that for some winter restoration project.
I too love the sound, but the suggestion Steviejones133 has given does sound like a winter project for me, although I was thinking of leaving it all stock.
I'd hope their value may start to rise also now production has ceased.

 

I thnk the VR6 will become a future classic at some point. There is never very many for sale and they were last of the NA engines.

 

Interesting that you mention short gearing. The 2.0 cesa paired with the LWN (MQ350) has very long gearing. Can't really drive in 4th gear around 40-50km/h or it'll jerk a bit