mk2 RS with S tronic box would be my pick, Nothing is the same as the 5 pot engine, its well worth it over the mk3 tts imo. I wouldnt go with a manual, but just test drive both and see what u you prefer.

 

Hi, Always buy the top of the range you can afford & the RS engine has to be the best
Common Mk2 probs, saggy leather seats, noisy/failing window regulators, knocking steering racks, bonnet opening lever snaps & poor connections to rear lights, making them dim or loss of lights.
Check thoroughly for any damp as drains block easily & any damp can cause future electrical prob.
There are many common places where water can get in & leaking windscreen seals are being reported recently.
Check the MK2 KB for water leak info.
.
Hoggy.

 

I bought a TFSI with a view to possibly buying an RS in the future as I've already owned 5cyl turbos and they are fantastic engines IMO.

If I had it all to do again I sure as hell wouldn't have bought one with a 'stamped Audi history'. Try go for one that has a good detailed history from an enthusiast owned car, all the bits that would have needed done will have been, by an owner who gives a monkey's.

Also, the mk3 TTS is just as quick as the mk2 RS when you look at the stats, I'd personally be more swayed to that, although the 5cyl on tune sounds way better.

Getting one without detailed history is a gamble not worth taking, the TFSI has probably just about put me off the RS considering the trouble it has been.

 

+1. ABSOLUTELY. Audi 'stamped service history' isn't worth the paper it's written on. Total and utter shite!

 

The mk2 RS will hold it's money better, Be a faster car with more bang for buck potential but every single part that is RS specific only is priced accordingly from Audi !
Without a second thought i'd recommend you seriously consider the mk3 TTs , still Audi prices to deal with if something goes wrong but at least you will have a fighting chance to keep the car on the road.
RS has lots of common issues however one buyer may get them while another 3 might not, it's a risk and if Audi weren't getting away with legalised theft in their pricing structure the RS would be a cracking car that you'd have no regrets in buying and enjoying !
The RS sound is something else though, turns heads from all directions with just mild acceleration, always get a giggle when they hear the noise to just see a TT cruising past :lol:

Manual Rs has shifting issues, Clutch can't take launches if mapped and even then some may need changed upon driving style. Syncro in Gearboxes, front brake discs, Injector issues, expensive to modify, steering rack and window mechanisms are TT specific.
Timing chains making a noise prematurely, bose amp issues, mag ride costing £££ for a one corner fail, no bluetooth music to name just a few.

 

Thanks for the replies. I'm no boy racer (too old for that) and need to consider future costs. Sounds like the RS will be costly to put right if anything should fail, then there's the possible delays in getting parts. I'm pretty much decided now that the mk3 TTS is the way to go. Not got the sound of the 5 cylinder engine I know but everything else indicates it would be the sensible choice for an every day car out of the two. Now just to find one with all the bells and whistles I'd like.

 

Hi GolfGeezer,

Same as myself, I'm moving next month which will free up some cash so going to sell my mk2 V6 dsg and head over to the TTs MK3 I think. I also considered the Mk2 TTRS but it just feels a little old now with the technology compared to a Mk3 and I reckon a lot more to go wrong, as much as I'd love an RS!

Not that many TT's around at the moment but reckon that will change. I'm looking for a black dsg also with everything on it. We shall see what turns up!

Good luck with your search

 

The mk2 RS will hold it's money better, Be a faster car with more bang for buck potential but every single part that is RS specific only is priced accordingly from Audi !
Without a second thought i'd recommend you seriously consider the mk3 TTs , still Audi prices to deal with if something goes wrong but at least you will have a fighting chance to keep the car on the road.
RS has lots of common issues however one buyer may get them while another 3 might not, it's a risk and if Audi weren't getting away with legalised theft in their pricing structure the RS would be a cracking car that you'd have no regrets in buying and enjoying !
The RS sound is something else though, turns heads from all directions with just mild acceleration, always get a giggle when they hear the noise to just see a TT cruising past :lol:

Manual Rs has shifting issues, Clutch can't take launches if mapped and even then some may need changed upon driving style. Syncro in Gearboxes, front brake discs, Injector issues, expensive to modify, steering rack and window mechanisms are TT specific.
Timing chains making a noise prematurely, bose amp issues, mag ride costing £££ for a one corner fail, no bluetooth music to name just a few.

Only 0.5 difference 0-60, the mk3 TTS pretty much makes the mk2 RS obsolete in the speed stakes.

 

I think speed is irrelevant in the debate between the two cars anyway I would take an RS over a boring depreciation machine any day, even if it was quicker than the RS.

 

The noise of the five pot is awesome, I've owned a mk2 RS and a mk3 TTS, there is a world of difference in both mk's and how they handle and drive, it's a personal thing at the end of the day, test drive both, be prepared to fall in love with the five pot sound, then it's TTS old head/heart decision !

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I think speed is irrelevant in the debate between the two cars anyway I would take an RS over a boring depreciation machine any day, even if it was quicker than the RS.

I was only replying to the fact the previous guy said it was faster than the TTS. RS 's will drop shortly as well, XKRs at the same money and leagues more reliable, I know what I'd take

 

Sounds like you've had abad expirience, what exactly happened ?

 

I think speed is irrelevant in the debate between the two cars anyway I would take an RS over a boring depreciation machine any day, even if it was quicker than the RS.

I was only replying to the fact the previous guy said it was faster than the TTS. RS 's will drop shortly as well, XKRs at the same money and leagues more reliable, I know what I'd take

RS wont drop much more just like all the RS models in the past, the badge, rarity and engines will always keep the prices above a certain level. Also interested in your statements regarding reliability, Im not getting defensive here just curious as all the TT's ive owned have been reliable and the RS has actually never needed anything in the 3 years I have had it and its not even standard.

 

I think speed is irrelevant in the debate between the two cars anyway I would take an RS over a boring depreciation machine any day, even if it was quicker than the RS.

I was only replying to the fact the previous guy said it was faster than the TTS. RS 's will drop shortly as well, XKRs at the same money and leagues more reliable, I know what I'd take

RS wont drop much more just like all the RS models in the past, the badge, rarity and engines will always keep the prices above a certain level. Also interested in your statements regarding reliability, Im not getting defensive here just curious as all the TT's ive owned have been reliable and the RS has actually never needed anything in the 3 years I have had it and its not even standard.

They are dogged with problems, look at how many posts on the same problems cropping up weekly, ABS and misfires in particular. Now I know it's par for the course on forums to only ever see problems but mk2 TT's are particularly bad. Oil consumption on early models, straight out of the factory and the need for Audi to supply or rebuild engines???? Absolutely plagued by electronic problems. VAG are trading on their past glories, it's all on stats where they are on the reliability graph.

I wish I'd have found this forum before I bought mine, put it that way.

 

But most of the posts are yours. No problems at all with mine in 12 months.

 

They are dogged with problems, look at how many posts on the same problems cropping up weekly, ABS and misfires in particular. Now I know it's par for the course on forums to only ever see problems but mk2 TT's are particularly bad. Oil consumption on early models, straight out of the factory and the need for Audi to supply or rebuild engines???? Absolutely plagued by electronic problems. VAG are trading on their past glories, it's all on stats where they are on the reliability graph.

I wish I'd have found this forum before I bought mine, put it that way.

Been with my 2008 TTS for 4.5 years & 50+K miles now, only 'failure' I've had is the haldex pump.
Still didn't leave the car un-drive-able.

All about the individual car and how it's been treated throughout it's life.
Preventative maintenance is key.

 

Hi,

TTRS (also RS3 8P) have a rather clunky drivetrain, causing knocking and clunks during loadchanges. Consensus seems to be that this is normal with some being louder and some quieter. People have replaced DMF and also gearboxes with very limited success.

Furthermore some MY 2011/2012 seem to have (had?) an issue with some flap screws coming loose and making their way into the engine, causing catastrophic failure.
Other than that the engine seems to be quite reliable as long as it's warmed up carefully.
Specific model years suffered from chain issues due to a changed oil pump IIRC. But that was fixed again in later MYs, not sure if the affected models were fixed as well.

In 2 1/2 ownership I've had issues with brake wobble, which I suspect was mostly caused by badly balanced wheels. I've replaced the hardy disc and tried to fix the load-change knocking as mentioned before by replacing almost all rubber bushings in the front suspension & engine mounts (with rather limited success but at least the car drives & handles better now). I refuse to put big money on other drivetrain parts especially since I haven't found a single report stating that the problem was fixed by doing that. So I slowly start to accept that.

Other than that the car has been reliable. I've had the yellow check-engine light 2 or 3 times in cold weather, but after a restart everything was fine again. OBD scan showed "fuel pressure: upper limit exceeded". Haven't taken any further measures yet.

Peter

 

I don't know that the TTRS is dogged with problems. I've had my 2013 TTRS (manual) for 3 years, driven it hard and have had only one minor sensor failure.

 

They are dogged with problems, look at how many posts on the same problems cropping up weekly, ABS and misfires in particular. Now I know it's par for the course on forums to only ever see problems but mk2 TT's are particularly bad. Oil consumption on early models, straight out of the factory and the need for Audi to supply or rebuild engines???? Absolutely plagued by electronic problems. VAG are trading on their past glories, it's all on stats where they are on the reliability graph.

I wish I'd have found this forum before I bought mine, put it that way.

Been with my 2008 TTS for 4.5 years & 50+K miles now, only 'failure' I've had is the haldex pump.
Still didn't leave the car un-drive-able.

All about the individual car and how it's been treated throughout it's life.
Preventative maintenance is key.

And your point? How do you know what he's going to end up with? No harm in giving a balanced side of the story without getting all Audi handbags about it. Do you, Frilly and Carla need a group hug there?

 

By the way OP, the wrong 'advice' gets handed out many times on here by the chosen golden cohort, feel free to PM me for examples. That said there a few who will help you even though your post count isn't in the 1000's.

 

Well I did ask for advice and I'm certainly getting an idea that while some have had trouble free motoring, others haven't been so fortunate. That's the thing about Forums. Most members join up to get advice or pass on tips and also share experiences both good and bad. The majority of Audi owners will never go and seek out a forum and the true reflection of a cars reliability will never be known. I'm taking on board all the comments so far thank you. Obviously a drive in both the mk2 RS and the mk3 S would be ideal to compare and contrast. Unfortunately the RS I'm considering is at a dealership over 200 miles away. The TTS is over 100 miles away. With the restrictions the way they are at the moment I'll not be getting anywhere any time soon.

 

How embarrassing

 

I think speed is irrelevant in the debate between the two cars anyway I would take an RS over a boring depreciation machine any day, even if it was quicker than the RS.

I was only replying to the fact the previous guy said it was faster than the TTS. RS 's will drop shortly as well, XKRs at the same money and leagues more reliable, I know what I'd take

I was referring to a mapped car or the RS having Better Tuning potential! A DSG MK2 RS will be many car lengths ahead of a MK3 TTS with a stage 2 tune. How many run standard power once owned outright ?
There are way better cars out there that would have no chance keeping up with a MK3 TTs, Doesn't mean they are lesser cars or Worse value.
If that was what the OP wanted to know i'd recommend the RS every day of the Week over a TTs mk3.
The mk2 TTrs has Bottomed out now at 13k-17k, I don't think they will go much lower as breaking them would therefore be quite a worthwhile financial option, (Then adding to their rarity) and given time will start to increase in other RSs Value.
A mk3 will go the same as the mk2 TTs very soon, The RS is a different bread of car to the like of a TTs , S3, Golf Gti or R. They are much rarer and if taken care off will become a decent investment.
What are you driving just out of Interest ?

 

They are dogged with problems, look at how many posts on the same problems cropping up weekly, ABS and misfires in particular. Now I know it's par for the course on forums to only ever see problems but mk2 TT's are particularly bad. Oil consumption on early models, straight out of the factory and the need for Audi to supply or rebuild engines???? Absolutely plagued by electronic problems. VAG are trading on their past glories, it's all on stats where they are on the reliability graph.

I wish I'd have found this forum before I bought mine, put it that way.

I've Owned a RS for nigh on 5 years. I've had a few issues, cam sensors, brakes and front transfer box, all of which were problems when i bought the car and repaired accordingly (apart from transfer box as they couldn't identify the whine).
I change the oil yearly and over 5k miles the car used less than 100ml oil.
I'm stage 2 and other than a rear bearing in the Diff have had nothing else go wrong with the car. Passes mot without advisories every year so no I'm presuming you are reading the odd issue and failure post out of thousands of members and replies before squashing them into thinking every car is problematic then spreading your thoughts.

 

I think speed is irrelevant in the debate between the two cars anyway I would take an RS over a boring depreciation machine any day, even if it was quicker than the RS.

I was only replying to the fact the previous guy said it was faster than the TTS. RS 's will drop shortly as well, XKRs at the same money and leagues more reliable, I know what I'd take

I was referring to a mapped car or the RS having Better Tuning potential! A DSG MK2 RS will be many car lengths ahead of a MK3 TTS with a stage 2 tune. How many run standard power once owned outright ?
There are way better cars out there that would have no chance keeping up with a MK3 TTs, Doesn't mean they are lesser cars or Worse value.
If that was what the OP wanted to know i'd recommend the RS every day of the Week over a TTs mk3.
The mk2 TTrs has Bottomed out now at 13k-17k, I don't think they will go much lower as breaking them would therefore be quite a worthwhile financial option, (Then adding to their rarity) and given time will start to increase in other RSs Value.
A mk3 will go the same as the mk2 TTs very soon, The RS is a different bread of car to the like of a TTs , S3, Golf Gti or R. They are much rarer and if taken care off will become a decent investment.
What are you driving just out of Interest ?

What am I driving or 'Rufflesj'?