I have been reading and soon want to pull the trigger on a 2002-03 TT. I live in Ca, (santa Barbara ). I own an 2005 Audi S4 modded and want to step up. What price range is realistic and where is the best places to look, so I don't get a lemon, things to watch out for, etc, etc. I have looked on ebay and all around. I just feel nervous because this needs to be a daily driver, so I need a gem. I really appreciate any help.

 

Some of the best places to look include this very site. I just purchased an '03TT from an independent dealer in Dallas w/ 16K miles for just under $67K. It is on its way to me. I had a PPI done at the Pcar dealership out there and then flew out to test it myself. I found that particular car on Autotrader. Other places to look include Cars.com, Ebay (I don't know of many that actually bid on the cars. They just watch and then contact the seller during the bidding process) Porsche USA website.

Things that I would definately do are PPI, Carfax and go see the car or have a forum member check it out for you if it's out of your area.

Most important things to look for are:

2nd gear pop out issues with tranny (There is an entire sticky thread on this)
Type II over revs
Clutch wear

I'm sure others will hop in with a couple other things to look at. These cars are pretty bullettproof from what I have learned in the last 6 months.

For something really clean '02-'03 (less than 20K miles) expect to pay $65-72K. You can get an '01 or '02 with higher miles (40K+) for high 50's to low 60's.

Good luck with your search

 

I really would like white. But I dont want to get stuck on one color and sacrifice quality. I would love to stay under 20,000 miles. Is this reasonable?

 

Sorry for more ???'s. If I plan on modding it does the X50 matter? X50 or not??

 

Justin, welcome, you'll learn MORE than you want/need to know by searching this forum, or even just flipping through a few recent pages. I wouldn't venture out of this site if I were in search of a TT, between members selling, and our board sponsors you will find some very nice examples, good luck!

 

If you plan on modding up the turbos and IC's dont waste the extra money on the X50. It has K24 turbos and GT2 intercoolers, a great factory setup and tune that with just an ECU flash you are over 500hp which really is more than enough for most.

If you plan on exotic mods go with the K-16 car and mod out the turbos.

 

Thank you for the help. Is white really hard to find? I am guessing though, if I can find something of great quality and low miles i should broden my color choice?

 

there are enough cars out there to get exactly what you want. so pay a little more for the exact car you want, you wont be sorry, that is what I did and never looked back!

 

If you are planning on modding the car, my suggestion is buy one that is already done up to something you are thinking of. This will save you big $$$$.

 

My worry is that it has been beat on. Drove hard and put away wet. Is this a reasonable concern? I guess I figured if it came stock it was babied a bit more by someone who liked to cruz the coast on the weekends or something light. I guess i should look into all options, cuz every car I have owned gets modded, and costs a ton.

 

I'd be worried if it hadn't been beat on...short trip kind of car. Porsches are made to be run hard more often than not.