Hey guys I am looking to buy a used 2000-02 TT. Is there any tips you would suggest when looking? This would be my first Audi so I don't know a ton about them.

Thanks

Been asked and answered many times before on this board if you do a search.  Recommend a 2002 to avoid some production glitches in 2000-2001 although there are not that many issues.  Major things to inspect that are somewhat unique to the TT: Find out when the timing belt & water pump were last replaced.  These are 5 year or 60K parts despite what the owners manual says and a failure will cost you around $6K.  Replacement cost is $750 to $1250 depending if the work is done independent or dealer.  Make sure the instrument cluster works and has no significant blank spots in the read-out.  Make sure the glove box lock stays closed and works perfectly (a $1K repair believe it or not).

I have been looking on the forum and the reliability seems sketchy at best. I was looking at a 2002. Would you say the older models are unreliable? Or similar to what you would expect with all older cars?

I think TTs are reliable cars.  It is simply the general rule that the newer the better.  There were a few recalls effecting 00 and 01 cars.  I bought an 01TTR new and had about one minor repair a year, usually a sensor of some sort that over the life of the car cost me about $1K.  My 04 has had no sensor failures.  You see more posts about repairs because that is one of the purposes of these forums.  TT engines and drivetrains have an excellent reputation.  You will see almost no posts of engine/drivetrain mechanical problems even though many board members have cars well over 100K.  The clutch is particularly strong.  There were some early issues with cars equipped with DSG but DSG was not available in 02.  DSG failures were mostly attributed to folks who used the "launch" feature frequently.

I have put 70,000 miles on a 2005 TT that was 2 years old when I got it.

Thus far, I had to have the headlamps replaced because one of them kept going out intermittently ( changed both for equal brightness)
And I have had to replace the brakelight switch and install a new battery. ( funny one... the DSG transmission started shifting funny...I thought, Oh no... the DSG can't be cheap to repair... but it was a false signal from the broken brake light switch on the brake pedal that kept telling the DSG that I was trying to brake when I wouldn't... the busted swtich left the tail lights on... even with the car off and key out... The new battery was because the Dealership left it over the weekend without disconnecting the battery as I had told them to... so they paid for the battery )

Other than that and having to grease the driver's door hinges a few times over a squeak... this car has performed flawlessly. Far more reliably than any other car I ever had.


I few suggestions-
as with ANY car... the first few years after a major body change or re-design will tend to be the years that all the problems show up in. Manufacturers use this info to identify and improve subsequent production years... So the later car you get, generally the better, not only because it has less years on it... but because it has the benefit of things learned on prior years cars.

Secondly... the biggest sources of problems on the TT seem to be, First, the Cluster- which is generally model year related... most common in the first few years of production, almost never happens in 2004-2005 cars.
The second most common big ticket issue is the timing belt/pump issue. they wears out faster than the maintenance schedule would lead you to believe. Hence the above advice.
For me, the simplest way to avoid this issue was to get a TT with the 3.2 six cylinder. Not only was it an additional 25-50 horsepower... but it has a timing Chain... so no belt problems to worry about.


Other than these... I think the car is as reliable as you are in maintaining it. he DSG transmission has proven to be SO reliable and so superior to any automatic that it has become Audi's default non-fully manual transmission across the board. 2004 and 2005 TTS were the very first cars on the road to sport these amazing advancements in transmission that have now been copied by BMW, Mercedes, and co-opted by Porsche.

Expect the car to not bee cheap. Maintenance of a sports car runs more than a family econobox. Expect to spend lots more on tires... synthetic oils and brakes, as well as premium fuel...

But the 2005 TT quattro DSG is the most fun and most reliable car I have ever owned.