The timing belt went on my 2002 Audi TT 1.8T, and subsequentialy the engine is shot. I've been told that a VW Jetta engine will be a more cost effective replacement and that it will fit. I'm about 95% auto-illiterate, so I was wondering if any of the Audi officianados out there could lend me your perspective. Thank you in advance for your help!

the audi tt shares the same chassis code as the mk4 vw's. basically a 2000 and on vw 1.8t engine should fit.

since your so car illiterate i assume your NOT going to do the work yourself. why not find a mechanic in your area to do the engine swap? to save money buy a used motor from www.car-parts.com and have it shipped to your mechanic.

actuall, first frop the car off at the mechanic and tell him to pull the head off, and see if the damage is just in the valves (that should be the only damage). its possible but unlikley that the pistons were harmed also. if its just the valves, you only need a replacment head which used from a scrap yard should only be like 800 tops.

its sucks being car illiterate. your at the mercy of a mechanic. DONT go to a dealer. Find a good european car shop. Drop the car off, and tell them your belt broke and you want the head taken off to assess damage. if its just your head and valves, ask the guy how much to rebuild the head? compare that price to the cost of a low milage head from car-parts.com. 

good luck. ive blown motors myself on my VW, and pulled out my motor in a day in the driveway, and swapped in a 500$ motor from carparts.com and ran that motor for years no problems.

just fyi....search for "cylinder head" in carparts.com, not just head.

i just looked and there is a 800$ used head for a 180hp tt, and about 1k for the 225.