I'm in the market for a 2 door black sports car. I recently test drove the Audi TT and the Crossfire. The Audi costs considerably more however they both seem very similar to drive and features seem the same. I am leaning towards the Audi TT as it has a back seat (even though it is tiny it is still space) however I like the price of the Crossfire and the fact that it is different. I live in Sydney and to be honest I have never seen one on the road. There is a demo model available at my local yard for A$51,000 with on 11,000 kms. What should I do? I work with middle aged men and I am a young single woman - we see things differently? Any advice kindly appreciated.

 

I have had the Audi TT a 2000 Quattro 180 BHP with jetex exhaust and chip , then switched to 225 (not a huge diff between the two, as you end up getting used to it). If you're into aftermarket parts then the Audi has more. However having owned both I would pick the Crossfire over it, the whole feel of the car, the sound etc cant explain it but I prefer and it feels better. The day i got rid of the Audi was a sad day now two years later im happy again, more than happy. you'll love the crossfire honestly. I actually test drove a used 2002 TT the other week before purchasing the corssfire and it still had the usual issues around the buttons for the seat heaters that dissapear into the dash, etc. its old hat now. I also remember the Audi service and believe me it was poor as hell many many custmer complaints, recalls, Audi not stepping up. Now with Chrysler i went in last week to the dealer and said I could NOT see my stereo in the sublight (display), the ordered me one of the new ones and it arrived today. From experiance Audi would never do that. One story sticks to mind about the recall for ESP on the TT you had to pay $500 for it !! now standard. Then they gave you a Daewoo for 6 weeks while your car was sent to Texas. So dont just judge it by the car, judge it by the package!!

 

When Crossfire was launched in 2003 it was called the " TT beater " by the media and since then they hated us for that statement. In the Australian race, one Crossfire has been number one in one category.

I do like the Audi TT ( in fact I tested one before my Crossfire ) but the style has decayed after I saw the Crossfire. The detailed styling is just awesome in this car which can last for years! Just keep it clean and shiny...and you'll never run out of praises even in the years ahead. Why....because its a classic!

 

Sounds like a TT Toss up ! or Cross up !

 

My brother in law has a 2002 TT Coupe, drove it several times and didn't really like it. I also test drove the 2004 TT Coupe and Roadster, and didn't them either. Kinda felt like I was driving an inverted tea cup, IMHO

 

Hi Donna,

What dealership in Sydney?
I bought a new crossfire about 4 months ago from Scuderia Veloce in Chatswood.

 

I personally don't like the looks of the TT, exterior or interior. But there is no denying it is a good car and has kept its value upon resale (unlike the Crossfire).

 

If you buy the Crossfire, those middle aged men will give you a lot more attention! Whenever my wife (who is 24) drives my car, she always comes home with a story about how some guy complimented her on the car. That hardly ever happens to me, so I'm thinking hot car + hot woman = lots of attention.

 

Donna,

If you buy either car, a lot of young men will also pay you a lot of attention.

If you have narrowed it down to either a TT or an XF, go for further test drives until you make your own mind up which car is best for you.

The XF is a much better car than its media image.

 

Get an SLK

 

Hi Donna,

We've had a TT and now have a Crossfire coupe. If you're comparing the 2 then you have to be comparing at least the 1.8 Quattro or 3.2DSG. In my opinion, you probably can't go wrong with either car. With the TT, you'll get a lot of looks coz it's a TT. With the Crossfire, you'll get a lot more looks coz (despite the fact it's mostly Mercedes underneath) it's American and it's a really way out design. The problem with the Audi is that here in Sydney, unless you're buying A8s, you'll get pretty poor aftermarket support from Audi dealers (one or 2 sales people are the exception though).

You'll also find that you'll be in the same boat with resale value with either car. Just because the Audi is German, doesn't mean you'll get good resale.....especially when selling back to an Audi dealership. One reason for this is that Audi Australia often dumps bucket loads of its ex company cars on the dealers which seems to bring down the price of trades as the market (a small one) is flooded with cars.

We've gotten to know a lot of the sales people from Sydney dealerships so if you want any recommendations, feel free to drop me a line.

One other plus is that we are trying to set up a Sydney Crossfire Owners club (of sorts) so that we can get together and go on runs. You'll find that the Audi club of NSW is not that organized and outings a VERY few and far between.

Hope this helps.
Greg

 

honey, buy the crossfire, i have had more interesting conversations with single men since i can not remember when. the room as a two seater is "the bomb" as we say in the america. my man loves for me to drive (he is over 6 feet and a harley man -see pic). he sold cars for many years and advised me to purchase the crossfire. best of luck to you.

 

I would swap my Crossfire for a Audi TT 225 in a heartbeat. Has a real luxury name, not a rebadged one. If that helps.

 

Bullseye,

The XF has its weaknesses, but there is no need to be so intensely negative about it.
If you hate your XF that much, maybe you should get an Audi and move to their forum.

I know several TT owners and they complain about things on their cars, and wish they had a Boxster or a 350z or even and XF (They like mine).

If we promote the good things on the XF and DC actually sell them, then they will hold their value better. You must have liked the XF at some point.

 

i would hardly say the crossfire is more luxuirous than our car. rebagged or not, its still a benz and i think the best looking car in its price range, by far. the only car i think can compete with ours in looks thats anywhere near our price, interior and exterior, is the m3. i would swap my xfire for the tt 225 too if i could have gotten one for the same price, not because of the name, but because of performance.

 

i mean tt, not crossfire

 

Donna
are you still in the market?
I picked up the Roadster from Tynan's this week. I did look at the coupe - nice car!! I was comparing the car with the TT - having had an A6 for 5 years now. I think the TT is a bit under powered - the 1.8L engine is lacking - also the 4 yr old Audi will have no waranty - a big issue as these things are very expensive to repair - my Audi had to have its engine replace (under waranty) - but at $22K cost to the dealer you can see why waranty is critical with this level of car.

The XF has better looks, power, less risk re repair costs. The rear seat on the TT is great for putting a jacket on - i can't see any of my friends being happy to crawl into the back - so better not have them. The TT styling now is a bit old in my opinion - the current TT model is due for an upgrade soon and that will only reduce the resale value on the 4 yr old one - the first owner of the car you looked at has already had the ex-showroom price slug.

Let us know how you got on.

BTW you should be able to beat that price down a bit.

 

Hi Tony, Welcome to the forum. Keep an eye out on the Australia section of the forum for news on cruises during the year. Crossfires are more than welcome on the PT Cruiser club runs and there is an All American mystery cruise that happens once a month organized by the Camaro/Firebird club and the crossfire gets a good welcoming there too. Eventually we hope to have a Crossfire specific run of our own every now and then.

Greg

 

My friend has a 1.8 TT and has had it for about 6 months. SO far he's only been able to drive it for 2 months as it has been in and out of the garage fixing the steering. His dealer was useless and he had to write a complaint to Audi to get it resolved. Even after that letter they still gave the car back with the same problem as before. It is finally sorted but 4 months constantly in and out of the dealers has pissed him off. He's looking at trading for an RX8 now (he needs the back seets as he has 2 kids.)

 

If you buy a Crossfire..you get all these combinations from an Audi ( silver trim styling in the windshield ), from a Porsche ( auto deployed wing ) and from a Mercedes ( SLK platform ). You'll never get wrong in buying this car.

Just ignore Bullseye....I don't really think he owned a Crossfire ( he's been wishing he can own one ) that's why he can afford to say negative things about our Crossfires and all he is is just a gadfly in this forum. He has his ideas but it don't belong here...it's just too inconsistent about his identity from a Cobra then to Crossfire then to a WRX STi. I think he is depreciating himself big time when you talk about CLASS!