Automotive Forums

So I'm in the market for a used car. I'm tired of driving my '94 Pontiac Grand Am GT Coupe. It's also an automatic. Pretty boring.

Looking for something in the $12-$15k range. I want a foreign coupe, manual transmission(of course), something sporty. These are my considerations:

Scion tC
Toyota Celica (late model)

I can get either of those in my price range with around 15-20k miles on it.

Or..

I also found a 2000 Audi TT Quattro with 48k miles. If I go with this car, I have to also take into consideration that it's a turbo. Can anyone confirm if it requires Premium gas? I've read yes and no.

I have yet to check insurance rates on any of these cars. I'm an 18 year old male, but with my current car it's not so bad. $1601 a year with my Pontiac. Then again I only have liability on it cause it's a PoS. I know that the bank will require me to put on Collision and Fire & Theft for the auto loan. Still I'm hoping that the rate won't jump too much. I also live in Massachusetts so it doesn't matter what company I go through, the rates will be the same.

So...Does anyone have any opinions?  

Bmw 325ci.  
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You're headed in the right direction with the Scion TC and Celica.  I'd avoid the Audi, and not because it's a bad car.  It's clearly the style/class winner, but even with its low mileage (for a 2000), it's still gonna be a car that demands far more maintenance money than the toyotas.  And yes, the Audi requires premium fuel.  

You've probably read conflicting opinions about the Audi's fuel requirement because of the simple fact that the car WILL run on regular gas.  

But in order to make a smart decision about which fuel to use in that car, you need to know why premium fuel is "required" or "recommended."  

Premium fuel has higher octane, which, as you may already know, is more RESISTANT to detonation than regular gas.  Most cars that require premium gas have a high combustion ratio, which means that the engine compresses the fuel/air mixture more than engines requiring regular fuel.  To prevent the high compression (and resulting higher heat) from igniting the fuel/air mixture BEFORE the spark plug lights, the manufacturer will recommend premium fuel with 91-93 octane rating, which resists detonating early.  

In most cars, this is considered optional.  Most cars, premium requirement or not, have knock sensors that detect the "knocking" sound of premature detonation and advance spark timing to compensate.  The result is lower power and lower economy, but the system prevents damaging uncontrolled detonation.  

A turbocharged car like the Audi TT has knock sensors as well.  But because the air/fuel mixture is compressed by the turbocharger way beyond what a normally aspirated engine can achieve, the consequences of premature detonation are far worse.  Thus, any turbocharged car MUST have premium, if only because the rare change that a knock sensor fails or doesn't adequately predict multiple detonation events could be catastrophic.  

So with all that out of the way, the TC and Celica are better bets anyway.  You can pick up one of those that's barely used, is highly reliable, and arguably better handling.  The TC's big 2.4L engine propels the lighter TC about as quickly as the 180 HP Audi TT, and the Celica's optional 180 HP engine is more fun to flog at high RPM.  

The TC is also surprisingly functional.  Its rear seats are comfortable for adults and the trunk is big.  

If I had to choose between the TC and the CElica, I'd pick the TC every time.  It's torquier engine is more satisfyingly punchy, its interior is more modern and comfortable, and its handling is nearly as good.