It depends on what your looking for. If you have plans to make huge power then your looking at the wrong car...as even 1.8's with big turbos are struggling to make any significant figures. If your looking for a good car, thats sexy as hell, and has potential to be a fun daily driver/occasional track car and somewhat peppy then the 1.8T is the way to go. Thay are great looking and easy to make descent in the speed department. I'd suggest an 01 as they have 170hp vs 150 and with simple chip/exhaust/cat delete you can expect around 240+ crank hp and nearly 300ft/lbs. If you look at it you now have a car comparible to a 350z from a roll. The older ones simply don't make as much power and have more problems but they are still good cars for daily use and descent. If you want to go fast and german for as cheap as possible then take a look at the Jetta. Good bang for the buck but has half the presence of the Audi.