A2 Buyers Guide please?

[Zip]

Hi,

Seriously considering one as a run-around. I know a few on here have or have had them. Any advice please? Best engine? Essential maintenance?

Thanks in advance,
Zip

[Nognar]

I have one and owned it for a couple of years and simply adore it.

It was and still is one of Audi’s finest cars, that point in time when the company was doing truly clever and innovative cars. I may be a little old fashioned but to me the A2, D2, Quattro and 5cyl 20v where the high points for Audi.

The Key to the A2 is it’s lightweight, well made and just a brilliant well thought out little car.

There are two kinds of A2s out there, dogs that’s have been abused but still going due to being a good car. The other is well kept enthusiast cars that are the ones to go for.

www.A2OC.net forum is your friend for most questions and queries.

I have the 1.6 FSI model and it’s a genuinely nippy car that is brilliant fun to drive. Diesels are good if well maintained, can do the miles and give amzing fuel economy but are a little more to service and run. But are a little noisy and not as fun to drive as the FSI, I get about 40mpg from mine from mixed driving. I have driven a few diesels and the 90bhp one is better and has more torque, they need a little more servicing the diesels but a good engine but not as fun an engine as the petrol. The 1.4 petrol is really smooth and zippy but I preferred the later 1.6 FSI lump as you are looking at 75bhp vs 110bhp, the FSI though is a little rougher being a generic VAG engine of that vintage. I would describe the 1.6 fsi as decent, functional and grunty engine from that time. 2003 I think was the mild facelift year which had a couple of changes (bigger fuel tank 32 vs 42 litres, slatted front grille, bigger rear spoiler, single wiper etc).

I use mine as a runaround and it’s perfect for the short journeys. Trips to the gym, shops, tip etc are its staple diet and with a 42 litre tank I don't fill it up much. I get between 300 and 350 miles from that depending on how I drive, I drive it quicker than the A8 or the S8 as it just a great car and loves to nip around.

Seats fold down too so you can get a TV from Curry’s in it or some jumbo railway sleepers from Wickes in the back.

It’s a little noisy on the motorway as it has little sound proofing plus the door seals are not the best. Other faults is inside they have Audi soft touch paint on the dash so the climate buttons always wear away but you can get decals for them. The ride is not that supple, its Ok but you will feel poor road surfaces with it. Hence its better on the 15" or 16" wheels rather than 17" wheels and the sports suspension. Body control is really good, its just its a little stiff and does not waft along.

My EGR valve has clogged (yes in a Petrol!, too complex VW engine in places!) so need to clean or replace that. I have also replaced the fuel pump as that failed and a plastic coolant y pipe cracked on me too as the plastic had gone brittle after all those years.

Leather is a nice option, Bose is also so worth looking out for. Open Sky sunroofs look great but can fail and need a little repair work to get them going again.

Did a long trip to Europe in it for a laugh last year and it was brilliant, over 2000 miles and really enjoyed the adventure. Turning up at a lovely hotel in Holland in a little A2 just made me smile at the time. Boot is not huge but has a dual floor which is handy and you can get a few cabin bags in there OK.

I am 6’4 and fit easily in the front or the back, also plenty big enough for four adults.

I service mine myself, easy to do and use Quantum Platinum Oil from TPS the same as the D2 in it. Mann filters are peanuts also to buy. Tyres are cheap and running Falken All Season tyres on it which were £60 a corner. Brakes, suspension etc and parts like that are VW Polo/ Lupo which can be picked up cheap from Euro Car Parts. Also its easy on tyres/ brakes/ suspension as its so lightweight, I think some models are 895kgs for example so very little to push around with the 110bhp Fsi lump in it. I do the standard fluid and filters once a year, 5 litres of Quantum from TPS is I think £12 and the oil filter for a good Mann or OEM is under £10. Plugs and Air filters are also cheap so you can do the lot for close to £50. I doubt you will find a car so clever, special and cheap to run.

In short it’s a rare gem of a car, a high point for cars but when new was expensive (to buy was more than the competition, plus some say Audi made no profit on them if not a loss); without doubt a car before it’s time.

Buy a good looked after one and it will be a great car. Buy an old scruffy one and like any car you will have a job list to go through with it and it will cost money. Cheap is £1,000 these days and good ones are £2,000 to £3,000. I bought mine locally from a dealer and paid £1,800 for an SE model which has a few options (Akoya silver metallic paint, climate control, parking sensors).

Climate is a must, mine also has rear parking sensors which is rather odd on such a little car! The only change I made was I put a single Din Alpine head unit into the car which gives me Bluetooth and a few other features for connecting to the iPhone.

Also the rear spoiler is a perfect place for your cup of tea when you are outside working on it or another car in your fleet.

Without doubt a future classic and I must stop adding more information to this post!

Mine as of today is on 133,000 and feels like it has plenty more left in it.

[Zip]

Thanks mate. Lots of good advice there. TDis seem to remap well. What is relative performance to 1.6FSi?

Cheers,
Zip

[tintin]

Originally Posted by Nognar

I have one and owned it for a couple of years and simply adore it.

It was and still is one of Audi’s finest cars, that point in time when the company was doing truly clever and innovative cars. I may be a little old fashioned but to me the A2, D2, Quattro and 5cyl 20v where the high points for Audi.

The Key to the A2 is it’s lightweight, well made and just a brilliant well thought out little car.

There are two kinds of A2s out there, dogs that’s have been abused but still going due to being a good car. The other is well kept enthusiast cars that are the ones to go for.

www.A2OC.net forum is your friend for most questions and queries.

I have the 1.6 FSI model and it’s a genuinely nippy car that is brilliant fun to drive. Diesels are good if well maintained, can do the miles and give amzing fuel economy but are a little more to service and run. But are a little noisy and not as fun to drive as the FSI, I get about 40mpg from mine from mixed driving. I have driven a few diesels and the 90bhp one is better and has more torque, they need a little more servicing the diesels but a good engine but not as fun an engine as the petrol. The 1.4 petrol is really smooth and zippy but I preferred the later 1.6 FSI lump as you are looking at 75bhp vs 110bhp, the FSI though is a little rougher being a generic VAG engine of that vintage. I would describe the 1.6 fsi as decent, functional and grunty engine from that time. 2003 I think was the mild facelift year which had a couple of changes (bigger fuel tank 32 vs 42 litres, slatted front grille, bigger rear spoiler, single wiper etc).

I use mine as a runaround and it’s perfect for the short journeys. Trips to the gym, shops, tip etc are its staple diet and with a 42 litre tank I don't fill it up much. I get between 300 and 350 miles from that depending on how I drive, I drive it quicker than the A8 or the S8 as it just a great car and loves to nip around.

Seats fold down too so you can get a TV from Curry’s in it or some jumbo railway sleepers from Wickes in the back.

It’s a little noisy on the motorway as it has little sound proofing plus the door seals are not the best. Other faults is inside they have Audi soft touch paint on the dash so the climate buttons always wear away but you can get decals for them. The ride is not that supple, its Ok but you will feel poor road surfaces with it. Hence its better on the 15" or 16" wheels rather than 17" wheels and the sports suspension. Body control is really good, its just its a little stiff and does not waft along.

My EGR valve has clogged (yes in a Petrol!, too complex VW engine in places!) so need to clean or replace that. I have also replaced the fuel pump as that failed and a plastic coolant y pipe cracked on me too as the plastic had gone brittle after all those years.

Leather is a nice option, Bose is also so worth looking out for. Open Sky sunroofs look great but can fail and need a little repair work to get them going again.

Did a long trip to Europe in it for a laugh last year and it was brilliant, over 2000 miles and really enjoyed the adventure. Turning up at a lovely hotel in Holland in a little A2 just made me smile at the time. Boot is not huge but has a dual floor which is handy and you can get a few cabin bags in there OK.

I am 6’4 and fit easily in the front or the back, also plenty big enough for four adults.

I service mine myself, easy to do and use Quantum Platinum Oil from TPS the same as the D2 in it. Mann filters are peanuts also to buy. Tyres are cheap and running Falken All Season tyres on it which were £60 a corner. Brakes, suspension etc and parts like that are VW Polo/ Lupo which can be picked up cheap from Euro Car Parts. Also its easy on tyres/ brakes/ suspension as its so lightweight, I think some models are 895kgs for example so very little to push around with the 110bhp Fsi lump in it. I do the standard fluid and filters once a year, 5 litres of Quantum from TPS is I think £12 and the oil filter for a good Mann or OEM is under £10. Plugs and Air filters are also cheap so you can do the lot for close to £50. I doubt you will find a car so clever, special and cheap to run.

In short it’s a rare gem of a car, a high point for cars but when new was expensive (to buy was more than the competition, plus some say Audi made no profit on them if not a loss); without doubt a car before it’s time.

Buy a good looked after one and it will be a great car. Buy an old scruffy one and like any car you will have a job list to go through with it and it will cost money. Cheap is £1,000 these days and good ones are £2,000 to £3,000. I bought mine locally from a dealer and paid £1,800 for an SE model which has a few options (Akoya silver metallic paint, climate control, parking sensors).

Climate is a must, mine also has rear parking sensors which is rather odd on such a little car! The only change I made was I put a single Din Alpine head unit into the car which gives me Bluetooth and a few other features for connecting to the iPhone.

Also the rear spoiler is a perfect place for your cup of tea when you are outside working on it or another car in your fleet.

Without doubt a future classic and I must stop adding more information to this post!

Mine as of today is on 133,000 and feels like it has plenty more left in it.

Great summary, really helpful - thanks!

[Nognar]

I have driven a couple of TDi models and they are a very different beast from my FSI.

You drive them on the torque and they are grunty in such a light car. TDI90 mapped gives a decent chunk of torque and is a swift car, 3 cylinders also which is quite different and clever. In pure terms the FSI is fastest if driven hard but a diesel will still cover the ground well and be even faster with a map.

I went for the FSI as I like the nature of the car and you have to work it a little. My trips in it our only a couple of miles so the petrol was more suited to what I wanted from the car.

Depends really on what you want and how you intend to drive the car around on a daily basis. TDI will give more economy of course but it’s not an engine you would take pleasure from taking to the Rev limit, the FSI is just a simple four cylinder but i take an old school enjoyment from using all the revs. Diesels do need to be looked after a little more and a little more complex.

I would recommend looking and driving a couple of A2s to see what suits you engine wise. Some owners love to map the diesels and hypermile the hell out of them for example.