a2oc.net noob does anybody hold out for the perfect a2!?

[pipes]

Hi a2oc.net!

So I've been on the forum a month or so but not posted. Do I happen to be alone in wanting an a2 but cant find the right price/mileage/spec?


I rang for so many now.
The black se with grey wheels,red leather interior 180odd thousand miles £2700 that was sold, i didnt like the mileage anyway. But i wanted everything else.




Now i found another that doesn't have the interior, paint and has worse ride but it seems a good deal


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...postcode/le169rx/radius/1500/page/2?logcode=p


Im nearly searched out, it makes so much sense to me over anything else though but do I wait for better...

In any case it looks like a2oc has good people & info. I've spent years on k20a.org and civiclife.net I've never owned a German car, my dad's old Mercedes was worthless when he sold it..

 

[murdo]

Lots of people (including me) join the forum with the desire to bag that perfect A2. It quickly becomes apparent that this is an inherently difficult quest.
They haven't been made for over 8 years, low mileage examples are rare, high spec low mileage examples rarer still.

If you are sold on such a beast I do believe its possible to get one. But you must have the willingness to pay over the guide price, and ave the patience to scour the sales ads every day......maybe for months.......many months!

I started my search nearly 6 years ago with a decent budget of 9k at the time and after 3 months of searching and losing out on leads - I compromised on a nice clean car with good history and added most of my original 'must haves' over time.

Good luck finding one. If you have a realistic budget I still think that snaring that perfect A2 is possible. But some compromises are inevitable as I found in 2008, and these factors are amplified 5 years on because availability has reduced significantly.

 

[Birchall]

Hi,

Firstly welcome !

Secondly congratulations on selected the fantastic A2 !!!

You have two choices, wait for your perfect A2, or go for a good solid base and up-spec it!

parts are readily available and many of the factory extras can be retro-fitted.

The most important thing is to find a well-maintained example with a TDI (unless you favour petrol)

Mileage is important but there are some very ropey low mileage cars around.

Most A2s have a lot of miles on them and it is not just because of the age of the car, they are just so much fun to drive and so practical and economical that in a multi-car family most people choose to drive the A2 !!!

You can always ask for help and advice if you find a potential A2, some of the members would even check out a car for you if it is local (I certainly would be happy to)

But whatever happens, don't give up on finding an A2, they are worth it.

Good luck and I hope to hear more as you find cars that may suit!

Steve B

Hi a2oc.net!

So I've been on the forum a month or so but not posted. Do I happen to be alone in wanting an a2 but cant find the right price/mileage/spec?


I rang for so many now.
The black se with grey wheels,red leather interior 180odd thousand miles £2700 that was sold, i didnt like the mileage anyway. But i wanted everything else.

View attachment 13474


Now i found another that doesn't have the interior, paint and has worse ride but it seems a good deal


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...postcode/le169rx/radius/1500/page/2?logcode=p


Im nearly searched out, it makes so much sense to me over anything else though but do I wait for better...

In any case it looks like a2oc has good people & info. I've spent years on k20a.org and civiclife.net I've never owned a German car, my dad's old Mercedes was worthless when he sold it..

 

[Talby]

I spent over a year looking for one and even when I finally got one I still had to compromise on some things.
Also, if you think you're on to a winner act fast, the A2 I bought was for sale less than 24 hours with a whole bunch of people interested.

 

[hotstuff]

I walked into a Fiat dealership to buy a Punto and saw the A2 in their used car lot. Apparently it was traded in against the then new Fiat 500.
I took the A2 for a drive and bought it straight away, much to the annoyance of the new car salesman. It was the 1st A2 I had driven and must say I was extremely lucky. humpy has given me no trouble at all and been super reliable. It started as a plain old SE but has since been extensively modified and uprated and there's still much more to come.

My advice is similar to the members' above. Start off with a solid base and add the toys on your wish list as and when they become available, and your budget allows. You will have a personalised A2 unique to you and you will love and enjoy it so much more.

blue skies
tony

 

[pipes]

Lots of people (including me) join the forum with the desire to bag that perfect A2. It quickly becomes apparent that this is an inherently difficult quest.
They haven't been made for over 8 years, low mileage examples are rare, high spec low mileage examples rarer still.

If you are sold on such a beast I do believe you will get one. But you must have the luxury of patience on your side and time to scour the sales ads every day......maybe for months!

I started my search nearly 6 years ago with a decent budget of 9k at the time and after 3 months of searching and losing out on leads - I compromised on a nice clean car with good history and added most of my original 'must haves' over time.

Good luck finding one. If you have a realistic budget I still think that snaring that perfect A2 is possible. But some compromises are inevitable as I found in 2008, and these factors are amplified 5 years on because availability has reduced significantly.

Thanku I should be looking at the one I posted tomorrow

Hi,

Firstly welcome !

Secondly congratulations on selected the fantastic A2 !!!

You have two choices, wait for your perfect A2, or go for a good solid base and up-spec it!

parts are readily available and many of the factory extras can be retro-fitted.

The most important thing is to find a well-maintained example with a TDI (unless you favour petrol)

Mileage is important but there are some very ropey low mileage cars around.

Most A2s have a lot of miles on them and it is not just because of the age of the car, they are just so much fun to drive and so practical and economical that in a multi-car family most people choose to drive the A2 !!!

You can always ask for help and advice if you find a potential A2, some of the members would even check out a car for you if it is local (I certainly would be happy to)

But whatever happens, don't give up on finding an A2, they are worth it.

Good luck and I hope to hear more as you find cars that may suit!

Steve B

Thanku

I spent over a year looking for one and even when I finally got one I still had to compromise on some things.
Also, if you think you're on to a winner act fast, the A2 I bought was for sale less than 24 hours with a whole bunch of people interested.

Thanku I want your's

I walked into a Fiat dealership to buy a Punto and saw the A2 in their used car lot. Apparently it was traded in against the then new Fiat 500.
I took the A2 for a drive and bought it straight away, much to the annoyance of the new car salesman. It was the 1st A2 I had driven and must say I was extremely lucky. humpy has given me no trouble at all and been super reliable. It started as a plain old SE but has since been extensively modified and uprated and there's still much more to come.

My advice is similar to the members' above. Start off with a solid base and add the toys on your wish list as and when they become available, and your budget allows. You will have a personalised A2 unique to you and you will love and enjoy it so much more.

blue skies
tony

Thanku, lol at your story you started with you were going to a fiat dealership

I'm sold on the red seats It will be the hardest thing to find I bet

recaros shape in general over stock seats is better, I prefer the wheel style and extra power of the sport. I think the pictures are making it look quite blue, I was thinking this wa the darker silver colour. Would you say that price is good/fair and regardless of being a dealer do I need to check every nut
I'd prefer the diesel everytime from audi, in dark grey metalic or black, with a sport engine but se wheels and probably se suspension.

Steve said about ropey low mileage what are the classic signs to avoid. also is there any small things I could knock him down on

 

[Birchall]

Steve said about ropey low mileage what are the classic signs to avoid. also is there any small things I could knock him down on

Things to haggle with the dealer over;

tell them you don't want it serviced and do it yourself or get your friendly garage to do it (that way it will be done properly and you can ask for a reduction)
If there is only a "tick" indicating when the cambelt was replaced and no receipt, ask for a reduction (anyone can tick that box)
If the wheels are kerbed (and they WILL be), claim they will cost £60 each to refurb (not far from the truth).
Drive the car over a few large bumps or "sleeping policemen" and listen for knocks and bumps / squeaks from the front struts / roll bar. It would be unusual to have none, but if there are any ask for a reduction.
There WILL be scratches / dents etc., all easily solved by a SMART mobile repair, but point them out to the dealer.
He will come back with "yes but it is not a new car and so will not be perfect" but you try telling that to someone who you are selling a car to and they won't take much notice of that excuse.
Anything less than full Audi service history is worth a haggle over (independent stamps can be fraudulent)

I am not suggesting you try haggling over all of the above, but it is a few options you can try and do it with a smile on your face, the dealer has to make a living too, they are not the devil (although some do come close)

I also NEVER take the warrantee they offer if it is an "Insurance" warrantee, the dealer will have added up to a couple of hundred pounds to the price to cover the cost of this. Even if you need to claim they can be reluctant to pay out. Thus is a little risky, but it can be a total waste of money.

But if the car seems to be a good one, you just need to make sure that you are happy with the price you are paying.

Steve B

 

[shreddedmeat]

recaros shape in general over stock seats is better, I prefer the wheel style and extra power of the sport. I think the pictures are making it look quite blue, I was thinking this wa the darker silver colour. Would you say that price is good/fair and regardless of being a dealer do I need to check every nut
I'd prefer the diesel everytime from audi, in dark grey metalic or black, with a sport engine but se wheels and probably se suspension.

Steve said about ropey low mileage what are the classic signs to avoid. also is there any small things I could knock him down on

Sounds like what you could get away with just an SE as the engine choices are the same in each model (sports are no more powerful). Although you are unlikely to find a SE with Sports seats it has to be said.

Keep an eye on the spotted section if you haven't already, members here often find good cars and post them

Cheers

 

[murdo]

So I've been on the forum a month or so...


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...postcode/le169rx/radius/1500/page/2?logcode=p


Im nearly searched out, it makes so much sense to me over anything else though but do I wait for better...
I've never owned a German car, my dad's old Mercedes was worthless when he sold it.

Hello again. A few more observations relating to some of your comments:

A month is no time at all to be searching for any A2 let alone a high spec example.

If the 90 sport you have linked is clean and as described, the mileage is good and the price is reasonable. It's standard spec aside from climate and cruise control.

If you covet power - the A2 is never going to be a fast car but the TDi 90 is the most torquey example so feels pretty quick off the mark and can be remapped up to nearly 120 BHP and 230lb of torque.

That said, this variant can have problems with the turbo and dual mass flywheel. The more common TDI 75 is more reliable.

This car you link has bench rear seat which is a rare option. Memory serving only 5% of cars have this fitted and its not interchangeable with the split rear seat version. Therefore you'll be limited for choice in picking up a used set of the red leather you seek. The retrim option is there but that's 1500 quid - about double the going rate for sport leather interior as a retro fit.

As an example - I have a Tdi 90 sport with bench seat and I always wanted leather. I've only just had these fitted this year with help from a forum member. In my 5+ years of ownership I think there's been no more than a handful of other opportunities to do this upgrade and it didn't happen for a variety of reasons.

Akoya silver as per this car you're viewing with red leather is stunning though!

Finally, the A2 - especially a TDi is unlikely to be worthless after a few years of ownership. Provided its not abused or unsympathetically modified, the depreciation on the car you've linked should be fairly gentle compared to other brands.

Welcome to A2OC and I hope you find a car that's right for you.

 

[Adrian888]

In answer to your OP question we ALL hold out for the perfect A2 however everyone has a different view of 'perfect'! Some are happy with a fairly basic spec 1.4 petrol whilst others seek out the fully optioned TDi90 with all the bells and whistles fitted from the options catalogue. Might be an idea to research the back catalogues/brochures (which you will find on here somewhere) and decide what is absolutely essential and start from there. I am lucky in having a well optioned Sport TDi 75 which came with OSS, double DIN dash, Alcantara, rear elec windows, winter pack, but lacked sat nav, cruise, heated seats, MFSW and Bose from my original wish list. The satnav (RNS-E) and cruise were retro fitted by Skipton Autos and one day I might get around to MFSW but otherwise the car has everything (and more) I find I actually need! Good luck hunting and as you have realised there is a wealth of help available on here.

 

[dan_b]

Agreed, the biggest factor at play now is condition - find one that's been well looked after with a reliable service history then if it doesn't have all the spec you want, add it in later. There's not much that can't be retrofitted/changed if you're determined enough. Probably the only things you can't reasonably retrofit are rear bench, climate control and open sky.
My car was a fairly standard TDi SE when I bought it, but over time I've added cruise control, heated leather seats, Bose, RNS-E and rear electric windows, things from the Sport model like the DIS, the 3spoke steering wheel, and other custom stuff like Koni shocks, TT alloys and more.
Besides, if the car was fully loaded when you buy it, what would you do with your time if you weren't modding

 

[DJ 190]

There is just one thing that I wouldn't compromise on when purchasing an A2 ..... and that is "open-sky" .... even if it wasn't working! I.M.H.O., it just makes this car!

David

 

[jackhay]

Agreed, the biggest factor at play now is condition - find one that's been well looked after with a reliable service history then if it doesn't have all the spec you want, add it in later. There's not much that can't be retrofitted/changed if you're determined enough. Probably the only things you can't reasonably retrofit are rear bench, climate control and open sky.
My car was a fairly standard TDi SE when I bought it, but over time I've added cruise control, heated leather seats, Bose, RNS-E and rear electric windows, things from the Sport model like the DIS, the 3spoke steering wheel, and other custom stuff like Koni shocks, TT alloys and more.
Besides, if the car was fully loaded when you buy it, what would you do with your time if you weren't modding

As a variant on all the excellent advice above, I'd say that owning any spec of A2 - provided it's in decent condition - is better than not owning an A2. So find one that has been cared for, and buy it. Don't worry about the spec - don't even worry about which engine. The joy of the car is not the spec but the lightweight aluminium construction (which makes for delightful handling and good economy), the shape which has not dated after 14 years, the Tardis-like interior space, and the Audi quality - it is a proper small Audi, not just a city car as some outsiders think.

I bought mine from a friend. I knew it had been looked after. I am used to driving TDis but I have grown to love the FSi. A2s don't cost a lot for all the clever design that you're buying into. Find a good condition one and buy it!

 

[dan_b]

Agree with that - when I bought my A2 the three things it had to have was a TDi, OpenSky and climate control.

There is just one thing that I wouldn't compromise on when purchasing an A2 ..... and that is "open-sky" .... even if it wasn't working! I.M.H.O., it just makes this car!

David

 

[redbull_a2]

In a perfect world a full spec A2 with low mileage would be available in your budget , but I find buying a decent A2 with FSH and lowish mileage is better then retrofit all the bits the car hasn't already got , more fun that way