Newbie, no A2 yet, be gentle :)

I

it_s8

A2OC Donor
Hi Guys,

A quick intro as I've been lurking a little while soaking up some info for my next purchase.... :eek:

I'll confess I've been a big A8 driver for years (cant beat ally !), currently using a D3 S8 as the daily and the wife has a Q7, both of which are awesome motors - but - just recently the kids have been going to more and more after school clubs, im working from home a lot, the missus walks to work and actually what we need 90% of the time is a nippy little motor for running the kids around. Neither the S8 nor the Q7 like short journeys, and frankly the MPG is bad at the best of times. When they're cold, I might as well be leaking fuel for all the difference it would make... :p

I've known of the A2's for years, but a few days ago I saw a beautiful one up at the local tip, lady driver, full leather, 17" wheels, sky roof. I was in love. With the car, not the lady... lol

So, its my mission to locate and purchase asap. Coming from the 8 world, pretty much everything on the option list for A2 is 'must haves' to me but I can see I'll have to comprimise :rolleyes:

My only 'must haves' at the moment are the Sky roof, and bench rear seat (4 kids+driver). I'm prefering the 1.6 FSi engine, but would consider others if many other boxes were ticked. Happy to have a car with some mechanical / electrical faults as none of that scares me. Bodywork needs to be tidy though. Hoping to find a sport, but not too scared to modify it to sport spec after if needs be. Likewise will add cruise, nav etc as and when. I'm hoping to get a good solid base car and the rest will come together, but patience isnt my strong point so waiting ages for the perfect one is unlikely to happen.. Buying 2 cars to make my perfect one is not out of the question, but is a bit last resort... Quite competent with Vagcom etc, but time is money. Happy to invest in a 'good' car for more money and save my time. My first impressions are that converting from a 4 seater to 5 seater could be quite a battle, hence trying to get it right from the outset? The missus keeps reminding me its supposed to be a little run around but I already have aspirations of it being a show piece lol.

Anyway, thats me. Sorry for the massive brain dump there. Thought I'd try and be detailed.... Happy to accept any advice, and/or corrections if I'm already way off course... :confused:

And if anyone knows of any nice 5 seaters with sky roof, do let me know....;)

Cheers

Ian
 
Hi Ian

Great to read of your enthusiasm for our lovely A2s. There's something really special about these cars and can understand how you're set on finding one - don't be impatient and settle for something else!

Interested you say you prefer the FSI as I find the longer I've been on this forum I have contemplated changing mine for a TDI. No doubt you'll be able to find all the info you need from threads on here to help with your decision.

Good luck with your search and if it's an FSI you get, there are several of us in Yorkshire - although yours may have the only bench seat!

Hilary
 
Thanks for the reply. I'm set on an A2. Yes, an A3 or A4 would be infinitely more easier to source than trying to find a 5 seater A2 I fancy, but wheres the fun in that ? :)

The A2 has a sub zero coolness thats just not available to buy anymore, sadly, which makes it even more appealing as investment/classic......;)
 
Hello and welcome to the forum and its nice to read your comments about the A2. We are all Audi fans in the main, not solely A2's so some pictures of your other beasties in this thread or uploaded to a gallery would be great.

I'll keep an eye open for you. Bench seat option is fairly rare, so this is at odds with your stated impatience! As you'll opt for an FSi then the chances of snaring a nice spec example are increased however. Is a 4 seater out of the question?

You may need to travel and also move very quickly when a decent car comes up, however its the TDi's in good spec that tend to be the fastest sellers - one of our regulars had a fully loaded FSi and it took a while to sell a couple of years ago.

We have members not too far from you who can assist with supply and fitting of modifications, and there is plenty of advice available on here, plus if you are handy with modifications anyway you are off to a good start in the knowledge that you can buy a nice example and make it your own over time if that's your thing ( tends to be a bit of an addiction with some members on here!!)

Edit: One last wee pointer you will read on here as time passes, is about the problems with the opensky roof. The original design had some flaws and it is really common for the mechanism to fail, and its possible, but very difficult to fix it. If you buy an A2 less than 10 years old with full service history, then Audi will replace the roof mechanism free of charge.

Everything is replaced apart from the 2 opening glass panels. There is however only one dealer we know of in the UK who process the claim - Audi Worthing.

Welcome and good luck.
 
Last edited:
'03 FSi, Pine Green, Tan Leather, 43k, FSH, Opensky, £5490

This is the best I see on offer currently. Too expensive for what it is, but a fantastic colour combination and tiny mileage, history and timing belt info sounds right. A solid 'base' for a potentially special car.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif.../postcode/ka11np/radius/1501/page/1?logcode=p

Not a 5 seater though, and as its single din its not impossible, but more difficult to upgrade to RNS-E. No endorsement of this car or seller intended, but supports the point that you'll see some nice spec FSi's more readily than other variants.
 
This looks very nice, at British Car Auctions in Brighouse tomorrow (not too far from you):

http://www.bcaimage.com/GetDoc.aspx?asp=picture&default=2&imageid=38460012

http://www.bcaimage.com/GetDoc.aspx?asp=picture&default=2&imageid=38460011

http://www.bcaimage.com/GetDoc.aspx?asp=picture&default=2&imageid=38460010

Here is what is listed about it:
Registration number KN53 HWA
First registered date 29/09/2003
Mileage 86885 (Not warranted)
Fuel type Petrol
Transmission Manual Transmission
Colour BLACK
Grade 3
Number of doors 5
Equipment Air Conditioning, Alloy Wheels, Electric Sunroof, Last Srvc - 01/08 41k, Srvc Bk - 5 srvc 2 main dlr, V5 - 7 owners, VOSA Information - 13k13k43k51k59k70k80k
Service history Yes
Service history date 21/01/2008
Log book Present
Vehicle location Brighouse
VAT type Margin

And here is the condition report (pictures are also better than the main one's):
http://www.bcaimage.com/GetDoc.aspx?vehKey=KN53%20HWA-GB&DocId=4585532&DocType=InspectionBase
 
murdo said:
This is the best I see on offer currently. Too expensive for what it is, but a fantastic colour combination and tiny mileage, history and timing belt info sounds right. A solid 'base' for a potentially special car.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif.../postcode/ka11np/radius/1501/page/1?logcode=p

Not a 5 seater though, and as its single din its not impossible, but more difficult to upgrade to RNS-E. No endorsement of this car or seller intended, but supports the point that you'll see some nice spec FSi's more readily than other variants.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the replies, and welcomes.

Seen this a few times, but 4 seats. If i'd settle for 4 seats I'd have definitely bought one by now ;)

My overenthusiasm is totally at odds with my desire for the right car. I know...... :rolleyes:

I'd consider an excellent value for money 4 seater that was otherwise dripping with kit I could transpose when I found a 5 seater, but its time consuming to attack it that way, and anything dripping in kit sells quick, and/or holds its value I imagine.

One of the few cars that even comes close is this:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif.../radius/1500/page/1/postcode/hg11pj?logcode=p

Although wheels and bodywork look a bit rougher than I'd like. Not sure if £3K is a fair price? But, seems to have 5 seats. No idea whats going on with the blue drivers headrest mindst....

Found a nice SE with red leather and bench seat - but no sky roof... <doh>

I'll post up some family photos of the Audi clan when an A2 joins us, which wont be long I guess... ;)
 
it_s8 said:
Thanks for all the replies, and welcomes.

Seen this a few times, but 4 seats. If i'd settle for 4 seats I'd have definitely bought one by now ;)

My overenthusiasm is totally at odds with my desire for the right car. I know...... :rolleyes:

I'd consider an excellent value for money 4 seater that was otherwise dripping with kit I could transpose when I found a 5 seater, but its time consuming to attack it that way, and anything dripping in kit sells quick, and/or holds its value I imagine.

One of the few cars that even comes close is this:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif.../radius/1500/page/1/postcode/hg11pj?logcode=p

Although wheels and bodywork look a bit rougher than I'd like. Not sure if £3K is a fair price? But, seems to have 5 seats. No idea whats going on with the blue drivers headrest mindst....

Found a nice SE with red leather and bench seat - but no sky roof... <doh>

I'll post up some family photos of the Audi clan when an A2 joins us, which wont be long I guess... ;)
Click to expand...

That one looks to be a good price and reasonable spec.

Wheels and even body can be sorted for less than you think!

That headrest looks dreadful, perhaps (hopefully) it is a cover??????

Definitely worth a viewing.

Steve B
 
Last edited:
Birchall said:
That one looks to be a good price and reasonable spec.

Wheels and even body can be sorted for less than you think!

That headrest looks dreadful, perhaps (hopefully) it is a cover??????

Definitely worth a viewing.

Steve B
Click to expand...

Thanks Steve. I cant explain it, but although that one ticks my main two boxes, I dont 'feel' it, and after speaking to the salesman who couldnt have been any more vague, I've got a bit cold on it.

However, my impatience has overtaken me and I have picked up this afternoon a little bit of something to get me started. It was really, really cheap and could easily be a parts donor at that money, but crucially has 5 seats so I can start to look at whether a 4 seater can be converted etc, whilst getting behind the wheel of an A2 and seeing how much I 'need' a really nice one with sky roof etc etc.

And 130 miles of journey home, and I'm completed gobsmacked at how capable (and frugal) the A2 is..... 90 quid worth of train fare to get to the car. < £15 of fuel to drive it home. It feels spacious and roomy, nippy and is so much quieter than I expected......

[/very pleased] ;)
 
it_s8 said:
Thanks Steve. I cant explain it, but although that one ticks my main two boxes, I dont 'feel' it, and after speaking to the salesman who couldnt have been any more vague, I've got a bit cold on it.

However, my impatience has overtaken me and I have picked up this afternoon a little bit of something to get me started. It was really, really cheap and could easily be a parts donor at that money, but crucially has 5 seats so I can start to look at whether a 4 seater can be converted etc, whilst getting behind the wheel of an A2 and seeing how much I 'need' a really nice one with sky roof etc etc.

And 130 miles of journey home, and I'm completed gobsmacked at how capable (and frugal) the A2 is..... 90 quid worth of train fare to get to the car. < £15 of fuel to drive it home. It feels spacious and roomy, nippy and is so much quieter than I expected......

[/very pleased] ;)
Click to expand...

Hi, I agree the car has to feel right.

But as for the conversion, you cannot convert a 4 seat to a 5 seat, the floor and mountings are different and even if you somehow managed to customise the floor you would compromise the safety. believe me I have tried and it is not feasible.

I would suggest using the car you have bought while you find a better match, and learn from the pleasure too.

They really are a hidden gem aren't they, to me they are best all round car available of that price bracket, and even better than a lot of dearer cars too !

Good luck

Steve B
 
  • Like
Reactions: dlp
Thanks Steve, and yes, safety is paramount here......

I think now i've experienced an A2, I *really* need a nice one lol, so I will definitely be using this one to take my time and find something that ticks a lot of boxes. Thanks for the help so far all :)
 
ULP said:
Good work, and as Steve advises swapping a 4-seater to bench seat and vice-versa is a non-starter. Hopefully you've also got a 2004MY or 2005MY car as earlier ones have a cheese-wire lap belt fitted. We have bench and it was a 'must' when buying an A2, like others I had the list of other essentials but apart from climate and an SE the rest all went by the wayside. As I've said before having a car dripping with spec, as our old FSI did, versus a car that is inherently right means I don't miss any of the £6K worth of extras that FSI Sport had!

Tell us more about your purchase!
Click to expand...

Lap belts are way down on my preference list (and this one is a 2002 so has one) but this 'daily' A2 will never see the other side of 30mph and will see the center seat used as the exception, rather than the rule. We still have the Q7 to fall back on for the out of town journeys.

Would I pay the extra to pick up a later 5 seater with the 3 x 3 point - sure. But will I ever find one...... :rolleyes:

The 'Proof of Concept' A2 is now in my sig. Blue 2002 1.4 SE with climate and bench seat. Just over 80K. Seems complete, but needs serious TLC to bring it back to a good condition. Having now had a 130 mile test drive returning home in an A2 (you cant beat trying something properly), a good read of the handbook (invaluable), and had a good sit and play in the 3 rear seats (priceless), I'm convinced a nice A2 is definitely going to fit the requirement perfectly. Still want bench, still want sky roof, and now pretty sure I'd avoid the 1.4 petrol (no offence to the 1.4 petrol owners) but I would want just a bit more go if I ever stole it away from the wife to drive it further afield, which I can see happening lol.....

Very impressed with the rear load capacity/flexibility (beats the S8 hands down) and it feels really nimble. Build quality is superb, and I was pleasantly surprised by the road noise (or virtual lack of). Head room is awesome too.

Soooo wished i'd clocked this idea a few weeks back before I went to ADI and I could have maybe had a wander over to the club stand, met some folk and taken a nosey at some of the fine motors on show. Between the rain and the childrens parade lap, the day went rather quickly this year... :rolleyes:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top