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barnythebumblebeeeater

Member
hello folks
Wondering if you can help me im after a small cheap car to take the brunt of my daily commute and i thought the A2 would do admirably in this role.

im after advice really on mpg and common issues and what year to go for etc

anyway im after a 1.4 90 or a 1.6 in sport trim i think whats the alcantra seats like rare ? any must have options ? is cruise common on them or is it an easy retrofit ?

is there anything major to avoid ?

anyway

cheers for the help
:)
 
Hi, welcome to the forum.
As even the youngest A2 is now 8 years old, its fair to say there are things to look out for.
The FSI is a cracking engine,but has sensors galore and can easily rack up a >£1000 bill if things such as injectors start playing up. That said, its the engine I have and love. The 1.4 petrol is simpler and less fussy, but slower. The 1.4 diesel 75bhp is the engine of choice for most on here, £30 road tax and >60mpg. But good ones sell for strong money and if all you want is a cheap commuter then a skoda fabia will do more for less money. The diesel 90bhp is very good, but can have expensive dmf problems.

Problems can include button wear as the Audis of that time used a soft touch finish that was programmed to melt after 3 years. Most of the brakes etc are the same as the fabia, so very cheap. There were no major updates to the cars over their short production run, newer wiper was introduced (floppy) and grill was changed from shiny to slatted in the last year or two of production. Suspension is harsher than many cars, and ARB is prone to fail, a quick speedbump or two on a test drive will spot this as the ARB will bang

All in all the A2 is a brilliant car, but with the age they are now you have to look around to find a good one, or have some contingency to put one right. Hope you find one you like.
 
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cheers for the help :)

id like one with no problems really but who know ;)

does the 90bhp tdi remap well or does it not really need it?

its going to feel odd coming back to a smaller car again (driving an accord type r at the moment)

i will be needing to pick one up next weekend or the weekend after really

anyone got a nice one they want to sell
 
The 90 remaps very well indeed due to the variable vane turbo. 120+BHP and a lot more torque is yours for the taking. Not bad for a 1 tonne car! Sticky vanes and worn DMFs are problems specific to the 90.

Alacantra leather is very nice but ultra rare. The 90Tdi is also less common than the 75 as it was only introduced near the end of the A2's life.
 
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Most A2s with remaps are done by Stealth Racing. Others are available of course but they've done more than anyone else and can work in things like programming out the EGR valve and not shredding the clutch with too much torque!

Cruise is a simple retrofit with the right parts and software.
 
cool not that close but its not that far 250 mile round trip :)
how poor are the SE seats compared to the sports ? they seem like they have almost no bolstering at all
 
I originally had cloth SE seats and found them a little unsupportive. I swapped them for heated SE leather and they're much better. Sports seats do have more bolster height that's true I guess it's what you find most comfortable.
 
barnythebumblebeeeater said:
anyway im after a 1.4 90 or a 1.6 in sport trim
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barnythebumblebeeeater said:
id like one with no problems ... i will be needing to pick one up next weekend or the weekend after really
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barnythebumblebeeeater said:
anyone know of any decent 1.6 or 1.4 90 sports for sale within about 100 miles of east yorkshire ?
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Hi Barny,

In the nicest possible way, I think you need to adjust your expectations...
The A2 is, on a relative scale, not exactly a common car. The TDI90 was introduced towards the end of the A2's production run, being offered alongside the TDI75. As such, TDI90s are rare. To further add to your woes, the Sport model was just one of three trim levels. By the time you've filtered out the cars that are unsuitable due to poor condition, lack of history, galactic mileage, etc, you're looking for something extraordinarily specific. If you are going to find such a car, you're going to have to cast your net across the entire of the UK... and you still might not find anything suitable for a few months, let alone by next weekend!

The 1.6FSI is somewhat more common and is frequently to be found in Sport trim. The most I've ever achieved from an FSI Sport was 50mpg, and I was driving it like a nun. The FSI is largely regarded to have the highest running costs of all the engine options. Yes, it's a nice engine, but it's not exactly the pinnacle of reliability and its fuel efficiency is poor compared to the TDIs.

Cheers,

Tom
 
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i would travel pretty much anywhere tbh last few cars havent exactly been close reading, north wales etc

mpg wise as long as its doing better than 30mpg im better off

they are out there and i have the cash i dont want any specific options just a clean car thats been looked after.


i appreciate its its not corsa common but its not exactly the holy grail
 
Have you driven an A2 yet? Worth taking one or two out for a spin as the FSi and TDi models are very different.
I would say if your main goal is lower running costs then get a 75TDi - 60+ MPG, £30 road tax, the most reliable (so theoretically cheapest to maintain), they've been on the market the longest plus plenty of examples to choose from so less of a price premium than the 90. They remap to 105BHP niely too.
 
nope not tried an A2 yet (if i dont get on with it i will just sell it on)

is there any pics of that car ?

i note its an SE so it will have the almost flat seats wont it ?
 
barnythebumblebeeeater said:
http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201308258475221 the premium of the diesel over the petrol doesnt seem overly worth it
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This isn't a relative comparison as the seller is asking retail money in a private sale. Yes, nice car, great colour, tiny mileage and opensky too - but it's the better part of £1000 over the odds.

I would seriously recommend you drive a couple of these before buying one - especially if you aren't set on which engine to go for and the wish list is a clean car that does 30+ MPG. There are quite pronounced differences across the model range. Your money though - if you're happy to just sell it on if the car doesn't grow on you.
 
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yeah happy to do that as i didnt get on my my lexus ls430 either :(

its actually a car for the wife as she is leaving the company car scheme but i will be driving it daily as she takes the train most of the time
 
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