Purchase advice needed

seemehow

seemehow

New Member
Good Morning Everyone!
I am here for a piece of advice. I fell in love with the A2 model and looking to purchase one. Being in London and due to ULEZ charge I am left with but one option - 1.4 petrol – These are going up slightly as I think sellers have realised Diesel is less desirable due to pollution charges in big cities. For my budget (up to £2000) it is very hard to find something with less than 80k and nice condition. With this price range I could get an 2007-2010 – Mercedes a150 – a160 which has similar size and economy but half the mileage. This would not be my first choice but given the scarcity of A2’s available at the moment I might have no other choice – I am not interested in a project car – no funds nor time for this. I would like a good, reliable car which is cost effective to keep. What are the things I should be aware of when buying 1.4 petrol A2 with approx.. 80k on the clock? What are the service costs? And maybe not the most popular question but is Merc a viable option? – I am talking the second gen as the first one was a disaster. I will be using it for short trips outside the city with my wife and probably will not exceed 6k miles in a year. Many thanks for all the advice and my apologies if I rub some the wrong way.
Mike
 
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TAABVW said:
having just followed your link I'm not sure any A2 qualifies for ULEZ??? A petrol car has to be Euro4 which started in 2005, the last year the A" was built. So aren't all A2's Euro3?
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Most 1.4s are EURO 4, just not the earliest ones. Certainly my 51 reg 2001 car qualifies.
 
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TAABVW said:
having just followed your link I'm not sure any A2 qualifies for ULEZ??? A petrol car has to be Euro4 which started in 2005, the last year the A" was built. So aren't all A2's Euro3?
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oh dear.. you are totaly right...why was I under the impression it will pass the ulez...? Might have checked 05 model previously and made a wrong assumption - you saved me alot of hastle! Edit: actually this particular one is subject to ulez - but 2002 seems to pass it,
 
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seemehow said:
oh dear.. you are totaly right...why was I under the impression it will pass the ulez...? Might have checked 05 model previously and made a wrong assumption - you saved me alot of hastle!
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I have a 2002 1.4 petrol and it certainly is ULEZ exempt, and have been driving it through central London .
 
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seemehow said:
Have you got by any chance a time to check the emissions on the v5 - I will give this garage a call to see if they have similar numbers - I could apply for the exception.
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For what it's worth, my (late 2001 A2) V5 quotes the following emissions:
CO 0.258
HC 0.068
NOx 0.025

But you're wasting your time. You won't be able to even apply for the exception until you own the car, and by then it's likely too late.
 
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steve_c said:
For what it's worth, my V5 quotes the following emissions:
CO 0.258
HC 0.068
NOx 0.025

But you're wasting your time. You won't be able to even apply for the exemption until you own the car, and by then it's likely too late.
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That's way below the euro 4 standard - it is actually euro 5 (but they added PM on top of this so probably will fail euro 5) - I have just had a phone call with TFL and there is no time limit - basically all you need to do is send a proof from v5 document and if it meets euro 4 numbers you will get the exemption - I have done this with my motorcycle and it took few days for them to make a decision.
 
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seemehow said:
That's way below the euro 4 standard - it is actually euro 5 (but they added PM on top of this so probably will fail euro 5) - I have just had a phone call with TFL and there is no time limit - basically all you need to do is send a proof from v5 document and if it meets euro 4 numbers you will get the exemption - I have done this with my motorcycle and it took few days for them to make a decision.
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At least that car was first registered in January 2001,
 
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steve_c said:
At least that car was first registered in January 2001,
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The guy in the garage could not find any emission related data on the v5 - so here is no easy way to prove it to TFL and there is no guarantee it could pass the emission station test - I guess its back to hunting then..
 
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This one is slightly higher mileage than you are after, but has a new MOT (haven't looked at the MOT history) and not too far from London
www.ebay.co.uk

Audi A2 1.4 SE 5 Door Hatchback New Mot | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Audi A2 1.4 SE 5 Door Hatchback New Mot at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!
www.ebay.co.uk

Looks fairly tidy apart from a water stain on the back seat and a truly hideous radio (replacement A2 ones are fairly easy to come by)
 
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Teresa said:
This one is slightly higher mileage than you are after, but has a new MOT (haven't looked at the MOT history) and not too far from London
www.ebay.co.uk

Audi A2 1.4 SE 5 Door Hatchback New Mot | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Audi A2 1.4 SE 5 Door Hatchback New Mot at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!
www.ebay.co.uk

Looks fairly tidy apart from a water stain on the back seat and a truly hideous radio (replacement A2 ones are fairly easy to come by)
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yes thank you - believe it or not I think I know most of them on auto-trader and ebay by now ;) (checking 3 times a day)- but middle console seems butchered plus it seems to me passenger front door has a dent next to the handlebar (probably related to rear bumper scratch)- price seems ok though and I like the colour. Seems that gumtree has got much better prices so maybe I will find something there.
 
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seemehow said:
yes thank you - believe it or not I think I know most of them on auto-trader and ebay by now ;) (checking 3 times a day)- but middle console seems butchered plus it seems to me passenger front door has a dent next to the handlebar (probably related to rear bumper scratch)- price seems ok though and I like the colour. Seems that gumtree has got much better prices so maybe I will find something there.
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The centre console bit is a pretty easy fix. I've changed both bits on both of mine, buying used, but excellent condition parts from fellow club members.
I am a little biased as one of mine is Dolphin Grey, but I love the colour too
 
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seemehow said:
middle console seems butchered plus it seems to me passenger front door has a dent next to the handlebar
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The console is easily sorted, correct radio and better climate control unit - you see early hard touch climate units from time to time with an asking price of around £100, and the radios are really easy to pick up. Yes, there's a slight dent in the passenger door, but for that price I'd put up with it. The wheels look good, I would have thought it worth going to view.
 
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