Had actually written buttugly before I edited myself.. but on the other hand its uglyness makes it cool
Chat Why do you drive an A2?
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Had actually written buttugly before I edited myself.. but on the other hand its uglyness makes it cool
Quirky it certainly it is, a little eclectic as a choice for transport but once you get it, it's really quite an addictive little thing with that thrummy three pot, the ridiculous load lugging capacity (especially with seats removed) and such a taught little chassis with no flex from the Audi Space Frame.
Gets under your skin the little thing with such versatility and ability particularly after a naughty reflash of the engine management.
As a certain well known sports car brand coined the phrase, "light is right", this applies here too and a big part of why the little A2 works so well.
Such little inertia to overcome means it zooms along just fine and if you enjoy the twisties it really is more entertaining than anyone might expect it to be. A bit of a 'sleeper'.
Jags C20LET
Member
It was £200.
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trevorswaine
Member
It was only by chance that we got our A2 in 2007. Looking for a smallish economical car to run for Barbara to drive to school - 30 miles each way - to replace our Skoda Octavia which we had only got due to older son playing ice hockey, hence needing a medium sized car with all his and his friends hockey kit. I recall being disappointed with the fuel consumption on the A2 (below 50mpg) and oil consumption (aargh) and things going wrong (lots).
Then we went to New Zealand in 2010 and passed the car to younger son who is not mechanically sympathetic - he then passed it to older son - and then this year we came back to the UK and got it back. Some expenditure, not too much, and later ... well we love it. Best mpg is 71.9mpg - oil consumption is only about 1 litre in 5,000 miles - and for me at 6'2" it's comfortable. Not as quick as the Subaru Legacy 3.0 that I had in New Zealand but so what.
Just hope it'll keep going for a few more years - 226,266 miles on the clock now.
Then we went to New Zealand in 2010 and passed the car to younger son who is not mechanically sympathetic - he then passed it to older son - and then this year we came back to the UK and got it back. Some expenditure, not too much, and later ... well we love it. Best mpg is 71.9mpg - oil consumption is only about 1 litre in 5,000 miles - and for me at 6'2" it's comfortable. Not as quick as the Subaru Legacy 3.0 that I had in New Zealand but so what.
Just hope it'll keep going for a few more years - 226,266 miles on the clock now.
Little Dog
A2OC Donor
As a Mechanical Engineer just two cars appealed to me. Both I saw as being right for what they were designed to do. Audi A2 and Porsche Boxster.
The styling and lower emissions of the Audi won me over. Pleased it did 14 years and 150k miles later the running costs of a Porsche would have been prohibitive.
The styling and lower emissions of the Audi won me over. Pleased it did 14 years and 150k miles later the running costs of a Porsche would have been prohibitive.
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Pinkythelabrat
A2OC Donor
I needed a car but my price range was a used one around £4500. I could either get a corsa or 206 with a few years on it or look for a quality car with a few more years and hopefully get something built to last.
I saw the A2. I saw the cup holders. I was sold! (Also the aluminium, the MPG, the seat design, the spec, the COOL look.) I was a goner.
Compared to what that would buy in any other car (except maybe a Smart) there was no other choice - I had to have one. I’m so glad I did because this group has made this my most enjoyable car to own ever! Viva le A2!
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I saw the A2. I saw the cup holders. I was sold! (Also the aluminium, the MPG, the seat design, the spec, the COOL look.) I was a goner.
Compared to what that would buy in any other car (except maybe a Smart) there was no other choice - I had to have one. I’m so glad I did because this group has made this my most enjoyable car to own ever! Viva le A2!
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drewroberts
A2OC Donor
Because when it came time for me to replace my cherished Audi 80 1.9 Tdi diesel the A2 ticked all the boxes and more: Audi reliability, longevity, equipment levels and build quality, road tax £30 (£240 in the 80), 600 Miles to the 42l tank for £45 (600 Miles to the 65 litre tank for £75 in the 80) so it was a win win win for me.
The retro fit possibilities and enhancements that the A2 can have as well as a helpful and welcoming forum adds lasting interest in what is a very special little car. The only thing missing to make it truly a proper Audi is quattro.
The retro fit possibilities and enhancements that the A2 can have as well as a helpful and welcoming forum adds lasting interest in what is a very special little car. The only thing missing to make it truly a proper Audi is quattro.
TYP 8Z
Member
Because the A2 is simply a piece of timeless design. Unlike 98% of the cars out there it has survived fashions and trends and after 18 years is still relevant, in terms of design and efficiency.
I believe that it's so rare to see a bunch of designers and engineers coming together and draft such a car with unrestricted freedom.
It is also a honest piece of engineering. It doesn't pretend to be something else, i.e. a faster car with useless intakes or fake ornament. A true modernist, Bauhaus-inspired rational design effort. The bodywork is a pure statement of aerodynamics' knowledge and efficiency. Compare the cabin tear-drop shape and the F-14 canopy profile and you will realize it is exactly the same curvature.
It is a truly contemporary car, refined, elegant, lightweight, sustainable, respectful.
I believe that it's so rare to see a bunch of designers and engineers coming together and draft such a car with unrestricted freedom.
It is also a honest piece of engineering. It doesn't pretend to be something else, i.e. a faster car with useless intakes or fake ornament. A true modernist, Bauhaus-inspired rational design effort. The bodywork is a pure statement of aerodynamics' knowledge and efficiency. Compare the cabin tear-drop shape and the F-14 canopy profile and you will realize it is exactly the same curvature
. It is a truly contemporary car, refined, elegant, lightweight, sustainable, respectful.
Bargepower
A2OC Donor
Because I can
<tuffty/>
Member
I needed a cheap daily to commute to a new job... always had a soft spot for the A2 and it ticked all the boxes for me...
<tuffty/>
- I don't do new cars... unless its an Aston...
- I like the cheap tax
- I love her marmite looks
- I love the fact the chassis and body panels are aluminium (like the S8 at the time) and weighs less than 1100kg for such a 'big' car
- I love the mechanical simplicity making her an easy car to look after especially as there are 5 cars in my family and I am the mechanic for all of them despite it not being a day job lol
- The practicality... turns into a van at the drop of a hat.. (apart from the bonnet... thats a ballache!)
- I can get all my camera gear in boot
- She's no where near as much a princess as my S3
<tuffty/>
Birchall
Dick Chown Award 2016
After 47 years of driving everything from a three wheeled bond car that you had to climb into the bonnet to KICK START the engine (seriously) right up to Bentleys, and an 8.2 litre London black cab (0 to 60 in 4 seconds). The A2 is my car of choice.
It is more about the fact that nothing about the A2 is particularly outstanding, but it is the only car that I will now have out of many that I could have selected from.
I just get in the car and it simply does everything I want it to do.
It is more than nippy enough around town to surprise a few drivers and yet you don't have to break the speed limit to get that pleasure.
It is large on the inside and small on the outside.
I am 6 foot tall and can position the driver's seat comfortably and then sit in the back seat without my knees coming even close to the back of the drivers seat.
Its suspension is firm (I normally deliberately stiffen up a cars suspension to improve the handling but no need with the A2
The steering and brakes are so good that you never even have to think about them, they just work as they should, with confidence.
If anyone asked me to choose a car to drive round the world in I would choose a Tdi A2, they are just so reliable and tough.
I can be a member of a great owners club where the chat is not about "My car is faster than yours" or "Oh you have the E43 model, not as popular as the E44 (all of our A2s are the same and there is hardly any ego present in the club.
If I spend a lot on the car (especially one of this age) I know I won't watch it rust away.
It is easily identifiable and it has a unique character.
The build quality is amazing
The aluminium design is unique and I like the "Form Fits Function"
I also like the fact that you can see thirty A2s lined up (as we used to get at socials and are hopefully returning to those numbers) and yet they are all unique, so many wheel differences, colour differences interior trim etc. etc. and yet they are all the same shell (no mark 1 / Mark 2 etc.)
I also don't think that we will ever see a new model A2 (there is no gap big enough between the A1 and the A3 any more) so every A2 is the same model (I don't include the minor cosmetic changes to the service flap as a different mark)
But the main thing is that the A2 is more than just the sum of the parts / features. It is a modern classic that is totally usable in modern traffic.
I could go on (and often do) but I am boring people, it is like preaching to the converted!
Steve B
It is more about the fact that nothing about the A2 is particularly outstanding, but it is the only car that I will now have out of many that I could have selected from.
I just get in the car and it simply does everything I want it to do.
It is more than nippy enough around town to surprise a few drivers and yet you don't have to break the speed limit to get that pleasure.
It is large on the inside and small on the outside.
I am 6 foot tall and can position the driver's seat comfortably and then sit in the back seat without my knees coming even close to the back of the drivers seat.
Its suspension is firm (I normally deliberately stiffen up a cars suspension to improve the handling but no need with the A2
The steering and brakes are so good that you never even have to think about them, they just work as they should, with confidence.
If anyone asked me to choose a car to drive round the world in I would choose a Tdi A2, they are just so reliable and tough.
I can be a member of a great owners club where the chat is not about "My car is faster than yours" or "Oh you have the E43 model, not as popular as the E44 (all of our A2s are the same and there is hardly any ego present in the club.
If I spend a lot on the car (especially one of this age) I know I won't watch it rust away.
It is easily identifiable and it has a unique character.
The build quality is amazing
The aluminium design is unique and I like the "Form Fits Function"
I also like the fact that you can see thirty A2s lined up (as we used to get at socials and are hopefully returning to those numbers) and yet they are all unique, so many wheel differences, colour differences interior trim etc. etc. and yet they are all the same shell (no mark 1 / Mark 2 etc.)
I also don't think that we will ever see a new model A2 (there is no gap big enough between the A1 and the A3 any more) so every A2 is the same model (I don't include the minor cosmetic changes to the service flap as a different mark)
But the main thing is that the A2 is more than just the sum of the parts / features. It is a modern classic that is totally usable in modern traffic.
I could go on (and often do) but I am boring people, it is like preaching to the converted!
Steve B
johnyfartbox
A2OC Donor
In all honesty its the best car I have ever had in my life, and to quote Hughie Green "I mean that most sincerely" (for those that remember him that is) it is by far a great little car.
And its the only car that my wife has ever really liked driving, me being the typical bloke has always got the car I liked and the wife has had to put up with it.............(apart from a Vitara 4x4 .she liked that a lot but I didnt but it was a bargain at the time).
And it says a lot when a 28 year has been convinced that the A2 is a great car for him and I do really think he likes it and so has his new wife (last year) she is after one now......................good grief, im gona be busy looking after 4 A2s I can see it coming, but I dont mind because I have got this great forum to ask for advice and the lad is now a member as well so no doubt he will not only picking my relatively little knowledge of the car but the members great knowledge of this great little car.
And its the only car that my wife has ever really liked driving, me being the typical bloke has always got the car I liked and the wife has had to put up with it.............(apart from a Vitara 4x4 .she liked that a lot but I didnt but it was a bargain at the time).
And it says a lot when a 28 year has been convinced that the A2 is a great car for him and I do really think he likes it and so has his new wife (last year) she is after one now......................good grief, im gona be busy looking after 4 A2s I can see it coming, but I dont mind because I have got this great forum to ask for advice and the lad is now a member as well so no doubt he will not only picking my relatively little knowledge of the car but the members great knowledge of this great little car.
Birchall
Dick Chown Award 2016
That is what happened to me and that is why our sons and daughters and their partners and one grandson all have an A2 (he is the only grandchild old enough)
One tip though, get them all TDIs, Never had any of the 7 tdis breakdown (touching wood) and that is after years of having so many.
Steve B
budword
Member
I salute Audi for trying to do something different, when all they needed to do was churn out a Ford Fiesta with an Audi badge to have a sure fire winner.
Quirkiness and individuality is something you'd expect from the French or Italians to lose money on, but never the Germans! But we're all here because they did a mighty fine job of it.
The modernist design language that Audi launched in the late 90s is what will make the 1st TT and this little motor the classics they deserve to be. Driving behind an A6 of that era always makes me smile and wonder at the ballsiness of the design team to persuade their uber fuhrers that this is what the rear of an executive limo needs to look like. It is a thing of sculptural beauty.
And lastly, and I've said it before, and am going to say it again, it ain't a classic of its time unless it's in a silver skin that completes the Teutonic masterpiece that Audi created.
Quirkiness and individuality is something you'd expect from the French or Italians to lose money on, but never the Germans! But we're all here because they did a mighty fine job of it.
The modernist design language that Audi launched in the late 90s is what will make the 1st TT and this little motor the classics they deserve to be. Driving behind an A6 of that era always makes me smile and wonder at the ballsiness of the design team to persuade their uber fuhrers that this is what the rear of an executive limo needs to look like. It is a thing of sculptural beauty.
And lastly, and I've said it before, and am going to say it again, it ain't a classic of its time unless it's in a silver skin that completes the Teutonic masterpiece that Audi created.
davidallenxyz
Member
Because I parked it outside a Porsche/BMW/Mini dealership and it was the best looking car there... nothing modern matches it's cleanliness of line.
Cloth Ears
A2OC Donor
All the above.
It is as much fun to drive as the original Mini. It has huge practicality. It is timeless because there was never a mk2 to make the mk1 look dated. It has, as has been said, that Bauhaus form follows function thing going on. It is a small car built to big car standards.
Mine has handed me a few big bills in its time, but I always end up forgiving it. That’s love, that is.
It is as much fun to drive as the original Mini. It has huge practicality. It is timeless because there was never a mk2 to make the mk1 look dated. It has, as has been said, that Bauhaus form follows function thing going on. It is a small car built to big car standards.
Mine has handed me a few big bills in its time, but I always end up forgiving it. That’s love, that is.
drewroberts
A2OC Donor
Mine has done the same but now they are all fixed it feels like a new car not bad for a teenager ?
dieselfan
A2OC Donor
...our first A2 was bought by my wife... as a revenge... due to that I "forgot" to fix her car (as promized) during the weekend, because I used the time to convert -74 Scirocco MkI to 1.6TD.....
I got a bit upset and might have said: If you have bought it your selves, you better maintain it your selves... (and she did...)
Long story short... I started quite soon to be fairly impressed by several details on the A2... and I de-escalating sulking.... and contributed with pleasure to the maintenance.... I had soon bought 3x more A2s...
In my little home town we are the only ones with A2, so one can feel a but lonely but in another way also dedicated
If I just was one of the lucky ones with VCDS capability I believe my A2 life would have been perfect.
All of our cars have been bought in "well used" condition with high mileage and flashing warning lights all over...
My main reasons for buying A2:
After just some weeks on the A2OC I feel really inspired and motivated to further learn to maintain and repair my A2s
I got a bit upset and might have said: If you have bought it your selves, you better maintain it your selves... (and she did...)
Long story short... I started quite soon to be fairly impressed by several details on the A2... and I de-escalating sulking.... and contributed with pleasure to the maintenance.... I had soon bought 3x more A2s...
In my little home town we are the only ones with A2, so one can feel a but lonely but in another way also dedicated
If I just was one of the lucky ones with VCDS capability I believe my A2 life would have been perfect.
All of our cars have been bought in "well used" condition with high mileage and flashing warning lights all over...
My main reasons for buying A2:
- corrosion resistance
- excellent handling in the narrow streets where I live
- impressive durability with "simple to fix" mechanical solution and good availability to spare parts
- easy to park
- comfortable seats and the driving position is easy to adjust to "all" body lengths
- takes up very little space in my garage
- 2000 or 2005... most of the parts are the same
- with the back seats out; it is incredible what you can transport with this tiny car !! (a drum set... new bucket for my excavator or a concrete mixer)
- acceptable acceleration and overtaking capability
- availability of very strong roof racks
After just some weeks on the A2OC I feel really inspired and motivated to further learn to maintain and repair my A2s