Best A2 to buy

Rich.

A2OC Donor
Don't mind if it has diesel or petrol. I know the diesel runs a lot further to the gallon. Looking for a black A2 their are quite a few models so which would be the best TDi?

I will not be kitting it up may just change the alloys and add a few things inside
 
Well I am biased!

Import a 1.2 TDi and you won't regret it's 85 to 100 mpg, low insurance, cheap 145/80 R14 tyres, Zero road tax............

An no LHD is NOT a big deal in such a narrow car.
 
Where is the best place to go to look for importing cars? I'm in the UK I found quite a few used on autotrader for 5-6K can I get cheaper from imports and what kind of tax would I pay to bring it into the country?
 
I'd recommend a 1.4tdi. The 75 is fine and has enough go for me.
Spec depending on what toys you feel you need.
The sport is nice to drive but may feel a little too harsh depending on your tastes. the suspension and 17" wheels with rubber band tyres can make the ride a little unforgiving and the 17" wheels are known to buckle easily.
As you are looking to change the alloys anyway an SE would probably be a good compromise. The Climate control and sports seats are a must for me. The seats are just about the best car seats I've ever sat in and are well worth looking for.
If you fancy retrofitting fancy sat nav (RNS-E with TV etc) at a later date its well worth searching for a symphony sound system. This has an in dash 6 CD changer but is a double DIN unit. replacing a single DIN unit requires a whole new dash board which is very expensive.
 
I looked at quite a few reviews sites 1.4 tdi se I think came out top, I rather like the nicer seats two coloured ones instead of the standard although the dark black seats looked quite good. Not to bothered on annoys, the sport version would probably be quite a bit more price wise.

I see quite a few opened the bonnet, it said only audi dealers should do so is it hard to open?

When buying a used car, those of you who have an a2 already what should I look for. Items that may be on the verge of breaking easy, or which has broke off. Is there anything flimsy in the car to look out for which is hard to get hold of?
 
The bonnet is easy to open. It comes off, make sure you place it painted side down to avoid damaging the mounts. Its just 2 plastic knobs under the service flap.
Common (ish) problems on this site are worn front roll bar bushes, wheels on the sports models can be a bit bendy and The ABS cables can sometimes rub and wear on the wheels.
In general they are pretty sturdy in my experience. Like any modern car any electronics problems are probably going to be costly to fix but I've not heard of this being a common issue.
 
Seriously looking now for another A2 but just got my old 'Dogs Twitcher' on loan from father in law.

I am contemplating a TDi SE but now come to realise that I really need sports seats - but without the full sport set up. Not much chance I know!

Can anyone tell me if the suspension is different in the sport than the SE? If its the same I'll buy one and swap the 17" wheels for a set of 16" to preserve the ride quality.

Equally can't find may SE's with DIS
 
JimbobA2TDiSport said:
The bonnet is easy to open. It comes off, make sure you place it painted side down to avoid damaging the mounts.

Don't forget the blanket to avoid damaging the paint ;-) I vaguely recall reading it can slip inside the back seats but I've never tried it.
 
me neither. Don't think you could close the doors though and if the wind caught the door could get nasty for your interior or the bonnet. I prefer an old soft sheet on an old piece of carpet I keep in the garage.
 
Sports are stiffer than the SE (suspension) as well as the low profile tyres.

Petrol is pointless, Diesel cars use less fuel, are faster, easily chippable for insane performance and potentially have 32000m service intervals.
 
Foghorn said:
I am contemplating a TDi SE but now come to realise that I really need sports seats - but without the full sport set up. Not much chance I know!
But possible. That's how I specced mine, so maybe a few others had the same idea.

Foghorn said:
Can anyone tell me if the suspension is different in the sport than the SE?
According to the brochures of the time, it is different. "Quattro GMBH sports suspension". I've not done enough research to know exactly what that entails.

Cheers, Richard.
 
Foghorn said:
Seriously looking now for another A2 but just got my old 'Dogs Twitcher' on loan from father in law.

I am contemplating a TDi SE but now come to realise that I really need sports seats - but without the full sport set up. Not much chance I know!

Can anyone tell me if the suspension is different in the sport than the SE? If its the same I'll buy one and swap the 17" wheels for a set of 16" to preserve the ride quality.

Equally can't find may SE's with DIS
I have a sport to which I have now fitted 16" A3 wheels, looks nice and chunky, I tried 17" with 45% tyres but the ride whilst better was still crashy, with the 205 50 16 tyres it's far more acceptable, although the car now feels a little wooly in the handling department due to the deeper sidewalls which will obviously flex more, still very safe though, if you came from another car you probably wouldn't feel it.
 
richard- said:
Where is the best place to go to look for importing cars? I'm in the UK I found quite a few used on autotrader for 5-6K can I get cheaper from imports and what kind of tax would I pay to bring it into the country?

I use www.mobile.de for importing cars. You will not pay any tax if importing from another EU country. VAT in Germany is 16% and is included in the price. I've imported three cars from Germany to Sweden.
 
Xiter said:
I use www.mobile.de for importing cars. You will not pay any tax if importing from another EU country. VAT in Germany is 16% and is included in the price. I've imported three cars from Germany to Sweden.

Also no tax or VAT if second hand and over 6 months old, just registration costs at DVLA
Mobile.de is much more interesting than Autotrader - you could be on it for weeks getting side tracked!!

Good luck

Jonathan
 
Most I can find are left hand drive on mobile.de and it could be a trek to have a look at the car
 
Petrol is pointless?

Ricardo said:
Petrol is pointless, Diesel cars use less fuel, are faster, easily chippable for insane performance and potentially have 32000m service intervals.

Really? Petrol is pointless? Insane performance from diesels? When I bought my car (FSI) I test drove a 90tdi and an fsi and I'm afraid that the difference between the two is very small, with the diesel worse on smell and noise, and costs more to buy in the first place. Modern petrol engines are also very efficient. I know that it comes down to taste , but please try to be more objective if you're trying to give advice.
 
Whilst agreeing about the objectiveness of comments, petrol cars really are fast becoming dinosaurs and that will only become more apparent as petrol prices increase.

Within our lifetimes, petrol (and fossil diesel) will run out, or become so scarce as to be beyond the reach of the average motorist.

The A2 is fully capable of running on 100% RME biodiesel, which comes from rapeseed oil, which comes from all those lovely yellow fields in summer.

It is a completely renewable resource and is carbon neutral. The only downsides are a small drop in performance and consumption and having to change the water trap in the fuel filter more often.

Whilst I agree that petrol cars, especially the FSI and new TSI models, are very good indeed, they still have the basic achilles heel of being powered by a fuel which will become non-existant in the near future.

Cheers,

Mike

PS Bio-ethanol is an option, but all current petrol cars will have to be modified to run with this fuel.
 
lyndonbuck said:
Really? Petrol is pointless? Insane performance from diesels? When I bought my car (FSI) I test drove a 90tdi and an fsi and I'm afraid that the difference between the two is very small, with the diesel worse on smell and noise, and costs more to buy in the first place. Modern petrol engines are also very efficient. I know that it comes down to taste , but please try to be more objective if you're trying to give advice.

Originally Posted by Ricardo
Petrol is pointless, Diesel cars use less fuel, are faster, easily chippable for insane performance and potentially have 32000m service intervals.

Dont get me wrong, I hate Diesel cars, I think Audi should be banned from LeMans - however I was talking in context and I still see no point whatsoever in buying a petrol A2...I have never smelt my car whilst driving it and the triple sounds OK to me (agreed not a V12 Ferrari). The A2 is all about economy, good around town, excellent load size for car size - all the features of a larger car but in a modern (too modern unfortunately for Audi) package. I'll say it again...

Diesel cars use less fuel, are faster, easily chippable for insane performance and potentially have 32000m service intervals.

and add, have a £55 tax disc and will probably last longer as Diesels tend to do. They also suffer from less electrical gremlins in the wet having less electrics.

I have worked with Audi on various jobs and I am always interested as to why someone would buy a petrol A2, I always ask people why and they keep coming back with the same answer ultimately "because I dont like Diesels" its like the answer you get when you ask someone "why do you smoke" - it just makes no sense.

As I said above I dont like Diesels, but thats not a logical or good reason to buy a petrol A2 :D

If someone reads my opinion and buys a Diesel than great but if they really hate Diesels they will buy a petrol instead anyway, so what harm is my rant?

Perhaps I should have said "Diesel cars use less fuel, are faster, easily chippable for insane performance, are cheap to tax and potentially have 32000m service intervals but cost slightly more - make your choice" - but thats far too politically correct and boring so I'll stick with the original, its a free country (just).
 
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