Which A2 Tdi - 75 or 90 bhp?

glock17

Member
The A2 is a car I've liked for ages and I'm finally going to buy one. There is currently a 17k, one owner model for sale nearby (Belfast) for just under £11k. Thanks to the info I've gleaned on here I was able to identify it as the 75bhp as the salesman didn't know. I average 600 miles per week so the small fuel tank of the 75 may be a concern.

Is it worth me buying it or should I hang on until a 90 comes up for sale? (that may be a while as they are very scarce over here) Or, should I make a trip to the mainland and buy one there?

Thanks for any advice.
 
i currently drive a 75bhp tdise & clock 36k per annum.ive now reached 173k & all bar a couple of hiccupps its been trouble free motoring.due to a leak at the top of my fuel pipe i fill up but stop as soon as the nozzle cuts out which now seems to be aprox £24.00ish and that gives me just over 400 miles on a tank.
 
Hi glock17, welcome to the A2oc
The 75hp tdi has surprisingly good performance. While the 0 - 60 time is nothing special, keep the revs above 2000 and it will hold its own with most 2 litre cars without too much trouble. The excellent mid range torque means they have good pick-up on the motorway for overtaking and don't loose speed on inclines. Don't dismiss the 75 hp engine before trying it. If you need more power then a rechip will give 95 -100hp or you could look for the more scarce 90 hp tdi

Cheers Spike
 
We have a 90 TDi and compared to the 75 we drove its whole lot different. It just seems much 'perkier' :eek: There are other differences between them too, aside from just the bhp.
 
glock17 said:
I average 600 miles per week so the small fuel tank of the 75 may be a concern.

Is it worth me buying it or should I hang on until a 90 comes up for sale? (that may be a while as they are very scarce over here) Or, should I make a trip to the mainland and buy one there?

Thanks for any advice.
Hi Glock, the later 75's have the larger fuel tank (2003 on from memory) so that should be an easy problem to solve.

Don't think that 90s are 'common' over here - Robin, one of our members has looked all over for one and finally had to travel over 100 miles to Liverpool to get his!

Cheers,

Mike
 
Hi Glock17,

For your information, I have counted 21 A2s driving in and around Belfast in the past 3 months. Most are diesels! They are not as rare as they were 5 years ago, but still fairly rare. You might have success by putting a note on the windscreens of parked up cars. There is a 2001 year model, which must have cost its owner £20,000 when they bought it new, as it is loaded with added options. My A2 is not for sale. Good luck with the search.

John.
 
I'm on my second 75bhp and have no problem with it - but the bigger fuel tank is a bonus, which was standard after 2003. I can get 600 miles on a full tank and there is plenty of power in the oil burner at motorway cruising.

The big difference is between Sport and SE spec and depends on personal driving style. Sport can be a harsh ride but does have better seats than the SE. I searched all over for an SE with sports seats but couldn't find one! In the end I settled for (another) SE and ended up buying it from a private seller round the corner!

Manchester to Eindhoven next week non stop - that should be a good test!
 
Don't forget, you could always get a 75 due to the rarity of 90's and use a fraction of the financial saving to get it remapped for £300 to circa 100-110 bhp depending on who you go to for the remap..

Plenty of companies provide such a service, from Upsolute to Revo, Stealth to AmD etc - there's bound to be a dealer near you.

Ian
 
spike said:
Hi glock17, welcome to the A2oc
The 75hp tdi has surprisingly good performance. While the 0 - 60 time is nothing special, keep the revs above 2000 and it will hold its own with most 2 litre cars without too much trouble. The excellent mid range torque means they have good pick-up on the motorway for overtaking and don't loose speed on inclines. Don't dismiss the 75 hp engine before trying it. If you need more power then a rechip will give 95 -100hp or you could look for the more scarce 90 hp tdi

Cheers Spike
Thanks for the welcome and the response. I did test drive the car and found it great on acceleration and supportive to drive. If I was to buy that one I would worry that I was always going to regret not getting the 90.

glock17
 
Skipton01 said:
Hi Glock, the later 75's have the larger fuel tank (2003 on from memory) so that should be an easy problem to solve.

Don't think that 90s are 'common' over here - Robin, one of our members has looked all over for one and finally had to travel over 100 miles to Liverpool to get his!

Cheers,

Mike
Thanks Mike.
After I read the posts and info on here I assumed that all those made after Nov '03 were 90 bhp and had the larger fuel tank and rear discs. As the model I looked at had no rear discs and no red 'i' I thought that the fuel tank would also be the original smaller one.
The larger tank appeals more so as my parents live 5 miles from the border with the Irish Republic and I get diesel there every time I visit (71.4p per litre last week)
 
Poor_John said:
Hi Glock17,

For your information, I have counted 21 A2s driving in and around Belfast in the past 3 months. Most are diesels! They are not as rare as they were 5 years ago, but still fairly rare. You might have success by putting a note on the windscreens of parked up cars. There is a 2001 year model, which must have cost its owner £20,000 when they bought it new, as it is loaded with added options. My A2 is not for sale. Good luck with the search.

John.
Thanks John.
Was behind a 90 bhp A2 in Belfast the other day but it went straight on and I turned off for the Westlink. I think I may resort to notes on cars as I'm prepared to travel to England to get one.
I don't think I'll buy the one I test drove as I think it's over priced and has quite a few bad scratches on the rear bumper (as well as kerbed alloys).

Cheers

glock17
 
driveforward said:
Don't forget, you could always get a 75 due to the rarity of 90's and use a fraction of the financial saving to get it remapped for £300 to circa 100-110 bhp depending on who you go to for the remap..

Plenty of companies provide such a service, from Upsolute to Revo, Stealth to AmD etc - there's bound to be a dealer near you.

Ian
What's the impact on the insurance and the MPG for this Ian?
 
Hi glock17

I'll also be interested to hear the experiences of other Club members.
From a personal viewpoint, insurers attitudes seem to vary tremendously.I was previously with Saga (dont laugh) and they would not cover a chipped car while others quoted a premium increase of approx 20%

Cheers Spike
 
glock17 said:
Thanks John.
Was behind a 90 bhp A2 in Belfast the other day but it went straight on and I turned off for the Westlink. I think I may resort to notes on cars as I'm prepared to travel to England to get one.
I don't think I'll buy the one I test drove as I think it's over priced and has quite a few bad scratches on the rear bumper (as well as kerbed alloys).

Cheers

glock17

If you spot a blue A2 with a Cork registration plate in Belfast, it most likely will be me!
 
spike said:
Hi glock17

I'll also be interested to hear the experiences of other Club members.
From a personal viewpoint, insurers attitudes seem to vary tremendously.I was previously with Saga (dont laugh) and they would not cover a chipped car while others quoted a premium increase of approx 20%

Cheers Spike
glock17 & Spike

This is indeed true, some insurers won't even know what you mean when you tell them, others tend to charge a percentage increase on your premium equivalent to the percentage power increase of the car.. which is where your 20% figure probably stems from.

When it comes to car modifications, you pay your money and you make your choice.. from my own and the experience of others, some items you really should declare, others simply are not worth it. Bear in mind with any modifications, you may declare them and pay a premium for doing so - the items themselves will not actually be covered by your premium, but your insurance will remain valid...

As for MPG, most people seem to notice negligible gains/no difference - again it comes down to driving style more than anything else. In theory, the increased power and torque result in the driver not lead footing it as much to get the 'same effect', therefore fuel economy tends to rise.. however, should you really enjoy the extra power and use it all the time with increased ferocity the chances are your MPG will be lower or relatively unchanged.

I have a 75 and will be getting it remapped this year having had VAG group cars in the past that have been remapped also. My driving style is either quite laid back on cruise control or rather enthusiastic given a nice road (or track!) and on my previous car I noticed a marked increase in MPG.
 
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glock17 said:
Thanks for the welcome and the response. I did test drive the car and found it great on acceleration and supportive to drive. If I was to buy that one I would worry that I was always going to regret not getting the 90.

glock17


I thought I would feel like that but balance finding the right one in the right condition. I looked at plenty even from an Audi main dealer and it was far from A1 condition. If you have the choice of a 'reasonable' 90bhp against a perfect 75bhp - go for the latter.
 
Foghorn said:
I thought I would feel like that but balance finding the right one in the right condition. I looked at plenty even from an Audi main dealer and it was far from A1 condition. If you have the choice of a 'reasonable' 90bhp against a perfect 75bhp - go for the latter.
I was in the same situation, but I found that the 90's that I did come across not only had the increased price tag your would expect, but seemed to have less consistent specifications - I.e. some didn't have climate control, some only had Chorus (tape) stereos and not Concert II cd's, some didn't have rear speakers etc.. I chose to concentrate on finding a 75 as there were more of them, the spec seemed more consistent and they were cheaper ;) :D
 
driveforward said:
I was in the same situation, but I found that the 90's that I did come across not only had the increased price tag your would expect, but seemed to have less consistent specifications - I.e. some didn't have climate control, some only had Chorus (tape) stereos and not Concert II cd's, some didn't have rear speakers etc.. I chose to concentrate on finding a 75 as there were more of them, the spec seemed more consistent and they were cheaper ;) :D

I've been finding the same thing though the dealers aren't helping with scanty info. I've got an Audi dealer shortlist of 3, all 90bhp and the details for the one at Reading are not good, doesn't even list DIS or lumbar support on the specs.

The shortlist is:
Dolphin Grey with red cirrus interior (not sure about that red) from Parklands.
Mauritius Blue with black cirrus interior from Hadwins (a tad over priced).
Silver Sport from Reading which is an ex demo with at least 31000 miles on it.

If anyone is near/or passes these locations it'd be great if you could pop in and give it the once over.

Aside from the Audi dealers I've got another list from ebay/auto trader/exchange and mart and have been emailing the dealers trying to get more/better pics so I don't end up going round the whole country twice in one day in the next fortnight or so.

Basic requirement is tdi 90bhp sport or SE model (04 or later) though I would still consider a good 75.
May make an offer of 9.5K on the Belfast one.
 
hi glock17

The one at Preston Jag Centre on auto trader looks a nice car it is a sport by the look of it. offer them £9500 and see its been their for a bit but £10000 is a good price try and see nothing to lose
I have just got a 90 a2 and found that you have to travel a lot to get the right one.
got mine in liverpool in the end i am in birmingham but did about 1500 miles to get a good one
audi dealers dont list all the details they are lazy you need to see them that is what i found out henc lots of wasted time and miles

cheers

ROBIN
 
Red Cirrus Interior

robin said:
hi glock17

The one at Preston Jag Centre on auto trader looks a nice car it is a sport by the look of it. offer them £9500 and see its been their for a bit but £10000 is a good price try and see nothing to lose
I have just got a 90 a2 and found that you have to travel a lot to get the right one.
got mine in liverpool in the end i am in birmingham but did about 1500 miles to get a good one
audi dealers dont list all the details they are lazy you need to see them that is what i found out henc lots of wasted time and miles

cheers

ROBIN

Thanks Robin. Had a look at that one too but black is so hard to keep (just got rid of a black Focus MkII (family car) and going to get rid of black Fiesta MkV, 1.4 TDCI (work car)) A2 will replace both, I hope. But, it is a nice colour!
There is another sport rom Autoselect in Worcs., a 54 plate with 21k on it though they are asking £11 995 for it.
Audi Reading sent me more details on their 'ex-demo' sport and it's now done 36 500 miles and is down to £10 850. They sent me some more pics though the interior looks slightly abused, suspect they've been giving it out as a courtesy car. Quote from them:
'Here are some pictures of the car (attached).

The car has 36500 miles rather then 31000 as it has been in use. It has
DIS and 17'' 9 spoke sport alloy wheels, Symphony II Radio / 6 CD, rear
but no front fog lights I am afraid, sports seats, lumbar adjustment,
metallic paint & climate control.

Does this sound like a car that might interest you?



May keep my search to the north of England for ease of ferries from Troon/Stranraer. Reading to Scotland is not the nicest of journeys and the Liverpool crossing is too long for my liking.

Anyone got any experience of the red cirrus interior or is it a no no? (looks a bit like the 'after' on P*mp My R*de.

Cheers.

glock17
 
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