Newbie Needing Advice!!

Hi Guys,

I'm new to this and being a prospective A2 buyer, I need some sound advice... I'm potentially buying an A2 tomorrow x-reg 1.4 SE in blue from a non-audi car dealer and needed your expert opinions. I've already found my way round the site for things to look out for when looking at the car but my question is this;

Its an x-reg with 90,000 on the clock. I'm not sure it has FSH and it possibly has 7 previous owners... My boyf has told me to stay clear of it but I've been in love with the A2 ever since I started learning to drive!

Also, I'm limited to the dealers I can buy from as it's a work scheme I'm going through and so any dealer I buy from has to be affiliated with my Organisation.

Any opinions would be very much appreciated...

P
 
Hi, and welcome!

A FSH would be preferable to have, do you know if it has any history as to any work done. The cambelt should have been changed around 50,000 miles, and is important to know if that was done. 'Annual' servicing is mainly changing oil, filters and brake fluid about each 2-3 years.

Otherwise, servicing will usually be on any items needing attention at the time. Things may include rear shocks, battery, wiper, bulbs, and any other issues that can pop up. I would not be tempted if there is no history at all, as can be expensive to look after if needing a lot of TLC - otherwise if main bits are done, quite cheap to keep on top of. Having a lot of owners is also something I would be suspicious about.

If there is some history, just check the main things, smooth clutch action, all electrics work, no black smoke on start up, sunroof works if it has one, no signs of leaking etc.

Good luck and keep us posted
 
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Firstly I hope your not spending more than £3250 for this car including road tax and warranty? It's a buyers market so you can haggle and shop around - make sure you get a good one!
The number of owners is high, it would put some people off when you come to sell it on. It can mean the car has had problems and people have got rid of it each time. The dealer may say the car has full service history but you should check the date and mileage of them all - maybe the car has been neglected? Really the car should have been serviced every 10k miles / 12 months so in an ideal world I would want to see 9 service stamps.
I would check the cambelt has been changed recently and I would want to see a receipt to back it up - otherwise your looking at @ £300 to have it changed - it needs to be changed every 4 years. Check the power steering works as it should - it should given even resistance not changing between soft and hard. Can be difficult to fix. Might also want to check that the lower boot compartment is dry (lift up the flap to see where the battery is kept) as to fix a leak there is a pain. Lastly see if the ARB has been changed - make sure there are no knocks, dull thuds or rattles from the front when going over poor road surfaces.
 
Hi prettyp, welcome to the A2oc
I'd agree with your boyfriend's opinion unless you can have it inspected by someone who knows their way around A2's and can also give it a diagnostic scan.
You could try sending a PM to club member Sarge to see if he lives anywhere near the dealer and has the time to take a look for you - http://www.a2oc.net/forum/member.php?u=4229

Cheers Spike
 
Wow guys, thanks for the very informative answers!
The asking price on this one is £2995 an was hoping to knock him down some more... I'm practically itching for an A2 but I'm trying to keep myself grounded by being realistic. I don't want to lose any love for the A2 by buying the wrong one. I'm going down tomorrow with a friend who knows a bit about cars (though not specifically A2's) I shall keep you all posted...

Big thanks! P x
 
The number of owners can put people off and should be reflected in the price. But my general view is to buy on condition and not worry too much about the number of owners. It's too hard to second guess why people buy/sell cars.
 
hi having many owners can sometimes be explained--my car for example i am the fourth registered keeper BUT infact only the second.how? well my car was a pre registered audi-then bought as a motorbility car(registered to the scheme) by the person i bought it from-he then bought it after the motorbility term finshed-then i got it so hence it shows 4 registered keepers.
 
True, my golf shows as 4 previous owners but it was pre-registered by motor-point then the first owner changed it to his wifes name as soon as it was in his (so it had 3 owners before it was a fortnight old).
I would like to think the A2 is one of those cool cars people want but then sell on when they need something bigger, more powerful or with a smoother ride. In some ways my old Lupo GTI was the same - lots of owners but at least 4 were enthusiasts.
 
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