A2 A Future Classic?

A

Adrenaline

Member
I keep reading in some magazines that it is most likely a future classic

its rare enough only 19,000 have been sold in the 5 years it was on sale
thats how many Ford Fiestas they sell in like 3 months.

Im gonna get married soon and the family will be growing but i dont want to part with my A2....its a great car...individual, classy even though in some ways it is flawed.

im thinking even if i do buy a second car im still not willing to sell my A2
 
Hi Guys,

I am interested to hear that you rate 19,000 in 5 Years as "rare". Our family car is an Audi 200 Turbo quattro Avant from 1989 (1B engine code). The best figures I have suggest that 25 were imported in three years.

I have copies of the contemporary brochures and price lists, so I know that my car with the chosen options cost around £33,000........ in 1989. I did not buy it new! There are good reasons for Audis being seen more commonly than they used to be!

ScotAlan
 
Perhaps the number of 1.2 TDIs imported into the UK is a similar figure to that too?
 
If Audis parts situation is anything to go by they are a classic now, I have mates who have MGBGT's who can get parts quicker!
 
It may become a classic in the same way an NSU Ro80 or whatever they are called is - ie hugely expensive to repair and impossible to find bits for, but without any real value beyond curiosity. Just enjoy it for what it is and don't expect it to last more than 10 years. Its only a bleeding car.
 
Yes - if not a classic it will be a curiosity. And yes, it is only a car - but so were the Beetle / Mk 1 Golf GTI etc and they have achieved 'classic status'.

At the moment there are still a fair number of A2's covered by Audi new and used car warranties and no doubt that is cushioning some owners against the (sometimes high) cost of maintenance and repair.

The true test of owners enthusiasm for the A2 will come when all those warranties expire; dealers reduce their interest in the model from 'minimal' to 'zero'; used values fall and the cost of repairs will scare many people away from ownership.

Audi will be happy to see the A2 disappear as a footnote in the history books. For them it was a rare commercial and financial failure.

The A2 probably needs more parts and service 'specialists' to emerge in the next couple of years.

In 2010 you won't be taking your £2000 A2 with non-functioning OpenSky to an Audi dealer to pay £200 for a diagnosis of a £2000 fix. You would take it to a specialist who knows what to lubricate and actually fixes it for £200!


Mike
 
I don't think it will be a classic as in the Mk 1 Golf GTi (great to drive, well built and cool to look at) or the Beetle (completely different to everything else on the road) as I don't think the A2 is better than everything else, or different enough to everything else. The A2 is a good car, a bit different, nice to own, but not good enough to be a classic. My old BMW (E30 M3) is almost 20 years old but still drives better and looks more interesting than most so-called new sports cars - and thats what makes a classic. All IMHO of course.
 
For a car to become a classic it has to be around along time and judging by all the problems the A2 is having it just wont last long enough unless some one is prepared to back the car with spare parts etc.
 
ULP said:
One mans classic is another mans junk.

You see, to me the VW Beetle is an ill-handling ass-engined Nazi-wagon. I don't like them, get them, understand them. Likewise the 911.

E-Type Jag? Yuk, and they could never do 150mph.

Also, anything that's British and has no roof is not my cup of tea either but some people like their MG's...

To me, true classics are cars like the 2CV, Pug 205GTI, Citroen DS (not actually a classic as it's more futuristic than most stuff still produced today), Fiat 500, Honda Civic VTI (oh yes, baby) NSU Ro80 etc., stuff that is truly unique and ahead of its game.

The A2 is a classic, to me, because it represents a level of detail, imagination and ability the extends beyond the contemporary of the time. I have never been in another small car that feels so damned good (well, my old 205 excepted). The only thing that might scupper this is today's throw-away society combined with dodgy ageing electrics.
Click to expand...

Agreed: it is a Classic!!!
 
To be a future classic, the A2 has to meet a few criteria:

Great and/or Unique Design - It can be argued that with its smart lines, tardis like interior and low emissions, the A2 is a great design. However it is not particularly unique, like the Lambo Countach for example, which could let it down. 5/10

Rarity - As ScotAlan said, some 19,000 A2's are around and this does not help it become a rarity (and much sought after). 2/10

Longevity - For a car to become a classic, it also needs to have some longevity where it either lasts or someone is prepared to pay to keep the car on the road. That design classic the Austin Allegro ;) is a good example of a car with no longevity. The aluminium body of the A2 will be one of its strengths. 8/10

A Following - Something that I partly touched upon in Rarity is that there needs to be a demand for the car or 'a following' to help the car become a classic. A2 clubs such as this website all help create a following but the A2 is not adorning many school boy's bedroom walls... 5/10

So all in all I believe that the A2 is not likely to be a classic but I would suggest that second hand values are likely to hold quite well over the next few years as car tax changes & high fuel prices start to hit home and people look for lower CO2 motoring that can also carry the family. :)
 
It would be nice to think you are right about second hand values holding up well - but there is maybe a touch of wishful thinking in that.

Read a post a couple of days ago about someone with dodgy central locking on one door - took it to the dealer who suggested a £1000 fix changing the electronic actuators in all 4 doors.

I fear that in the next few years this might be the kind of issue that drives the A2's into bargain basement territory.

They might still become 'classics' in the eyes of enthusiastic owners - but the 'trade' is likely to avoid them like the plague!
 
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