Advice on buying my first A2

Oli937

Oli937

Member
Hi, I've been to see a 1.4 petrol in Bradford today and I'm hoping that you will be able to advise me on some of the things I found.
  • Just after it was started it made a loud high pitched noise, presumably from the starter.
  • When on the motorway at 70 there was a wobble through the steering wheel, it has an advisory for a distorted wheel?
  • When I got back to the dealer there was a very slight low pitched whine from the the steering when it was near full lock
The body work and interior was very clean, it had a good service history and everything worked on it.
Oliver

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Not a petrol fan myself but

1.Yes its the starter sticking engaged for a moment no real detriment but annoying and removal and cleaning out or replacing the required antidote

2. Sounds like wheels need balancing

3. Could be alternator clutch pulley or top mount sticking but hard to know without hearing it.
 
Oli937 said:
Hi, I've been to see a 1.4 petrol in Bradford today and I'm hoping that you will be able to advise me on some of the things I found.
Click to expand...

1. That's a nice looking car in an attractive colour. The price looks reasonable.

2. The car is over 20 years old now and you'd expect a few niggles. There's nothing major in the list you've given us.

3. You'll need to get that wheel sorted. Providing they've still got decent tread depth, those Cont tyres are top-notch and very reliable..

4. The starter whine is pretty much standard, and adjusting your starting technique can avoid it. If it irritates you, you can get the starter serviced to eliminate it.

5. With the power steering, a bit of pump noise near the limit is not unexpected with the A2.

If I was still looking for an A2, I'd certainly be tempted by the one you went to see. THe biggest downside for me would be the aftermarket stereo, I'd definitely need to be refitting an original head unit.
 
There isn't any forum cars that fit what looking for and aren't too far away.
Thanks everyone for your help I will ring them back and either get some money off or get them to at least to sort the wheel out.
It comes with head unit.
 
I fairly recently bought a 1.4 petrol of the same age as this

Echo everything said, my starter squeals as well, common issue but not a show stopper by any means. Have a good look at the condition of the springs front and rear, likely to be very rusty, so will give you some leverage for a cheeky offer. I had the original Cassette Radio in mine but was able to buy a good condition CD Radio from a forum member.
Also review the service history looking specifically for cam belts and water pump having been changed.

Rgds

Justin
 
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Oli937 said:
There isn't any forum cars that fit what looking for and aren't too far away.
Thanks everyone for your help I will ring them back and either get some money off or get them to at least to sort the wheel out.
It comes with head unit.
Click to expand...
Colin may be looking to sell i could message him for you if anygood
 
Oli937 said:
There isn't any forum cars that fit what looking for and aren't too far away.
Thanks everyone for your help I will ring them back and either get some money off or get them to at least to sort the wheel out.
It comes with head unit.
Click to expand...

I've now gone through the MOT history for this car. I presume the poor rear springs that lay behind it's 2021 failure have been replaced but it's best to check (preferably by visual inspection if the seller has a lift). You will need to budget for a new pair of rear shock absorbers before your next MOT, and possibly sooner.

Unless the wheels have been swapped around, the wobble through the steering wheel at 70 mph is not related to the mild buckle of the offside rear wheel, but is most likely an out-of-balance wheel at the front, or maybe a loose wheel bolt.

I have owned my 1.4 A2 since 2016, which has virtually identical mileage to this. I have the car professionally maintained at a local independent VAG specialist and it has not been particularly expensive. In 2018 I replaced the entire exhaust with a custom one in stainless steel, in 2020 I needed to replace the front suspension, and last year the rear suspension. I get the work done when it's needed and I've not had an MOT failure under my ownership.

I don't know whether you are planning to maintain the car yourself or have the work done professionally. It certainly pays to find a good independent Audi specialist who is familiar with the A2 and is happy to keep it on the road unless you'll be doing the work yourself.

I'll close by saying again that the dealer's price seems quite fair given the mileage and the history. However, that car has not been maintained as thoroughly as one might wish over the last couple of years, so you may need to spend a bit on top of the purchase price if you want to get it back in first class order.
 
birtyA2 said:
I fairly recently bought a 1.4 petrol of the same age as this

Echo everything said, my starter squeals as well, common issue but not a show stopper by any means. Have a good look at the condition of the springs front and rear, likely to be very rusty, so will give you some leverage for a cheeky offer. I had the original Cassette Radio in mine but was able to buy a good condition CD Radio from a forum member.
Also review the service history looking specifically for cam belts and water pump having been changed.

Rgds

Justin
Click to expand...
Springs are new but shocks are quite rusty, cambelt and water pump was done 5 years ago but has only done 20000 miles since
 
Just throwing in my 2 penneth worth also!!

If you're considering this car because you really, really, really need a 5 seater, be aware that the centre rear has a lap belt only. If I needed one, I'd be looking at a later one that has the full 3 point inertia belt in the centre.

Also, the 5 seater has no split fold possibility, so is perhaps less flexible from a load carrying perspective. The one big rear seat is harder and heavier to remove than the two in the 4 seaters.

Pretty certain that you can't convert 5 seater to 4 or vice versa (though I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong there..)
 
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Oli937 said:
Hi, I've been to see a 1.4 petrol in Bradford today and I'm hoping that you will be able to advise me on some of the things I found.
  • Just after it was started it made a loud high pitched noise, presumably from the starter.
  • When on the motorway at 70 there was a wobble through the steering wheel, it has an advisory for a distorted wheel?
  • When I got back to the dealer there was a very slight low pitched whine from the the steering when it was near full lock
The body work and interior was very clean, it had a good service history and everything worked on it.
Oliver

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!
www.autotrader.co.uk www.autotrader.co.uk
Click to expand...
i might be selling my 1.6 petrol FSI storm to be honest ? if your interested
kind regards
john
 
steve_c said:
I've now gone through the MOT history for this car. I presume the poor rear springs that lay behind it's 2021 failure have been replaced but it's best to check (preferably by visual inspection if the seller has a lift). You will need to budget for a new pair of rear shock absorbers before your next MOT, and possibly sooner.

Unless the wheels have been swapped around, the wobble through the steering wheel at 70 mph is not related to the mild buckle of the offside rear wheel, but is most likely an out-of-balance wheel at the front, or maybe a loose wheel bolt.

I have owned my 1.4 A2 since 2016, which has virtually identical mileage to this. I have the car professionally maintained at a local independent VAG specialist and it has not been particularly expensive. In 2018 I replaced the entire exhaust with a custom one in stainless steel, in 2020 I needed to replace the front suspension, and last year the rear suspension. I get the work done when it's needed and I've not had an MOT failure under my ownership.

I don't know whether you are planning to maintain the car yourself or have the work done professionally. It certainly pays to find a good independent Audi specialist who is familiar with the A2 and is happy to keep it on the road unless you'll be doing the work yourself.

I'll close by saying again that the dealer's price seems quite fair given the mileage and the history. However, that car has not been maintained as thoroughly as one might wish over the last couple of years, so you may need to spend a bit on top of the purchase price if you want to get it back in first class order.
Click to expand...
I've found a specialist in Stockport called Audi doctor, there's not a lot about them on here but they've got good reviews.
They will MOT it when i agree to buying and I'll get them to sort them if they don't make it fail.
A2Dreamer said:
Just throwing in my 2 penneth worth also!!

If you're considering this car because you really, really, really need a 5 seater, be aware that the centre rear has a lap belt only. If I needed one, I'd be looking at a later one that has the full 3 point inertia belt in the centre.

Also, the 5 seater has no split fold possibility, so is perhaps less flexible from a load carrying perspective. The one big rear seat is harder and heavier to remove than the two in the 4 seaters.

Pretty certain that you can't convert 5 seater to 4 or vice versa (though I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong there..)
Click to expand...
Didn't know that about the the 5 seater, it's not a deal breaker and I'm not after a 5 seater specifically
steve_c said:
If you're looking for other options, can I mention that there's a well-known FSI from the 'East Midlands' that appeared in the market here earlier today for £2000. That may be an alternative worth considering.
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That's tempting but I'm only 19, even the 1.4 is adding nearly £200 on my insurance and I'm not sure that I want to be running something that I can only run on premium
 
Just a tiny word to the caution. If the cambelt is 5 years and has done "only" 20000 miles since fitting, it needs changing NOW. That's at least £500.00 of anybodies hard earned.

Don't much like the sound of the rusty shockers with new springs, not that enthusiastic about the buckled wheel. You would be better off buying from someone on here IMO.

Car looks nice though, rare colour and low mileage. The cambelt and water pump are essential, however. A fairly hefty reduction in price would be a good idea, the job needs to be done by a proper Audi A2 specialist. NOT Fred in his shed!


Best of luck.
 
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Howey said:
Not a petrol fan myself but

1.Yes its the starter sticking engaged for a moment no real detriment but annoying and removal and cleaning out or replacing the required antidote

2. Sounds like wheels need balancing

3. Could be alternator clutch pulley or top mount sticking but hard to know without hearing it.
Click to expand...
My previous A2 1.4 SE petrol has done this since 2003, when I bought it.

It still does it, now my dad owns it. It's part of the car's character. I'd miss it. I couldn't tell you if I ever had the starter motor replaced but I hope that this X registered example will continue to run as sweetly as it did on the drive up to and back from Leighton Buzzard when we attended @timmus workshop at @Proghound Towers.

To the OP: Good luck with your purchase and remember, unless it's been owned by a fastidious person there are likely to be plenty of bits that will need to be replaced over the coming years.

Edit: Buying from a forum member is a recommended way forward now, as these folks are far more likely to know the things that still need to be done with their vehicles.
 
I've rang WOM and after the quote they gave me for the timing belt, oil service and shocks (which after ringing some other nearer audi specialists was very reasonable) I've decided against it.
 
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