Dipping my toe in the water

Malcyb

Member
Hi all,
Just joined the forum today, great to see such an active community for these cars. After having only bought new or nearly new cars all my life, and recently shelled out a lot of money on a campervan as a retirement present to ourselves, I’m contemplating trading in our 2018 fiesta for an A2 as a money saving venture; my dad had a TDI 90ps colour storm when they were still current and I thought it was brilliant. The slight concern I have about buying a 15+ year old car is that I definitely wouldn’t call myself an expert in the field of car maintenance, though I’m prepared to learn on the job; would this be a big drawback for me? With this in mind it sounds like the FSi would be a non-stater for me, and I’d be looking for the best condition one I could possibly find. One thing that would help with the maintenance side of things would be to find a local specialist garage, does anyone have any recommendations in Surrey?
 
Welcome along

The TDI's and 1.4 petrol should not give any headaches to your run of the mill fitter, and even the FSI should be well within the realms of any competent mechanic.

For minimum headaches got for a well maintained TDI or 1.4, but most will at least need a little bit of work by now to get them in top condition.
 
Welcome. It’s a great forum. I’m pretty new to here myself, but haven’t regretted either getting the A2, or joining here. Well worth paying the £2 to access the marketplace.

Maybe worth posting a wanted ad there, giving your rough budget and what you are looking for in terms of mileage, spec etc.

I also went backwards in age, though not as drastically as you are proposing. Had a 2010 Panda from new, and sold it to finance an ‘04 A2 TDI. If outright reliability and ease of maintenance is your priority then the 1.4 petrol or 75 bhp diesel are probably the most commonly recommended. A well sorted FSIs or TDI90s can be great too, just seems to be the general consensus that the others require slightly less fettling.
 
Welcome. It’s a great forum. I’m pretty new to here myself, but haven’t regretted either getting the A2, or joining here. Well worth paying the £2 to access the marketplace.

Maybe worth posting a wanted ad there, giving your rough budget and what you are looking for in terms of mileage, spec etc.

I also went backwards in age, though not as drastically as you are proposing. Had a 2010 Panda from new, and sold it to finance an ‘04 A2 TDI. If outright reliability and ease of maintenance is your priority then the 1.4 petrol or 75 bhp diesel are probably the most commonly recommended. A well sorted FSIs or TDI90s can be great too, just seems to be the general consensus that the others require slightly less fettling.

thanks, I just signed up to the marketplace. TBH I think I’d really prefer the 90ps, I remember driving it and being really impressed by the performance. I read on the 75 vs 90ps thread that the latter has a longer top gear, what is the actual difference in revs at 70? I need to do more homework on what spec I want before posting a wanted ad - needs to be a high spec but need to figure out my priorities and I’m in no rush.
 
Welcome. There are lots of comparisons between the models on this forum, but not always easy to find. May I suggest Googling using A2oc.net as a prefix to what you're looking for, it works quite well.
As for seeking a high spec low miler, don't worry too much about spec. Apart from Open Sky Sunroof and Aircon, other features can be upgraded.
Take your time to find the right car, and keep an eye on the Spotted or Marketplace Cars sections.

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk
 
Welcome. There are lots of comparisons between the models on this forum, but not always easy to find. May I suggest Googling using A2oc.net as a prefix to what you're looking for, it works quite well.
As for seeking a high spec low miler, don't worry too much about spec. Apart from Open Sky Sunroof and Aircon, other features can be upgraded.
Take your time to find the right car, and keep an eye on the Spotted or Marketplace Cars sections.

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk

thanks for the tips... you say low miler, however I‘d gathered that mileage was a secondary consideration for the A2, and really condition and history were the main things?
 
I have driven the fiesta st line 2016 for about 1 month( hire car ) and it has an amazing chassis going for it.

But the A2 also has a great chassis along with oodles of character too.
Everything is clever on it and is up there with 2015 cars.

My Mrs brought me an
2016 Vw Polo R line which is annoying car and fills me with zero
excitement.

I know I sound ungrateful but I miss my A2 sooo bad.

I couldn’t wait to jump into the A2 for a drive ... and the Polo ... nah it can wait!

I had an SE Tdi75 and now I want a sport TdI 90 with a remap.
 
I do like our Fiesta, though it might be sacrilegious to say so here, the handling is excellent and the 3 cylinder ecoboost engine has lots of character, but we could do with saving some money, and having mulled over what older cars would fit the bill, there seems to be little competition. I’ve thought about the W169 Merc A-class, solely because it’s a slightly newer car than the A2, but there seems to be very little online from current owners which tells its own story perhaps.
 
thanks for the tips... you say low miler, however I‘d gathered that mileage was a secondary consideration for the A2, and really condition and history were the main things?
Sorry, wires crossed, I thought you wanted a low mile high spec car. Both mine are on over 120k. Look at the MOT records, they are a good indicator of whether the car has been looked after.

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk
 
Sorry, wires crossed, I thought you wanted a low mile high spec car. Both mine are on over 120k. Look at the MOT records, they are a good indicator of whether the car has been looked after.

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk

Good tip. For sure I set out with low mileage high spec in mind, and both would still be an advantage, but seeing the replies here is opening my eyes to being a bit more flexible. I definitely want maximum peace of mind, and this would be one good way of finding out the history.
 
I do like our Fiesta, though it might be sacrilegious to say so here, the handling is excellent and the 3 cylinder ecoboost engine has lots of character, but we could do with saving some money, and having mulled over what older cars would fit the bill, there seems to be little competition. I’ve thought about the W169 Merc A-class, solely because it’s a slightly newer car than the A2, but there seems to be very little online from current owners which tells its own story perhaps.
I have a weak VW Polo owners club & this A2 has to be one of the best out there because it is an amazing car.

If something needs doing you will get advice all the way. I knew more about the car through this forum than any of my mechanics knew.

I think you are wise to find a merchanic in your area that knows there way around an A2.

if I brought another Diesel I would change the intercooler and Map sensor straight away to eliminate any future over boost problems also change the thermostat .
Depending on the ride I would do the suspension but other than that I would wait till the problem arose.
 
I do like our Fiesta, though it might be sacrilegious to say so here, the handling is excellent and the 3 cylinder ecoboost engine has lots of character, but we could do with saving some money, and having mulled over what older cars would fit the bill, there seems to be little competition. I’ve thought about the W169 Merc A-class, solely because it’s a slightly newer car than the A2, but there seems to be very little online from current owners which tells its own story perhaps.
My bro has an petrol A class and not much has gone wrong with it but it is very slow and the way you sit in the interior is horrible.
 
I do like our Fiesta, though it might be sacrilegious to say so here, the handling is excellent and the 3 cylinder ecoboost engine has lots of character, but we could do with saving some money, and having mulled over what older cars would fit the bill, there seems to be little competition. I’ve thought about the W169 Merc A-class, solely because it’s a slightly newer car than the A2, but there seems to be very little online from current owners which tells its own story perhaps.
The EcoBoost is a great engine but your get more boost/thrust felling from a remapped A2TdI but the gears are a bit shorter.
 
a remapped TDI75 is a less troublesome and rather quick car compared to the TDI90, there is no VVT turbo or dual mass flywheel to worry about, and no disk brakes on the rear to sieze up. Gearing is a little short in 5th, but there is the long 5th gear option which is a retro fit without removing the gearbox which drops the 70mph motorway cruising reves from 2800 to 2350 with a noticeable drop in cabin noise

cheers,
Paul
 
90 colour storm for sale... See marketplace csi90

Tempted, however seeing as this my first venture into buying an older car, I think I’ll look for one with a slightly lower mileage. I’m prepared to wait.

However, what really intrigues me about this is that I think this might have originally been my dad’s car. I remember he went to great lengths to get a silver colour storm (and it was definitely a 90ps) and it was very hard to get hold of. As you say, they’re very rare. WD reg is Exeter which is the right part of the country. You may not want to answer of course, but would you be able to tell me who the 1st keeper on the V5 is?
 
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a remapped TDI75 is a less troublesome and rather quick car compared to the TDI90, there is no VVT turbo or dual mass flywheel to worry about, and no disk brakes on the rear to sieze up. Gearing is a little short in 5th, but there is the long 5th gear option which is a retro fit without removing the gearbox which drops the 70mph motorway cruising reves from 2800 to 2350 with a noticeable drop in cabin noise

cheers,
Paul

intriguing. 2800 rpm is definitely a bit high, does 2350 make it equivalent to the 90ps? Can you please point me at more information about what’s involved (cost/complexity) in this retro fit? I discovered the cost of stealth racing’s remap so that’s a cost I can factor in.
 
I have just bought a low mileage (65k) 75 tdi. I paid I think a high price for it but its well looked after. I used to drive a tdi90 back in 2005 which i remember as nippy. This one is supposed to be unchipped or tuned and as standard as the day it left the factory, but it's very handy. Maybe because I have been driving a 2.4 hilux a fair bit it feels quicker than it is. I do however drive my wifes Disco sport and it will have no problem keep that in check.
I do drive it with the seats out to save weight. :) and because its useful for carrying kit for my other interests.
At 70 on the motorway its comfortable.
I like you shared the same concerns about buying old as i have zero mechanical skills. The guys on here have already been helpful.
 
a remapped TDI75 is a less troublesome and rather quick car compared to the TDI90, there is no VVT turbo or dual mass flywheel to worry about, and no disk brakes on the rear to sieze up. Gearing is a little short in 5th, but there is the long 5th gear option which is a retro fit without removing the gearbox which drops the 70mph motorway cruising reves from 2800 to 2350 with a noticeable drop in cabin noise

cheers,
Paul

I should have said, while there seem to be some good reasons here to favour a remapped and regeared 75 over a standard 90 (less to go wrong certainly works for me), the 90 doesn’t offer any other benefits such as better refinement does it, once different gearing is taken out of the equation? If noise were the only consideration then I’d be looking at one of the petrol units, but I really want the performance and torque.
 
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