Evening everybody,
Just joined up to the forum after spending many weeks reading through everything to swot up on the car that will be parked outside by the end of the week when I pick it up after agreeing the sale!
It's an 02 plate 1.4 petrol in "light sky blue" (sorry, don't know the name of the real colour), 64K, SE spec, fully stamped dealer history with belts done which checks out, and looks and drives very well after three visits to run the rule over it armed with plenty of info from here. No leather/BOSE/sky but hey ho, still happy.
My path to A2 ownership is mainly down to the missus - we've got our first new arrival on the way, all things being well, and needed a car for her to have as a runaround to get around London. I get access to cars through work but can't guarantee what they're going to be day to day, so we needed something practical day to day. After taking Mrs Stanley to see C Maxes / V40s / Merivas etc which she found "depressing" I mooted an A2, checked out a few, checked the massive buggy etc can fit in the back (which it all can once you remove the floor, which is impressive given the size of the bloody thing), and it was the only one she wanted.
Very happy to have bought a car that's got some soul/history/community about it for a cheap(ish) runaround, and thanks for being such a great place to learn about it.
Would very much welcome some advice on a couple of things as I'm picking it up on Friday.
1) I'm a fan of keeping temperamental cars running by taking care of them before they go pop, the car to go for this was a 2000 Clio mk1 172 which I kept clean for 10 years and sold on to a lad from Leicester on the promise he'd do the same. But I'm no mechanic outside things like headlight bulbs so always try and entrust cars to good local independents (the Clio always went to Mike at Rentech in Portsmouth, if anyone's going to buy a rapid little French rocket he comes highly recommended!). Can anyone recommend somewhere near NW London for the A2? Russell Automotive Centre in Kingsbury looks highly rated and is near me, and it sounds like A2 in MK is popular (don't mind travelling for the right place). Keen to get the car a proper going over and service once I've got hold of it (apologies to the mods if this isn't the done thing, I know some forums don't allow it, if so ignore this bit).
2) I'd like to put a roof box on as well. OEM bars look few and far between, are the Thule ones any good? I can get a good deal on Thule gear but want the best fit if possible and want it to be safe as it's a tall/light car...
I can tell I've got the A2 bug already
Just joined up to the forum after spending many weeks reading through everything to swot up on the car that will be parked outside by the end of the week when I pick it up after agreeing the sale!
It's an 02 plate 1.4 petrol in "light sky blue" (sorry, don't know the name of the real colour), 64K, SE spec, fully stamped dealer history with belts done which checks out, and looks and drives very well after three visits to run the rule over it armed with plenty of info from here. No leather/BOSE/sky but hey ho, still happy.
My path to A2 ownership is mainly down to the missus - we've got our first new arrival on the way, all things being well, and needed a car for her to have as a runaround to get around London. I get access to cars through work but can't guarantee what they're going to be day to day, so we needed something practical day to day. After taking Mrs Stanley to see C Maxes / V40s / Merivas etc which she found "depressing" I mooted an A2, checked out a few, checked the massive buggy etc can fit in the back (which it all can once you remove the floor, which is impressive given the size of the bloody thing), and it was the only one she wanted.
Very happy to have bought a car that's got some soul/history/community about it for a cheap(ish) runaround, and thanks for being such a great place to learn about it.
Would very much welcome some advice on a couple of things as I'm picking it up on Friday.
1) I'm a fan of keeping temperamental cars running by taking care of them before they go pop, the car to go for this was a 2000 Clio mk1 172 which I kept clean for 10 years and sold on to a lad from Leicester on the promise he'd do the same. But I'm no mechanic outside things like headlight bulbs so always try and entrust cars to good local independents (the Clio always went to Mike at Rentech in Portsmouth, if anyone's going to buy a rapid little French rocket he comes highly recommended!). Can anyone recommend somewhere near NW London for the A2? Russell Automotive Centre in Kingsbury looks highly rated and is near me, and it sounds like A2 in MK is popular (don't mind travelling for the right place). Keen to get the car a proper going over and service once I've got hold of it (apologies to the mods if this isn't the done thing, I know some forums don't allow it, if so ignore this bit).
2) I'd like to put a roof box on as well. OEM bars look few and far between, are the Thule ones any good? I can get a good deal on Thule gear but want the best fit if possible and want it to be safe as it's a tall/light car...
I can tell I've got the A2 bug already
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