I just wanted to say 'hi' to all of you, after eventually taking the time to 'register' tonight.
I discovered this excellent forum a couple of weeks ago after purchasing my own A2 on the 5th October this year. I am currently working my way through the previous topics and I am learning more about the car each time I log on. [Just goes to prove how well informed you guys and girls are!!]. My only regret is not finding this site before purchasing my vehicle, as I think that I would have looked to buy an A2 with a few more goodies attached [i.e. DIS].
Prior to the A2, I have been a Vauxhall man all my life [no sniggering please], owning seven in total including a Calibra 2.0 16v and lastly my 'px' an '02' Astra SRI 2.2 16v with 'irmsher' body kit and cruise control. [My 'old man' worked for Vauxhall for over twenty five years and as a result I was able to obtain a good discount on all models].
So why did I get rid of the Astra and change manufacturer??
My wife and I are hoping to start a family in the very near future and the three door Astra was not a practical family car. [Nor was my wife's two door corsa, which we have px'ed for a Meriva [yes I know it's still a vauxhall, but it is huge in terms of storage and makes an ideal car to take on 'holiday'], but that is another story].
I love driving and cars in general, and I wanted to buy a replacement vehicle that not only looked great, but was also practical, economical, a scream to drive and was durable. [Hope I am right in thinking that the 'alu' will last a lot longer than the steel if the car is looked after; as I plan on still owning this car when the kids leave home. [Baring in mind that we don't yet have any, you can see that I intend to be the owner for some years to come!!]].
I must admit that I was initially sceptical about down sizing from a 2.2 16v [all alloy] petrol engine to a 1.4 three cylinder, but as soon as I test drove the A2 TDI, I knew that this was the car for me. [Incidentally, despite being a Vauxhall man, once I had made the decision to trade in the Astra, the A2 TDI was my first and last choice]. I was stunned by the performance of the little diesel during my test drive and despite the skinny tyres [I only have the 15' 175 wheels], I thought that the car handled really well. In fact I was so impressed that I bought the car there and then.
Having owned the vehicle for over a month now, I can honestly say that I don't regret giving the Astra the boot one bit. Although the A2 does lacks a great deal in terms of power compared to the Astra, it more than makes up for this in terms of real time drivability. The torque, turbo [only have the 75bhp model, which I find more than adequate], gearing and handling, bring a smile to my face every time a drive the car. The build quality is excellent and although you do pay a premium price for such a small car, you do get the feeling that you are driving something special, as I am sure that you will all agree. [I know it's sad, but I now find that I am making every excuse possible to go out and drive the car. My wife doesn't drink and has always been happy to chauffer me about whilst I have 1 or 10, but the other night [a mates 50th], I found myself drinking coke just so that I could drive the A2 some more].
As previously mentioned, I have been reviewing the 'threads' that where posted as far back as 2002. I have noticed that some of the common faults with this car are still present in the latest vehicles, but over-all I think that progress has been made in many areas.
So far my car is running great. I have a slight tapping noise from around the centre of the dashboard [sounds like the wiring behind the climate control is loose and knocking against the radio or the 'CC' unit itself], but this is a minor niggle and given some of the dealer horror stories of trim removal posted on this forum, I would rather live with this 'slight' noise than have the innards of the car disturbed.
To conclude [at last, I can hear that sigh of relief from here], the A2 is the best car that I have owned and I have no regrets what-so-ever in my purchase. The dealer was honest enough to tell me that Audi has now stopped production, but I didn't care, the thought of owning this 'alu' classic was the only incentive I needed to proceed with buying the car.
A2 TDI SE
Akoya Silver
Climate Control
Sideguard Air Bags
Tracker
'05' plate - paid £11500 [ex dealer demo, 6900 on the clock. I haggled a bit and thought that this was a reasonable price, hope you agree??].
PS,
Is the screen wash top up tank meant to have a cap fitted?? [Mine has a mesh cap, but the screen wash can still spill out if overfilled. Am I missing one??].
I discovered this excellent forum a couple of weeks ago after purchasing my own A2 on the 5th October this year. I am currently working my way through the previous topics and I am learning more about the car each time I log on. [Just goes to prove how well informed you guys and girls are!!]. My only regret is not finding this site before purchasing my vehicle, as I think that I would have looked to buy an A2 with a few more goodies attached [i.e. DIS].
Prior to the A2, I have been a Vauxhall man all my life [no sniggering please], owning seven in total including a Calibra 2.0 16v and lastly my 'px' an '02' Astra SRI 2.2 16v with 'irmsher' body kit and cruise control. [My 'old man' worked for Vauxhall for over twenty five years and as a result I was able to obtain a good discount on all models].
So why did I get rid of the Astra and change manufacturer??
My wife and I are hoping to start a family in the very near future and the three door Astra was not a practical family car. [Nor was my wife's two door corsa, which we have px'ed for a Meriva [yes I know it's still a vauxhall, but it is huge in terms of storage and makes an ideal car to take on 'holiday'], but that is another story].
I love driving and cars in general, and I wanted to buy a replacement vehicle that not only looked great, but was also practical, economical, a scream to drive and was durable. [Hope I am right in thinking that the 'alu' will last a lot longer than the steel if the car is looked after; as I plan on still owning this car when the kids leave home. [Baring in mind that we don't yet have any, you can see that I intend to be the owner for some years to come!!]].
I must admit that I was initially sceptical about down sizing from a 2.2 16v [all alloy] petrol engine to a 1.4 three cylinder, but as soon as I test drove the A2 TDI, I knew that this was the car for me. [Incidentally, despite being a Vauxhall man, once I had made the decision to trade in the Astra, the A2 TDI was my first and last choice]. I was stunned by the performance of the little diesel during my test drive and despite the skinny tyres [I only have the 15' 175 wheels], I thought that the car handled really well. In fact I was so impressed that I bought the car there and then.
Having owned the vehicle for over a month now, I can honestly say that I don't regret giving the Astra the boot one bit. Although the A2 does lacks a great deal in terms of power compared to the Astra, it more than makes up for this in terms of real time drivability. The torque, turbo [only have the 75bhp model, which I find more than adequate], gearing and handling, bring a smile to my face every time a drive the car. The build quality is excellent and although you do pay a premium price for such a small car, you do get the feeling that you are driving something special, as I am sure that you will all agree. [I know it's sad, but I now find that I am making every excuse possible to go out and drive the car. My wife doesn't drink and has always been happy to chauffer me about whilst I have 1 or 10, but the other night [a mates 50th], I found myself drinking coke just so that I could drive the A2 some more].
As previously mentioned, I have been reviewing the 'threads' that where posted as far back as 2002. I have noticed that some of the common faults with this car are still present in the latest vehicles, but over-all I think that progress has been made in many areas.
So far my car is running great. I have a slight tapping noise from around the centre of the dashboard [sounds like the wiring behind the climate control is loose and knocking against the radio or the 'CC' unit itself], but this is a minor niggle and given some of the dealer horror stories of trim removal posted on this forum, I would rather live with this 'slight' noise than have the innards of the car disturbed.
To conclude [at last, I can hear that sigh of relief from here], the A2 is the best car that I have owned and I have no regrets what-so-ever in my purchase. The dealer was honest enough to tell me that Audi has now stopped production, but I didn't care, the thought of owning this 'alu' classic was the only incentive I needed to proceed with buying the car.
A2 TDI SE
Akoya Silver
Climate Control
Sideguard Air Bags
Tracker
'05' plate - paid £11500 [ex dealer demo, 6900 on the clock. I haggled a bit and thought that this was a reasonable price, hope you agree??].
PS,
Is the screen wash top up tank meant to have a cap fitted?? [Mine has a mesh cap, but the screen wash can still spill out if overfilled. Am I missing one??].
