Potential new owner. Am I mad?

T

Thom

New Member
Hi All,

I'm looking for a new economical commuter car for a daily round trip of 200 miles and I've always loved the A2. After trawling the extremely useful information on here, I've got a prospective car on hold for me.

Here's the details:

1.4 Tdi 75 SE, Pine Green, 190,000 miles, Open Sky (not currently working), Cruise control, 5 Seat option, A/C.

Unfortunately it has no history but it does have a long MOT.

Am I mad for considering this car for commuting 30-40,000 miles a year in? I see some cars have incredible mileages but obviously I don't know the history of this one.

I'm only averaging 40mpg ish in my current car and the "man maths" has convinced me that hypermiling this A2 would pay itself off in diesel savings alone if I can get 60mpg plus out of it.

Ideally I would also like to have DIS fitted and the Open Sky fixed and would need to factor in these costs, alongside a crunchy 3rd gear (which I'm hoping needs a fluid change and adjustment only). Currently based in Lincolnshire but work in Stoke/Cambridge and would welcome recommendations/help!

Thanks again all for the wealth of information available!

Any thoughts/advice?

Thom
 
Thom said:
Hi All,

I'm looking for a new economical commuter car for a daily round trip of 200 miles and I've always loved the A2. After trawling the extremely useful information on here, I've got a prospective car on hold for me.

Here's the details:

1.4 Tdi 75 SE, Pine Green, 190,000 miles, Open Sky (not currently working), Cruise control, 5 Seat option, A/C.

Unfortunately it has no history but it does have a long MOT.

Am I mad for considering this car for commuting 30-40,000 miles a year in? I see some cars have incredible mileages but obviously I don't know the history of this one.

I'm only averaging 40mpg ish in my current car and the "man maths" has convinced me that hypermiling this A2 would pay itself off in petrol savings alone if I can get 60mpg plus out of it.

Ideally I would also like to have DIS fitted and the Open Sky fixed and would need to factor in these costs, alongside a crunchy 3rd gear (which I'm hoping needs a fluid change and adjustment only). Currently based in Lincolnshire but work in Stoke/Cambridge and would welcome recommendations/help!

Thanks again all for the wealth of information available!

Any thoughts/advice?

Thom
Click to expand...
My thoughts are that this is what the A2 was made to do! I do upwards of 30k per annum in my two (combined) and have done for several years now.

Not only are they seriously economical, they’re great fun to drive. This combined with the many upgrades (heated seats, cruise control, Full colour DIS, 6 speed gear box) available make them the obvious choice imo.

Also, if you’re regularly travelling in and around Stoke then you’re handy for WOM, one of the preeminent garages for all things A2. With your mileage in your part of the country and with a car that has a potentially dicky synchro on 3rd (common issue) this could well be a sensible 1st mod!
 
Thanks for such a speedy reply, music to my ears.

I definitely love the idea of a remap and the 6 Speed gear box mod. Keen to know whether the regular DIS upgrade or the Full Colour DIS is worth whatever the price difference is too. The current rev counter appears broken also as the needle only moves to about 2.5k revs. So I'm hoping changing the gauges/binnacle in the mod would solve this too (or maybe a sensor).

Thanks for the encouragement!
 
My main concerns with this mileage would be the state of the front wisbones and rear axles and bushes. 3rd gear is common ewq synchro problem see current thread. If the turbo and clutch sound ok and feel okay and exhaust is clean then not too much different to any other. I’d budget for gearbox though! It’s likely due a cam belt in next 12 months too...
 
if it was my money, i would pick up another with some history unless its club members car as i went to see four before i was happy parting with dosh. clocks are an issue as they will control your immobiliser , so its not a quick swap out,my car was off road due to the dash until saved by @2work if like me your doing it on the cheap id find a good one with the majority of bits you want , such as display and cast control arms . depends on what you want to spend in the long term .
 
Wondering if the clocks issue might be the crank or cam position sensor. Is the needle steady? Is the car hard to start?

On a TDI of that mileage you should also keep an ear out the chain and tensioners that drive the oil pump and balancer shaft. They are known to fail (and can lock the engine) anywhere from 120k upwards, depending on the frequency/quality of oil changes the car has had during its life. Equally, some have never been done in twice that mileage and on inspection, turn out not to really need doing. This is the next layer behind the cambelt so when changing that is the obvious time to have this done too. The whole job is bread and butter for WOM, another thorough recommendation from me :)
 
kraig22 said:
if it was my money, i would pick up another with some history unless its club members car as i went to see four before i was happy parting with dosh. clocks are an issue as they will control your immobiliser , so its not a quick swap out,my car was off road due to the dash until saved by @2work if like me your doing it on the cheap id find a good one with the majority of bits you want , such as display and cast control arms . depends on what you want to spend in the long term .
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@Thom this is the best advice - if you're planning that sort of mileage then you REALLY need to be choosy and go for a well-sorted example of the type that is only found in the hands of a true enthusiast who has sorted not just things as they go wrong, but has also taken the opportunity to do preventative maintenance and upgrades as well.

I bought my A2 instead of buying a 3 year old Skoda Fabia - it's my work car and I regularly have to do round trips in it from my home in Devon to destinations many miles away such as Oxford, Maidenhead, South London and Cambridge. I paid top money for mine and then spent that again just to get it to a point where I felt it could be relied upon almost as much as that 3 year old Fabia; plus had the upgrades I felt I needed for it to be safe as a work car in today's traffic such as a twin horn conversion, phone hands-free and wireless charging cradle, first class tyres etc.

I bought a TDi90 which has a couple of known additional wear points mechanically over the 75: a dual mass flywheel and variable vane turbo - however in my case the former had been replaced already and the latter wasn't really worn as it'd been treated well, no doubt because the car had been through the hands of two existing club members before it got to me who had pampered it..

The other member I'm aware of who bought their A2 to do high miles was @PaulA2 - again his was a TDI90 (I owned it as a 2nd A2 after him!) and I know he bought it as a slightly more neglected example (albeit when it was only 12/13 years old or so) and had to do a lot of work to get it up to scratch. He - like me and Erling - also decided to upgrade to a six speed, which really does make the car more practical for such long journeys. This all adds to the costs, but once done ownership is a joy - I really do look forward to these long journeys and love the fact that I'm driving a car I find interesting and am able to maintain myself instead of a modern replacement that cost more than twice as much and yet still returns 65-70mpg without trying too hard, costs £30 a year to tax and insurance is fairly modest. It cost me a hell of a lot of money to get here up-front, but my running costs are now low.

With your projected use, I think you need to think like this also - and that means spending £3.5 - 5k on a top-condition example that has been superbly and proactively maintained (mileage doesn't matter I don't think) and being prepared to spend at least another couple of grand on top thereafter to get it exactly as you want / need it to be in terms both condition and spec (more if you're not handy with spanners).

If you're not prepared to do this then honestly I would rethink your strategy, much as I'd love to tell you it's a great idea - it's not!
 
i got my one for £1600 but changed to the jdd box . on the amf . but im
cheap and fix it all myself , i would like a nice tidy one but the kids would kill it , my milage was 98 k when i got it with service history . since then now at 110k its had a starter , dash , drive shaft, pepper pots , as @dj_efk has said it all adds up. so aim to start with the best you can . ive seen a couple in the market place that look great for the money. if you do take the high milage one get its vag com scanned by one of the guys .
 
Thom said:
Hi All,

I'm looking for a new economical commuter car for a daily round trip of 200 miles and I've always loved the A2. After trawling the extremely useful information on here, I've got a prospective car on hold for me.

Here's the details:

1.4 Tdi 75 SE, Pine Green, 190,000 miles, Open Sky (not currently working), Cruise control, 5 Seat option, A/C.

Unfortunately it has no history but it does have a long MOT.

Am I mad for considering this car for commuting 30-40,000 miles a year in? I see some cars have incredible mileages but obviously I don't know the history of this one.

I'm only averaging 40mpg ish in my current car and the "man maths" has convinced me that hypermiling this A2 would pay itself off in diesel savings alone if I can get 60mpg plus out of it.

Ideally I would also like to have DIS fitted and the Open Sky fixed and would need to factor in these costs, alongside a crunchy 3rd gear (which I'm hoping needs a fluid change and adjustment only). Currently based in Lincolnshire but work in Stoke/Cambridge and would welcome recommendations/help!

Thanks again all for the wealth of information available!

Any thoughts/advice?

Thom
Click to expand...
I’ve had mine from 120,000 in 2015 & now sit at 299,970 travelling from Heckington to Cambridge every day usual wear & tear items as expected
 
Used to do around 32k per year in ours from new, now around 240,000.
Still have it, but as others have mentioned, you will need to budget for changing bushes/shocks/bearings blah blah. I find myself in this situation.

We are still on mostly original parts, clutch/exhaust/turbo/gearbox.
These cars are hardy... but... I'm currently replacing brakes/bearings etc and there is a fair amount of corroded bits/bolts that make a lot of simple jobs hard going. If you don't intend to do the jobs yourself, be aware it may be costing you to keep going to the mechanic.

Not trying to put you off, as there are no vehicles that offer what the A2 has.
There is loads of good info/people on here.

Good luck.👍
 
I would suggest going for a car with a decent service history and preferably without one of those wretched things above your head. (I freely admit bias) They are heavy, very expensive to fix and suck up funds better spent on essentials. Cambelts, waterpumps, chains, suspension, brakes just to mention a few.

Try and purchase something from on here, a much better chance of knowing what you're getting.
 
Hi All,

Huge, huge thanks for all your advice and the Pros and Cons. So useful getting advice from all sides.

To add a little more context, I forgot to mention that I also have three little ones so the 5 seat option is a must have, which obviously severely cuts my choices down. Also, although it makes zero sense with the reliability and weight, I have a thing for glass roofs in cars. I just love the extra light into the cabin and it makes a big difference for me when spending 4 hours a day in it.

My current car has eaten £1000 worth of tyres since August (granted its been 30,000 miles), plus £300 odd quid in brakes. In 5,000 miles it's due a major service of around £600 also. Achieving 60mpg would also save me nearly £200pm in fuel too.

With the A2 being a little over £1000, I'm tempted to try this one for now as it could pay itself off in a few months, providing nothing catastrophic occurred. I suppose there's also nothing stopping me upgrading to a nicer 5 seat example if it proved to be a 'dogs dinner' of a car and I got a taste for A2 ownership (which I feel I might do).

Granted there's a lot of 'ifs', 'buts' and wishful thinking there.
 
For sure you could buy this one and try it for a couple of months - ensure it’s basically fit for this short-term purpose by insisting on an extended test drive before you buy, if all good then fix the critical niggles and off you go. Just make sure you have first class breakdown insurance and a backup available (which you do it sounds like) - so low risk just for 2/3 months.

Your biggest problem is this: you’ll probably form an non-economically viable attachment to this particular car assuming the A2 suits you - as you’ll quickly need to do some major work to it to ensure long-term reliability. Then there’s upgrades on top.

I still think it’s worth holding off / waiting for a better example - preferably already converted to six speed and with other creature comforts - or else finding a well maintained 5 seater with OSS as a base and then speccing it up to your requirements.
 
dj_efk said:
For sure you could buy this one and try it for a couple of months - ensure it’s basically fit for this short-term purpose by insisting on an extended test drive before you buy, if all good then fix the critical niggles and off you go. Just make sure you have first class breakdown insurance and a backup available (which you do it sounds like) - so low risk just for 2/3 months.

Your biggest problem is this: you’ll probably form an non-economically viable attachment to this particular car assuming the A2 suits you - as you’ll quickly need to do some major work to it to ensure long-term reliability. Then there’s upgrades on top.

I still think it’s worth holding off / waiting for a better example - preferably already converted to six speed and with other creature comforts - or else finding a well maintained 5 seater with OSS as a base and then speccing it up to your requirements.
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Oh poo that's an excellent point about the emotional attachment and frankly exactly the sort of thing I'd do.
Also great point about speccing up a car. I understand that A/C is a bit of a nightmare but things like cruise and DIS are very much doable.
 
A/C / 5 seats & OSS are the things you’re looking for in any prospect as they cannot easily be added (along with fuel / engine choice of course). Everything else can.

There are two or three well-known characters who can help you with modifications and upgrades, starting with Tom @timmus who will be along shortly with a link to his “menu” thread. He is largely responsible for the spec my car has today - and as already mentioned, every journey in it is a rewarding experience to look forward to. I’d quickly get fed up with something worn out that kept letting me down.

The good news is - for diesels at least - you could buy an example with 190k miles on it that’s as fresh mechanically as one with a third of that mileage - but for you to have peace of mind and for it to drive like one, it MUST have had a complete suspension and brake rebuild, the oil pump chain replaced, probably a replacement gearbox, all interior wear points renewed (including door check straps!), the OSS rebuilt (preferably by Ian @Kleynie as he does them better than new from what I gather and hence eradicates their weakest design points), the vents in the boot re sealed / replaced and the wiper arm rebuilt (preferably by Paul @depronman for the same reason as the OSS) - then there’s the DMF on the 90 version of the diesel (although at that mileage it would definitely have already been replaced so not an issue) - all this should have been done in addition to regular servicing.

Realistically such a car will only be sold by a club member.
 
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dj_efk said:
A/C / 5 seats & OSS are the things you’re looking for in any prospect as they cannot easily be added (along with fuel / engine choice of course). Everything else can.
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Ahh I see brilliant. Holy moley, just seen you have some incredible retrofits. How difficult were the A1 multifunction steering wheel and the Audi Bluetooth?
 
Thom said:
Ahh I see brilliant. Holy moley, just seen you have some incredible retrofits. How difficult were the A1 multifunction steering wheel and the Audi Bluetooth?
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As easy as adding it the list and sending the car on a transporter to Lancaster for 2 days for Tom to fit along with a load of other upgrades 😉

As I was going to buy a nearly new car suitable for long trips for work / customer meetings all over the south of England - but then bought my A2 instead for the same purpose, I spent a third of the budget buying the car and then had a good chunk left for repairs and servicing and then for all the choice upgrades to turn it into a viable alternative.

My attitude to this car - even though it had been looked after, was “replace if in doubt“ as reliability is so important to me. There was a lot to do because of this, even though it had been a club car for 5 years previously - and only had two owners before that. This, along with the fact that you’re planning to do twice the annual mileage I do, is why I am urging you to stick with the pool of cars available from club members if at all possible. It will save you a load of hassle and heartache in the long run.
 
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I've opted for the 'old-car-to-classic' philosophy. I think these are a classic, for sure. But they are in that point where prices are all over the place. Some high, some low for the 'same car'. There are 3 sorts of car available- 1) the banger that has all its natural life used up and is uneconomical to repair. 2) the low mileage princess that is one owner from new 3) the enthusiast owned car that has been maintained well and has upgrades personal to them possibly but comes at any mileage.
It seems to me, that 1 and 2 are still 22 years old minimum, and so will have age-related issues. Corroded rubbers, shocks, maybe electrical issues too (sensors etc). 1 will probably have mileage issues too and need tidying up.The interiors can look really scruffy.
2 will be superficially tidy with a full history, but the likelihood is, it will need a cambelt and waterpump and still suffer from age-related issues whatever the mileage. Good luck with the dealer warranty on these.
3 has been sorted by the owner with care and love. The upgrades may not be to your taste, or indeed original (if thats your bag) but the car will be pretty sorted and reliable as a 22year old car can be.
As they move more into being a classic, away from the bottom of the values curve, and begin to follow the low-mileage princesses upwards, so the the bangers will be rescued and dragged upwards too. Some will be parted out, furthering the rarity of the survivors and increasing their emotional and currency value. The 'improved' ones maybe looked at as not original and then some will try and return them to their factory spec, finding all the base-model binned parts are even rarer to find. It will be interesting to see what happens here.
I have gone for the option of a low-mileage car thats not a garage queen, but has seen hard times. I've spoken to the owner that was responsible for not keeping a service hsitory and parking it up in a garden for 3 years. I spoke to the owner that sold it to her that had it for a month only, doing upgrades that were personal to them but ruining what was at that point a 44000 nile cars originality- they purchased it from an old lady who kept everything meticulous.
My efforts- apart from being a researcher/stalker- have been to recomission this now 67000 mile car and improtantly for me, return it to its original spec. It has age related issues as listed above, but the neglect its had is easier to restore than a high-miler (in theory). The end result for me will be a combination of 1,2 and 3 making a car I can put mileage on without an issue, and keep reliable but futureproofed for the upward curve.
The problem at this stage is balancing what I spend (I'm paying others to do the work due to a lack of time) compared to its current perceived market value if I have to bail out at any time.
After all that, they are an amazing car. I love them, and because of that, my emotional attachment is pulling at me all the time- those cosmetic upgrades are fighting the need for suspension bushes and sensors!
Hope this helps, its just my thoughts!
 
simon martyn said:
I think that is a definite case of: "As I was saying" .................
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Luckily the suspension and brakes have been done and I have money aside for a service, cambelt change/water pump and a little for whatever inevitably dies immediately. Personally I wouldn't own an A2 without the OSS, but I totally get that's a personal choice. I'm quite picky on car colours and there's a host of them that I also wouldn't be happy with if I'm honest.

To put it in perspective, I took a risk on my current car by doing an 18 hour round trip to collect it because the colour and spec has to be right. Luckily that paid off and I've made money on it but with cars you win some and you lose some.

Ultimately, if it dies, I can break it, scrap it and get another for the price I'm paying for it I think. If it survives 3 months, I'm up.
If it doesn't I'm willing to take the hit of always wanting to own an A2 and ticking it off the list.
I 100% need to very careful about forming that emotional bond though, as per dj_efk

There also may be serious begging to local owners to help me fix the bloody thing when it breaks every 5 mins.
 
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