Prospective owner requires advice

M

Mojo

Member
Hi all.
I am considering purchasing an A2, and would appreciate any information regarding the A2 3L, more specifically how it compares to a normal A2 diesel.

My bias is more to economy than speed, and I understand the 3L has some form of DSG box, and freewheel Eco mode. Do our uk cars have these functions also?

Are there many 3L's over here, and are there any right hand drive versions? Any known faults or weaknesses with these?

Finally I live in Cheshire, so any dealers or specialists, that you would recommend for servicing and general troubleshooting / fault diagnosis?
Many thanks
Mojo
 
This may help:
http://www.a2oc.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-4830.html

There are no right hand drive 1.2tdi's.
There are also 2 versions of the 1.2l, the 3l with no aircon or the "full-fat" 1.2tdi that had aircon and most of the options (sans open-sky) available.

The gearbox needs good care but with proper servicing and adjustment it seems fine. Also the handbrake can be a little temperamental.

There are a few UK owners of 1.2's on the forum.

Even the full fat 1.2tdi can beat the 3l/100km figure if driven sensibly.

The main difference from the driving perspective is that the regular diesel is a manual. The 1.2tdi does not feel as underpowered as you may imagine and when loaded suffers less from the load than the 1.4 petrol (subjective position based on my brother's 1.4 petrol and my 1.2tdi when driven with us and friends in).

Also try searching for specific info on google or bing using the following format: "site:a2oc.net <search term>" as it works more effectively than the inbuilt search engine.

Hopefully this quick note helps!

John
 
Mojo said:
My bias is more to economy than speed, and I understand the 3L has some form of DSG box, and freewheel Eco mode.
Are there many 3L's over here, and are there any right hand drive versions?

Mojo
Click to expand...

Hi Mojo,

I think most of your questions have been answered by John, however in desiring economy over speed, is this your motivation for wanting an A2 3L or are there more factors to consider?
There is a 1.2 TDi available for sale in the UK at the present time as you may have seen on Autotrader? It looks a lovely example with only 47k miles, but at £8500 for a 2002 LHD car, its unlikely you'll ever recoup your investment over time by accrued savings on fuel.

Like John said, there are only a handful of UK owners we know of who have imported a 1.2 and a couple are very active and helpful members on the forum. We also have a couple of people who covet ownership of a 1.2 for reasons of owning a little piece of automotive magic that was way ahead of its time when it was conceived. Perhaps you're in that latter category too?

I'd wonder if you wouldn't be well advised to consider a good 1.4 TDi in UK specification and adding some modifications to optimise your fuel consumption. On a standard 1.4TDi with some mods to the gearbox, a remap and the aerodynamic modifications added from the 1.2 to the underbody, we have a couple of members who achieve MPG into the 80's which is pretty impressive.

Welcome to A2OC and good luck with the research and the purchase whichever way you decide.
 
That red 1.2TDi on Autotrader looks stunning. I keep having ideas of buying it to add a 2nd A2 to keep mine company!
 
Firstly, thank you to both Murdo and John for their wisdom. It is the red 1.2 on autotrader, which sparked my enquiry. I like to have slightly "odd ball" cars, one of my others being a mk1 insight honda. The only things which delay my purchase of the 1.2 are that it's left hand drive. (Yes I know, I shall soon get used to it!), and the other being, finding someone who I can trust to fettle and maintain it.. Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated. Anyone in the Chester area, who you would recommend.?
 
That red 1.2 needs a good home. Go for it!
Tom (Timmus) is relatively near you. He's a meister-fettler.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top