Audi A2

Fr0g

Hi,
I'm looking at an Audi A2 for the missus. Does anyone have any experience or owned one of these and are/were you happy with it. Its a 1.4 petrol 2000 model any comments good or bad?

bogmanfan

Hi, I've got a 2001 A2 and I love it. Surprisingly nippy for a 1.4, it is easily quicker than a focus/golf of that size. The only downside would be servicing. I had to have a headlamp switch replaced recently, the part cost 200euros!! So just check that the electrics are all working, especially the OpenSky if it has it. The cost of repairing that is supposed to be huge, and most people just leave it sealed shut. Other than that, enjoy!

unkel

I've always liked the A2. Iirc the 1.4 petrol has only 75BHP which is not much even though it is a very light car because of the aluminium

Did you consider getting the 1.4 diesel?

Fr0g

Thanks bogmanfan, it doesn't have the opensky (i presume that means the big sunroof that i have seen on some) I will keep the servicing costs in mind.

Unkel, I would have preferred the diesel engine (have an a4 1.9 tdi myself) but unfortunately there aren't many diesels around second hand, in fact there aren't many A2's on the market it seems to be quite rare. I'm a fan of audi's and herself wants something small (she totalled her micra on tuesday evening, she hit a horse. She's ok though, walked away from it.)

bogmanfan

They are indeed pretty rare here. In fact none of my mates had seen one before I got mine. I had a quick look there on carzone and they seem pretty steep. I got mine last year and soon after there was a big feature on them in Top Gear magazine which said that second-hand values in the UK were starting to rise as people realised how good they are. From the look of things on carzone, the same has happened here.

kaizersoze123

Fr0g wrote:

(she totalled her micra on tuesday evening, she hit a horse. She's ok though, walked away from it.)

And the horse ?

maidhc

kaizersoze123 wrote:

And the horse ?

Being used in the manufacture of epoxy I bet.

The A2 is a cool car. Very different.

Mc-BigE

If it was my money (and its not!) id go for the Bigger A3 over the A2, personally the A3 is a nicer looking car and a lot more to choose from

current selection of a2 on carzone total of 5 average price 12000 ish.
http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=search&maxrows=100&MakeID=2&xMakeID=2&ModelID=11&xModelID=11&Year=&xYear=&submit=Find+cars+%3E%3E

current selection of a3 on carzone for around the same money:

http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=search&MakeID=2&xMakeID=2&ColourID=&xColourID=&ModelID=12&xModelID=12&Doors=&BodyID=&Engine_Min=&Year_Min=&Engine_Max=&Year_Max=&Price_Min=10000&Price_Min_integer=Minimum+price+entered+was+not+an+integer.&CountyID=&xCountyID=&Price_Max=13000&Price_Max_integer=Maximum+price+entered+was+not+an+integer.&BusinessID=&xBusinessID=&IsPrivateSale=&FuelID=&SortBy=MakeAsc&MaxRows=100&InsertPeriod=&ResultFormat=&submit=Find+%3E%3E


but as i say its your money not mine.

Fr0g

maidhc wrote:

Being used in the manufacture of epoxy I bet.

Yup. The horse (actually a large pony) was shot about an hour later. It's leg was broken, probably had internal injuries too. She was travelling at 60 mph and hit the brakes when she saw them (there were 3, they had escaped from a nearby field) so anybody's guess what speed she hit it at.


So far nobody has claimed ownership yet, although the guards know who owns them proving it is a different matter

Fr0g

Mc-BigE wrote:

If it was my money (and its not!) id go for the Bigger A3 over the A2, personally the A3 is a nicer looking car and a lot more to choose from

current selection of a2 on carzone total of 5 average price 12000 ish.
http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=search&maxrows=100&MakeID=2&xMakeID=2&ModelID=11&xModelID=11&Year=&xYear=&submit=Find+cars+%3E%3E

current selection of a3 on carzone for around the same money:

http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=search&MakeID=2&xMakeID=2&ColourID=&xColourID=&ModelID=12&xModelID=12&Doors=&BodyID=&Engine_Min=&Year_Min=&Engine_Max=&Year_Max=&Price_Min=10000&Price_Min_integer=Minimum+price+entered+was+not+an+integer.&CountyID=&xCountyID=&Price_Max=13000&Price_Max_integer=Maximum+price+entered+was+not+an+integer.&BusinessID=&xBusinessID=&IsPrivateSale=&FuelID=&SortBy=MakeAsc&MaxRows=100&InsertPeriod=&ResultFormat=&submit=Find+%3E%3E


but as i say its your money not mine.

She doesn't want to go any bigger than a 1.4 so she has ruled out the A3. Also as maidhc said it's a bit different.

The one we are looking at is going for 7,750 so it's a very good price assuming there is nothing wrong with it.

On a related note how do you go about doing a check on a car if you have the reg?

unkel

Fr0g wrote:

how do you go about doing a check on a car if you have the reg?

One option is cartell

ninty9er

When my parents were changing the Xsara they were set on either a Corolla or Yaris, but even so I pestered them so much, even looked at the UK (which they'd never do...if it's more than 30 miles away with them forget it)...the diesel is more common there and the bodywork seems cleaner than a lot on carzone...

I'd have one in a heartbeat.. the roof height would be great for me but they're too rich for the likes of a poor student like me:(

Fr0g

unkel wrote:

One option is cartell

Thats it, thanks, and thanks for all your comments

Lex Luthor

how much were these new ? I see Audi dont sell them anymore so is there any reason why?

if I was in the market for a small car, my first choice would be the Honda Jazz

bogmanfan

I think they were around 23,000 new when they came out. The main reason for the cost was the aluminium body, which was manufactured in the same plant as the A8. Also the interior is virtually identical to the A4 and TT of the same time. Great cars though...

copacetic

Lex Luthor wrote:

how much were these new ? I see Audi dont sell them anymore so is there any reason why?

if I was in the market for a small car, my first choice would be the Honda Jazz

they decided it was too downmarket and cancelled it. Rumour is though they will launch either an A1 or A2 again next year..

netwhizkid

Sorry for bring up the late thread fellas? Is it trie that the Audi can get near on 90MPG? I was reading on the subject on Wikipedia :rolleyes: so with Wiki beign Wiki I am a bit sceptical. Any ideas, I heard they are a mizer on fuel especially the diesel ones.

colm_mcm

1.4 TDI would be the one to go for (UK)

peasant

netwhizkid wrote:

Sorry for bring up the late thread fellas? Is it trie that the Audi can get near on 90MPG? I was reading on the subject on Wikipedia :rolleyes: so with Wiki beign Wiki I am a bit sceptical. Any ideas, I heard they are a mizer on fuel especially the diesel ones.

The 3-Liter car (as in 3 Liters of fuel per 100 km's) was all the rage in Germany in the late nineties.

There was the three liter VW Lupo and also the thre Liter A2. Both of them had a large amount of engine and body modifications, zero spec, skinny eco- tyres, etc and never really sold in any numbers (they were bloody expensive as well!)

The normal A2 diesel should do 50-60 mpg without problems, but it will never get the 90.

unkel

And 3l/100km is roughly equivalent to 90MPG

Fr0g

We bought the A2 after. There is a problem with the power assisted steering but that will be sorted out. It is also due for a manufacturer recall, apparentley there is a problem with the positioning of a cluster of wiring that may cause a fire if you are involved in an accident! Apart from that it is a good solid car typical of the Audi build quality. Fuel consumption is excellent. I cant give an exact figure yet because after 3 weeks on a full tank (34 lts) the needle is still only halfway (she goes to work in it everyday, admittedly not a long distance but still). When she needs to fill it up again I will work out an approximate fuel consumption (it is a 1.4 petrol). I dont think it will be any where near 90 mpg but i'm expecting at least 50 mpg.

unkel

Best of luck with it, Fr0g

Terrontress

You will not regret it. It is a fantastic car. I own a 2003 1.4TDi SE. It has great torque and acceleration and on a trip down to Wexford and back from North County Dublin, the fuel computer had me averaging at 68mpg across the whole 200 miles.

To dispell some of the nonsense written in previous posts, the A2 is actually larger inside than a A3 although it has a smaller chassis. It has a bigger boot and more interior space. There is a German magazine that does a test on all cars it reviews which is seeing how many standard beer crates can fit in. The A2 was able to take more crates inside than the MkIV Golf.

In relation to it being downmarket, the A2 was more expensive than a similar specced A3. There are several reasons it was discontinued. Firstly was that it did not sell as many as expected. Audi did not manage to tap into the A-Class market. Secondly, the manufacture costs were too high due to the aluminium body and they felt it could no longer be justified. Finally, the car was to form a base for a hybrid / alternative powered Audi. Those plans were scrapped and so the need to keep the A2 in commercial production was less compelling.

In terms of environmental impact, the A2 TDi is to be allowed into the congestion charge zone of London for free from Jan 2008 and road tax is £35 per year in the UK owing to the high mpg and low emissions.

So in summary, the A2 is as comfortable as an A4, as eco friendly and as frugal as a Prius, as large inside as a Golf, less common than a DB9, a €28 full tank of diesel does 400 miles and it puts a smile on my face every journey.

My car has heated seats, electric lumbar support, digital climate control, heated light washers, cruise control, fuel computer, ABS, traction control, glass roof, split boot. When getting it serviced, I was lent a new A4 TDi 6sp. I preferred the A2.

I would recommend you go to www.a2oc.net who can advise you on every feature, query and service issue on your A2.

BostonB

Great little cars. Pity they are so expensive.

Terrontress

I got mine when it was 2.5 years old and with 33,000 miles for €13,500.

I don't think that is too bad. In fact, I think it is a bargain.