Audi A2. Any Good?

Donie75

The lil' sis is looking for her first car and I'm giving her a hand. We're looking at the usual stuff on the market but I came across an Audi A2 and thought it looked like a cool little car. Does anyone have any experience of these? They get decent reviews on Parkers, etc. I read about them on this forum before but I can't find the thread.

Thanks,

D

Saab Ed

Donie75 wrote: »

The lil' sis is looking for her first car and I'm giving her a hand. We're looking at the usual stuff on the market but I came across an Audi A2 and thought it looked like a cool little car. Does anyone have any experience of these? They get decent reviews on Parkers, etc. I read about them on this forum before but I can't find the thread.

Thanks,

D

Audi Chris should be along soon to help you with this but IMO they cost way over the odds for what you get.

EPM

I like them. Classy city car - should've been much more successful than it was but then it was very costly. Solid, dependable oily bits - just dont but one if the body has a few dents. The aluminum body will cost a fortune to put right

bladespin

Buy a polo instead

Anan1

Donie75 wrote: »

The lil' sis is looking for her first car and I'm giving her a hand. We're looking at the usual stuff on the market but I came across an Audi A2 and thought it looked like a cool little car. Does anyone have any experience of these? They get decent reviews on Parkers, etc. I read about them on this forum before but I can't find the thread.

Thanks,

D

I've only ever heard good things about them. I think they're cool too - a little bit too cool for conservative Ireland, apparently. It's not a 1.4TDI, is it?

L-M

Actually, Anan1, I saw a lovely very high spec A2 1.4 Tdi last year on the west cost of Ireland (Uk plates of course). Cracking looking little car.

bogmanfan

Had one for my first car and loved it. Mother in law driving it now, with no problems at all. ADAC (German AA) rated it the most reliable car on German roads. Was a rip-off new, but great value used. Light aluminium body means you get a lot more poke out of the 1.4 than you'd think.

EPM

Limerick man wrote: »

Actually, Anan1, I saw a lovely very high spec A2 1.4 Tdi last year on the west cost of Ireland (Uk plates of course). Cracking looking little car.

1.4tdi would be the one to go for also! Can llok the dogs with the right wheels on them

Matt Simis

They have their fans, did you look at:
http://www.a2oc.net/

?

L-M

They look so top heavy, with a high centre of gravity. This is the visions I have of them.

Anan1

It's sometimes hard to tell how top-heavy a car is by looking at it - the aluminium body will be very light, and i'd imagine the drivetrain is no higher up than any other car in its class.

poreilly101

The A2 has that quirky look, once it has a nice set of boots it's looks great

One thing, is it difficult to top up water/oil as the engine is completely guarded/covered, don't know where i heard that but i'm sure it true

Anan1

True, the bonnet doesn't open normally - it has to be unbolted. They have a flap in the grille to allow fluids to be checked/topped up.

patzer

I think that you pull down the front grille to top up the fliuds, rather than having to open the bonnet.

The UK Volkswagen/Audi owners website may give you more info www.vwaudiforum.co.uk

Happy motoring

L-M

Anan1 wrote: »

True, the bonnet doesn't open normally - it has to be unbolted. They have a flap in the grille to allow fluids to be checked/topped up.

Strange, didn't know that.

Only one on carzone, and no pics. Very rare little car to see around. I'ld love to drive one.

Terrontress

They are a fantastic little car and surprisingly big inside. I had one for 18 months. Had a 1.4TDI and it was a flying machine. It also was bringing back over 60mpg. It had a glass roof, heated seats, Cruise, climate control, split boot floor, fuel computer, 6CD changer all in one unit (Symphony 2).

It looks like no other car on the road and you see so few others around.

The topping up of fluids is much easier than on other cars as the bonnet does not have to be lifted. Just open the service flap and there you go. If you need to open the bonnet the whole thing has to come off and can get scratched so be careful of that.

What else...? The floor in the back seat is lower so it seems like it has loads of legroom. Ours had two back seats only. I am 6'2" and could sit comfortably in the back from Dublin to Belfast. The back rest of the rear seat can be moved upright for more boot space.

Once when getting it serviced by Isaac Agnew they lent me an A4 2.0TDi S-Line. They needed a different kind of gearbox oil than they had in stock and so I kept their car for 4 days. I couldn't wait to get my A2 back.

As mentioned above, go to the A2 owners' club and speak to the guys on there. They know everything about the cars and will look at the ad for you and point out any possible issues. Mike(Skipton01) knows so much it would frighten you.

You'd be surprised how many guys on there have bought an A2 for their wives and have an allroad or an A8 for themselves and end up preferring the A2!

Tell your sister to go for it!

Terrontress

Limerick man wrote: »

They look so top heavy, with a high centre of gravity. This is the visions I have of them.

That photo is off the A2OC. The guy that happened to was hit by a drunk driver on a roundabout and ended up buying another one as it survived so well.

Terrontress

Finally, we kept ours for 18 months and sold it for 750 less than what we spent so buy a good one and it will hold its value.

You can tell I love the A2!

L-M

Terrontress wrote: »

That photo is off the A2OC. The guy that happened to was hit by a drunk driver on a roundabout and ended up buying another one as it survived so well.

Aye, doesn't look like it took much damage from a flip. Ie. the roof isn't crumpled in or anything.

RobAMerc

I know this means absolutely nothing but it is all I know of them.

TG clowns reckon it was the only bad car in production at the time .

I also believe from reviews I read that it has an awful ride.

like the idea and the design personally.

Terrontress

All I had wrong with it in 18 months was the engine management light came on. The car was a UK import so I took it to Isaac Agnew in Belfast who fixed it.

The biggest negative for me was the cost of servicing. I used Foster Motor Co in Sandyford and Isaac Agnew in Belfast. The Belfast option was cheaper and they would lend you a car as well or else pay for a taxi to take you anywhere in Northern Ireland and back again when the service was finished.

An Ard Ri

Donie75 wrote: »

The lil' sis is looking for her first car and I'm giving her a hand. We're looking at the usual stuff on the market but I came across an Audi A2 and thought it looked like a cool little car. Does anyone have any experience of these? They get decent reviews on Parkers, etc. I read about them on this forum before but I can't find the thread.

Thanks,

D

Rubbish car. Hired one in Germany a few years ago. Very limited space. diesel quite slow. And a bit of it fell off on the Autobahn at 170 km/h. Scared the living daylights out of me, but much to the amusement of a group of locals in an E class Merc who sped past and pointed out the window.

peasant

Nearly bought one there a while ago (except that it was manky and overpriced) ...very nice car indeed. Surprising poke even out of the 1.4 petrol. Roomy and airy inside. Test drove it on bad wesht of Ireland roads and had no complaints about the ride.

frag4

Future classic???

I,d say yes.

Terrontress

An Ard Ri wrote: »

Rubbish car. Hired one in Germany a few years ago. Very limited space. diesel quite slow. And a bit of it fell off on the Autobahn at 170 km/h. Scared the living daylights out of me, but much to the amusement of a group of locals in an E class Merc who sped past and pointed out the window.

Probably wasn't treated well as a hire car.

The diesel is the one to go for. There is a TDi90 which is the pick of the engines. You can tell the 90 over the 75 right away as the 90 has rear discs. Apparently they are very tunable too.

They sold poorly as they were expensive cars due to the aluminium costs. They cost more than the equivalent A3 and people thought A3 is 1 higher so 1 better than A2 when in fact they weren't comparable. This led to poor sales and Audi eventually pulled the plug and have spent the time since trying to deny its existence.

It was also to be the test bed for alternative fuels and a H2 was made - hydrogen powered. There was also to be a hybrid but VW decided not to proceed with those. There was a 3L\100km model which did more than 90mpg.

Great car.

Matt Simis

Pretty marmite reaction there from the comments!

unkel

Matt Simis wrote: »

Pretty marmite reaction there from the comments!

I didn't read it like that. Most people here (including myself) quite like it and most people here concede that it was too expensive when new - hence very few sold originally.

EPM

AFAIK it also had FSi engines (the later models anyway). Think it was either the 1.4 or the 1.6


EDIT - It was the 1.6

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/specs/Detail.aspx?deriv=23731

PauloMN

I feckin' hate Marmite. And A2's.

Donie75

Thanks for all the info and opinion. I've read up a good bit on the net and the general feeling seems to be that they are a good little car but maybe a bit quirky. I suppose they are a bit different and rare so that would probably turn some people away from them.
I'm going to have a look at it over the weekend and I'll let you know how we get on.

EPM

If it is the one on carzone, me thinks a timing belt is due...