RE: Shed of the Week: Audi A2
Discussion
ive had one 2 years - looks just like that. 100K on clock. For the job I bought it for it is brilliant. It cost me 3K, very little has gone wrong. The economics of £ / mile it is most definitely the best car I have ever owned (I have owned and driven a lot). Station hack, school run, short journeys, we've even done a weekend camping with it. It gest trashed by the kids, I don't really care too much about it, the tax is £30/ year, full set of tyres £160, full set of front pads and discs (I did myself) £40. Easily 45 MPG. No rust, great sound system, dodgy electric window, easy parking, quirky maintenance flap, airbags allround - its brilliant and huge value. Like its looks or not it was the first real micro car to carry 4 adults comfortably and it has a following.
A technically advanced small car that was ahead of its time.
3 years ago I paid a bit more than shed money for a 1.4tdi with 170k on the clock. It was a stablemate to a D3 S8 V10. I used it for short journeys around town, runs to the tip (with all the back seats taken out it became a small van), and other mundane tasks. It was very economical and reliable, although parts were expensive when things needed to be replaced. It was fun to drive because of it's light weight construction and the slightly unusual sound of its 3 cylinder engine. To my eyes it could still pass as a modern design.
My respect for it grew massively after I had arranged a work secondment to Singapore last year. Before we left the UK I had to sell both cars. The S8 sold a lot more quickly than I was expecting, and as a result the family ended up piling into the A2 for a week in the south of France. I had so been looking forward to the journey in the S8 as a swan song before selling it, but with our leaving date looming, a bird in the hand.....Anyway, I took out the 5 star breakdown cover and promised my wife we would spend the fuel savings on nice meals once we got there. The four of us plus luggage did London to south of France in a day, cruising comfortably at French motorway speeds in relative comfort and arriving tired but with out any dramas. We cruised around the hills for a week and then drove back stopping once on the way. It really is a great little car. Before we left for Singapore we gave it to my brother-in-law to eBay, but 9 months later and he's still running around in it.
3 years ago I paid a bit more than shed money for a 1.4tdi with 170k on the clock. It was a stablemate to a D3 S8 V10. I used it for short journeys around town, runs to the tip (with all the back seats taken out it became a small van), and other mundane tasks. It was very economical and reliable, although parts were expensive when things needed to be replaced. It was fun to drive because of it's light weight construction and the slightly unusual sound of its 3 cylinder engine. To my eyes it could still pass as a modern design.
My respect for it grew massively after I had arranged a work secondment to Singapore last year. Before we left the UK I had to sell both cars. The S8 sold a lot more quickly than I was expecting, and as a result the family ended up piling into the A2 for a week in the south of France. I had so been looking forward to the journey in the S8 as a swan song before selling it, but with our leaving date looming, a bird in the hand.....Anyway, I took out the 5 star breakdown cover and promised my wife we would spend the fuel savings on nice meals once we got there. The four of us plus luggage did London to south of France in a day, cruising comfortably at French motorway speeds in relative comfort and arriving tired but with out any dramas. We cruised around the hills for a week and then drove back stopping once on the way. It really is a great little car. Before we left for Singapore we gave it to my brother-in-law to eBay, but 9 months later and he's still running around in it.
court said:
I keep thinking about getting rid of our A2, but can't come up with a suitable car to replace it with.
Goes well with the 1.6 petrol, 45mpg all day long, cost nothing in 3 years except consumables and small enough to fit in my tiny garage.
The ride is no worse than our Golf R, even on these 17" wheels.
Nice.Goes well with the 1.6 petrol, 45mpg all day long, cost nothing in 3 years except consumables and small enough to fit in my tiny garage.
The ride is no worse than our Golf R, even on these 17" wheels.
Edited by court on Friday 8th April 10:16
Hugh Jarse said:
70mpg possible, the 45mpg is for the petrols not the 3 cyl diesel.
The 1.2 "3l" had magnesium framed seats, wheels and all sorts of natty details.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-Audi-A2-1-2-tdi-Auto-Island-Green-3L-Rare-Auto-UK-Conversion-Belt-Done-/121928523166?hash=item1c63819d9e:g:-YwAAOSw7FRWUhu9The 1.2 "3l" had magnesium framed seats, wheels and all sorts of natty details.
Very rare and sadly the seller knows it. Be lucky to get that for it considering the mileage though.
Am I the only one who is sick to death of this car being hailed as some kind of design revolution? The only reason it's got a aluminium body is because the german government gave Audi a HUGE wedge of cash to fund it. Everyone knew this type of construction was the way forward for modern cars, but it was far too expensive at the time. Thank to das free money pot, this didn't matter to Audi.
And even then, they still retailed at too much money. Rant over, carry on.
And even then, they still retailed at too much money. Rant over, carry on.
Sorry PH. I've always been a fan of Shed - but someone is on Crack this week surely..
This is the most horrible nasty piece of s
te that you have ever come up with: they were horrible when new. Awful used. And really really bad now.
They're driven by Citroen Picasso types at best. At worst there's a nasty poster on here who always attacks people's cars in readers rides whilst putting his A2 up on a pedestal.
I hate negative posts on here so I apologise for the negativity here. I'll finish on a positive, the use of Aluminium on these was a good shout..
This is the most horrible nasty piece of s
te that you have ever come up with: they were horrible when new. Awful used. And really really bad now.They're driven by Citroen Picasso types at best. At worst there's a nasty poster on here who always attacks people's cars in readers rides whilst putting his A2 up on a pedestal.
I hate negative posts on here so I apologise for the negativity here. I'll finish on a positive, the use of Aluminium on these was a good shout..
Hmmm... nope. This is a shed fail.
The car is in poor shape cosmetically (even if it has an MoT). This model is known to be expensive to maintain/repair too. It's unexciting from too many standpoints and it's only redeeming features are fuel economy and space efficiency. It's likely to be too much of a money-pit for most shedders.
Please stick to luxo barges or sporty stuff, it's what shedders really want methinks.
The car is in poor shape cosmetically (even if it has an MoT). This model is known to be expensive to maintain/repair too. It's unexciting from too many standpoints and it's only redeeming features are fuel economy and space efficiency. It's likely to be too much of a money-pit for most shedders.
Please stick to luxo barges or sporty stuff, it's what shedders really want methinks.
Clever cars, and probably the only Audi I'll ever own - I really don't like Audis but this is my wife's choice. She has to drive it..
Ours is a 5 seater (rear bench) 1.6 petrol. Also has the opensky double glass sunroof, notorious for failing - so ours is a closedsky. Ride is passable on 16" wheels, horrible on 17" sport. Bit rattly & noisy, but owes us nothing. Will probably replace with an electric car as it rarely does more than 30-40 miles in a day.
Faults over 6 years / 40k miles - one injector (expensive!), water pump, droplinks, and a number of coolant leaks (cracked plastic hose joiners & thermostat housing).
Ours is a 5 seater (rear bench) 1.6 petrol. Also has the opensky double glass sunroof, notorious for failing - so ours is a closedsky. Ride is passable on 16" wheels, horrible on 17" sport. Bit rattly & noisy, but owes us nothing. Will probably replace with an electric car as it rarely does more than 30-40 miles in a day.
Faults over 6 years / 40k miles - one injector (expensive!), water pump, droplinks, and a number of coolant leaks (cracked plastic hose joiners & thermostat housing).
I have a soft spot for these, from when Audi perhaps were a little more adventurous than several sizes of the same thing, but, never driven or owned one so the reality might not be that much fun, my wife knows someone who has had one from new so they must quite like it, funny to think they are 15 years old, and they look pretty much up to date.
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