3B or wait for ABY

[neebomb]

Good day good people of the S2 Forum,

I'm new to this forum however having scoured the many pages of this forum, I've learned a lot about the S2 and I'm in the process of looking for one here in South Africa which is no mean feat. I'm not sure how many were imported but they don't seem to come up for sale very often.

My question is, there is a '91 3B for sale with about 94000km on the clock which is in reasonable condition for its age with the full service history but I'm planning to upgrade the vehicle not to a ridiculous level but at least a software upgrade, cat delete, intercooler over time as well as letting it breathe a little easier with the possibility of going the RS2 route when it comes to cams.

Now I know both cars have pros and cons but I did have my heart set on the ABY just because of it a newer machine but because of the limited availability of them in SA makes me think that maybe I should go for the '91 as who knows when another good S2 model will make an appearance. It sounds like I'm in a rush but I'm not, I just don't want to spend money on a 3B and realize that the ABY was the best platform to modify a little further down the road.

Your input would be greatly appreciated.

[GazzaG60]

if you want an s2 get an aby.

[Rikki Kitto]

ABY

[Rusty]

Get the best condition car you can find. You can upgrade a 3B to ABY spec if you want bigger power, it's not necessarily easy but many have done it. No need for RS2 cams but the rest of your ideas are along the right lines

[S2TORNADO]

best to ask advice from people who've had both as the split is far closer.

for what it's worth 3b seems more fun to drive and ABY seems better to polish.

[Cottis]

Agree with Rusty. Buy on condition and history. For driveability, the 3b wins from my experience of listening to people who have had both. For tuneability ABY is the way to go. You wont go wrong with either as long as you don't buy a dog.

[pasbogdan]

if you want an s2 get an aby.

Why ?
It should be in best condition.Body and interior is harder to be made 100%perfect than getting an aan/aby ecu in a 3b car and a coil conversion.
Even if climate controll is dead it is similar almost($) to fix as an ecu conversion and a coil conversion.
For example a perfect underbody 3b will be ideal compared to a aby that needs all suspension,brakes blasted and powdercoated.What are talking about here????

[neebomb]

Thanks guys,
Sound advice all round. I'm going with the logic that if its in good nick its a good place to start regardless of model. That way I won't spend most of my life under it and more of the time driving it!
Off to go test drive it this morning.

[Jamo]

If you are going to modify ABY, 3B are very hard to mod in terms of ecu tuning and also they run a dizzy and they run the chocolate 5 speed box.

[Bram]

Aby

[Mr G]

Hey there Neebomb
Whereabouts in SA are you?
Go check the Audiclubsa forum, a mint looking S2 was advertised about 2 weeks ago - can't remember if 3B or ABY

[neebomb]

Well I took the '91 for a drive, very solid car, no squeeks or rattles, car ran true with no shudder under braking, smoothe power delivery too (very different to my '88 944 turbo that hit you like a hammer at 3k rpm) everything opens and closes as it should. Only problems were the ABS light, flickered on and off the entire drive, oil temp and water temp didn't work either. Very tempting but I think I'm going to keep looking for now. Once again thanks for your thoughts and opinions... ABY

[macspring]

ABY all day long, for a myriad of reasons. Buy an RS2 if your budget allows. A classic already, or certainly in the future ?

What about urS6's in SA ? Saloon or Avant.

Btw, out of curiousity how awkward / expensive is it to import an S car ?

It would increase your choice, obviously.

Best wishes.

[neebomb]

I stand under correction but I don't think SA got those ur S6's. I have how ever seen one or two of the sedans around, not sure if they were imported privately at the time. RS2 is on the cards but they're the equivalent of about 8000 pounds more that the s2 and I understand that there are only about 15 left in the country. I drove one about 8 years ago and I know that car was subsequently exported to the UK.
There are companies that import exotics into SA but I think that would be a last resort. Cars in SA are quite expensive and the tax man penalises you for importing second hand cars as to protect the local market.
How expensive is it to run an RS2? I hear its about the equivalent of running a 993 porsche or more..?