Thinking about an S2

[TallPaul]

Hello!

I'm a Newbie to to the forum, I'm thinking about buying an S2 (aby coupe) in the next few months, I hope you can help with a few questions!

I currently have an Audi A2 1.6 fsi sport, which i should be able to get about £7500-8000 for, and I'm probably going to try to get a late coupe for around the 6-7k mark.

My only concerns are:

1. its a 10 year old car....reliabilty. its an audi, so should be fine, but I'd prefer to avoid any big bills!

2. Ride quality. My A2 sport is on 17" wheels, and to be honest i'm getting tired of the extremely firm ride, hitting potholes is not nice! (I have owned 4 classic mini's before, so am used to having to swerve to avoid potholes, I'm now doing this in my A2!)

3. Performance. not much to ask really, what rpm does the turbo kick in at? I know max torque is way down the rev range, my A2 struggles when acellerating from 50-80, and feels strained when going over 80+.

4. Fuel ecomony. My a2 will do 38-40mpg when commuting to work, so i get 400 miles from a full tank of £40 of optimax, what sort of figure would I see from an S2, say on 70mph dual carriageway driving?

Sorry for all the questions, any help appreciated!!

Cheers
TallPaul

[Skull]

maybe a little off topic, but... your nick is TALLpaul and you are getting a coupe. how tall are you? i am 196 (6`5) and i really cant drive a coupe.

[AUDI9020V]

welcome,1st off take ya time in finding one wot ever you do dont rush it.2nd the guys in here will help you 110%,best of luck,when u get one show us ya pic.

[TallPaul]

maybe a little off topic, but... your nick is TALLpaul and you are getting a coupe. how tall are you? i am 196 (6`5) and i really cant drive a coupe.

Cheers, I'm 6' 2", is the coupe cramped up front? Am i right in saying the steering wheel isn't adjustable?

[Corey]

Go for an S6, similar engine and drivetrain to the S2 but better, they have ALL the room you need. Plus because they a bit more discrete they haven't usually been raced and they are a lot cheaper to buy which leaves more money for modifications!!!

Here the flaming starts... lol

[iain1067]

+1 for Corey cos that's what i drive. I have owned a coupe q 20v and i am 5ft 10 and i found it cramped (car had no sunroof). As for suspension the A2 was always a compromise, even in standard/SE guise they all ride hard, having spent 6 years selling audi's it wasn't one of there greatest cars sorry but it is true.

You will pay a lot more for an S2, and good bit less for an urs4/6, expect to spend some money on it getting it up to scratch same can be said for an S2 actually, but you are in the right place for help and advice. One word of warning unlike your A2 audi dealers kknow little or nothing about these cars now, so if your prepared to get stuck in with a toolkit so much the better otherwise ownership will be expensive at £90 plus per hoour labour rate at the dealer.



Iain

[Corey]

One word of warning unlike your A2 audi dealers kknow little or nothing about these cars now, so if your prepared to get stuck in with a toolkit so much the better otherwise ownership will be expensive at £90 plus per hoour labour rate at the dealer.

Failing that (if you can't hold a spanner) Peterborough isn't that far from Lincoln and my workshop is always open, plus I don't charge £90+ an hour.

[Skull]

TallPaul. For me is even difficoult to get in the car cuz of the steering wheel. Try with an avant, much much better.

[T2Andy]

The midrange is where these cars are untouchable especialy if chipped 3rd and 4th
gear are amazing 80-120 is pretty good fun.If i was buying one this week it would be
Europeanme,s late S2 a well sorted car with all the toys.Its on the forum tonight.
pistonheads link.

[TallPaul]

Failing that (if you can't hold a spanner) Peterborough isn't that far from Lincoln and my workshop is always open, plus I don't charge £90+ an hour.

Cheers! I'm pretty handy with a spanner luckily, i have stripped down and partially rebuilt an old mini, so anything mechanical shouldn't be a problem!

[TallPaul]

The midrange is where these cars are untouchable especialy if chipped 3rd and 4th
gear are amazing 80-120 is pretty good fun.If i was buying one this week it would be
Europeanme,s late S2 a well sorted car with all the toys.Its on the forum tonight.
pistonheads link.

Hehe, its actually that car (I browse on pistonheads a fair bit) that has made me seriuosly look into the S2, if only it had come up for sale 3-4 months from now, i would be on it straight away, plus its only about 1 hour from me... its a lovely car!

[rotoryboy]

Well I'm 6'2" and run a coupe and since I got rid of the leather for the cloth trim it's been fine for me

[Corey]

Cheers! I'm pretty handy with a spanner luckily, i have stripped down and partially rebuilt an old mini, so anything mechanical shouldn't be a problem!

You'll find all the info you'll ever need right here.

[S2central.net]

Kinda impossible to compare an A2 to an S2...

@TallPaul - you *really* need to just go test driving ASAP to get a feel for the S2. Do it now before the money is burning a hole in your pocket.

There are some fantastic S2's around for very reasonable money... and there are some gnarly ones you'll want to avoid. But until you've tried a few - and expect to put in some miles if you are seriously looking - then you'll find it harder to spot the sweetest ones.

Steering wheel isn't adjustable on Coupe or Avant so that can be an issue.

Good to see you aren't afraid to get your hands dirty, but the S2 is somewhat more complicated than a Mini so I hope you are up for a learning curve with hard to find documents and maintenance info. Luckily thats why the forum is here. I dread to think of the condition some of our cars would be in, if it weren't for the collective wisdom and experience of this forum !


Good luck with the search...

Paul

[4WheelDrifter]

I agree with Paul. Go out and test drive a few. Look at as many as you can, to get an idea of what's available in what condition.
Don't rule out the old 3B too. I test drove a few S2 Coupés before I got mine, and I prefered the 3B over the ABY. I believe there are still some good ones out there.
If you're tall, I would recommend going for a Coupé without a sunroof.