DIARY OF A MODERN CLASSIC ADDICT
What excellent news to find out that Team PC has chosen the Audi A2 as one of its Hot Buys for 2023 (see p76). In my eyes, it’s already a classic car, so to gain wider recognition as such by the boys and girls who eat and drink this stuff, has me feeling more than a touch smug with myself. But it was always going to happen, wasn’t it. I’ve a thing about Audi A2s, and have run them on and off since 2015, when I picked up my first one – arather tired Y-reg 1.4-litre model – for a smidgeon under a grand. Back then, it had a myriad of warning lights, not much in the way of MOT, a decent history – mainly of abuse – and the scabbiest alloy wheels I’ve ever seen on a car.
But you know what, I loved that car. With the received wisdom being that modern Audis are no good in corners, the little A2 was a revelation. The steering on this one was full of feel, while being agile in corners and fun when it needed to be. On the motorway, it buzzed along nicely, and felt more stable than you’d think by its looks, but you can thank its low centre of gravity for that. In many ways, it felt to me like a Golf MkI to drive.
I sold that A2 after fitting some new bushes – tightening up the handling even more – to fellow PC correspondent, Russ Smith. He ended up selling it back to me, and from there it became my younger son’s car. He loved it so much he bought a low-mileage and mint 1.6 SE and handed this one over to my older son.
And you know what? It’s still going strong in his hands, with 180,000 miles on the clock. It has had a suspension rebuild while he’s had it, and now sits on a nicer set of alloy wheels – and as a consequence of the new tyres he fitted, it drives just as well as my own A2 (featured in the mag this month, and perhaps the best £500 I’ve ever spent), with a little over 100,000 miles on the clock. In short, they’re brilliant, and perfect for the oncoming cost of living crisis.
My 1.4 will beat 50mpg without difficulty, and I’m happy with that. If you want to go further on go juice, you could treat yourself to an A2 TDI, which thanks to the efficient (and noisy!) three-pot under its bonnet, will reward careful drivers with more than 70mpg. I’ll stick with petrol, though, because I like
