Help Between 1.4TSI Leon and 1.2THP 308

IbizaNI

Active Member
Mar 23, 2015
157
8
Newtownards, Northern Ireland
Well it's time for me to get rid of my 2009 Ibiza. I've narrowed it down to 2 choices: a 2014 Leon 1.4TSI 150PS FR with 30k miles on it and a 2016 Peugeot 308 1.2THP 130PS Allure with 16k miles on it.

I really can't decide between them after trying them out. The Leon was better handling, a definite drivers choice, steering more responsive but firmer and more harsh suspension. The 308, well I just love the small steering, steering not as sharp as the Leon but the small steering wheel gives a feeling of nimbleness about it missing on the Leon, the suspension is very comfortable, much softer than the Leon.

I do about 6000 miles on a mixture of motorway and city driving, at times in rush hour and the odd countryside road every now and again. Now the clutch feels very light in the 308, good when in traffic compared to the Leon but the gearbox is very clunky, devoid of feel and not very precise, whereas the Leon's was precise and solid.

In terms of reliability, there really doesn't seem to be much in it. Peugeot have a poor reputation for reliability in general but on the 308, the record seems solid. The Leon meanwhile, is using VAG parts so they're tried and tested.

Economy in the real world seem to be evenly matched too, but I really can't decide which to buy. On the one hand the 308 is only a year and 4 months old, whereas the Leon is 3 years and 4 months old. I know this is a Leon forum and people would be biased towards the Leon, but what would you all say to tempt me towards the Leon, or if anyone here is a fan of the 308, why should I get the 308? Having a real dilemma here, can't choose between comfort or fun factor and would like to get it sorted soon. They're both evenly matched too when it comes to price, in fact the Peugeot dealer gave me a trade-in value for my car, giving an above average value for it on the glass's guide, whereas the dealer for the Leon did not give a figure at all. Thanks for reading.

I've attached the link to the 2 vehicles below for people to take a look at if they wish.

Leon: https://www.usedcarsni.com/2014-Seat-Leon-1-4-TSI-ACT-150-FR-5dr-Technology-Pack-201521037

308: https://www.usedcarsni.com/2016-Peugeot-308-1-2-PureTech-130-Allure-5dr-200237985
 
Last edited:

ray

Active Member
Jan 7, 2016
591
190
I can see why you like the 308, I had one with work a couple of years ago and it was a really nice little car to drive, different to the norm with that steering wheel.

One thing is for sure I wouldn’t be buying a car based on what people say, as at this point it’s all down to opinion and the only opinion that matters is yours.

Buy the car you are happiest driving, the one you look at and would like to take pride in.

I personally like the leon better, but the majority of that is from being a vag snob and never really considering anything else whenever I come to get a new car.

Good luck


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xyz

Full Member
Feb 28, 2004
565
204
oxford
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Would be the Leon for me - French Car interiors seem to be made from recycled takeaway containers. Just one of the things that put me off the mk3 Focus RS, amongst other things - horrid, scratchy interior on a £37k car!!!


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IbizaNI

Active Member
Mar 23, 2015
157
8
Newtownards, Northern Ireland
I can see why you like the 308, I had one with work a couple of years ago and it was a really nice little car to drive, different to the norm with that steering wheel.

One thing is for sure I wouldn’t be buying a car based on what people say, as at this point it’s all down to opinion and the only opinion that matters is yours.

Buy the car you are happiest driving, the one you look at and would like to take pride in.

I personally like the leon better, but the majority of that is from being a vag snob and never really considering anything else whenever I come to get a new car.

Good luck


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To be fair, I'd take pride in either of them, both are great to drive in their own ways.

In terms of looks I prefer the exterior looks of the Leon to the 308 but I prefer the interior of the 308 to the Leon, it just looks rather drab although that particular Leon has the optional when new, leather and alcantara seats and my my, they are comfortable.

I like the accessibility to parts to with Seat due to it's commonality with the Golf, Octavia etc so that also drives parts prices down too.

But yes, as you said my opinion is the only thing that matters now but I just can't decide so I want to hear the opinions of other people now too.:D
 

IbizaNI

Active Member
Mar 23, 2015
157
8
Newtownards, Northern Ireland
Would be the Leon for me - French Car interiors seem to be made from recycled takeaway containers. Just one of the things that put me off the mk3 Focus RS, amongst other things - horrid, scratchy interior on a £37k car!!!


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Yeah I'll agree on past French cars I've sat in but I think they've come a long way now, I'd say the 308 matches the Leon, at least the ones I drove today, no squeaks or rattles when I drove them today.

I'd say this seems relatively true as having gone through the forums of both the Leon and 308, I seen that there were many complaints of squeaks and rattles on the early mk3 Leon's namely the 2013 ones, whereas there doesn't seem to be much complaints about the 308, although it may be down to the fact the Leon has sold in greater numbers than the 308.

I actually prefer the interior of the 308 to the Leon, while I prefer the exterior of the Leon, so I am really stuck on which to get!
 

LouG

Active Member
Dec 1, 2017
1,319
481
Nelson, New Zealand
I rented a 208 for 6 weeks in Italy and really enjoyed the driving position, quietness and ride quality.
But I wouldn't buy French. I prefer Latin flair tempered with Germanic design.
I hope I'm not wrong.
 

seatgraham

Active Member
Feb 14, 2012
485
49
Are you saying that the dealer wouldn’t give you a part ex price against the leon? Or that they didn’t? I’m biased towards the leon although I’d want a long guarantee as it’ll be outside the std warranty period. and might not be a bad idea to say you’re also considering a 308 which is newer etc.
Probably comes down to cost to change rather than part ex offer. And of course which you’ll be happy with. Both seem to have similar spec and both look like franchises dealers.


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Shaady

Active Member
Jan 25, 2017
167
25
Going against the grain a bit, but if there is nothing hideous that is putting you off the 308 for some reason I would go with that.

Its a much newer car with half the mileage.

You get used to gearboxes and clutches in cars very quickly, so as long as its not unusable I wouldn't worry about that too much. Personally though I dont like how the steering wheel sits in them, haven'y driven one to confirm but being quite tall how do you get the steering wheel in a position that wont hit your knees but you can still see the dials?
 

silles

Active Member
May 4, 2017
517
88
I cannot comment on the 308, I only had a 206 GTI back at the time which was horribly unreliable ...

I have the same FR 150 It's a brilliant car, fast when u want it and economical whan u want it, I even achieved 60 mpg on one trip between Briston and London. but got a little heavy footed recently so looking around 40-45 ::lol:
 

IbizaNI

Active Member
Mar 23, 2015
157
8
Newtownards, Northern Ireland
I rented a 208 for 6 weeks in Italy and really enjoyed the driving position, quietness and ride quality.
But I wouldn't buy French. I prefer Latin flair tempered with Germanic design.
I hope I'm not wrong.

I have to agree with you on the Latin flair, the Leon looks better than the 308, that low sharp squat stance compared to the curvy 308.

Are you saying that the dealer wouldn’t give you a part ex price against the leon? Or that they didn’t? I’m biased towards the leon although I’d want a long guarantee as it’ll be outside the std warranty period. and might not be a bad idea to say you’re also considering a 308 which is newer etc.
Probably comes down to cost to change rather than part ex offer. And of course which you’ll be happy with. Both seem to have similar spec and both look like franchises dealers.


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Yes, they wouldn’t give me part ex against the Leon which I thought was very odd as he said if I buy it he’ll say, I’m thinking of giving him a call today to see if he’ll budge as it could end up being very little between the 2 cars price wise if the part ex price is poor.

Going against the grain a bit, but if there is nothing hideous that is putting you off the 308 for some reason I would go with that.

Its a much newer car with half the mileage.

You get used to gearboxes and clutches in cars very quickly, so as long as its not unusable I wouldn't worry about that too much. Personally though I dont like how the steering wheel sits in them, haven'y driven one to confirm but being quite tall how do you get the steering wheel in a position that wont hit your knees but you can still see the dials?

I’ve read lots about the steering wheel, thankfully for me it’s not an issue as I’m only 5ft 9 but I don’t think it was built with too much thought for tall people.

I cannot comment on the 308, I only had a 206 GTI back at the time which was horribly unreliable ...

I have the same FR 150 It's a brilliant car, fast when u want it and economical whan u want it, I even achieved 60 mpg on one trip between Briston and London. but got a little heavy footed recently so looking around 40-45 ::lol:

Have to say though in terms of general power they didn’t feel to dissimilar. Putting the foot down in both felt equally rapid, however, compared to the 308 the Leon had noticeably more turbo lag, not sure it’s normal or not, may be down to something as simple as carbon buildup as it’s older and got more miles than the 308. But the cylinder deactivation would definitely help towards economy I’d say.
 

IbizaNI

Active Member
Mar 23, 2015
157
8
Newtownards, Northern Ireland
Well I gave the Leon salesman a call and he gives me £2000 for my Ibiza, £200 less than for the 308, not a deal breaker I suppose, but he wanted me to give a definite yes/no answer before negotiating on the price, so I'm still stumped on what to decide. Salesman for the Leon when he heard about it being Leon vs 308, slated the 308 saying smaller engine, it's French etc. which I suppose is what a salesman would do.:D
 

seatgraham

Active Member
Feb 14, 2012
485
49
Well I gave the Leon salesman a call and he gives me £2000 for my Ibiza, £200 less than for the 308, not a deal breaker I suppose, but he wanted me to give a definite yes/no answer before negotiating on the price, so I'm still stumped on what to decide. Salesman for the Leon when he heard about it being Leon vs 308, slated the 308 saying smaller engine, it's French etc. which I suppose is what a salesman would do.:D



Deflecting from the fact it’s newer lower mileage and has other advantages.
Depends if you’re happy with the overall package. Part ex is almost immaterial. It’s cost to change that matters. And whether you’ll be happy with whichever one you go for.


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salsajoe

Active Member
Apr 12, 2017
130
13
Yorkshire
Having suffered from rattles on the last 2 VAG cars - VW Golf GTI and the latest is the 2016 Leon 1.4 FR although no reliability problems with either, I would probably go for the 308 - lower mileage and newer and a SEAT saleman who does not seem to want a sale!!!
 

LouG

Active Member
Dec 1, 2017
1,319
481
Nelson, New Zealand
A definite yes or no before settling on price? Is he mad?
We thrashed out everything, then we said yes. What part of negotiation doesn't he get?
 

seatgraham

Active Member
Feb 14, 2012
485
49
A definite yes or no before settling on price? Is he mad?
We thrashed out everything, then we said yes. What part of negotiation doesn't he get?

I would be seriously thinking about walking away and going elsewhere - the Peugeot dealership perhaps if you're happy with the offer. Maybe the salesman feels that you're not serious. But, as LouG says....
 

IbizaNI

Active Member
Mar 23, 2015
157
8
Newtownards, Northern Ireland
A definite yes or no before settling on price? Is he mad?
We thrashed out everything, then we said yes. What part of negotiation doesn't he get?

I would be seriously thinking about walking away and going elsewhere - the Peugeot dealership perhaps if you're happy with the offer. Maybe the salesman feels that you're not serious. But, as LouG says....

Yes I was surprised too, but he got my details such as address etc. so he knew that I drove an hour and 10 minutes to look at and test drive the car yesterday, surely that would've shown him I was serious enough.

The car has been sitting there for about 2 months now, I've watched it slowly trickle down in price, starting from £12450 then to £11995 then £11450 to £11295 and now £10950, therefore I would've thought he'd have been willing to negotiate a lower price to secure the sale.

However, I've decided to not go with that particular 308 as I'm not a huge fan of the colour, the salesman for it provided a personal video of it in the daylight saying it was getting dark when I viewed it yesterday and in the daylight it's just not as nice as the Leon, I said to him that if there was a 308 in a lighter shade of blue I would reconsider, and my my has he been working hard with his manager to try and source a vehicle.

He gave me phone calls every hour over a 3 hour period giving me updates and sending me pictures of potential vehicles before the dealer would purchase it from mainland UK to bring over to Northern Ireland, so far no success but he has let me know that the search will continue tomorrow, he is a man who seems desperate to sell to me, whereas the salesman for Leon does not display the same sense of enthusiasm, very disappointing, but I haven't said to him I'm discounting the Leon as I haven't but just want to see what the Peugeot salesman comes up with.

But if it's too far out of budget then I think I will be going for the Leon as it is well priced and I think there is potential to go even further down in price seeing as it is near the end of the month and they have targets to hit.
 

nicky1873

Active Member
Jan 10, 2008
69
0
PSA 1.2 130 has won engine of the year 2015 2016 and 2017..... food for thought,.... I've had 4 leons but would consider this 308, COTY winner plus lower mileage to boot :)
 
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