£3.5k Leon Cupra's what to look for

[Ant FR]

Anything wrong with em, without going into detail i may have a budget of 3.5k or 4k on a car. Surprisingly the Leon Cupra falls in this area, so is there anything to be wary of on cars of this age and price bracket. I know they have the ugly wheels etc but insde and options wise i asusme they are pretty much the same as the later ones????

I have run a 1.8T before. but not a 7yr old one, so iis there aything that i need to look out for, and has anyone else done the same??

 

[ChrisUK]

Has it got wheels for that price ? That would be a starter !!

 

[Tom B]

Your as indecisive with cars as I am. Nice one!

 

[Ant FR]

Your as indecisive with cars as I am. Nice one!

nope been made redundant, simple as that

 

[RobM]

At that sort of age (and probably high mileage) you're really in the hands of how well it's been treated and if it's been warmed up, cooled down, serviced on time etc.

I know that sounds obvious... but if a car has had that sort of respect things like the turbo will still be fine. If not, be wary of potential problems.

Nothing in particular to check that you wouldn't check on a lower mileage car... just try and get a feel for how well it's been treated and make sure the service history is good.
But personally, for that budget, I'd be looking at Ibiza's instead.

 

[Ant FR]

Ibizas was what i thought, but they don't seem to budge much under 5k, seems to be an impermeable barrier there, Golfs have also come up in the 3-4k mark as well.

Pretty much decided its got to be a 1.8T as i don't want to give the Mini up and then go back to something crap.

Other alternative is a punto HGT for say 2.5k which gets a 48000mile example on a w plate. loads to choose from, but been there done that. and know i am downsizing, but still want something a little brisker than the HGT.

 

[RobM]

How about a Bora? I found they tended to be a little cheaper than the equivalent Golf.

 

[claudefrog]

do you not work for your uncle as a compliance officer or something?

id be tell him to wise up if your getting made redundant.. unless your not doing your job correctly then he has to do it for business reasons

 

[Ant FR]

yep was, due to it being for a family business is why i went 2 months without pay on the promise we would get paid in the end, 2 months later, never happened, chances of seeing the money, about as high as me selling my mini for 20k. Family and business do not always seem to work. currently have 2 or 3 jobs in the pipeline, but as you all know it takes time to go trhough interviews etc etc. But now would be a good time to downsize anyway, as i will be selling up next year regardless due to going to OZ. may as well cash in on the high prices of the Mini whilst they remain so, if i get what i am after i will have lost about 400 in 6 months ownership.

Also pushing to 5k i could get another tdi 130 ibiza, some real little bargains out there if you look hard enough. First job is to sell the Mini, and preps are hard under way, applied for number plate retention today, sticking up adds int eh usuall places too, and think i have sold my exhaust system already ( thats the only thing i did to it)

 

[Ant FR]

How about a Bora? I found they tended to be a little cheaper than the equivalent Golf.

Yep, i have actually looked, love the Bora's bit bigger than i really wanted but its a lot more value for the money than a golf

 

[RobM]

That was my thinking too. A while ago I was looking at TDi's and the Bora was a cheaper choice for the same kit, age, mileage etc as a Golf. Plus there are some really nice, subtle lip and spoiler kits around that can make them look superb. The other bonus is they are a little rarer than the Golf

 

[Fidge]

If your getting an older Leon Cupra look out for the Engine code make sure its an AUQ as a Pose to the APP as its got more potential on the modding front!

 

[Pabs]

Cupra's at 3.5k???? Holey cr*p batman....

I've seen some at the 5k mark, which seem ok - about an 01/51 plate with circa 80k on the clock from what i've seen. You got any links to these mega cheap ones?

 

[Ant FR]

heres a basic autotrader search, 4 one down has 70k at 3700

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/ww...ds=&ukcarsearch_full.x=0&ukcarsearch_full.y=0

 

[Pabs]

and there was me thinking that autotrader was blocked at work - but now it's working LOL...

5th one down on 1st page looks interesting - 37k miles, 2002 car, £3750....!!!

Tis certainly a lot of car for the money - probably want to check the usual things like service history, condition, mods, cambelt....

The earlier ones, as mentioned, had different engine code, try and get AUQ if possible. Also look for signs of waterleaks through door-sills etc etc....

 

[tompotts]

1. Check its had the water ingress problem sorted. Check the service receipts to find out. If theres no receipt check if the carpets in the footewells are damp, if the works been done or its dry, get in the car shut the doors and windows leave the air con off and check that it doesnt smell of damp!

2. Mileage is your enemy. Put up with an older car with less miles. These are german pieces of engineering, they dont rust, but for every mile driven those pistons have gone through that block so many thousands of times.

3. Service history. Theres too much to break under that bonnet to risk buying one that hasnt been treated well. Check its had the cam belt done, this is £350 job that you want done preferably.

4. Owners. Make sure the guy (or gal) you buy it off is a decent kind of person who wont have beaten the car and has looked after it. If its a private sale, ask to use their bathroom, if the house is clean and tidy then theyve probably looked after their car. Make sure there isnt hundreds of previous owners.

5. Mods. A car that old, with that many miles thats been chipped tuned and ragged round the circuit is a pile of cack. youd be better off buying a donkey to get to work and back.


Other than that good luck with the hunt. Mines an 01 with 55k on the clock and shes a peach, just a bit of a niggle with running lean, but i think ive fixed that now.

cheers!

 

[Ant FR]

cheers

 

[tompotts]

no worries bro!