Any 150,000+ mile 1.4/1.8 TSi's here?

Max M4X WW

Active Member
Jan 20, 2015
50
1
Nr. Guildford
Hi all,

I am looking at 1.4 and 1.8 TSi cars and the mileages range from 10k to 100k+. I am going to do 15-20k in the car in the next year so I was wondering if its really worth me getting a low miler or if the depreciation will probably be worse than if I buy a car with 50-100k on it.

I also found this on AutoTrader, which got me thinking - how reliable are these cars at high mileage? I see a lot of 'misting' shock absorbers on MOT's but wondering about the clutch, turbo, etc also.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201906259394315

Anyone got or had a high miler? What has needed replacing over 50k miles (hoping not a lot below this!).

Thanks
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,617
906
Once you get over 100K, all bets are off. Engines, especially diesels, should happily keep going but it depends. Things like dampers, exhausts, bearings etc are best thought of as consumables and if you buy a car running that sort of millage you can expect to replace some of that stuff.

You can't buy a high millage car and expect it to run fault free. It might, but it probably won't.
 

Sword

Active Member
Apr 22, 2019
105
43
Winchester
Once you get over 100K, all bets are off. Engines, especially diesels, should happily keep going but it depends. Things like dampers, exhausts, bearings etc are best thought of as consumables and if you buy a car running that sort of millage you can expect to replace some of that stuff.

You can't buy a high millage car and expect it to run fault free. It might, but it probably won't.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

If you're going to do 15 to 20 k a year a 100k+ car is probably not your best bet.

Things still go wrong with cars with low mileage but the odds are much better with a low mileage car.
 

Jazzjames

Active Member
Sep 13, 2018
160
68
Germany
The 1.8 tsi has port and direct injection, whereas the 1.4 only has direct injection. Carbon buildup on the intake valves is therefore more likely on the 1.4, but depends on the vehicle’s life. Short journeys are the killer. The fuel bill at 20k miles will be pretty high with either car, especially with the 1.8. How come you have discounted diesel?

I always try to buy the lowest mileage car I can afford.
 

Rooster

Active Member
Oct 27, 2018
1,188
326
Yorkshire
I saw a 2016 Leon 1.4Tsi ACT 150 advertised on a car supermarket site with 211,000 miles! And they still wanted good money for it.
 

Max M4X WW

Active Member
Jan 20, 2015
50
1
Nr. Guildford
Might've been a typo. Lot of miles for a car that age.
Not a typo! The car is linked in my original post.

I should have said, I only plan to keep the car a year. Hence wondering if adding this amount of miles to a low mile car may work out worse financially than adding it to one with higher miles in the first place.

Either way, I'm looking for a 1.8 TSi FR ST ideally which are few and far between! I will avoid more expensive cars with 10-20k miles and ideally find one with 40-60k miles for a reasonable amount of money.

I'm avoiding Diesel as I find these unreliable and noisy. 10mpg difference over a year does not work out much financially.

Thanks all.
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,617
906
Hence wondering if adding this amount of miles to a low mile car may work out worse financially than adding it to one with higher miles in the first place.

Yes, I think you are absolutely right. Car depreciate less and less as they get older so you will lose less money on depreciation. The flip side is that older, higher mileage cars are more likely to cost you more in maintenance so...it's a lottery.

What I would say though is that the 1.4 holds its value better than the 1.8 and diesels are more reliable than petrol at very high mileage.
 

hawtin1584

Active Member
Oct 30, 2008
137
3
I wouldn't rule out Diesel. I have a 1.6tdi ST and its not noisy at all. does 600 miles to a full tank and you can pick them up cheap in the ST version. i bought a 2014 with 58,000 miles on the clock and its been great.
 

The Daily Meme

Insta: @thatredcupra
Jan 3, 2018
912
466
Cambridge
I cant speak for SEAT as mine has only just hit 44,000 miles. However i had a 2003 VW polo before this car. I got it in 2012 on 60,000 miles. Sold it in 2017 at 150,000.
150,000 miles was just about where things started to go wrong with it. besdies the catalytic converter needing replacing, there were no major issues with it until then. Engine timing would need checking frequently, but I gather that is common in a three cylinder engine.
 
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