Thought I'd found it here: https://www.alistairbuchan.co.uk/us...rer-euro-6-ss-5dr-east-wemyss-202302033908544 It's right on budget, got some nice "extras" and although I'm not keen on the "rubber band" tyres myself, he loves that sort of "bling". Probably take about an hour of comfortable driving to get up there for a look see. However it's a non starter because his other half won't have a red car!
Buying a Leon estate - advice please
- Thread starter Crossthreaded
- Start date
How rude! I waited months to find my red 184. Tell her to reconsider! The mileage is really good for the year, My TDI is on 122,000.
Personally I think that car is overpriced, doesn't have LED headlights, no navigation system, no Carplay/Android Auto, very basic MIB1 infotainment system.
Also noted on the photos that it has 18" wheels, not 17" as the description says.
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I had a red rental car in New Zealand some years ago and the lady at the desk of the rental company said that a red car is also the fastest coloured car ?. Might be true of a rental car which won’t be treated in the same way by drivers as they will their own car.
Thanks for that. Makes me feel a lot better! As I think I said earlier he needs a vehicle with a good load capacity but also length due to the ladders so an old style estate is far better than the newer style "chunky" SUV. Just last night I found a 1.8 petrol Toyota Avensis estate for sale near us which is slightly bigger and longer than the Leon so an attractive proposition. I know nothing about Toyotas apart from them having an excellent reputation for reliability. However one of my oldest friends used to be a factory service agent for Toyota so I gave him a ring. Of course, like me, he's now retired so not up with the very latest developments in Toyota land but he said it would be a good bet. The 1.8 petrol engine, which this one has, has been around a long time and, after several upgrades, is now pretty bullet proof as is the rest of the car except for one thing. They have a motor driven hand brake. Apparently it consists of cables from the calipers at the wheels which connect to a motorized unit above the back axle. The motorized unit contains electronics which control it's operation and if it goes wrong - and apparently they do go wrong - it's expensive to replace. I just rang the local Toyota agent and got a very pleasant reception lady on the line. I asked about the hand brake and was not surprized when she said she couldn't tell me about that. However I was even more amazed when she said "hang on and I'll see if our chief Technician can speak to you" Of late I've found you never get to speak to "a man who knows" when you ring a main dealer. Well, what a nice bloke. We had a few minutes conversation about these cars and he confirmed that the 1.8 engine - which initially had a bad reputation for oil consumption and other problems, some had to have new engines under warranty, was all sorted out years ago and very rarely give problems now. The handbrake is indeed a problem. He says there seems no ryme or reason to why or when one might fail some go on for virtually the life of the car and some fail long before that. A £1500 bill to replace it which includes a session on the computer to code the new unit to the car would probably be "in the ball park". Trying to repair the old unit is seldom a lasting cure because of the electronic circuitry involved making complete replacement of the module really the only realistic repair which has any certainty of success.
So. Seems to be a bit of a "Russian Roulette" situation. He (No. 2 son) likes the looks of the vehicle but, as Dirty Harry famously said, "Do you feel lucky punk, well do you?"
What a shame
Just so you know - an ST is not what I would consider a `full sized` estate. It's only about 28cm longer than the hatch.
An Octavia estate is a bit bigger but I can't give you any specific, real world experience of using ladders etc.
www.carsized.com
An Octavia estate is a bit bigger but I can't give you any specific, real world experience of using ladders etc.
Seat Leon 2012-2019 vs. Skoda Octavia 2012-2016
Seat Leon Estate 2012-2019 vs. Skoda Octavia Estate 2012-2016. Compare car dimensions (length, width and height) vs. street perspective.
www.carsized.com
Thanks very much for that. We're basing the room available on my Ibiza ST which is just slightly too small. The rational, perhaps flawed? is that the Leon will be bigger in all respects?Just so you know - an ST is not what I would consider a `full sized` estate. It's only about 28cm longer than the hatch.
An Octavia estate is a bit bigger but I can't give you any specific, real world experience of using ladders etc.
Seat Leon 2012-2019 vs. Skoda Octavia 2012-2016
Seat Leon Estate 2012-2019 vs. Skoda Octavia Estate 2012-2016. Compare car dimensions (length, width and height) vs. street perspective.
Looks that way!
Seat Ibiza 2008-2017 vs. Seat Leon 2012-2019
Seat Ibiza Estate 2008-2017 vs. Seat Leon Estate 2012-2019. Compare car dimensions (length, width and height) vs. street perspective.
www.carsized.com
I like RIDC website - for measurements:
Seat Leon ST 1.8 TSI Start Stop FR 5dr estate 2014 | RiDC
Avensis Touring Sports 2.0 D-4D Comfort 5dr estate 2015 | RiDC
So Avensis has 119mm more length to the back of the front seats. (4.5" in old money)
Seat Ibiza ST Style 1.6 TDI 5dr estate 2010 | RiDC
Though the Leon ST has 324mm more than the Ibiza ST so nearly 13" more.
Looks like the Leon will be adequate i thinkI like RIDC website - for measurements:
Length of boot floor - back row of seats folded down or removed 1802mmSeat Leon ST 1.8 TSI Start Stop FR 5dr estate 2014 | RiDC
www.ridc.org.uk
Length of boot floor - back row of seats folded down or removed 1921mmAvensis Touring Sports 2.0 D-4D Comfort 5dr estate 2015 | RiDC
So Avensis has 119mm more length to the back of the front seats. (4.5" in old money)
Length of boot floor - back row of seats folded down or removed 1478mmSeat Ibiza ST Style 1.6 TDI 5dr estate 2010 | RiDC
Though the Leon ST has 324mm more than the Ibiza ST so nearly 13" more.
Thanks Brian. My Ibiza is emocion red and I think it suits the car very well. Looks lovely with a nice polish on it.Looks that way!
Seat Ibiza 2008-2017 vs. Seat Leon 2012-2019
Seat Ibiza Estate 2008-2017 vs. Seat Leon Estate 2012-2019. Compare car dimensions (length, width and height) vs. street perspective.
I know this is an old dormant thread, but @BillyCool just "liked" the picture above and that alerted me through the notifications on my laptop.
Anyway, It then occurred to me that I haven't really rounded off this thread in that, although I've posted elsewhere in the forum, there's no mention here as to what we bought in the end. Well, unexpectedly, a manual gearbox Audi A4 Avant (estate) 1.4 TSI ACT turned up at an Arnold Clarke branch about an hour's drive away. He badgered me so much we went over the bridge to Fife to take a look see. The car was an absolute cracker with relatively low miles and drove faultlessly. The price being asked was reasonable and we managed to get a small discount. We took it to his local Audi Independent Autohaus who went over it for him and reported that all they could find was both rubber spring seats on the rear suspension could do with being replaced soon and the two top ball joint rubbers on the front suspension were showing signs of perishing. I don't have anything to do with maintaining this car but I think, if I remember, it's a 2017 plate? Anyway, they said they weren't surprised to find the spring seats needed doing, it's a common thing with them. Must be one of the last 1.4 engines before they fitted the 1.5? Anyway, it continues to drive as if it's new and, as it's his work vehicle (so he carries all his sign maker's equipment in it) we've had Autohaus replace the spring seats and they'll do the top ball joints at the next MOT. I've heard the long bolt that goes through them can be an absolute sod to extract so very glad I won't be doing that.
Incidentally, I don't have the Ibiza any more either - I've detailed elsewhere the trials and tribulations which caused me to decide to part company with her. I now have a Skoda Scala 110hp 2023 plate but is a pre-reg so actually went on the road March 2024. It's not an "exciting" car to own and drive but it's anonymity suits me well and it drives very competently - and is very comfortable. Unusual trim pack in that it's an SE Technology, I haven't yet seen another with this trim pack.
So there you are. I think that rounds out this thread quite nicely. Thanks for following it and the advice people gave. Here's a picture of the Scala just after I took delivery:
Note the chrome trim on the windows. For some inexplicable reason I absolutely love it - It's not found on the standard SE trim pack either.
Anyway, It then occurred to me that I haven't really rounded off this thread in that, although I've posted elsewhere in the forum, there's no mention here as to what we bought in the end. Well, unexpectedly, a manual gearbox Audi A4 Avant (estate) 1.4 TSI ACT turned up at an Arnold Clarke branch about an hour's drive away. He badgered me so much we went over the bridge to Fife to take a look see. The car was an absolute cracker with relatively low miles and drove faultlessly. The price being asked was reasonable and we managed to get a small discount. We took it to his local Audi Independent Autohaus who went over it for him and reported that all they could find was both rubber spring seats on the rear suspension could do with being replaced soon and the two top ball joint rubbers on the front suspension were showing signs of perishing. I don't have anything to do with maintaining this car but I think, if I remember, it's a 2017 plate? Anyway, they said they weren't surprised to find the spring seats needed doing, it's a common thing with them. Must be one of the last 1.4 engines before they fitted the 1.5? Anyway, it continues to drive as if it's new and, as it's his work vehicle (so he carries all his sign maker's equipment in it) we've had Autohaus replace the spring seats and they'll do the top ball joints at the next MOT. I've heard the long bolt that goes through them can be an absolute sod to extract so very glad I won't be doing that.
Incidentally, I don't have the Ibiza any more either - I've detailed elsewhere the trials and tribulations which caused me to decide to part company with her. I now have a Skoda Scala 110hp 2023 plate but is a pre-reg so actually went on the road March 2024. It's not an "exciting" car to own and drive but it's anonymity suits me well and it drives very competently - and is very comfortable. Unusual trim pack in that it's an SE Technology, I haven't yet seen another with this trim pack.
So there you are. I think that rounds out this thread quite nicely. Thanks for following it and the advice people gave. Here's a picture of the Scala just after I took delivery:
Note the chrome trim on the windows. For some inexplicable reason I absolutely love it - It's not found on the standard SE trim pack either.
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