Hi guys, this is my first post on the site so please be gentle 
I am currently in the market for a new car and I have a few cars in mind at the moment which are:
- Golf mkIV GT TDI 130
- Seat Leon Cupra TDI 150
- BMW 320 compact
Im sure you can see that all of these cars are diesel and roughly the same power etc...
I have never really looked into leons because they have been too expensive for my budget and also I didn't realise that they were made in the 150 TDI variant.
There are a few garages locally who have these cars and they range from anything between £4500 to £6000 which cover both ends of my budget. I managed to pop into a garage yesterday to have a look at one which was a red 53 plate with 114k on the clock, part service history and all of the usual gadgets and gizmos associated with the cupra, the only downside that I spotted on the car was that the bonnet was littered with stone chips and also the drivers side wing mirror cover had a few chips in it. Now the mirror doesnt bother me because I can either paint it myself of buy a replacement from somewhere like ebay. Apart from the stone chips, it looked like the A pillar had been re-sprayed (orange peel evident) and some over spray had gone on the wing, again no major issue and they can be sorted for not a huge sum of money.
Anyway enough of me rambling on....
I would like to ask a few questions about Leons in general and some questions about what I have mentioned above
- Firstly I have noticed that there are two different models of leon available with the same power output (150 bhp), these being the Cupra and the FR, now I have looked on parkers and they don't mention any difference apart from that the FR has a full size spare wheel (which doesn't bother me), now are there any differences between the two and would you say it is better to go for the Cupra or the FR?
- Also are there any common faults with the leon's to watch out for when buying one? I already know about the cam shaft failure issue on the PD 150 engines which does concern me slightly, are there any more like this?
- From what I mentioned about the car above, is 114k miles ok on a car like this ok or would I be better off staying away?
- I have also read the buyers guide for the Leon, LC and LCR and it does state to get one with Service History to be safe but would Part Service History be ok?
- Lastly are there any hints or tips that you guys could give me when looking for an LC, things to look out for, be it good or bad?
Now I would also like to point out that the car that I have mentioned above has not been taken for a test drive yet because my front bumper is being sprayed as I had a little accident in the ice christmas time and I am looking to trade my car in against a new one so If the garage saw the state my car is in at the moment then I would have no hope at negotiating haha!
Anyway enough of my chit chat, I would be very grateful for some help about this situation. I also do appologise if I have put the topic in the wrong section.
Cheers guys!
Adam
I am currently in the market for a new car and I have a few cars in mind at the moment which are:
- Golf mkIV GT TDI 130
- Seat Leon Cupra TDI 150
- BMW 320 compact
Im sure you can see that all of these cars are diesel and roughly the same power etc...
I have never really looked into leons because they have been too expensive for my budget and also I didn't realise that they were made in the 150 TDI variant.
There are a few garages locally who have these cars and they range from anything between £4500 to £6000 which cover both ends of my budget. I managed to pop into a garage yesterday to have a look at one which was a red 53 plate with 114k on the clock, part service history and all of the usual gadgets and gizmos associated with the cupra, the only downside that I spotted on the car was that the bonnet was littered with stone chips and also the drivers side wing mirror cover had a few chips in it. Now the mirror doesnt bother me because I can either paint it myself of buy a replacement from somewhere like ebay. Apart from the stone chips, it looked like the A pillar had been re-sprayed (orange peel evident) and some over spray had gone on the wing, again no major issue and they can be sorted for not a huge sum of money.
Anyway enough of me rambling on....
I would like to ask a few questions about Leons in general and some questions about what I have mentioned above
- Firstly I have noticed that there are two different models of leon available with the same power output (150 bhp), these being the Cupra and the FR, now I have looked on parkers and they don't mention any difference apart from that the FR has a full size spare wheel (which doesn't bother me), now are there any differences between the two and would you say it is better to go for the Cupra or the FR?
- Also are there any common faults with the leon's to watch out for when buying one? I already know about the cam shaft failure issue on the PD 150 engines which does concern me slightly, are there any more like this?
- From what I mentioned about the car above, is 114k miles ok on a car like this ok or would I be better off staying away?
- I have also read the buyers guide for the Leon, LC and LCR and it does state to get one with Service History to be safe but would Part Service History be ok?
- Lastly are there any hints or tips that you guys could give me when looking for an LC, things to look out for, be it good or bad?
Now I would also like to point out that the car that I have mentioned above has not been taken for a test drive yet because my front bumper is being sprayed as I had a little accident in the ice christmas time and I am looking to trade my car in against a new one so If the garage saw the state my car is in at the moment then I would have no hope at negotiating haha!
Anyway enough of my chit chat, I would be very grateful for some help about this situation. I also do appologise if I have put the topic in the wrong section.
Cheers guys!
Adam
