I need your help buying the correct model Leon

[MatG]

We now have the funds in place to start seriously looking for a Leon. However I am still unsure what model to go for!! So any help and advice would be great I have listed some questions and the models I think would be best but I would be interested to hear your thoughts and ideas as well.

Money to spend £14k max really although I wouldn't mind spending less around £12k - 13k.

Has to be diesel and manual.

Models that seem good to me - Sport or FR

Now the Sport seems to be a really good buy as it has the best from the reference range and the stylance range, is this correct? Also with Low insurance on the Sport compared to the FR is there really all that much difference?

Barring in mind that I will change the suspension, wheels and headunit regardless of what model we go for is there any real need to go for the FR other than power? If it is just power, are we talking a remap and we are in the 170BHP area or is it larger turbo, bigger intercooler etc etc as well?

Where does the stylance sit in the range? it seems to be the more comfortable with lots of electrics model in the range. If I was going to be changing suspension and wheels would I be better of going for the toys and making it more sporty in terms of ride and looks?

Which ever model I go for are there certain 'packs' or options I should be looking out for? It seems some come with alarms and bluetooth so I take it they are options? Some with 16's some with 17's? Again not of importance to me as I would fit 18's /19's straight away but may help the sale of the car when we have finished with it and put it back to standard.


Sorry for all the questions - I just want to make sure we get the correct base car for the mods we have planned

Thanks for any input

 

[beachboy]

My advice is to first have a look at the "sticky" at the top of the Leon Mk 2-New Leon section called "DPF Experiences".

This will bring you up to date with the Diesel Particulate Filter problems experienced by several SCN members. At the moment the only engine which has a DPF is the FR tdi 170.

My personal recommendation would be to get a Leon with the 2 litre 140 bhp engine (non- FR), run it for a while and then see whether you wish to uprate the performance.

There are various suggestions in "DPF Experiences" regarding the complete removal of the DPF on the FR tdi 170 and fitting aftermarket tuning parts. To the best of my knowledge nobody on SCN has yet done this and reported back. Please correct me if I am wrong! In any event it will probably be quite expensive.

I strongly advise you to do plenty of searches on the SCN forums before you take the plunge and part with your hard-earned dosh. There is a wealth of useful information on SCN to help you.

 

[alx_chung]

Hi and welcome to the forum!
For your price range, I would probably go for the Sport. The FR is still fairly scarce in the 2nd Hand market but if you are prepared to wait and shop around you might find one that suits you.
The difference in the Sport and the FR also includes the front and back bumpers and you get different alloys as well (there are a few other things too but you can find more if you do a search on the forum)
The Stylance is the model below the FR so its midrange and like you said it has a lot of the toys that come in handy. The Sport was the top of the range model before the FR came along.
The range goes like this (top to bottom)

Curpa
FR
Stylance
Ref Sport
Reference

Things that you have to have are Bluetooth as the bigger mfd and options come in really handy. Also Winter Packs and the Convience Packs are good to have too (again using the search on the forum you can find out more)
Hope this helps.
Alex

 

[beachboy]

MatG,

Have a look at the thread in this section called "Leon 2.0 remapped on Saturday" (4th December).

This will give you an idea of what a remap can do for the 140 tdi engine.

Chip Tuners Automotive (Pickering) are here:

http://www.chiptuners.co.uk/