Leon FR TDI or Astra VXR

[Al]

Thats why I traded mine in for a vec vxr, for the doors , 300bhp & 400lb/ft ... And it was cheaper than a cupra !! (Until you look at running costs), and it was bigger than a cupra too = better ??

extras ?? You get 1/2 leather in the vxr for a start, you could find a hundred things eachj have & don`t , depends what you are looking for ... (And it had a centre exit zorst before your K1 *lol*)

I am not a K1 fan myself, but the Vectra VXR is not exactly an aficionado's first choice now is it? It does not have 300bhp and 400ft-lb out the packet either - nor does it do 170mph standard.

Think Mr Clarkson sums up the Vectra VXR quite well in this little clip....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPHNPmfTopQ



Hardly surprising a car with poor mpg, high emissions, severe depreciation and crap looks/handling is cheaper than a Cupra. Oh, and before the performance figures and top speed are thrown in to the hat, remember that the Vectra VXR outweighs both the Astra VXR and Leon Cupra TFSi by 800cc, 2 cylinders and a slightly different turbo set up (not to mention about 1/4 of a tonne lol).

 

[Bainie]

Your right, the Vec is "only" 280bhp out of the box ... It does out weigh them by 800cc and a couple of cyliders as well, which is why it has soooo much torque, I sold mine for a leon, and as I said it wasn`t as good a drive as my Astra vxr , but it was very very quick, especially for such a heavy car. I had no understeer with mine because A) I can drive & B) I didn`t switch off the esp/ids Like clarkson did ... (I lost a lot less in depreciation with both my Vxrs than the leon has already !! )

After a £600 map mine had 300bhp / 400lb/ft and could do over 170 ...

I love cars and can see the merits pitfalls in them all, never been a stick to one marque kinda guy, neither do I think that the car I drive is the best on the road, I just enjoy each on it`s merits , if we all liked the same cars and needed them for the same purpose we would all drive the same one surely

 

[Al]

Your right, the Vec is "only" 280bhp out of the box ... It does out weigh them by 600cc and a couple of cyliders as well, which is why it has soooo much torque, I sold mine for a leon, and as I said it wasn`t as good a drive as my Astra vxr , but it was very very quick, especially for such a heavy car. I had no understeer with mine because A) I can drive & B) I didn`t switch off the esp/ids Like clarkson did ... (I lost a lot less in depreciation with both my Vxrs than the leon has already !! )

After a £600 map mine had 300bhp / 400lb/ft and could do over 170 ...

I love cars and can see the merits pitfalls in them all, never been a stick to one marque kinda guy, neither do I think that the car I drive is the best on the road, I just enjoy each on it`s merits , if we all liked the same cars and needed them for the same purpose we would all drive the same one surely

Which Leon did you sell your Vectra for then?

I hear you with regard to Clarkson - Obviously he takes the mick and it was clear what he was doing in that clip, but for someone who has driven (lets face it) most cars to say that the Vec VXR has a poor chassis, there must be something in it, even if you take his exaggeration out of it.

There are quite a few Leon Cupras on here with over 300bhp from a remap alone for less money than you paid for the map on the Vectra. With regard to depreciation, the cheapest Leon Cupra TFSi on Autotrader is a 56 plate for £14k which is an approx drop of £5k off new price in 1.5 years.

The cheapest VXR of the same age with 4k miles less is £13k which is a £12k drop in approx 1.5 years.

I agree with your sentiments about us all liking different cars, and have never had the same marque more than twice. My car journey includes

FIAT Tipo 1.4
Ford Escort 1.4
Vauxhall Astra 2.0 16v
Honda Civic EG Saloon VTi 1.6
Honda Civic EK Hatch VTi 1.6
Subaru Impreza Turbo
VW Passat TDi Sport
VW Passat Sport
SEAT Toledo 1.8T
SEAT Leon Cupra TFSi

I will not have another SEAT after the current car as I fancy a change, but I know I wont be buying another Vauxhall as it was as unreliable as the FIAT, and that took some beating.

 

[Bainie]

The reason Vx values fall so dramitically is that they discount the cars heavily, so the rrp is no where close to what you pay for a new one. When I bought the leon, I also looked at an astra cdtisri xp , full leather, parking sensors & mett paint, I was offered 5k off rrp on it, which doesn`t do residuals any favours. I have just received this email today

"Sorry for the late reply but was trying to get a price on the Seat as it’s so new… But all the dealers aren’t buying at the moment due to Sept coming up.

The best price I have had was around £11k which is far from what you need for the car. Let me know how you get on" (That is for a 57 plate fr Tdi, black, conv, winter, 18`s, bluetooth )

So the residual / depreciation arguement doesn`t stack up for me .. Above email was for trading in on an A4 Sline TFSI btw for 20k ... Shocking ...

 

[Al]

The reason Vx values fall so dramitically is that they discount the cars heavily, so the rrp is no where close to what you pay for a new one. When I bought the leon, I also looked at an astra cdtisri xp , full leather, parking sensors & mett paint, I was offered 5k off rrp on it, which doesn`t do residuals any favours. I have just received this email today

"Sorry for the late reply but was trying to get a price on the Seat as it’s so new… But all the dealers aren’t buying at the moment due to Sept coming up.

The best price I have had was around £11k which is far from what you need for the car. Let me know how you get on" (That is for a 57 plate fr Tdi, black, conv, winter, 18`s, bluetooth )

So the residual / depreciation arguement doesn`t stack up for me .. Above email was for trading in on an A4 Sline TFSI btw for 20k ... Shocking ...

Not following the jist of this post - maybe I am in dumb mode?

 

[Bainie]

Vx cars look like they depreciate quicker than vag cars, but thats only if you look at rrp, vag do not discount their cars to the same level as Vx . Therefore the Vxr you quote in your post has not depreciated 12k, as no one in there right mind would pay 24k for a vxr, nearer 20k, losing 7k in 1.5 years ... I paid 17k for my leon, so already after 10 months have lost 6k ... When I sold my astra Vxr, which I paid 18k for, I got 16.5 back, losing £1500 in a year, but this was due to the Vxr just being released which helped ...

Just trying to point out that depreciation is a six and two threes , not heavily weighed towards one or the other ...

 

[Al]

I paid 17k for my leon, so already after 10 months have lost 6k ...

Which Leon?

 

[Bainie]

This one ... I think after finding this site I probably could have got a bit more off, but trading in it is about cost to change so it is hard to pinpoint exactly what you are paying, got gap insurance thrown in as well ...

.

(That is for a 57 plate fr Tdi, black, conv, winter, 18`s, bluetooth )

...

 

[Pummy]

1) Comparison of the FR to the VXR is not as accurate as comparing the Cupra.
2) Do you need 5 doors? Or will need them in the next say 3 years? Might be worth thinking about if you require them. If you do not want 5 doors, the Cupra is not for you.
3) As for faults, there is a thread posting all faults on the car.
We obviously do like the leon cars, however each to their own, I hope we have managed to help you make your choice.

 

[Poverty]

I dont see why someone wouldnt buy a cupra because they dont need 5 doors. Do 5 door cars not perform as well? The leon doesnt look like a traditional 5 door anyway with its slanted sporty shape.

Vectras chassis is so crap that the police force demanded that the police got them replaced lol.

 

[Bainie]

Vectras chassis is so crap that the police force demanded that the police got them replaced lol.

The chassis replaced ??

I have heard that they are well pleased with their vast fleet of seats though

 

[Petrol-Head-Pete]

the name of this site is seatcupra.net if you dont like cupras so much why dont you go and talk about vauxhall's with people who actually like them on your own site this thread is boring me now!

 

[Poverty]

The chassis replaced ??

I have heard that they are well pleased with their vast fleet of seats though

lol no they wanted the force to get rid of those crappy vauxhalls and replace them with beemers.

They are happy with their skoda vRS's though

 

[Bainie]

the name of this site is seatcupra.net if you dont like cupras so much why dont you go and talk about vauxhall's with people who actually like them on your own site this thread is boring me now!

If you don`t like vauxhalls then don`t read threads with one in the title , pretty easy sorted that one ... i have never said I don`t like cupras, I drive an FR ,ffs, got rid of a vx for one ... , doesn`t mean it`s the best car in the world and everything else is pants !! Be a boring place if everyone blew smoke up the cupras tailpipe in every post though ... Nothing wrong with a bit of healthy debate and banter imo ...

 

[Pummy]

I dont see why someone wouldnt buy a cupra because they dont need 5 doors. Do 5 door cars not perform as well? The leon doesnt look like a traditional 5 door anyway with its slanted sporty shape.

The shape can put people off it compared to the other hot hatches in the same category. Golf, Audi, Focus, Astra, they are all 3 doors in the hot versions, with only a few of the hot versions being ordered in the 5 door variety. The Leon gives them no choice but in 5 door, which may put some people off based on the looks.

 

[Bainie]

I think that the 5 doors of the leon is a huge selling point. That is why I bought one tbh, and I nearly bought the cupra. I also looked at a 5 door ST , people still mistake it for a 3 door ...

 

[Pummy]

I like 5 doors now that I have a 5 door car. It is just that because there is no 3 door option in the leon, some folk will steer clear of it.

 

[Pummy]

...I know I wont be buying another Vauxhall as it was as unreliable as the FIAT, and that took some beating...

To be fair the Tipo is 80s Italian tech. From the Punto onwards, they saw a real improvement, however I agree that most Fiats previous from the early 90's , were sometimes real dogs. Try finding a Mk1 Uno with no rust. Rocking horse poo anyone?

 

[Al]

To be fair the Tipo is 80s Italian tech. From the Punto onwards, they saw a real improvement, however I agree that most Fiats previous from the early 90's , were sometimes real dogs. Try finding a Mk1 Uno with no rust. Rocking horse poo anyone?

Agreed, but I was comparing a much newer Vauxhall to the older FIAT. As far as I know they are better than when I had mine, but still not great. Quite a few new Astra VXR Nurburgrings are burning oil and have a few other faults as well

 

[phil3012]

I had an Astra SRi (previous style) 2 cars ago and compared to my current SEAT the build quality was infinitely better.

I can only remember having 3 or 4 warranty issues with the Astra compared to a seemingly never ending list with the SEAT.

Not sure if the Vauxhall standard has go worse, but certainly the build quality of my SEAT is shocking.