Leons and Leon Cupras...

[LooseCannon]

Hi all ^ ^

Okay, so I've been wandering around the site for a short while, browsing and searching for information to help me understand the world of Leons - since I've decided it is definitely my choice, and will have one within the next few months

What I like most about them is that they look damn nice - the "squat" stance, and comfortable, no-nonsense drive (yeah, some say boring!) it provides is great. A Cupra is completely out of my sight as I have no need for something with more power and less mpg of say a 1.6! That leads me on to my questions!

Assuming I were to get a 1.6, what changes do I have to make to give it the Cupra look? For example, do they both have different bumpers, sideskirts etc etc? Oh, and I think it will be the Cupra alloys I'm looking to buy - I think these are the best lookers!(the yellow one at the top on this thread: http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=98457)

Thanx in advance for any comments

 

[Three Leons]

Yep, you'll need bumpers (front and rear) and side skirts. Do you want the facelift or Cupra R look? I may have some Cupra alloys for sale in a month if I get my new 18s...

 

[LooseCannon]

Dang, any idea how difficult it is to geta hold of the bumpers etc?

Sorry, I still haven't gotten the grasp of the terms - by face lift, are you meaning just the Cupra that was only later labelled "Cupra"? If so, to be completely honest, I don't really know the difference :-s

 

[Three Leons]

Think you can get hold of them fairly easily. You can go the dealer route (v. expensive Ive heard) or ebay!! Guys on here might be able to sort you out though.

By 'facelift', I mean model year 03 Cupras which have a sportier, more aggressive body kit, as in the yellow example you mentioned (as someone put it, it looks like it has a thin 'moustache' under the number plate), whereas the R is more aggressive still. Do a quick search and you'll see plently of pics.

And although you say you don't need anything more than a 1.6 - I was the same, but once you've driven a Cupra...

 

[LooseCannon]

Aaah, I get you now

Looks like I haven't been paying enough attention as I thought I was to all the pics I'd seen already on here!

I know what you mean about the Cupra - I had a drive in it, and it was bloody nice! However, I don't do that many miles (last year did 4.5k), and also looking to buy a house soon-ish, otherwise would have jumped at the chance!

By the way, hope you have your alloys around the time I have the car (hint hint )

 

[Rob_M]

If your only going to be doing 4.5 K a year, may as well get the cupra. The initial purchase price may be higher than a 1.6 but, if you are serious about making a 1.6 look like a cupra then it's going to cost a lot for the bumpers, skirts, wheels and respray etc.

Plus you get all the toys on the cupra to make that 4.5 k really enjoyable.

 

[BCM]

Yeh, sound like your after facelift cupra, as said, you'll need the bumpers, front and rear, side skirts, a the alloys and a backbox to fill the hole in the rear bumper and suspension to put it to cupra hight on the 17's!
Or just buy one, tbh your not doing a huge amount of miles, should be able to get a tidy one and you'll not lose as much on it either!


EDIT* ^^^^ Beaten to it!

 

[james_tiger_woo]

If you're looking for something with more mpg, why not the FR TDi?

It's quick, economical (relatively) and tuneable...

They can be a bit more expensive, but go for a 60k miler and you should find something that suits.

 

[brad1]

get a diesel mate. i was going to get a 1.6 thinking more mpg but a 1.9 tdi is so more economical. more mpg plus quicker, and tuneability. but if you say only 4.5k a year buy the cupra 20vt or the tdi. you will end up paying more making the 1.6 look like the cupra that actually buying one that will cost cheaper in the long run plus all the extras

 

[Mattrix]

I do a similar mileage and you won't really notice the extra cost in petrol by running a 20vt over a 1.6. If you were doing high mileage then the diesel would be the way to go. Insurance will be the only thing which might cost a lot more (dependant on age), but if you customize a 1.6 and declare it to the insurance company then you will be paying more than a standard 1.6 anyway.

Get a 20vt, you won't look back and it will hold its price better than a look alike will, you probably would never make back the cost of the mods unless you put it back to standard and sold them separately.

 

[BCM]

20vt defo mate, You'll prob get about 30mpg on a LC, and when you do so little miles diesel wont pay back the additional cost of buying it!

 

[murtagh_sean]

Ive a 1.9TDI Leon and it is extremely economical...if your doing town driving alone you'll get at least 400miles out of a full tank and a hell of a lot more if you are doing a lot of long distance driving as I've got 550miles out of a full tank!!

But it seems that you won't be doing too much driving mate and really these guys above only speak the truth...I've transformed my Leon (which started out the same as your 1.6) and believe me it's a costly experience!! I was only 18 there in March so I could never afford a Cupra-R's insurance and well I have to drive 100 miles everyday to get to university so as you can see a Cupra-R would never work for me at the minute so I took the route to making mine an LCR look-a-like.

Although I don't regret it at all because like I have explained the 1.9TDI is better for me at the minute and its only got 30K miles on the clock, still it is a costly experience because it is hard to get your hands on a good bodykit (and cheap one at that), once that's sorted you have to buy all the extras at the front (panel, badge, grills, fog lights, splitter), you need the bodykit fitted (I was lucky that I knew a lad that did all mine for cheap!!) then you'll need an oval exhaust to fill the gap at the back and then alloys on top of that!!

I don't know what age you are or how an LCR would hit your insurance mate but if it's a car that you won't drive too much I would seriously advise you to just go for the full LCR because it is an AMAZING car and totally gorgeous...by the time you make the 1.6 look like one it will have cost you the differnce in buying it no doubt!! Believe me you won't regret buying the LCR instead of the 1.6 so I say go on treat yourself

Let us know how you get on mate!!

 

[rickP]

I would agree with most of the others on here...

buying a 1.6 to looky-likee a cupra will cost you alot more than buying a genuine Cupra in the first place...

As you are doing a small amount of mileage, i'm sure that with a limited mileage Insurance policy it wouldn't be that much more... the only problem will be when you start then start modding your turbo charged lovely for more power, but the specialist insurers can put a good dent into that additional cost!

I went down the route of originally buying a 90bhp tdi, but it didn't have enough power to get past trucks when you need it to (couldn't afford the 110bhp model at the time but needed a good car for the miles i was doing!).

I looked into modifying it and then decided that the money it would cost me would never get me the power of the cupra tdi (which was then available) (one of the few before they renamed it to tdi FR) so after 2 years got 2/3rds of the money i spent on the 90bhp and part ex'd it for the tdi cupra...

i may still be paying for it now, but its the perfect car (now family car!) for my needs that goes like the clappers when you want to play, or can tootle like a granny round town...

It may sound odd but... 'save your money and buy a Cupra instead...'

 

[LooseCannon]

Wow, I must be really easily swayed - took me months to settle on a 1.6, and in a matter of a few posts, you're already making me doubt!!

Thanx for the helpful tips and suggestions guys. I think I'll have to have a little sit down, and consider it.

I'm 21, and the two biggest problems I thought of were insurance, and MPG. Also, power means next to nothing to me, however the look of a car is one of the most important - has to look pretty! There are a few insurance companies who don't mind a modified vehicle, as long as it is not the engine, therefore do not charge extra, which is why I thought of going down the modified 1.6 route. Also, I don't really want to spend more than 3.5k on my next car, as like I said, house etc are more of a priority just now, and I'm guessing I'll find it difficult to maintain the LC (repairs, lower mpg, higher insurance etc) :s

Oh, and I called my current insurer for a quote earlier today on a 1.6 and a 1.9 TDI S - and they both came out as £550! So as a side question - how many miles would I do before seeing the benefit of a TDI?

Aaahh - think I'm more confused now lol

 

[Dyscontinued]

I have the 150 TDI and it's never returned less than 35mpg even being thrashed round town.
On the M1 to London (from Leeds) it got 53mpg whilst on the way back when not dropping below 90mph all the way unless needed it returned 48mpg.

The only thing I don't like about my diesel is the noise from outside the car, can't tell inside.

 

[65coupe]

I got a quote for an '03 LC yesterday, and it was...


...


...


£187



for the year.



fully comprehensive. (admittedly I am quite old and have 7 years NCB but hell that's less than HALF my Vec GSi which is 220bhp and much more torquey!)

Game on! (Now all I have to do is buy one!)

 

[rickP]

From what i can gather, a petrol will get you about 250-350 per tank, whereas depending how you drive the diesel will get you 350-630...

The diesel figures are based on the worst and the best i have gotten out of it, and yes... you can thrash the pants off of it and still get 35mpg!

i'm sure the petrol drivers will correct me if i'm wrong... but i average 450 until the light comes on (so full to empty call it 480-500)

i fill up once a month or month and half as i barely do too many miles at the moment, but i do always use Premium diesel (as you gain about an extra 30 miles per tank) plus my remap is tuned got tuned to the stuff... it seems to runs like a sick puppy on normal diesel...

also if you go down the diesel route, go for the 110 as this can be remapped if you want to go down this route to about 130-140 if i remember correctly...

 

[swissrebel]

Wow, I must be really easily swayed - took me months to settle on a 1.6, and in a matter of a few posts, you're already making me doubt!!

Thanx for the helpful tips and suggestions guys. I think I'll have to have a little sit down, and consider it.

I'm 21, and the two biggest problems I thought of were insurance, and MPG. Also, power means next to nothing to me, however the look of a car is one of the most important - has to look pretty! There are a few insurance companies who don't mind a modified vehicle, as long as it is not the engine, therefore do not charge extra, which is why I thought of going down the modified 1.6 route. Also, I don't really want to spend more than 3.5k on my next car, as like I said, house etc are more of a priority just now, and I'm guessing I'll find it difficult to maintain the LC (repairs, lower mpg, higher insurance etc) :s

Oh, and I called my current insurer for a quote earlier today on a 1.6 and a 1.9 TDI S - and they both came out as £550! So as a side question - how many miles would I do before seeing the benefit of a TDI?

Aaahh - think I'm more confused now lol

I'm 21 and insurance for the Cupra was in a similar bracket, and I haven't even built up any no-claims yet. I'll assume you've been driving longer than me (i'm just shy of the 2 year mark) and in fairness, I wish i'd gone for the Cupra after all this. The economy isn't noticably better, and you'll definitely no notice that - the mileage you do in a year, I do in about 3 months

 

[magicoi]

My thoughts:

Dont buy a 1.6 and spend a load of cash making it look like a lcr. You simply wont get anything back for it whan its time to sell.

If you like the leon, save for a bit and get yourself the lcr. House should come first mate, at least you can make money from a house

Just my thoughts

 

[LooseCannon]

Right, after this talk, I went out to test drive a Cupra TDi(150) again!

Same as how I remembered , lovely drive - feels great to thrash it, ride is awesomage, and all the extras etc are nice to have.

However, it's more than I need in every way, and just does not make financial sense to buy it. Took it home, stuck stuff in boot - basically for the hour I had it, treated it like I would as if I'd bought it - and I know I'd regret having paid out so much more than I needed to - hence I think I will leave the Cupra. Insurance is another thing - best I could manage after about 5/6 calls was £1200 - far too much. Conclusion? As soon as house is sorted out (hopefully within next few years) I'm definitely getting one!

Regardless of the above, I have decided - what with all your comments (much, much appreciated by the way!) I would like a diesel! In my opinion, the noise is not as bad as some people think, and they have a fair bit of power when you need it

And to conclude the thread, one more bit of advice needed - which of the diesels would you recommend, and why? (keeping in mind id like to spend no more than around £3500!)