greggors84
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| posted on 29/3/07 at 09:49 PM |
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Leon v Golf
Looking at getting a TDI as my V6 is costing me silly money on the long commute every day.
Was very impressed with my mates MK4 Golf TDI 130.
I do like the Golfs, but think I prefer the look of the Leon more and there arnt as many about. Really want the 130 6 speed engine but how do they
compare otherwise?
Havent really checked prices yet but will I be able to get newer/lower milage/better spec Leon for same money?
Looking 6k budget.
Chris
The Magnificent 7!
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tegwin
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| posted on 29/3/07 at 10:04 PM |
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oops...
[Edited on 29/3/07 by tegwin]
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greggors84
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| posted on 29/3/07 at 10:12 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
oops...
[Edited on 29/3/07 by tegwin]
What? Not a good choice? 
You know there is a delete post button.
Chris
The Magnificent 7!
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mark_mcd
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| posted on 29/3/07 at 10:30 PM |
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not sure how good a 130/150tdi you would get for that money... tuning potential is massive with those engines (as with all turbo diesels) and should
you wish at a later date around 180bhp is available with just a remap with no affect on mpg (as long as you dont drive with a lead foot ).
usual stuff about golf costing more as it hold money better usually blah blah would likely apply. leon would be seen as the 'sportier'
car as it would likely be a cupra with that engine.
consider a skoda? fabia vrs would maybe come into budget or an octavia or superb? same engine.
[Edited on 29/3/2007 by mark_mcd]
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Danozeman
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 07:11 AM |
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As said above the golfs hold the money better but like you said u dont see as many leons about and i think they look nicer.
I would buy a leon myself then chip. My 110 passat tdi pulls well and never drops below 45mpg about town and usually does 60mpg on a run and its a
5spd, the 6's do more. If i put my foot down on the motorway itl pull straight up to 120 easy.
The deisel tuner chips are 200 quid and they reckon 110bhp is 142 bhp and 65mpg easy with that on. Im getting one this month. Golfs/leons are
lighter so will be better aswell.
That said thou i do know a bloke with a 150bhp bora and that does 75mpg in 6th at 70mph.
Diesel tuner
[Edited on 30/3/07 by Danozeman]
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ned
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 07:12 AM |
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Chris,
I bought a bora for a lot less money than an equivalent golf/leon. Only downside imho is it's a saloon rather than a hatch. Mine's only a
115, but has been remapped and produces the same torque as a remapped 130, (they all seem to quote about 270-280lb/ft remapped) just less power
(probably 140-5bhp ish).
Don't be put off buying a higher milage example if you find a nice one as you get more car for your money. Bought mine at 119k and with oil and
filter, pad and tyre changes and a cambelt it drives brilliantly on 148k.
Ned.
beware, I've got yellow skin
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Hellfire
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 07:26 AM |
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I have an Octavia 2.0TDI with 140bhp... awesome engine and build quality. Holds it's value better than all of it's stable mates and you
get much more of the same stuff for no more money. Looks are questionable though... 
Personally I'd go for the Leon... VW seems to have a bit of an old, reliable stigma attached. Seat doesn't, even though it's
basically the same car...
Steve
[Edited on 30-3-07 by Hellfire]
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ditchlewis
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 07:51 AM |
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i had a golf pd 150. a great motorway cruser, but a bit of a barge in the corners.
i had the car from new and sold it after 2 1/2 years with 91K on the clock. i got £7500 for it ( it was an 03) so you might be lucky with your budget
if you get a leggy one.
good luck
ditch
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nick205
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 08:37 AM |
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Just about to give up my company Leon Cupra TDI 150 after 3 years and will miss it hugely
I chose it over the Golf, A3, Skoda because IMHO it's by far the best looking and much more genorously specced than a VW or Audi. It's
fair to say I haven't had to shoulder the tyre bill which has been significant, particularly the fronts but other than that it has been very
easy to run, returning 60mpg+ on a decent run and never less than 45mpg round town.
I've also found my 2 nearest Seat dealers to be refreshingly pleasant to deal with. Not something I can say for any VW or Audi dealer
I've visited
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robinj66
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 08:53 AM |
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I'm on my second petrol Leon and I think they're great cars. Like to think of them as more Audi A3 than VW
I test drove the 1.9TDi (150BHP)and to be frank I couldn't tell much difference from the 18T (180BHP) in mine , except the diesel runs out of
revs a bit quicker
Agree with Nick about the dealers being a lot more friendly than VW etc
[Edited on 30/3/07 by robinj66]
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bigandy
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 09:40 AM |
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The VAG 130 Tdi engine has certainly impressed me. We are currently on our second Fabia vRS, and the engine/box works really well in it.
Acceleration is good enough as standard, but the economy is brilliant. I drive around 60 miles a day, mostly on dual carriageway, and I very rarely
dip below 60mpg. Even on a thrash round the hills/back roads it tends to stay on the good side of 35mpg!
We are just about to trade in our current vRS for a new one, so that will be our 3rd in 4 years. (Anyone want to buy a black Fabia vRS, 9 months old,
14k on the clock, immaculate? £11,000 and it is yours!)
One of the days I manage to persuade SWMBO to let me have the engine "breathed on" to make it a litle bit quicker 
Cheers
Andy
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ned
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 10:18 AM |
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The fabia vrs must be the smallest/lightest car to be fitted with the 130 engine? (polo isn't is it? what about the ibiza?)
The only downside I find is that when remapped, even on my humble 115 you get too much torque for the traction control system (still on original
clutch though).
I want to get a passat 4motion or a4 quattro tdi next to alleviate the traction issues in 1st + 2nd, moreso in the wet.
Ned.
beware, I've got yellow skin
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roadrunner
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 10:41 AM |
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quote:
Like to think of them as more Audi A3 than VW
I wonder why.
I've had three Golfs, MKIII 1.6, MKIII 90 TDI chipped to 115, and now MKIV 2.3 V5,
when you buy a seat, the dealers always say "it's a VW really" but when you get rid , it's a Seat.
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bigandy
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 11:20 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by ned
The fabia vrs must be the smallest/lightest car to be fitted with the 130 engine? (polo isn't is it? what about the ibiza?)
The only downside I find is that when remapped, even on my humble 115 you get too much torque for the traction control system (still on original
clutch though).
I want to get a passat 4motion or a4 quattro tdi next to alleviate the traction issues in 1st + 2nd, moreso in the wet.
Ned.
It can't be far off Although, compared to some of the lower spec Fabias that I have driven, the vRS does feel like a bit of a heavyweight.
Still rather good fun though for a practical tin-top to get to work in
Even without any tweaking at all, I usually find the traction control intervening when driving with a heavy right foot in the wet. The best yet is
spinning the front wheels in 3rd gear accelerating away from a roundabout on the A55 in the wet In the dry the problems only really occur in 1st
gear though...
Cheers
andy
Dammit! Too many decisions....
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craig1410
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 12:21 PM |
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I've got a Seat Cupra R225 but I very nearly bought a Leon FR TDi 150. I test drove a couple of them and they are certainly very rapid with bags
of torque.
I would also highly recommend buying a Seat over a Golf as the Leon is much better looking! The Golf just looks lardy in my opinion whereas the MK1
Leon is voluptuous, especially in the Cupra R bodykit! Seat dealer's are also much nicer to deal with on the whole.
Be aware that the diesel Cupra was only produced for a short time and doesn't have the nicer (IMHO) bodykit which the Cupra R petrol car has.
The Leon FR 150 got the Cupra R bodykit from September 2005 but you won't get one of those for £6k. In fact you'll be struggling to get a
TDi 130 SE for £6k.
Parkers guide suggests the following:
SEAT Leon Hatchback (00-05)
1.9 TDi SE (130ps) 5d 2003/03
Average mileage 30,000 miles
Original Price £15,245
Franchised Dealer £9,060
Independent Dealer £8,555
Private Good £7,830
Private Poor £6,235
Part Exchange £7,320
HTH,
Craig.
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andy o
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 01:57 PM |
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i have a cordoba tdi(130)and in 2 years have had no problems,goes like a rocket and if your carefull can return high 60s mpg.you can also fit a
crossflow and a zetec side by side in the boot.
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OX
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 03:08 PM |
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the only time i get to see a little over 45mpg in my golf is on the motorway,think iv seen 48 at the most .normal roads its well below 40 .maybe my
cars got a problem or you guys are driving like miss daisy .
the golf is like a bit of a jelly around the corners but it seems a little stiffer than my brothers 130..i also looked at the leon but in standard
form and for the money i had to spend i didnt think it looked as good
[Edited on 30/3/07 by OX]
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omega 24 v6
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 03:20 PM |
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Go Skoda for value for money.
quote:
(Anyone want to buy a black Fabia vRS, 9 months old, 14k on the clock, immaculate? £11,000 and it is yours!)
FFS a new limited edition with the toys is only 12995 OTR and I really fancy one but SWMBO says no (AGAIN)
If it looks wrong it probably is wrong.
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bigandy
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 04:07 PM |
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Aye, Fabia vRS in Race blue limitied edition is what we are swapping our black one for Been offered £10k trade in on the old one, and considering
the toys that are included, I think it is a pretty good deal.
Cheers
Andy
Dammit! Too many decisions....
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ChrisGamlin
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 05:58 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by ned
Don't be put off buying a higher milage example if you find a nice one as you get more car for your money. Bought mine at 119k and with oil and
filter, pad and tyre changes and a cambelt it drives brilliantly on 148k.
Ned.
Glad to hear my old Bora is still going strong Ned, even if you did take liberties with the old girl taking it round Mallory!
[Edited on 30/3/07 by ChrisGamlin]
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ned
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 06:48 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by ChrisGamlin
Glad to hear my old Bora is still going strong Ned, even if you did take liberties with the old girl taking it round Mallory!
[Edited on 30/3/07 by ChrisGamlin]
Twas brands actually problem is the ecu went into safe mode when the engine sensors must've got hot after a few laps!
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/upload/2DSC00887.jpg
[Edited on 30/3/07 by ned]
beware, I've got yellow skin
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ChrisGamlin
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| posted on 30/3/07 at 08:10 PM |
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Yeh I remember the picture, I think I must have envisaged it as Mallory because its a similar view to looking back up towards the hairpin from the
pitwall.
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greggors84
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| posted on 1/4/07 at 09:50 PM |
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As it looks unlikely I will get a decent (or not) Leon for 6k I have thought about the Ibiza.
Wasnt too sure about the looks of them, but been up north this weekend and seen a few on the motorway and are growing to like them!
The interior is really important to me as I will be doing quite a few miles in it. I really like the golfs interior, but have never been in a Seat.
Will have to get to a dealers and test drive one when I get some time away from work!
Chris
The Magnificent 7!
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craig1410
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| posted on 1/4/07 at 10:27 PM |
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As a Seat owner I'd describe the interior's of the vehicles from the last few years to be functional rather than flashy. They are usually
well built but lack some of the "bling" you tend to get more and more these days.
For me this is a bonus because there is nothing I hate more than plastic trying to be aluminium but it's not to everyone's taste. I also
like simple switchgear and simple instruments but more and more cars are coming out with all sorts of add a few Kg's to the car without
improving the driving experience.
Even my 2005 Cupra R is fairly low key inside but everything is well put together and is of good quality. My interior is all black, including the head
lining which gives it (IMHO) a bit of a sinister look. I like it but other's have described it as a bit plain.
It'll be interesting to hear what you think when you see for yourself. Please let us know.
Cheers,
Craig.
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