This week’s Shed starts with another PH staple: The Rant. This one is about car company names.
Oh yes. One particularly shiny shed
You never see car mags referring to a ‘Bmw’, do you? And yet those same mags insist on referring to SEAT as ‘Seat’. Last Shed heard, a ‘Seat’ was something to sit on, ideally for as long as possible.
What’s the point being made here? None really, but it does give us a contrived intro.
We all know that SEAT names its cars after appropriate Spanish locations: Ibiza, a fun car for young ’uns; Leon, a bustling, hard-working sort of car; Altea, erm, a place you get to if you head due south for 891 miles along the zero-degree longitude line from Greenwich; and Toledo, which – applying some reverse logic based on the ill-judged Mk3 version of that car – should look like the back end of a dirty bus.
In fact, Toledo – the town – is perfectly nice, and the latest Mk4 Toledo isn’t bad either, at least in comparison to the universally unloved light goods vehicle that preceded it. By contrast, the first Toledo of 1991 was rightly beloved by the contemporary motoring press. Built on the Mk2 Golf platform, it was one of the first ‘German quality’ SEATs. Shed remembers it as a fine car with a massive boot that was perfect for hauling dodgy hooch across the Channel by Hoverspeed.
Looks nicer than its successor, too
There aren't many Mk1s left now, but the Golf 4-based Mk2 is now drifting nicely onto the Shed firing range. The Giugiaro/Italdesign styling is love or hate – some say there’s an
Alfa 156
look about it – but what’s not in question is the Toledo’s mix of quality, practicality and, in this V5 form, decent performance.
Volkswagen’s normally aspirated 2.3-litre five-pot motor (first used in the Passat and later in the Golf and Bora) was basically a VR6 with one cylinder removed. It began life as a 150hp single-cammer, but the addition of double camshafts in 2000 hoicked the output to 170hp. It’s not quite as torquey-feeling as you might expect, but V5 power is smooth and characterful.
Fuel consumption figures in town or fast country roads are more likely to start with a two than a three. Timing is by chain, which along with the associated tensioners should last for 90,000 miles. It’s obviously worth asking the vendor whether that’s been done, given the car’s mileage. If not, and the next owner chooses to risk it for a biscuit rather than lay out £500-plus for the job, beware: it’s an interference type and 20 is a lot of valves to be interfered with.
Looks tidy in here; pretty solid, too
Other than that, it’s the usual non-model-exclusive VW Group stuff like coil packs and MAF sensors coming up most often on the ‘things that go wrong’ list, plus the occasional radiator failure. Fault codes aren’t necessarily always an issue, as VW’s diagnostic tackle is known for its Germanic intolerance. Stretched cam chains can bring on the engine management warning light, but it could just as easily be a faulty cam or crank sensor. Air-con has a rep for opting out but the vendor assures us his example is fine. Water leaks through door seals are reported too, but this isn’t mentioned here, and judging by the condition of the car there’s no reason to suppose a problem. Brake light switches are fragile.
Other than that, you’re looking at a properly grown-up performance saloon here. The spec is great, the back seats fold down and the boot is still big (albeit with a slitty opening), and the condition of this 12-year-old car attests that the build quality is certainly no worse than Volkswagen’s. Toledo fans consider its handling to be superior to that of the equivalent Golf, too, thanks in part to its stiffer saloon body. The shiny black bodywork of this car is nicely set off by those Ferrari 308-style five-spoke alloys. Don’t laugh; this is the car that inspired SEAT’s BTCC campaign.
She'll take you to the top of the world. Maybe.
One of Shed’s business pals ran a V5 as a company car. This guy has killed a lot of cars over the years, with most trees in the Harrogate area still bearing the reverse imprint of one of his many Minis. On one occasion his mum found him inside one that was still spinning slowly on its roof. Shed asked him if he’d ever heard of mechanical sympathy. “No,” came the reply. “Where are they playing?”
Yer man really rated the Toledo’s top quality interior and its tough engine, which carried on uncomplainingly even as he uncaringly extended the service intervals by 18,000 miles. The poor thing was only offed when someone used it to stop their own car at the bottom of an icy hill in Hipperholme.
Let that be a lesson to us all. Never park at the bottom of Kirk Lane.
Sad times. AEY has to go to a new home. It's been a brilliant car, but I shan't be needing her anymore.
Full spec with Climate control, Cruise, Sat Nav and Electric memory seats.
It's fully serviced, with all invoices and log books. She is tip top, and EVERYTHING works. She drives great, with no noises, creaks groans, bumps or bongs. Set the cruise to 75 - 80 and it will return a 35mpg average. It's a peach of a motor. It has 4 new Avon tyres. Passed the last MOT with out a single issue, and has until December before its due a test again. Has a little tax too.
Seats are in sand half leather, and are clean. Features the factory sat nav, with Ipod connection. The stereo is brilliant. Climate control is quiet, heats up fast, and air con is ice cold when you want it.
As you can see it polishes up a treat. I would love to see it go to a good home. It's in such good shape, it's fully valeted, and wants for nothing. If this was a VW Bora or Golf with the same condition spec and engine you'd be looking at twice the price. These drive better, and are a total bargain. Asking for a little more money in other places, but at this price may be it'll be a Pistonheads SOTW.
Happy to answer any questions via email or just give me a call. It has to go, so come and have a look.