Leon Cupra 1.8T, Golf GTi 1.8T or ST170
Discussion
D'OH, meant to be in General Gassing...
I'm getting rid of my 106 GTi and looking for something a bit comfier now so I've decided between these 3.(I do have other preferences but insurance/running costs won't allow)
Insurance quotes for me are coming up almost identical for each car, and purchase prices are all roughly similar. Swaying towards the Leon as it's less common, I prefer the looks over the Golf, and it's faster than the Focus.
Opinions?
(Pics as examples, not ones I'm looking at buying.)
I'm getting rid of my 106 GTi and looking for something a bit comfier now so I've decided between these 3.(I do have other preferences but insurance/running costs won't allow)
Insurance quotes for me are coming up almost identical for each car, and purchase prices are all roughly similar. Swaying towards the Leon as it's less common, I prefer the looks over the Golf, and it's faster than the Focus.
Opinions?
(Pics as examples, not ones I'm looking at buying.)
It all depends what you want from a car.
The focus is by far and away the best drivers car, but has a weaker engine out of the three. If its absolute speed your wanting buy the golf or seat. The ST is not cheap to tune unlike the two turbo cars.
I've had a 3 door ST170 and a 3 Door Golf Mk4 GTi. I wish i never sold the St but the golf I couldn't wait to get rid.
The focus is by far and away the best drivers car, but has a weaker engine out of the three. If its absolute speed your wanting buy the golf or seat. The ST is not cheap to tune unlike the two turbo cars.
I've had a 3 door ST170 and a 3 Door Golf Mk4 GTi. I wish i never sold the St but the golf I couldn't wait to get rid.
JamesNotJim said:
It all depends what you want from a car.
The focus is by far and away the best drivers car, but has a weaker engine out of the three. If its absolute speed your wanting buy the golf or seat. The ST is not cheap to tune unlike the two turbo cars.
I've had a 3 door ST170 and a 3 Door Golf Mk4 GTi. I wish i never sold the St but the golf I couldn't wait to get rid.
Yep, completely this.The focus is by far and away the best drivers car, but has a weaker engine out of the three. If its absolute speed your wanting buy the golf or seat. The ST is not cheap to tune unlike the two turbo cars.
I've had a 3 door ST170 and a 3 Door Golf Mk4 GTi. I wish i never sold the St but the golf I couldn't wait to get rid.
I have just got an ST170 and it is an awesome drive, it is also much, much faster across country than it has any right to be and has kept some very decent machinery honest on a couple of hoons.
Drive one of each before buying, if you are local to me you are welcome to have a little blast in my ST, but the Golf will be a disappointment after the other two.
Also a bad ST is very obvious, so if you find one underwhelming try another one, and they are very easily upset by aftermarket alloys. I tried 3 and one was a dog.
Edit, even with the "weaker" engine it is still no slouch, it just needs wringing out more, for example 2nd hits motorway speeds.
Edited by omgus on Tuesday 20th September 22:19
Handling and chassis behaviour is worth many bhp. Straight line acceleration is good for a short while, but you'll miss the GTI.
Get the ST170, or get a 2.0 Zetec and modify the suspension a bit if you need to. Don't fit massive wheels though!
Get the ST170, or get a 2.0 Zetec and modify the suspension a bit if you need to. Don't fit massive wheels though!
Edited by MC Bodge on Tuesday 20th September 23:13
When picking my car at 18 I looked into all of these cars in great detail. I also looked at the Fiesta ST as my budget was around £3500. The car that was ahead by a country mile (on paper anyway) was the Mg Zr 160. It is the fastest of all the cars (acceleration wise) and the best on fuel by quite a bit. I also found very very cheap insurance.
Worth a look? Although if your budget could stretch I would go for the Cupra R
Edit to add: Oh and they are dirt cheap in good condition with low miles.
Worth a look? Although if your budget could stretch I would go for the Cupra R
Edit to add: Oh and they are dirt cheap in good condition with low miles.
StottyZr said:
Next brainwave. Have you looked at Clio 182's or Civic Type R's? (I saw a very good condition type R up for £2500 yesterday) or as mentioned above Fiesta ST. Find the car with the cheapest insurance from the list and buy that one (if young and insurance is a lot)
Have looked at 182's but decided against them since a few people I know regretted moving to one after the 106 GTi. As for the ST170 handling comments, surely it won't be as good as the 106 GTi in that respect, so in a way whichever car I choose will be a step down in terms of handling.
LawAys said:
As for the ST170 handling comments, surely it won't be as good as the 106 GTi in that respect, so in a way whichever car I choose will be a step down in terms of handling.
Not driven a 106GTI, but the turn in on STs is pretty similar to a Saxo VTS (admittedly it's been a while since driving one of them), in my opinion they are a bit more tail happy under braking and you can tell they weigh more. I am quicker, much quicker, point to point in the ST than i was (and would be) in a VTS/GTI. You seem to have a good little list, get out there and drive some. It's the most fun part of buying a car.
I had an ST170, it was IMO a great car. The engine does feel a bit peaky which isn't helped by the strangely tall gearing but keep it in the power band and it's a great fun car with excellent handling and steering feel.
The Focus also makes a very comfortable and refined cruiser due to the aforementioned tall gearing and well damped ride. If you do go for one, try and get one with the option packs that include the excellent Recaro seats, upgraded audio system, xenons and climate control. It just makes it feel a bit more luxurious as there is a lot of basic spec ones around.
My old one that I rather regret selling...
The Focus also makes a very comfortable and refined cruiser due to the aforementioned tall gearing and well damped ride. If you do go for one, try and get one with the option packs that include the excellent Recaro seats, upgraded audio system, xenons and climate control. It just makes it feel a bit more luxurious as there is a lot of basic spec ones around.
My old one that I rather regret selling...
Another ST170 fan here, I've had mine for 18 months now and love it. It's a car that takes a while to really get under your skin but it's well worth looking past the relative lack of power as the chassis more than makes up for it.
I think they look great in silver, black or blue and have aged very well, and beyond a couple of little niggles they have a reputation for being reliable. Years ago I test drove two Leon 20VTs but I thought they were a bit dull - no steering feel or feedback and you didn't really feel in touch with the road. They're quick with a remap to 205-210bhp, but that's all they've got going for them IMO.
Oh, and STs are great value.
I think they look great in silver, black or blue and have aged very well, and beyond a couple of little niggles they have a reputation for being reliable. Years ago I test drove two Leon 20VTs but I thought they were a bit dull - no steering feel or feedback and you didn't really feel in touch with the road. They're quick with a remap to 205-210bhp, but that's all they've got going for them IMO.
Oh, and STs are great value.
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