Experiences of mk1 Seat Leon

[pnunn]

Hi guys, just wondering if any of you have run one of the above and can give me an insight into what to look out for?

Its just a second car to my current 2011 FR 170 which has been great.

My wife has a new job so have to get rid of her 52 reg saab convertible 70k if anyone is interested!

So looking at a Leon arround 2004 or so 1.6 as the diesels are high miles and strong money. But the 1.6 should be pretty good on the juice? Reliable? Rattle free?

Your thoughts?

[martin mrt]

Rather have an older TDi to a 2004 1.6 if I'm being honest

Mpg isn't the best with 1.6, not particularly quick and the gearboxes are made from chocolate

[okie592]

decent cars, suffer from the same sort of faults as a golf tdi etc, command good money and im not sure why a focus tdci would be a better daily hack, and cheaper and still quite fun

[Beeby]

I have owned a 1999 mark two Toledo 1.9 Tdi which is essentially the saloon version of the Leon for four years. It has been very reliable. If you are interested in the Leon Diesel and are on a budget then I would strongly suggest looking at a Toledo because the price difference is significant. The boot is huge on the Toledo although being a saloon it is a fairly narrow opening. Things to look out for are leaking door seals, broken door locks, non functioning air con and the vanes on the turbo can stick if the oil hasn't been changed regularly or if it has been used for short journeys. Other than that they are very well built, solid cars and generally very reliable if looked after. I thoroughly recommend the 1.9 Tdi 110 engine (non PD). On a run at around 65 I get close to 60 mpg and around town its always in the 40's. I find it has a decent amount of torque and that particular engine is widely regarded as being pretty bulletproof.

[pnunn]

many thanks for the replies, will be looking at the diesels now.

[Jaska]

Have an '03 mk1 1.6, and even though you can hit 42mpg or so, I'd say my average is about 39. I understand the 1.6 in the '04-05 models is different though, so might be worth some different research.

Many rattles and plenty of squeaks if you live in a speedhump-populated zone, although mine isn't the most pampered example. Passed last MOT with no advisories though! Would say they are great for the motorway run with music on, and brilliant for shopping or camping as the boot is really quite large.

Look out for:
Leaky door seals (Generic problem, easy fix)
Broken window motors (much more annoying to fix)
Tax being ~£200 a year

Reliability seems great so far, failing to start only once because I left the lights on all day [oops...], and they seem to hold onto value fairly well, haven't seen many falling under the £1k mark anyway.

[LCR265]

Jaska said:

Have an '03 mk1 1.6, and even though you can hit 42mpg or so, I'd say my average is about 39

That sounds fairly poor considering I can squeeze 40mpg out of my Cupra R, averaging about 35!

As mentioned, check for damp carpets. There are some buyers guides online IIRC.

I have a few rattles and squeaks but certainly feels like a solid car.

[hardcorehobbit]

Beeby said:

I have owned a 1999 mark two Toledo 1.9 Tdi which is essentially the saloon version of the Leon for four years. It has been very reliable. If you are interested in the Leon Diesel and are on a budget then I would strongly suggest looking at a Toledo because the price difference is significant. The boot is huge on the Toledo although being a saloon it is a fairly narrow opening. Things to look out for are leaking door seals, broken door locks, non functioning air con and the vanes on the turbo can stick if the oil hasn't been changed regularly or if it has been used for short journeys. Other than that they are very well built, solid cars and generally very reliable if looked after. I thoroughly recommend the 1.9 Tdi 110 engine (non PD). On a run at around 65 I get close to 60 mpg and around town its always in the 40's. I find it has a decent amount of torque and that particular engine is widely regarded as being pretty bulletproof.

The Leon is the hatchback version of the Toledo.

Otherwise you're right. I think a Toledo is a better looker than the Mk1 Leon. Personally I'd stray from the 1.6 as it's a bit.... slow.

Try and find a 1.8. It's 125bhp or so, fairly decent economy.

Also consider the Octavia, should be cheaper. Also what about the Focus 1.6/1.8 which are both fairly good, or the Honda Civic 00 on. They're fairly nice to drive in town, light controls, good visibility.

[nicanary]

Had a 2001 1.9tdi which had the clutch pedal fail 3 times in 2 years, and the same thing with a 2003 Toledo i ran for a while. Turns out the pedal is connected to the operating mechanism by a rectangular piece of steel which is only spot-welded in two places - my mate welded it the whole way round and then no more bother. (The Leon was fixed each time under warranty, and I was never told what had happened).

I had 12 (twelve) things fixed under warranty with the leon in 2 years - clutch 3 times, hazard light unit twice, headlamp switch, interior door handle fell off, AC failed, speedo drive failed and wrecked the gearbox (new box and clutch fitted by dealer), can't remember the rest. the car was 12 months old and 10k on the clock when I got it, from a main dealer.

The Toledo I only ran for 6 months. The clutch was the only fault.

[Jaska]

LCR265 said:

That sounds fairly poor considering I can squeeze 40mpg out of my Cupra R, averaging about 35!

As mentioned, check for damp carpets. There are some buyers guides online IIRC.

I have a few rattles and squeaks but certainly feels like a solid car.

I think because most of my driving is with 3+ people and gear in the car I suffer a fair bit... but would be quite surprised if the 1.6 can manage higher than 45!

Again, circumstances probably increase chances of squeaks and rattles manifesting themselves too :-P

[morgrp]

They are very good for the money - just bought a 1.6S for 1k for a customer this weekend - as mentioned previously check for water leaks - the interior smell is a good indicator - petrol or diesel they are a sound choice as a cheap strong second car - usual vw problems apply - petrols like coil packs, diesels can do oil cooler/heat exchangers (check for oil in the coolant - often misdiagnosed as HG failure) nothing really breaks the bank to sort - there are loads out there so be picky and make sure it's got a decent clutch, gearbox, bodywork etc as mechanically they are easy to put right but do check the electrics work as even if it is leak free it may of had one in the past and all that dampness doesn't mix well with electrical components