RE: Shed of the Week: SEAT Leon Cupra
Discussion
I had a 2002 cupra for 4 years and loved it. It wasn't the sharpest handler but it was quick, smooth and relatively reliable. I sold it on 2009 on 102k (original clutch) for 2200. It's still going too and by the looks of things only lost 1k in depreciation in 10 years! Not bad!
The coils went but they're £30 each and take 5 mins to change. Only annoying thing was the usual VAG problem of leaking doors, took lots of silicon and drying out to sort it.
Plus when they first came out in early 2000 I think they were the most powerful hot hatch you could buy except for the Audi S3 which was £10,000 more.
Great shed although I'd prefer a standard car and standard wheels.
The coils went but they're £30 each and take 5 mins to change. Only annoying thing was the usual VAG problem of leaking doors, took lots of silicon and drying out to sort it.
Plus when they first came out in early 2000 I think they were the most powerful hot hatch you could buy except for the Audi S3 which was £10,000 more.
Great shed although I'd prefer a standard car and standard wheels.
Check for soggy carpets and sound deadening - these things (as well as the mentioned and similar Golfs and A3s of the same vintage) are known for leaky door panel seals. Replace the mentioned window motor while threre.
sgtBerbatov said:
Quadcamboy said:
JMF894 said:
How can you say clutches go by 80K? Clutches really do depend on how the car is treated. I had a MK1 vRS with this exact engine, mapped as this has been and i was on the original clutch at 126k. And that car got ragged regularly.
193k and mines on the original clutchI have a 2010 Peugeot 107 from new, and at 60,000 miles the clutch went and it was replaced.
The second hand 2010 Peugeot 3008 I have now (2 owners, I got it when it had 30,000 on the clock) got to 60,000 miles when the clutch went.
The 1998 Toyota Corolla I have now (6 owners, I got it when it had 90,000 on the clock) was on it's original clutch at 110,000 miles before I replaced it as I had to change a gearbox seal, and thought I might as well.
Not surprised about new peugeots needing new clutches early on, my expierience of them is that they are poor.
CP12 said:
sgtBerbatov said:
Quadcamboy said:
JMF894 said:
How can you say clutches go by 80K? Clutches really do depend on how the car is treated. I had a MK1 vRS with this exact engine, mapped as this has been and i was on the original clutch at 126k. And that car got ragged regularly.
193k and mines on the original clutchI have a 2010 Peugeot 107 from new, and at 60,000 miles the clutch went and it was replaced.
The second hand 2010 Peugeot 3008 I have now (2 owners, I got it when it had 30,000 on the clock) got to 60,000 miles when the clutch went.
The 1998 Toyota Corolla I have now (6 owners, I got it when it had 90,000 on the clock) was on it's original clutch at 110,000 miles before I replaced it as I had to change a gearbox seal, and thought I might as well.
Not surprised about new peugeots needing new clutches early on, my expierience of them is that they are poor.
Decent shedding. As a practical daily car with respectable performance I wouldn't mind giving one a go at this price, though it's not something I could see myself get particularly excited about looks wise. I couldn't see myself wanting one as a project car to restore/modify, just not really interesting enough for me in that regard.
J4CKO said:
Dont mind these but I just think of all the fun to be had under the bonnet faffing with various tubes, coil packs, plugs and valves named by a number with N in front.
Yep. Takes me back to my 1.8T days. Coil packs, recirc valves, MAF sensors etc. All good fun. I ended up getting a set of new coil packs under warranty which I think probably improved things though. Prior to that I kept a spare in the boot.For a grand this is actually not bad.
I can't get on board with this one at all. This one just looks a run of the mill old Leon on crappy aftermarket alloys, with a grubby interior.
I always liked the look of the R (bore-fest interior aside) and in more recent years I've looked at adverts for Cupras and thought they looked quite nice as well, for a cheap car - but only the (presumably later models) with the sportier front valance and the 5 spoke 16" wheels). But this SOTW example just looks so bland.
I'm sure it could make a fine "get me by" purchase for the sheddist, but as an ownership prospect it's not making my danglies tingle, and nor does it excite as a SOTW subject. Am oot.
I always liked the look of the R (bore-fest interior aside) and in more recent years I've looked at adverts for Cupras and thought they looked quite nice as well, for a cheap car - but only the (presumably later models) with the sportier front valance and the 5 spoke 16" wheels). But this SOTW example just looks so bland.
I'm sure it could make a fine "get me by" purchase for the sheddist, but as an ownership prospect it's not making my danglies tingle, and nor does it excite as a SOTW subject. Am oot.
I had one of these a few years back. As others have said, swift but a bit boring and I always hankered after the (significantly more expensive) R. Maybe it got under my skin in some way, though, because I'm running a Cupra ST300 instead of a (more expensive and not as good looking) Golf R these days...
IME, I had an R, once the OE factory-fit coils are replaced with upgraded / current spec from a VWG dealer, all’s fine; mine gave no probs during 11-year ownership.
Beware the 6-speed 02M gearbox’s cost-cutting-influenced design fault: the selector forks were riveted, not attached with a Nylock nut ‘n’ bolt -have a Google - also affects Mk1 TTs.
Decent, few owner, umolested Rs with a pukka FSH are now fetching £5000 to £7000+, depending on mileage.
Beware the 6-speed 02M gearbox’s cost-cutting-influenced design fault: the selector forks were riveted, not attached with a Nylock nut ‘n’ bolt -have a Google - also affects Mk1 TTs.
Decent, few owner, umolested Rs with a pukka FSH are now fetching £5000 to £7000+, depending on mileage.
s m said:
Gez79 said:
Plus when they first came out in early 2000 I think they were the most powerful hot hatch you could buy except for the Audi S3 which was £10,000 more.
.
Golf V6 also had a bit more poke in 2000 but was more pricey .
paradigital said:
As an avid ex owner of a 225 Cupra R back in the day, this does nothing for me at all, the R was great with its brembo brakes, aggressive styling and superb seats, but the regular 180 is as is said in the article, drab, inside and out.
Back in 2003 I bought an X plate 180 bhp Cupra that had the optional leather seats with memory, and even dipped the passenger door mirror when you engaged reverse gear - the "Rs" didn't offer any of that! Plus I'm not sure you could get an R in 2003 anyway - certainly not a 225.
At the time I loved it, although the handling was nothing special - understeer on entering a corner and TC intervention if you booted it out of a corner when the inside front wheel pogo'd up and down!
That might be why I've had 6 BMWs since then - RWD just works better IMHO.
Mr Tidy said:
paradigital said:
As an avid ex owner of a 225 Cupra R back in the day, this does nothing for me at all, the R was great with its brembo brakes, aggressive styling and superb seats, but the regular 180 is as is said in the article, drab, inside and out.
Back in 2003 I bought an X plate 180 bhp Cupra that had the optional leather seats with memory, and even dipped the passenger door mirror when you engaged reverse gear - the "Rs" didn't offer any of that! Plus I'm not sure you could get an R in 2003 anyway - certainly not a 225.
At the time I loved it, although the handling was nothing special - understeer on entering a corner and TC intervention if you booted it out of a corner when the inside front wheel pogo'd up and down!
That might be why I've had 6 BMWs since then - RWD just works better IMHO.
Found mine just so nicely balanced, you could really feel what it was doing. Steering wasn't anything to shout about, too heavy for the feel it had, and the steering wheel was too thick. Interior was very nice being an Audi interior, although the E46 that I had later had aged much better in both design and build quality.
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