to buy or not to buy seat leon 20v turbo!!!!

[uptonmatt]

hi peeps i'm thinkin ov buyin a seat leon 20v turbo love the look ov em, so i need some advice on what to look out for when viewin them you help would be good as i know sod all bout them apart from there fast! thanx ppl

[missing the VR6]

I'm not sure fast is the word I'd use to describe the performance. I've only driven a Cupra R which was pretty rapid but never felt like it had too much power to get you into any serious mischief. That said it was probably one of my favorite FWD cars I've ever driven and if I could stop myself buying 80/90's German cars and spending loads of money maintaing them I'd probably be driving a Cupra R.
That said it does depend on what you've driven before with regards the sensation of speed.
As for things to look out for, same as any 20VT cambelt and water pump are the biggie's. Water pump is made of plastic and disintigrates over time, to change it the cam belt must come off so may as well do them both together, pump only cost £13 for genuine Audi one for my old A3 1.8t. Otherwise I'd say it's a pretty good engine, my old A3 had 123000 miles when I sold it and was just 10 yrs old and the engine was fine.

[blueg33]

My wife has one of these and we both love it. It has been fairly reliable and its fast. Recently broke a front spring, which is common, and some are prone to leaking, so watch out for damp carpets particularly in the rear.

Handling isn't bad for front wheel drive hot hatch, not too much torque steer, but the traction control is handy if you boot it from standstill

[uptonmatt]

thanx for that,i'v bin lookin at a few thats got 110,000+ miles is it a bad idear or should i spend abit more n get a low miles one?thanx for the input guys!

[Lord Croker]

Also check whether the coil packs have been changed. They were a problem on these engines and quite pricey to replace.

I've driven a couple of 20VTs and liked them, they're good everyday cars and well worth remapping - should get you to 200bhp and 215lb/ft IIRC.

[missing the VR6]

I'd say the mileage is not an issue if there's a good history and it appears to have been looked after. My A3 had a full Audi hist when I bought it and was in a nice condition so I felt confident it would be good. It took 16000 miles in a year without a service in it's stride so you need to look at the whole package not just the miles.

[blueg33]

Never been a problem with the coil packs on ours

[uptonmatt]

nice one guys i'll keep ya posted on what i buy got two to go look at this week hopefully i'll pick a good one!!lol

[Silver940]

Check for signs of water leaks, mates used to leak like a sieve!