Seat Leon

TradePro

DUTR wrote: »

Please do explain, after all not everyone wants to buy/drive a Mondeo.

Me neither.

Golf's always turn out to have a million and one inherent problems -everyone thinks they're great when a new model comes out, but as time goes on the list grows, and it's true quality becomes apparent.

I know everyone's 'bigging up' the Mk7 just now, but just watch it's true identity unfold...

Focus is better, Hyundai I30/Kia Cee'd is better, there will be others too.

DUTR

TradePro wrote: »

Me neither.

Golf's always turn out to have a million and one inherent problems -everyone thinks they're great when a new model comes out, but as time goes on the list grows, and it's true quality becomes apparent.

I know everyone's 'bigging up' the Mk7 just now, but just watch it's true identity unfold...

Focus is better, Hyundai I30/Kia Cee'd is better, there will be others too.

In the last 26 years I have owned nothing but VW, Mk 1 GTI no problems, then got a MK 2 GTI, then got another MK2, then got a Corrado, then a MK 4 GTI and currently have a MK5 GTI from new, currently have a MK 7 on order, only car that had given any trouble and that was due to me just topping up the coolant with water during a bitter winter was the 1st MK2, other than that I fear to say the euphorism is justified on the models I have owned, I still enjoy ddriving my MK5 every time I get in it, as much as the day I picked it up 8.5 years ago :cool:

TradePro

DUTR wrote: »

In the last 26 years I have owned nothing but VW, Mk 1 GTI no problems, then got a MK 2 GTI, then got another MK2, then got a Corrado, then a MK 4 GTI and currently have a MK5 GTI from new, currently have a MK 7 on order, only car that had given any trouble and that was due to me just topping up the coolant with water during a bitter winter was the 1st MK2, other than that I fear to say the euphorism is justified on the models I have owned, I still enjoy ddriving my MK5 every time I get in it, as much as the day I picked it up 8.5 years ago :cool:

I speak with car buyers every day, amongst them a lot of VAG owners. As I used to be a VW Service Manager (at two different dealerships), and have seen how troublesome they are first hand, I often ask them how their VW/Audi/Seat/Skoda has been, and I always get a similar answer to yours just now.

After this, I invariably trip the owners up, here are some examples (very loosely worded);
Car customer #1
Me: How has your Beetle been?
Them: Great
Me: No reliability issues? When I worked with VW they were a bit iffy
Them: No, nothing, and the Golf I had before it was perfect too
Me: Okay, fair enough
slightly later in the conversation
Me: Oh dear, the finance rate on your Beetle is rather high, don't worry it's much lower on the new car
Them: Yeah, I think I did get ripped-off a bit, but had to buy a new car quickly when my Golf blew-up!?!
TRUE STORY
When the Beetle came in p/x a few days later, £3,500 worth of repair bills in the glove box, including new turbo and new cylinder head...

Car customer #2
Them: I normally drive Audi's
Me: How have they been?
Them: Great, never had a problem
Me: No reliability issues? When I worked with VW they were a bit iffy, some of my technicians who had worked for Audi told me they were just as bad
slightly later in the conversation
Them: Does this car have a stop/start system on it then (the one they were looking to buy, a Japanese model)
Me: Yes it does
Them: I don't want one of those systems again, my last Audi needed 5 new starter motors!
ANOTHER TRUE STORY

I could actually tell you a hundred more. Basically, people who buy them seem to want to convince themselves that they didn't pay over the odds for tat, but they always slip up and tell the truth...

DUTR

TradePro wrote: »

I speak with car buyers every day, amongst them a lot of VAG owners. As I used to be a VW Service Manager (at two different dealerships), and have seen how troublesome they are first hand, I often ask them how their VW/Audi/Seat/Skoda has been, and I always get a similar answer to yours just now.

After this, I invariably trip the owners up, here are some examples (very loosely worded);
Car customer #1
Me: How has your Beetle been?
Them: Great
Me: No reliability issues? When I worked with VW they were a bit iffy
Them: No, nothing, and the Golf I had before it was perfect too
Me: Okay, fair enough
slightly later in the conversation
Me: Oh dear, the finance rate on your Beetle is rather high, don't worry it's much lower on the new car
Them: Yeah, I think I did get ripped-off a bit, but had to buy a new car quickly when my Golf blew-up!?!
TRUE STORY
When the Beetle came in p/x a few days later, £3,500 worth of repair bills in the glove box, including new turbo and new cylinder head...

Car customer #2
Them: I normally drive Audi's
Me: How have they been?
Them: Great, never had a problem
Me: No reliability issues? When I worked with VW they were a bit iffy, some of my technicians who had worked for Audi told me they were just as bad
slightly later in the conversation
Them: Does this car have a stop/start system on it then (the one they were looking to buy, a Japanese model)
Me: Yes it does
Them: I don't want one of those systems again, my last Audi needed 5 new starter motors!
ANOTHER TRUE STORY

I could actually tell you a hundred more. Basically, people who buy them seem to want to convince themselves that they didn't pay over the odds for tat, but they always slip up and tell the truth...

I cannot disagree with your experience, as I have shared mine, the MK7 does have stop start, but at the moment there is no other viable alternative I can see for ME.

SCO

sniperpenguin wrote: »

This is EXACTLY the car Im looking at to buy at this moment (haggling with 2 dealers and DriveTheDeal for a new one).

You are essentially buying a Golf without the badge. I test drove a 1.6 SE (Golf) up to the SEAT dealer and sat them side-by-side.

The golf will give you:
- More storage spaces / cubbys
- Flat-folding rear seats (1 inch lip on the Leon)
- Electric handbrake (Manual on the SEAT, which I prefer)
- Marginally better trim / interior (Old SEAT was woeful, this has caught up), and a nicer steering wheel.
- Adaptive Cruise control which maintains a distance from the car in front. (LEON can only get standard cruise)

They share:
- gearboxes, engines, drivetrains
- The new VAG multiplatform chassis
Audio systems and in-car computers (just coloured differently)
- Front suspension (To get the same rear suspension, you need to get the Leon FR)

SEAT are also doing an offer at the moment for £1K deposit contribution and Free tech pack (Sat Nav, LED Lights, DAB Radio), and be willing to haggle. I've currently got my dealer down to £340 / mth (36mths) for a new Leon FR 5DR with a grand deposit of my own and 18,000 miles a year.

Could not agree more with regards to the manual handbrake, i will not buy a car with an electric one.

I am looking at the older model though, like the look of the new one but still a bit pricey for me, looking to spend around max £280 a month so with a decent finance rate would be about 15k.

TradePro

DUTR wrote: »

I cannot disagree with your experience, as I have shared mine, the MK7 does have stop start, but at the moment there is no other viable alternative I can see for ME.

I appreciate that mate, and at the end of the day it's your money, your choice. But, I suspect that you won't have even looked at anything outside the VAG ranges, you should do sometime.

DUTR

TradePro wrote: »

I appreciate that mate, and at the end of the day it's your money, your choice. But, I suspect that you won't have even looked at anything outside the VAG ranges, you should do sometime.

You suspect correctly, when I was younger my dream car was a Triumph Dolomite 1850HL, after compromising with lots of knackers, I ended up with a couple the final one was in BRG with the webasto sunroof, then I changed the gearbox to one with overdrive, I wanted a Stag but was fearful of the engines, then I noticed the Golf GLS, it was by accident I discovered the GTI, I tell you I saved n saved and travelled lots of miles to buy one, (at the time they were selling for more than book price and going like hot cakes, anyways after that I promised myself that whilst I could afford one that was the 'minimum' I would ever get, TBH I didn't see myself ordering a 2nd new car, I thought it's something you should do at least once in your life. It's not like I haven't looked at alternatives, but I just cannot see anything that I would be content with (and within my budget)

sniperpenguin

SCO wrote: »

Could not agree more with regards to the manual handbrake, i will not buy a car with an electric one.

I am looking at the older model though, like the look of the new one but still a bit pricey for me, looking to spend around max £280 a month so with a decent finance rate would be about 15k.

With that budget, go in and haggle.... seriously!

The new car is light years ahead of the older one, and I was setting quoted £293/mth as a *starter* price for a 1.6 SE Diesel (65+ mpg, still shifted well) with the same constraints (18K/yr, £1,000 deposit)... I even got them to match the VW offer price for 3yrs servicing :beer:

The only reason I'm going for the FR is the extras I wanted + better GMFV meant it made more sense..... The factory closure is coming up soon so they will be eager to compete for stock, and the offer of the deposit contribution and free tech pack still applies to the 1.6 SE

(P.S - The quotes Im getting are for the 184BHP version, the 150BHP version is simply a remap and 800 less, so should improve the figures)... Heck, if you want it now give me a shout and we'll team up to put some pressure on a dealer for a better price

SCO

sniperpenguin wrote: »

With that budget, go in and haggle.... seriously!

The new car is light years ahead of the older one, and I was setting quoted £293/mth as a *starter* price for a 1.6 SE Diesel (65+ mpg, still shifted well) with the same constraints (18K/yr, £1,000 deposit)... I even got them to match the VW offer price for 3yrs servicing :beer:

The only reason I'm going for the FR is the extras I wanted + better GMFV meant it made more sense..... The factory closure is coming up soon so they will be eager to compete for stock, and the offer of the deposit contribution and free tech pack still applies to the 1.6 SE

(P.S - The quotes Im getting are for the 184BHP version, the 150BHP version is simply a remap and 800 less, so should improve the figures)... Heck, if you want it now give me a shout and we'll team up to put some pressure on a dealer for a better price

What price are you getting the FR for?

sniperpenguin

SCO wrote: »

What price are you getting the FR for?

I havent been looking at the initial figure, since I'm more concerned about the monthly cost... It came in a shade under 20K for the 184BHP FR though. The 150BHP version (simply a remap and 6 insurance groups lower!) is around 800 less but the GMFV is lower by around the same amount.

If you take the 332-340 figures I was getting based on my mileage, dropping to the 150BHP version should knock some off that (800 over 3yrs ish), then lowering your mileage will improve it again.

I really think the FR is doi-able for you.