LEON v PROCEED v A3 v GOLF

G00L

I am looking for a new car at the moment. Budget is in and around the 19k mark. Looking for a diesel between 1.6l up to a max of 2.0l.

The following are my current considerations:

I have checked out the Pro'ceed today and went for a spin. Looks great. Seemed a good drive too. Wasn't too impressed with the interior though. Looked a bit tacky or something. (Was a new Pro'ceed 1.6 Diesel by the way. 110bhp). Was quoted just shy of 17k.

Next up is a Golf 1.9 TDI gt sport that i checked out. 2008. Drove great and tasty car. this is a private seller gig. he was quoting around the 18k mark. tried to push him down to 16k for a few reasons ie gonna need new tyres, service due, tax due in july or so, only 1 month warranty left and there is now 12k more km on the mileage that initial ad. However he wasnt budget from his price other than €250 which is really turning me off.

Going to have a look at a new leon tomorrow. Anyone know much about them? Best diesel for my budget? Thoughts on driving it etc?

On my travels going to have a look at an Audi A3. New audis and golfs seem a bit priced out for me at the moment as they are looking in and around the 25k and upwards?

The only audis or golfs within range would be a 2008 from I can see? Am I better off with a new leon / pro ceed?? I am looking for 2008 and upwards for the emissions.

I was going to take a look at a new megane coupe too as they look good and seem decent on initial research but looks like I would be waiting more than 6 weeks minimum if i did like it. That rules that out.

Any thoughts guys?

Gitb1

Leon cupra ftw

BrianD3

Check out the Fiat Bravo also.

As for the seller who wants 17750 for a 2 year old obsolete model Golf with a tractor engine in a private sale with 1 month's warranty - LMAO.

For Forks Sake

I am looking for 2008 and upwards for the emissions.

Gitb1 wrote: »

Leon cupra ftw

Maybe not

G00L

I think a cupra is a bit too pricey for me at the moment!

istabrac77

C'ant go wrong with a Leon. A great drive.

deaglan169

have to agree I drive a 01 Leon and love it too bits, look into buying from north or uk even with vrt you could pick up a a very nice leon fr tdi 150bhp savage car i think the new shape leon is 170bhp

Tea 1000

Civic 2.2 diesel if you can find one! I know you said up to 2 litre, but emissions based means no difference in tax, and it's just as economical as the smaller competition.

G00L

yeah i have mainly heard good things about the leon. the guys on top gear seem to have a soft spot for it too. new 1.6 TDI golfs seem to be going for around the 23k mark. Wonder how much they would chop of for cash.

The car i would really like is an a3 but doesnt look likely with the price. how does the interior on the leons look?

G00L

sciroccos seem to be around the 25k mark. outside budget. around the 19k is mine currently.

Fizman

Have you looked at a new Polo yet? Cracking little car tbh, and certainly fall within your budget.

zilog_jones

You should definately check out the Leon - they share a lot of components with the Golf and A3, but aren't as overpriced and look a lot less boring IMO.

L-M

BrianD3 wrote: »

Check out the Fiat Bravo also.

I've heard bad things about the Bravo, a friend rented one in the UK and brought it back and demanded something else as it was that bad. That said, could of been the fact it was a rent-a-car.

OP if you're up for getting something bigger, I've heard of people getting new Superbs/Octavia diesels for under the 20k mark, could be something to look into.

If it was me, I'd be going for a 07 A3 diesel if I could a nice one in budget, then the 08 Golf and so on. If you're prepared to go back a few years and want something bigger, you'd be very surprised what 19k would buy you.

Tea 1000

Limerick man wrote: »

I've heard bad things about the Bravo, a friend rented one in the UK and brought it back and demanded something else as it was that bad. That said, could of been the fact it was a rent-a-car.

I'd take that with a pinch of salt. Autocar have a long term one, they like it mostly, gave it a bit of criticism for it's lower speed ride over some bumps, but that's the case with a lot of cars in that class. What could have been so bad about it that he took it back? Something broken on it probably. You have to ignore broken things on rental cars, they take dogs abuse. I only ever took one back, a Fiesta, previous shape one. Took it back cause no power to the 6V socket, and needed my sat nav charged. Aside from that it was a horrible car anyway, got a Punto to replace it and so much nicer. Fiesta had a slightly better chassis alright, but in every other respect the Punto was better.

maddness

Of the four cars you mention the Golf,A3 and leon are all pretty much the same car with different badges and all would be pretty decent cars. The most sensible choice is probably the golf because they have a great reputation and a good resale . Personally I would have the leon as you will get better spec and a newer car than the other two.
As for the Kia....NO.:D

colm_mcm

I'd actually go with the Kia, that 1.6 CRDI is a nice engine, the ProCee'd looks good and you have that huge warranty and the fact that it's brand new.

VolvoMan

colm_mcm wrote: »

I'd actually go with the Kia, that 1.6 CRDI is a nice engine, the ProCee'd looks good and you have that huge warranty and the fact that it's brand new.

+1

It's a no-brainer for me.

colm_mcm

Yep, I know some people have a VW horn, but 08 oes are not good enough to beat a brand new car in the same class

yellow012

Limerick man wrote: »

If it was me, I'd be going for a 07 A3 diesel if I could a nice one in budget, then the 08 Golf and so on. If you're prepared to go back a few years and want something bigger, you'd be very surprised what 19k would buy you.

Not a good idea, 07 old tax system €582 a year as opposed to €156 for a 08.

zilog_jones

Tea 1000 wrote: »

You have to ignore broken things on rental cars, they take dogs abuse. I only ever took one back, a Fiesta, previous shape one. Took it back cause no power to the 6V socket, and needed my sat nav charged.

It was probably the fuse had blown (I assume you mean the 12V lighter socket?), someone may have dropped a coin or some other metal object in the socket and shorted it.

Aside from that it was a horrible car anyway, got a Punto to replace it and so much nicer. Fiesta had a slightly better chassis alright, but in every other respect the Punto was better.

What was so much better about the Punto? I've driven an '05 Fiesta and found it pretty decent, though the low-profile tyres (standard with the Zetec I guess) makes the ride pretty harsh at low speeds - you'd have that same problem with pretty much any car though.

Tea 1000

zilog_jones wrote: »

It was probably the fuse had blown (I assume you mean the 12V lighter socket?), someone may have dropped a coin or some other metal object in the socket and shorted it.


What was so much better about the Punto? I've driven an '05 Fiesta and found it pretty decent, though the low-profile tyres (standard with the Zetec I guess) makes the ride pretty harsh at low speeds - you'd have that same problem with pretty much any car though.

No, wasn't a fuse, cause went to change the fuse with something like the back wiper fuse just to charge the sat nav, and discovered that the space where the fuse for the socket was a blanking plate that couldn't be removed. It's to do with the smoking or non-smoking options Ford introduced in the UK. (was a UK rental).
The interior plastics were horrible (both in quality and colour) in the Fiesta, as was the dash layout and the seats, both in feel and cloth quality. All of which were better in the Punto. I was surprised myself at how poor that Fiesta was, and that combined with it's horrible looks makes it the worst Fiesta ever. Thankfully Ford actually put some thought into the new one and came up with a car that looks great outside and inside, with a great chassis and nice finish.
OP, at 19k would you consider the Impreza diesel? Better than the other 3 listed! 4WD and 150bhp.

Mc Love

The inside of the leon is bad though. Really bland.

JJJJNR

The interior of the leon is very intuitively designed, its like that for a reason.

FGR

The Facelifted Leon has a very nice interior.

Only introduced in last month or so I believe.

copacetic

ForegoneReality wrote: »

The Facelifted Leon has a very nice interior.

Only introduced in last month or so I believe.

have to say that is pretty poor imo, steering wheel is alright, centre console is cheap and nasty

McSpud

Leon interior looks much better here. Hardly a different model?

JJJJNR

I'd have to see it in the flesh, but that silvery bit does look a bit naff! maybe its the light.

copacetic

McSpud wrote: »

Leon interior looks much better here. Hardly a different model?

looks like the same model with sat nav/upgraded radio. easy to make silver plastic look nice in publicity shots, not so easy in real pics..

McSpud

copacetic wrote: »

looks like the same model with sat nav/upgraded radio. easy to make silver plastic look nice in publicity shots, not so easy in real pics..

Yeah I suppose that plastic looks on the dash is well buffed.

colm_mcm

the old Leon had the same dash design as the Audi A3, but the plastics were much harder and shinier.

EPM

The materials on the inside of the Leon aren't as soft as the Golfs but better than the Proceed. I reckon the Leon is better screwed together than the Golf believe it or not. Been in Golfs with way lower mileage than my Leon and some of the soft surfaces were losing their coatings and the dash had rattles. Nothing like that with the Leon though.

The interior design is boring alright, but simple to use and the controls have a good feel to them (espacially the steering wheel) and the seats a leagues ahead if you get a sport spec one

G00L

I am going to go for a spin in a new Leon today. Also going to try a new Opel astra.

EPM

G00L wrote: »

I am going to go for a spin in a new Leon today. Also going to try a new Opel astra.

If you are looking at a diesel, remember the new 1.6 common rail engine is already in production to replace the 1.9tdi. aim for a facelift car if possible (although the pre-facelidt is nicer looking imo). Also try pricing up a 2.0tdi. It will not be a common rail unit but is really good in the Leon

VW 1

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Golf/GT-Sport/201006196853528/advert?channel=CARS

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Golf/2.0TDI-G/201005196781884/advert?channel=CARS

all about the golfs for me

ShayK1

I bought a 08 Leon last month. The engine sounds a bit tractory (if you know what I'm trying to say) when first started but that goes away and its a lovely car. I had a 01 comfortline passat before that and the leon is just as comfortable as the Passat if not more comfortable. I got the stylance model which come with a few extras and the figure on my receipt is some where in the region of €16,775.

This seems to be identical to mine. I changed the alloys though
http://www.carzone.ie/search/SEAT/Leon/1.9-TDI./200942195499769/advert?channel=CARS

L-M

Tea 1000 wrote: »

I'd take that with a pinch of salt. Autocar have a long term one, they like it mostly, gave it a bit of criticism for it's lower speed ride over some bumps, but that's the case with a lot of cars in that class. What could have been so bad about it that he took it back? Something broken on it probably. You have to ignore broken things on rental cars, they take dogs abuse. I only ever took one back, a Fiesta, previous shape one. Took it back cause no power to the 6V socket, and needed my sat nav charged. Aside from that it was a horrible car anyway, got a Punto to replace it and so much nicer. Fiesta had a slightly better chassis alright, but in every other respect the Punto was better.

Well in his own words he said they were a lovely car to look at, and having driven a Panda and thought it was a great car he was curious to see what the Bravo was like. He felt like the gearbox was made of plastic and after sitting in traffic for an hour the smell from the clutch was literally unbearable. He was since talking to a Fiat Mechanic they go through clutches by the new time. Again, it's hard to make opinions when I haven't driven one myself, but like everything else, you go by what you hear.

G00L

Ok drove a new Leon (facelift 1.9 Tdi stylance) and a new astra (1.7 tdi s). The astra one was the only astra available. Both are nice drives. The Leon is very loud though? Really is tractory. The interior of the astra is nicer in my opinion but it is only the basic model currently available (few weeks wait for others) which is a little turn off for me. The Leon has some nice subtle touches to it though which don't come with the astra.

I have heard comments that the Leon can be tough on the lower back. Is this true? I have A pretty bad back (few ops behind me) so I'd like to know if there is any truth in this. Altho I have seen that some of the newer models have adjustable lumbar support. It's either going to be an astra or a Leon. Ruled out the Kia based on the interior mainly. Really really cheap and tacky looking i thought.

Mc Love

Was focus out of the question entirely?

G00L

Focus just isn't my taste. Similar car etc to the rest but I ain't mad on the look

JJJJNR

OP you seem set on the Leon, your budget screams a trip over to the UK, there is way better choice over there with regards to SEAT's, you could get a 09 FR landed here for your 20k.

Here's a stunning example and its got the common-rail technology also so wouldn't be tractor like. If you neg on the price you could well end up with a lot more than the 1.9.

G00L

Yeah swayed to Leon at the mo. Drove a 1.4 TSI today and made my mind up. That's what I'm going for. If I had the time I'd consider the UK for a betterdeal but I need the car early next wk. Great drive in the TSI and it has a good bit of punch in it too. Felt great

ShayK1

I haven't felt any lower back discomfort in my Leon. I find it extremely comfortable and only yesterday I drove about 130 miles.
I wish you luck with her and maybe post up a pic when you get it.

EPM

Dont go above 16 inch wheels on a Leon if you have a bad back. If your back is that bad I would seriously try and get one for a weekend maybe to try out. The 1.4 tsi has sports suspension but I thought it was good with the 16's. Mine has 17's and sports suspension. I had some discomfort for the first few weeks after buying it. I wouldn't touch an FR like sugested with a bad back.