1.4 Petrol - 2008 or 2009

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Op I got an 08 octavia 1.6 last week for 6500. Really nice car to drive.
It came with 2 years nct and 6 months tax

jca

pablo128 wrote: »

I know little about the Leon 1.4 TSI. However, a workmate has an '08 one he boought recently, and had it checked by a main dealer Seat mechanic friend of his who gave it a clean bill of health.It's actually off the road now having a new turbo, and rings and bearings.
He had a Corolla for 3 years before that which never missed a beat.....

Be careful of which version of 1.4 Tsi is in the car. There are 3 versions 122 ,140 and 160 bhp in the 08-09 era. The 122 is by far the most reliable as it has a single turbo. The other two have a turbo/ supercharger combination.

MuppetCheck

xpto wrote: »

I assume that the Seat Leon 1.4 TSI is the same engine with probably better mpg figure? What would be the downsides of the Leon?

The engine is the reliable version of the 1.4tsi. I had one for 4 years and loved the car. The interior materials aren't up to much and the interior is more functional than stylish but it's tightly screwed together. Anything over 16 inch wheels ruin the ride though so don't go bigger than that. Mine on 17s was back breaking. Servicing is cheap, the look good and have loads of room inside even though getting in the back can be tricky. With the 1.4tsi they have a decent turn of speed too and the sport seats were properly comfortable.

I had the 1.6 and it was grand, but noisy and thirsty. The non turbo 1.4 isn't great either so the 1.4tsi is the only option I'd go for with one. When you're looking Sport Plus is the spec you want and make sure it has electric rear windows - some of them were actually the lower specced English version and last the windows and folding mirrors.

xpto

Hi there,

Took all your comments into account and today went to a couple of garages to do some test driving, not only on a couple of models mentioned here and but also on some others that were available within the same category - medium family car.

My target is still petrol as I don´t drive enough miles for diesel but in fairness I ended up testing more diesel engines since it was what was available at the time:

1. After reading so many good things about the 1.4 TSi engine, went to a garage and tested a 2010 Leon 1.4 TSI 125hp. Loads of power (when compared to my current 1.1 petrol engine), lots of grip, lower driving position, really fun to drive, big boot, loads of extras and within my budget (10k). The downsides were that it doesn´t really work as a family car... Bit too firm, too sporty maybe and hard to convince family that this is the ideal car to drive to creche.

2. Since I didn´t find a Kia Ceed 1.4 petrol with less than 60k miles I went to another garage and tested a 2008 Kia ceed 1.6 diesel hatchback. The car drives well, not noisy at all, very comfortable, still within the 7 year warranty period, spacious but for the budget I have I can only get the basic version - allow wheels and remote locking key - and around 80k mileage.

I also had a look at the Kia Ceed 1.6 estate 2009 and it looked like a better option. The engine is the same but it´s more spacious and in my view a better looking car. However Kia is in such a high demand at the moment that the prices are going up. According to the dealer it´s all due to their warranty period so the cars are holding their value really well.

3. Another one that I gave it a try was a renault megane 1.5 dci hatchback. A bit more noisy than the kia, but very comfortable and fun to drive. Loads of extras but the dealer mentioned that electronics can be a bit of a problem sometimes. The boot was generous but renault forgot to add more room on the back seats which means that there was not enough knee room.

As you probably noticed I was not able to make up my mind just yet and I may have to try a couple more models, so your inputs and ideas are very much appreciated.

I may have to reconsider my budget but there must be something good within this range that doesn´t cost a fortune in terms of tax road and with a reasonable mileage...

Thanks for the help.

JohnBoy26

I wouldn't be worried at all of a KIA with 80k km. That's still very small mileage, its only about 50k miles.

There's also more to factor in than just miles. Condition and the care the car received over its lifetime are more important than what's on the clock imo.

xpto

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

I wouldn't be worried at all of a KIA with 80k km. That's still very small mileage, its only about 50k miles.

There's also more to factor in than just miles. Condition and the care the car received over its lifetime are more important than what's on the clock imo.

Sorry I meant 80k miles. The interior of the car was really good and with a year warranty but no extras at all

epopnomis

I have a seat leon 1.4tsi.. great car had it from new. 125bhp too so really moves.. can't fault it to be honest. still on the same battery..

richardsheil

epopnomis wrote: »

I have a seat leon 1.4tsi.. great car had it from new. 125bhp too so really moves.. can't fault it to be honest. still on the same battery..

Great, 6 years too late with that help.