I am looking at buying a new car in the next month or 2. After owning a BMW 325 td se for 6 years and then an alfa gtv for 1 (what does that tell you!). I am in the market for a sporty diesel (i do a lot of biz miles and need something more economical than a gtv),smaller than the BMW, but bigger and more reliable than an alfa gtv.
I am considering the audi TDI 2.0 s, the Seat Leon 1.9 TDi sport,or cupra or a Saab (not sure which model).
Any guidance,comments,or reviews would be appreciated. My budget is up to c£20,000, although a lot depends on the PX value of the Alfa.
Cheers
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Now Boroboy (Im from Middlesbrough aswell!) I know this might not interest you in the least given your message, but for 20k you can get a fully loaded Alfa 156 JTD, with a 5 yr warranty? The 5cylinder 2.4 is one of the best diesels around.
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Looking at your choices, one thing to note is that although the new A3 has a bigger engine than the Leon (2.0 vs 1.9), oddly enough the Leon is quoted as having 10 bhp more as standard, while both have 236 lb/ft of torque. The Leon will be significantly (£3k) cheaper, while having comparable levels of kit. While its residuals would certainly be better than the lower models in the Leon range, this will likely be offset by the fact that a new shape Leon is due out at the end of this year/early next year.
When it comes to handling, I can vouch for the Leon being very good, but the A3 is on the newer platform which apparently is a real step forward. Can't wait to see what Seat do with it.
As for the Saab, the smallest at the mo is the 9-3, which will be bigger than your other choices as it is based on the current Vectra platform, being part of the GM family. It's supposed to handle well, but will be significantly down on power compared to the other two - 125 bhp from a 2.2 litre engine, 207 lb/ft torque.
If you must have a car in the next two months, then I think the Audi pips the current Leon 150 in spite of the extra dosh - won't become obsolete for years, better chassis, and the 10 bhp isn't that significant. The new-shape Leon would be my preferred choice, but given that this model may even be delayed until next year, it has to be the Audi for now.
Or ...
Thought of the new Volvo S40? 136 bhp diesel available from March - seems a serious contender.
Nice dilemma to have, anyway!
andymc
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Have you thought about the new Honda Accord iCTDi? It's out in February or March and will be in the region of £19k. HJ has done a review of it.
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Up until last year I had a Leon diesel (obviously not the new cupra 150) and was impressed by the car and the dealer service. I did look at the last model A3 TDI as well and objectively, the Leon was better finished inside. The A3 was disappointing. Of course, the car you are considering is the new model but be aware that it has the new generation TDI engine, so you are comparing different powerplants. You will certainly get more bangs per buck in the Seat, and more performance.
Saab? Bigger car, smaller performance, 10 mpg less. Unless you need the space it is difficult to make a case for this against the Audi and Seat.
BMW 320D?
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I also considered two of these choices, I didn't try the SAAB. I've ended up with the Audi being ordered. I tried both the Seat Leon and the Ibiza both with the 130Hp TDi. I felt both to be too hard riding on a long journey for comfort. Great fun for throwing about the lanes but not so good when your filling come out as you travel up the M1 again. The Audi to me offered smooth handling (it was a Sport model) that was not too harsh on the road but tightened up nicely on the bendy sections. The other thing was that the Audi was NOTICEABLY quieter in the cabin 70mph in virtual silence. Cold starts the Seats were as grumbly as any VW diesel, the Audi was less grumbly, not so quiet that it could be petrol but quiet enough to be acceptable. The Seat gearbox seemed nicer though I'm pretty sure its the same actual box, I find the Audi a little more notcy, but if that's the trade off then I'll stick to the better ride! Only other point is that the 16v 2.0TDI is a quicker revving engine than the older 1.9 8v much more zippy and linear. Both seem as economical as each other with the trip computer showing 48.5 or so after a hard driven test drive.
Regards
Chris
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Cheers to those that responded (nice to hear from another from Middlesbrough).
I dont think i will be getting another Alfa. My experiences of the one i have and the local dealer (not in Middlesbrough but down Sarf where i live now) have not been good.
i am hoping to test drive the Audi A3 sport next week and will definately take a look at the Seat. it seems that either one will be a decent car.
Might take a look at Honda and Volvo,but the more i add to it the further away i am to getting a new car!
thanks
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Go and get a new VW Golf TDI (150 BHP) and with the money you save get it chipped ( £500 = extra 30BHP 180BHP awesome)
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Or... how about a SEAT Toledo? Same benefits as the Leon/A3 but, in my opinion, with the boot, looks better. Similar in many respects to the Alfa 156... Good choice of diesel engines now too. The good ol' 110 goes very well and gets well over 50 to the gallon. And now, you can even get the 150 in a very discrete looking car, or 130 in between.
They are all well kitted out too and, because of strange UK tastes of not liking saloons, there's a bit of an exclusivity aspect to them. I have also found my dealer to be of the old school - i.e. interested, helpful and knowledgeable.
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Well over the last 2 weeks i have given both the audi and the seat a test drive. The audi wins hands down,it is a good drive,responsive and reasonably quick and in a 200 mile motorway drive i got 50 plus mpg.
The audi has a much better feel to it for me and you can tell its a notch up in quality,granted it comes at a premium.
I liked the seat aswell,but it didnt convince me as being a car i want to own for the next 3-4 years.
Mind you one thing that helped win it for the audi was that the local audi garage were more than happy for me to take it unaccompanied for the day and i used it to drive to a meeting. Seat didnt allow this and i had to settle for a 5 minute accompanied jaunt round the block. Also the guy at seat seemed to give up the ghost once i told him it was between it and the audi,this definately helped me make my decision.
So that was the easy part,now for the haggle over price and part ex values of alfa gtv`s!
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Don't fall for any sales chat about the SEAT being built to a higher standard than many other makes. I have a Leon (not diesel) and have had more minor faults (and one fairly major one) than I ever had with Vauxhall (company) cars.
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Strange how so many Seat Leon componenets are shared with the previous A3, yet build can be patchy.
But then I had 2 brnad new Audi's and had many, many more problems than my Seat Leon.
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www.channel4.com/apps26/4car/jsp/main.jsp?lnk=220&...2
Skoda 2005 Octavia - looks rather nice .... and cheaper than Audi/Seat ...
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I'd go for the Audi, of the ones you've listed.
I also think you should have a look at the new Accord oil burner too, it's supposed to be better than everything else in its class.
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