Audi A3 or seat leon - Which car to buy

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Tue 4 Mar 2025 17:03
Audi A3 or seat leon - Which car to buy - Emma Rawson
Hi everyone,
New member but been lurking a while.Ill start by saying I’m pretty clueless with cars so need a bit of guidance.Ive got around 8k to spend on a petrol hatch.im torn between 1.4 seat Leon fr (148bhp) or Audi a3.Which would any of you recommend? Thanks all
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Tue 4 Mar 2025 17:11
Audi A3 or seat leon - Which car to buy - skidpan

Same car but you will get a newer Leon for the price of the A3.

We had a Leon TSi 140 PS and it was excellent. We had the SE trim which had a better ride and less sporty seats which suited us.

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Tue 4 Mar 2025 17:57
Audi A3 or seat leon - Which car to buy - Emma Rawson
Thanks so much
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Tue 4 Mar 2025 21:55
Audi A3 or seat leon - Which car to buy - FoxyJukebox
I owned an 2007 A3 Audi from 2010-2018. Yes-there were one or two issues and all the usual fair wear and tear costs-but it was a lovely comfortable car, great on short trips or longer motorway hauls. Great bodywork, radio brill, spare wheel never used . One service every year -bought it for around £10k sold it for £1500.-90,000 miles.
Always felt I was driving a unique car.
The Leon wouldn’t quite cut the mustard for me

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Tue 4 Mar 2025 22:49
Audi A3 or seat leon - Which car to buy - Big John
8k to spend on a petrol hatch.im torn between 1.4 seat Leon fr (148bhp) or Audi a3.Which would any of you recommend? Thanks all

As already mentioned you'd get a newer Seat Leon with similar spec and engine compared to the A3 - but have a look see on Autotrader etc. The Seat Leon / Audi A3 , VW Golf and Skoda Octavia are all built on the same platform. The fab power plant of choice though is the EA211 small cc tsi engine such as the 1.4. With the EA211 the turbo is behind the engine near bulkhead and the oil filter at low level near the sump.

With whatever you look at condition is all an it'll be from a time where car infotainment systems change rapidly in functionality as well.

Edited by Big John on 04/03/2025 at 23:05

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Wed 5 Mar 2025 07:20
Audi A3 or seat leon - Which car to buy - elhacko

Best car I ever had was the Mk 7 Golf (2013 onwards) ACT version of the 1.4 petrol unit. It had several really useful features, including headlamps turning with steering at night, crash protection emergency braking, even 'puddle lights' under door mirrors. At over 50mph two of the cylinders "rested". With well over 40mpg, plus just £20 VED, heated leather seats and the DSG gearbox (never a prob) it was the perfect car, in my book. A final point: they hold values well.

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Wed 5 Mar 2025 16:26
Audi A3 or seat leon - Which car to buy - Ethan Edwards

A big factor for me would be is there a dealer nearby? If so then personally I'd get the vfm choice. The SEAT. But I regard a mass market vehicle only as transport.

Maybe some consider the AUDI to be 'exclusive'? To which I'd say come to Sarf Essex where they are ten a penny.

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Wed 5 Mar 2025 16:39
Audi A3 or seat leon - Which car to buy - Steveieb

Audi all the way.

My A4 pd had a roof lining hanging down, rust on the wing , boot not working but it’s the only car I’ve owned which had buyers from Eastern Europe lining up.

Saying you own an A4 or A3 say s it all . Four years on and the paintwork polishes up like a new car. Audio system s are some of the best. But dealers are the worst. Parts customers not allowed through the showroom at my dealer..

To have a flagship car like the R8 gives the brand street cred IMHO

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Wed 5 Mar 2025 17:14
Audi A3 or seat leon - Which car to buy - Andrew-T

Four years on and the paintwork polishes up like a new car.

Huh. The paintwork on my 1991 Pug 205 also polishes up like new (black T-cut). Last repainted in 2001 I believe. :-)

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Wed 5 Mar 2025 17:42
Audi A3 or seat leon - Which car to buy - Xileno

Both will be decent cars. I would go for the best example (condition, mileage, history) nearest to you for the budget.

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Wed 5 Mar 2025 17:47
Audi A3 or seat leon - Which car to buy - badbusdriver

Audi all the way.

My A4 pd had a roof lining hanging down, rust on the wing , boot not working but it’s the only car I’ve owned which had buyers from Eastern Europe lining up. dealers are the worst.

So the Audi is best because it rusts, is poorly built, Eastern European buyers like them and the dealers are awful?

I'm sure that Audi marketing job offer is winging its way to you as we speak ;-)

My A4 pd had rust on the wing - Four years on and the paintwork polishes up like a new car.

Are you saying new Audi's have rusty wings?

Edited by badbusdriver on 05/03/2025 at 17:48

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Wed 5 Mar 2025 18:09
Audi A3 or seat leon - Which car to buy - paul 1963

Audi all the way.

My A4 pd had a roof lining hanging down, rust on the wing , boot not working but it’s the only car I’ve owned which had buyers from Eastern Europe lining up. dealers are the worst.

So the Audi is best because it rusts, is poorly built, Eastern European buyers like them and the dealers are awful?

I'm sure that Audi marketing job offer is winging its way to you as we speak ;-)

My A4 pd had rust on the wing - Four years on and the paintwork polishes up like a new car.

Are you saying new Audi's have rusty wings?

:) nice one BBD, just wondering, can you polish rust to make it 'nice and shiny'?

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Wed 5 Mar 2025 18:18
Audi A3 or seat leon - Which car to buy - Xileno

I think the 'four' is a typo and should be twenty-four. The last A4 to have the PD engine was 2001, according to the web.

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Wed 5 Mar 2025 18:13
Audi A3 or seat leon - Which car to buy - Big John

Are you saying new Audi's have rusty wings?

Actually that's a good point. Higher spec VAG cars such as Audi / VW Passat etc, especially diesel versions have additional foam soundproofing behind the front wings that eventually succumbs to moisture and traps water against the wings ultimately rotting them out. Takes a while though..

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Thu 6 Mar 2025 19:09
Audi A3 or seat leon - Which car to buy - maz64
im torn between 1.4 seat Leon fr (148bhp) or Audi a3.

Just to clarify - the a3 has the same engine? There were lower power versions of the 1.4 (as well as the 1.0 of course) which I read somewhere aren't as desirable.

I was lucky enough to have a 2015 a3 company car with that engine for 3 years, and we really liked it. The engine was at least as good as the 1.5 version (same power) we've now got in our 2018 Arona.

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