I too really like the Leon (3dr equivalent as well as the Golf) - I prefer the dash of the Golf (only with the 'gloss piano black' background rather than 'brushed aluminium') over the Leon (not bad though), though of the two I prefer the Leon seats (for the cloth patterns - I'm not a fan of the Golf's GT/GTi 'tartan') and exterior styling (the Golf being still good), as well as the lower price (which to me matters just as much as I [as long as they are reliable] normally intend to keep my cars until they are 10 years old). I actually prefer both over the sibbling Audi A3 which for me is way, way overpriced for what it is.

I still remain skeptical about SEAT dealers (my sister owned two Ibizas about 10 years ago and had below average ownership experiences with two different dealers) and more generally with VAG engineering over the top Japanese makes, though I hope (given none of the current Japanese cars feels right for me at the moment) that things improve, hopefully sooner rather than later.

What's the annual servicing costs for the Leon like? I'm currently paying an average (over the 6 year 'cycle of services) of £250 per 12,500 miles/1 year for my Mazda3 1.6 petrol. I suspect insurance costs for the Leon SC 1.4 TSi FR (my preferred model, equivalent to the Golf GT) would be probably about 25% higher than my Mazda as its a higher performance/specced car. What real-life mpg do you get (for your style of driving)?

I've seen both the 3dr Golf and Leon SCs locally (a very nice red Leon SC FR being owned by a friend of a neighbour) and both look very nice, better than the new Mazda 2 & 3 which I might consider. At least the Mazda comes with (like mine) full climate-controlled A/C on the SE-L models so I don't have to buy the expensive Sport ones with the rock-hard ride on bling-bling wheels.

Hear1 Hear! Avant. Very well put. Image and cache are nice concepts but are no substitute for a satisfactory deal on an excellent car.

I was going today to look over a Yeti and an Octavia, but the thunderstorms have put SWMBO and I off going out. We don't want to leave our pooch who is shaking like a leaf with all the thunder and lightning.

Cheers Concrete

Isn't the aircon on the lower model Golfs still known as "Climactic"? i.e. semi climate controlled, in that it can maintain a set temperature but does not automatically direct airflow or control fan speed.

Sort of a half way house betwenn aircon and climate control.

All VW have done is paint temp figures on the dash around the knob instead of the usual blue to red indicator. Does not maintain a set temp at all, its just a con.

If you want Climate Control you have to pay quite a bit extra even on the op models.

As for Skoda's we have looked at them on 4 occations now and come away unimpressed.

The first time was in 2002 and the car was the Octavia. The rear seat space was very poor but in fairness the boot was huge. The salesman at our local dealer was quite abrupt with the wife when she wanted to measure the legroom. Never drove it. Bought a pre reg Mondeo.

Then in 2010 we looked at the Octavia estate. Went to the dealer we visited 8 years previously, nice new showroom but the saleman was hopeless. Could not be bothered to show us a car of the spec we were interested in and never phoned us to tell us they had actually got one. Tried another dealer who was actually very good but the first one we drove had incredible road noise, on the motorway it was hurting the wifes ears. Drove a second which was better but still poor compared to the C-Max we had at the time. Bought a Kia Ceed SW.

In 2013 we had a quick look at the Octavia when we bought the Leon. Great value for the space but the quality of the interior and equipment list was way below that of the Leon.

Last month we looked at the Fabia. Considering the great press reports the car gets we were very disapointed. Poor rear seat space, the tailgate was so high the wife could not reach it to close and shocking interior plastics were enough to persuade us to walk. Bought a Note for less. Better spec and quicker than the Polo we drove with the same engine as the Fabia.

the offers are only in conjunction with taking out PCP deals, which always works out more expensive than buying with cash.

When we bought the Nissan Note recently I tried various brokers and local dealers for cash deals plus brokers and local dealers for manufacturers offers involving PCP's.

Best cash deal on a car retailing at about £15800 I could find was about £13700.

The deal we settled on with a local dealer was about £12100 including 3 years servicing on a 3 year PCP. If we let the PCP run to the end it will cost us £13400 (less than the cash price) but if we pay the PCP off early (which we probably will) we will pay considerably less. At a guess if we pay off after a year it will cost us about £12600 all in.

If I add 3 services onto the cash deal it would be about £14200.

So why pay cash.

About 70% of new cars are bought on finance so I've read. Most folk don't have the money to buy cash so don't need to do the sums like Skidpan's done. They just want a new car on the drive for a monthly amount they think they can afford. But I know of two buyers who wanted out of a PCP deal for various reasons early on. Neither managed it. They're not for everyone but they do seem to suit a lot of people. But it's not cheap motoring for sure, although not everyone- I admit-- looks at it like I do. I can't see the sense in being kept on the steep part of the depreciation curve indefinitely, as it seems most buyers go round agaain after 2 or 3 years.

A shame really, as most second-hand models I was looking at (for reference) for the Golf (other than the GTi and R) only had the lower-spec standard A/C, and not climate controlled A/C, hence why (unless I was very lucky to find a GT or Match with the exact spec I wanted) I was thinking only brand new was my only option and was miffed at the high extra cost on an already above-average price.

I wouldn't mind buying a pre-reg (effectively that's what my Mazda is when I bought it from Motorpoint in 2006 [17 miles on the clock]) if the spec and price was right. Maybe I'll be lucky.