Seat Ibiza 1.9 TDi 130

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Sun 2 Oct 2005 16:20
Seat Ibiza 1.9 TDi 130 - Adam {P}
I know RF commented on it, but I'm hoping for some other opinions too.

Basically, my mate's looking at these. Found another one, in yellow, 52 plate, with 32,000 miles on for £7,795. Looks absolutely spotless and he's pretty interested in it. Before he makes the plunge, what are these cars like in general? He's been for test drives but was hoping for some other opinions on it.

Any thoughts/opinions/advice would be much appreciated.
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Sun 2 Oct 2005 21:58
Seat Ibiza 1.9 TDi 130 - paulb {P}
Used to own one of these - one of the first ones, in fact, on an 02 plate.

My opinion, based on my own experience (so others may well disagree), is that they are great-looking little cars that
a) go like stink in a straight line, but
b) don't like corners, roundabouts or adverse camber very much. Certainly the handling on mine was nothing like as good as the Leon TDI 110 SE that it replaced.

If your mate likes the idea of seriously embarrassing Mini Cooper Ss away from roundabouts whilst getting average consumption of about 51 mpg (or 47 mpg if he whales the tar out of it all the time), then it's perfect. 229 lbs ft of torque at 1,900 rpm, and about 145 bhp (thanks to VW's oft-mentioned habit of understating their TDI engines' outputs) in a Polo-sized car - nice.

However, he should not expect to keep up with said Mini around the said roundabout. Flip side of all that poke is an anvil over the front axle, making the car very nose-heavy and prone to understeer - as I found out when mine slid sideways off a roundabout near here at a speed at which my boggo 1.6 Civic has no trouble (and which was some way below the posted 50 limit, also). I am told that fitting the strut brace that is (or used to be) available from dealers as an accessory improves things, although I got rid of mine before I'd had a chance to try.

Only other thing I'd say is that your mate needs to find himself a decent dealer - mine (fortunately now closed down) was rubbish - managed to misalign the tracking so badly that the front tyres' inside edges wore down almost to the beading in 4,000 miles, "forgot" to reset service indicator and then claimed it needed another service, etc etc...)

The price sounds good, too - I can't think that your mate will find anything as quick, as new or as economical for that kind of money.
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Sun 2 Oct 2005 21:59
Seat Ibiza 1.9 TDi 130 - paulb {P}
PS - if he wants more info on Beezers than he can shake a stick at, the guys at www.seatcupra.net will, I'm sure, be happy to oblige!
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Mon 3 Oct 2005 00:07
Seat Ibiza 1.9 TDi 130 - Adam {P}
Cheers Paul - much appreciated.
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Mon 3 Oct 2005 14:47
Seat Ibiza 1.9 TDi 130 - Xileno {P}
Might be worth your friend asking what a cambelt change will cost. Big engine shoe-horned into a small car is not ideal for servicing and repairs.
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Tue 4 Oct 2005 23:51
Seat Ibiza 1.9 TDi 130 - AlanGowdy
I agree with Paulb's comments, good and bad. I've got one of these cars and it's a hoot.

Plus points; performance/economy combination almost too good to be true - would cruise all day at 100 mph were it legal with only 2800 rpm on the tacho in 6th gear and averaging around 50 mpg. Lowish insurance group. I love the curvy styling (even if some people think it looks like a Daewoo Lanos!). Front tyres can last for 20,000 miles despite all that torque, though a re-balance at mid-life point is necessary.

Minus points; ride a bit joggly and stiff over poor surfaces. Tends to understeer if pushed hard into bends (might be the heavy engine, though familiarity teaches you how to compensate for this fairly well unless you are travelling at silly speeds). Paint rather prone to stone chips (presumably a result of "environmentally-friendly" water based paints that VAG uses these days). Some people report interior trim problems but I've not experienced any.

I might get the Cupra TDi version next though I'm rather concerned that the low-profile tyres might make the ride unacceptable to my bad back. My 130 is an import with standard profile tyres.

Overall I recommend it highly.
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