Alternative to Seat Leon Cupra

[mgbizzle]

The Leon is starting to get on my nerves with the little bits that go wrong but it is pretty ideal as a daily. If I were to get rid what older alternatives are out there (under £2K)?

Why I have a Leon:

5 doors
Nice boot space
180bhp
Just about fits in the garage (length)
Helpful forums for issues

[mjphotography2016]

probably over budget now but a mk2 5 door cavalier with a c20xe conversion wouldve come pretty close
5 doors
about as much room as you could ever want in a h/b
150bhp(ish)
should fit in garage easily

or more modern and in budget mk1 Vectra sri150 find a good one and look after it, not sure if it would fit in garage though.

how about getting a mk3 tdci mondeo get a half decent one for daily duties around £500 with high mileage then you got £1,500(ish) to buy something cool and retro to keep in the garage and for the weekends

[mgbizzle]

Dec 14, 2015 10:45:33 GMT mjphotography2016 said:

then you got £1,500(ish) to buy something cool and retro to keep in the garage and for the weekends

Already got a Citroen AX GTi & Suzuki Vitara MK1 for retro duties

[qwerty]

Octavia vRS.....although that might be a bit the same haha.

My actual reccomendation would be a B5 A4. Either 2.8 or 1.8t Quattro. Preferably an Avant, although thats just my preference. They're well screwed together comfortable and make good progress especially with a remap of the 20vT.

[keithyboy]

Focus ST170? Slightly down on your target BHP though.

[Ryannn]

Are you wanting something to still fit in the garage? Only asking because everyone has suggested saloons so far!

[dbizzle]

Dec 14, 2015 12:08:02 GMT qwerty said:

Octavia vRS.....although that might be a bit the same haha.

I went from a Leon Cupra to an Octavia vRS. The latter is literally just the former with an extra 12" out back.

[mgbizzle]

Dec 14, 2015 12:46:15 GMT Ryannn said:

Are you wanting something to still fit in the garage? Only asking because everyone has suggested saloons so far!

Yep, parking is limited and the Vitara is a pain to get in the garage (have to weigh it down or lower the tyre pressures!).

Wanting to stay away from the VAG platform as the "common" faults are becoming all to annoying, and ive sort of "been there, done it" now with the Leon.

Was thinking about an E36, but not sure if the MPG will be as good. Wiki says the Leon has a length of 4183mm, so the compact may just about fit (4209mm). May have to actually measure the Leon as with the Cupra kit it may actually be a bit longer then wiki suggests?

[skylinedave]

What about one of those mazda MPS things ? Bloody quick cars and a bit of a sleeper to them . I don't have any idea whether you can get one for that ?

[mgbizzle]

Dec 14, 2015 21:36:59 GMT skylinedave said:

What about one of those mazda MPS things ? Bloody quick cars and a bit of a sleeper to them . I don't have any idea whether you can get one for that ?

Bit modern and if you don't get one made before a certain date then the tax is horrendous, would love one though

[skinnylew]

I went from a Toledo V5 to Octavia VRS, boots are enormous! How about a Mondeo ST220? I am having a very similar dilemma (albeit because my Octavia met a tree backwards at 25mph )
I'm tempted by a newer shape Mondeo with the ST 2.5t Volvo 5 cylinder engine.....

[Ian]

E46 compacts are pretty cheap, my Dad sold his 325ti earlier this year for only £1k with a years MOT and it was a tidy car. As with most BMW's need to keep an eye on the cooling system and and rear bushes.
My Mum had a 316ti at the same time with only 20k miles on but it ended with a running problem where it just wouldn't idle and nobody could fix it so it was part exchanged a couple of years ago.

To be honest I had a Leon Cupra at the same time my Mrs has the 325ti which my Dad had after us, I preferred the Leon if i'm honest

[hamps]

mk4 or 5 golf, can't go wrong

[dbizzle]

Dec 15, 2015 11:11:40 GMT hamps said:

mk4 or 5 golf, can't go wrong

If he's after a change from the Leon, I doubt the MkIV Golf would cut it as a replacement. Y'know, since they're the same car.

[tenman]

BMW 325 would prob. fit the criteria well I imagine

[Dez]

Problem is, although the mk4 platform has its faults, everything directly compatible from other manufacturers is worse.

For 2k I think the clever money would be on a large engined e30 at the moment. Buy the best you can find in a good colour, keep it tidy and watch it appreciate in value.

[adam73bgt]

Mk1 Saab 9-3 Aero?



Massive boot, 200bhp standard, helpful forums, 5 doors. Though admittedly length is an issue at 4630mm :/

They're cheap as chips at the moment and with a bit of careful buying it shouldn't be too hard to get a good one for under £2k (Mine has been good over the 11k miles I had it, but did have its issues but then it was a cheap one)

[mgbizzle]

Dec 15, 2015 21:39:31 GMT adam73bgt said:

Mk1 Saab 9-3 Aero?

What are those Saab's based on? What sort of average MPG do you get?

[adam73bgt]

Based on the Vauxhall Cavalier I believe but I can't say for sure how much they have in common, I believe Saab did a fair bit of reengineering

Over the time I've owned it I've averaged 29mpg, which is a mix of all kinds of driving. On motorways you can get this up to the mid 30's or even higher if you're really careful/slow

[mikeymk]

Corolla T-Sport..