I need to make a decision..

[LiCkWiD]

Hey guys. Sick of driving the girlfriends nippy, revvy but ultimately slow.. Puma. Also sick of getting lifts into work. So I've decided to get the car I've been saving for, the Leon Cupra.

I've tried piece together little bits of info. over the past couple of months in order to make an informed decision.

Pab's beautiful Leon is the inspiration for what I'd like to purchase. That said, I've still one or two questions. So, if you'd be so gracious as to give me a little advice/opinions.. I'd be very appreciative.

Basically, I want the Leon Cupra, 180BHP model. It needs to be fully loaded, i.e. leather, climate, 6-cd changer etc. But my 1st problem comes when trying to distinguish between the Cupra T or normal Cupra... facelift models and non-facelift.

This is gorgeous. And pretty much the exact car I'm going to try purchase. But what is it? A straight up Leon Cupra, face-lift? The ad says 2002.

Would it be possible to have one of you informed blokes tell me what this car is, aside from what I already know? Please forgive my disgusting ignorance.. but the specifics of Leon Cupra modelling is still a little bit of a mystery to me.

In addition to my above question, I'd also like to know whether it MAY be a viable alternative to take a 20V T and simply tune it to 180+. Therefore, aside from standard-extras, giving it Cupra performance? Or would costs make it pointless?

Thanks guys. Sorry once more, but I've shopped around a fair bit and seen a multitude of Cupras available. I just want to spend my cash wisely

Ta.

 

[cordobabrendy]

all leon cupras and t sports are 180 bhp. I think the facelift came in late 2002-2003. most came with aircon, very few have a sunroof as well (mine does!) leather.....good luck finding one of them on a 2003- plate.

 

[LiCkWiD]

Ta for the quick reply

Just to clarify something, the 1.8T 20v non-Cupra Leon is also 180BHP?

EDIT: Also, I'm not a fan of the multi-spoke wheels on some early Cupras I've seen. Are these wheels limited to the early cars as I can't seem to distinguish a break-point for them. The alternative wheels on 2002+ (I think) cars are so much nicer to look at. Any idea?

 

[cordobabrendy]

as long as it has a turbo 180 bhp yea.

 

[LiCkWiD]

Superb. So basically, the only differences between the 1.8T 20v Sport and the Leon Cupra are aesthetic and interior/gadgets? The performance should be the same?

 

[cordobabrendy]

facelifted cupra has slightly better interior plastics, coloured facia etc. and performance is exactly the same both ways.

 

[dj_hektik]

pre-2004 is the one pictured above. After 2004 the Leon cupra got the better wheels, silver wing mirror housing, tear drop shaped, a titanium coloured centre console, gear knob, and other bits inside, climate control (i think), plus the seats upholstered in a different fabric.

 

[RikH]

the picture above is not a leon cupra
its an FR

basically went something like this
on 52 reg they brought in the facelift leon cupra (first picture you have posted, also known as MY03)
Then it was replaced by the leon FR, above, same engine , same car, just fundamental differences like mirrors, wheels, badges

it is very uncommon to find a leon cupra with full leather, and as said sunrooves were even rarer

i cant fault mine whatsover, its MY03 like the one above and the exact same as Pabs' but black

you wont be unhappy with your purchase and 8-8.5k should buy you a great example of one that has been well looked after

 

[dj_hektik]

the picture above is not a leon cupra
its an FR

I thought FR in UK is Diesel? mine is 1.8T

 

[RikH]

no FR's were petrol and diesel

in 2004 they changed the cupra badge for FR until they stopped making the mk1 leon

can get leon cupra's facelift in petrol and diesel up to 2004
after 2004 the facelift petrol and diesels were FR's

 

[RobM]

LiCkWiD - In a nutshell...

Early Cupras had the multispoke wheels and a slightly different interior plus, I think, a bit more black bits on the bumpers.

Later on Seat gave the Cupra a facelift, I think but could be wrong that this was around 2003. This gave the new bumpers, slightly revised interior and different wheels that you see on the picture you posted.

Finally, in the run-up to the Mk2 Leon, Seat started to change the naming of their cars. This is because there is no Cupra R on the Mk2 Leon. After this change, Cupra became FR and Cupra R became Cupra. The only real difference to the cars after the name change was the FR got chrome mirrors.
(for what it's worth, this was because Cupra stands for Cup Racing and the R in Cupra R also stands for Racing. So Cup Racing Racing doesn't make much sense)

As a last ditch attempt to move on the last remaining Mk1 Leons, some Seat dealers made the FR+ that was effectively the FR with the Cupra R body kit and 17" versions of the Cupra R wheels.

The Cupra and the FR were both available in petrol and diesel versions.

The 180bhp 1.8T engine is the same in the pre-facelift Cupra, post-facelift Cupra and the FR.

If you want the 180bhp engine but don't want the pre-facelift cars, aim for as new as possible, but definitely past 2003. If you manage to find a really new one that is called the FR, don't panic as this is the same car!

I hope that makes some sense and I haven't confused you even more

Rob

 

[acidstrato]

alot of people seem to be confusing this fella i dont even own a leon but iv been here long enough to know that there basically 3 variants...

Cupra
Cupra facelift
FR

the face lift and the FR are basically the same, but the FR might have a few more gadgets being the later model i suppose, but the biggest difference is just the badge

also very early Cupras had a k03 Turbo, later models came with a K03sport to the very end

 

[RikH]

FR is also lacking things like cd multichanger, has a single cd unit, multichanger was an option

some really small differences but fundamentally 99% the same car

 

[LiCkWiD]

So, basically to land myself a nice, non-shoddy wheel'd example with the leather, changer and climate etc. in the shape the same as Pab's... I'd be looking for a 2003 face-lift?

 

[LiCkWiD]

I think I've found a beauty:

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/ww...category=CARS&channel=CARS&id=200646258114875

I've heard these VAG lumps are near bullet-proof.. Should I be overly concerned about mileage? I've seen Golfs and Leons in excess of 120k still taking 5-6K!

The blue Cupra in the above link seem like a gooden?

Ta

p.s. Thanks soo much for all the informative replies, I really appreciate it.

 

[RobM]

I think you could do better than that, I'm sure I've seen similar spec cars with much lower mileage going for that price or less.

Have you looked in the for sale section here?

Also, don't be afraid to look all over the country for cars. Finding the perfect car would be well worth a train or plane journey somewhere further afield than you might originally think. I'd rather travel a bit than be stuck with a dog from just around the corner

 

[RobM]

Check these out, from a 2 minute search...

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/ww...category=CARS&channel=CARS&id=200701264700179
http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/ww...category=CARS&channel=CARS&id=200701264938601
http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/ww...category=CARS&channel=CARS&id=200701265126347

 

[p1tse]

good luck in the search, but the 1.7 Puma aren't that slow

 

[LiCkWiD]

Well, my XR2 utterly annihilated her Puma. And yes, the 1.7 Puma is slow. It suffers from the usual Zetec ailments. These being high-rev power delivery.

It's slow off the mark and slowly creeps to 120-130mph before redlining.

I really do not think of it as a fast car. Sorry.

Rob, you raise a good point. For the sake of an excellent car I'd be prepared to goto the stinking north, (Anything north of Watford) hehe.

Nice results btw. Gonna keep looking

Ta fella.

 

[Snoopcousins]

I loved my XR2, great wee car!
Was that long ago, i cant really remember exactly how fast it was...