Swap for a 170 bhp?

[Timmyboy]

Hi guys - thought I'd canvess some opinions on this one.
I work for a car leasing company and get a sizeable discount on the cars when they come back in after the leasing contract has finished and end up on our forecourt.

Well.....

I've had my T-reg v5 for nearly 2 years now and have been very pleased, but have always wondered how much of a difference the 20bhp makes on the later models with 170bhp rather than 150bhp. From what I've read, the 170 engine prefers to be revved (which I prefer as a driver) and is noticeably quicker.

It's a Y-reg with 79k on the clock in lovely condition, up for £4300 which means I could probably have it for around £3200. The only shame is that it's not late enough to get the Sat Nav, but that doesn't really bother me.

I'm driving it tomorrow but any thoughts? Mine is in good nick, FSH with 93k, what are they going for nowadays? (any one want it if I do decide????)

Finally, has anyone had the 170bhp AMD 15bhp remap done and is it worth doing?

Sorry for the multi-questions

 

[GrayT]

I can't comment on the 170 really as I haven't driven one, but if you prefer to use the revs then it will probably suit you more.

I drive a remapped 10v which now puts out the same bhp as the 20v (168 bhp). I thought the remap was worth it. It wasn't the difference between night and day but the power felt more usable and it just gave it that little bit more for overtaking etc. I actually prefer the torquey attributes of the 10v so we are probably opposites in what we like. Surprised you haven't considered buying Japanese if you like a revvy engine? Nice to hear someone who wants to stick with a Toledo though. The more rare but expensive Toledo 20VT might also suit (but less kit and less of a bargain, though better fuel economy and performance). Unfortunately the 10 valve V5's are probably worth very little now. They are absolute bargain cars for buyers though!

Be interested to see what you think of the drive though. That's the only way you're going to really know.

 

[Timmyboy]

Thanks GrayT, for the insights - I've read your posts before with interest regarding your remap from AMD and had always been tempted!

I finally took the car out on Friday just gone, and must say I am well impressed.
It's quite funny how many subtle differences you notice between one year and another, especially having owned mine for 2 years. These are the non-obvious ones I wasn't expecting such as:

Gear stick design
Leather on the seats
Markings on the speedo
Key
dashboard warning light cluster
etc etc

As for the drive, again the differences were surprising. I think the 2 cars can be compared quite well, having a similar mileage and being only 2 years apart. The gearbox on the 170 felt much more precise, but not as nice to use if that makes any sense - the slightly slushy feel of the 150 is the nicer driver.

The only things wrong with the 170 are a worryingly low bite point on the clutch and a scrape to the rear n/s wheel arch, both of which would be sorted out before I bought the car - not sure if that would mean a new clutch or not.

The difference between the 2 engines is remarkable, and exactly what I was looking for. The revvy 170 does feel quite placid up to 4000 rpm and then comes alive - a second gear blast up a steep hill was fantastic, the power maintaining all the way up to 7000 rpm whereas in the 150 all the fun has gone after 5000 rpm or so.

The 170 is much more eager - if you're drifting around a corner for example with quite high revs waiting to power out of the other side, the car feels poised and the power instant the minute you press the accelerator. By comparison, the 150 in this situation doesn't feel so aggressive, probably due to it's dislike of revs mentioned before.

Anyway, hope this isn't too boring! Managed to check the documents whilst on my driver, and it comes with a fully stamped up SEAT service record. Checked the figures and the car owes the company £2500, so plus VAT and an admin charge I could indeed have the car for £3200 - not sure if I'm brave enough to stick it on the credit card just yet so I've got mine advertised and will take it from there.

So to sum up, personally I prefer the revvy 170 far more than the torquey 150 but that's just my preference. GrayT, I've had 3 Celicas in the past which is probably where my preference for this type of driving came about.

If anyone is (or knows someone who is) interested in my car, please let me know. Similarley, if anyone fancies the 150 over the 170 and wants to free up some (reasonably small!!) abount of caseh, give me a shout.

 

[GrayT]

Not boring at all Timmyboy. Very interested to read your thorough assessment.
It's that 2nd gear blast up a hill where I really noticed the remap most in my V5. Altogether your comments pretty much confirm what most others have observed as the key differences between the two - and it sounds like it's your thing. I can certainly understand the revs/cornering observation. Maybe that's partly why I like the attributes of the 150 - because if it's not London traffic it's generally longer cruises and opportunities for country road blasts, while enjoyable, are few and far between.

I happened to have full leather rather than leather/alcantara on mine but I think the previous owner specified that as an option. I didn't like the standard gear knob in mine and when I changed it I found the feel and very slightly shorter throw much better.

So long as the scrape and the clutch are sorted properly, it sounds as though you're getting a superb deal. I don't suppose you ever changed the alloys and have any spare 150 V5 ones knocking around do you? If not, I expect they'll be going with the car. It's just I've got some corrosion on the inner rim of one of mine which means I'm having to top the air up once a week at the moment. Bit of a cheeky long shot I know.

 

[Timmyboy]

Sorry GrayT, only ever had the standard alloys so no spares kicking around.
STill not decided what to do yet, got the car in the local rag and piston heads so will wait and see what the outcome is.

If I ever end up trading in (which is unlikely) and you can be bothered to driver to Bristol, I'll gladly swap one over before the trade-in.

Anyway, back to the pondering

 

[thesonny]

My mate had a remap on his suzuki ignis sport (irrelevant car i know) but the place where he got it done said to him that he had gone from 109bhp to 128bhp on their rolling road. He couldn't really feel much difference in the car so it took it to a different rolling road and they said it was maxing out at 111bhp. so that was a 2bhp power gain for like £200. so just be careful where you get it done and have it checked twice.

 

[GrayT]

If I ever end up trading in (which is unlikely) and you can be bothered to driver to Bristol, I'll gladly swap one over before the trade-in.

Thanks for the offer on that Timmyboy. I know you're unlikely to trade in anyway but it probably wouldn't be worth my while for the petrol costs and then I would be wanting to swap my nearly new F1's on to the replacement alloy - so too much hassle really. Let us know if you end up buying the 20v and especially if you go for a remap!