I had an FR 20VT and pretty much as soon as I picked it up, I was considering turning it into a Cupra R "lookalike".
I bought a set of 18" LCR alloys & tyres. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a full interior from a written off 210, black trims, head lining, door cards, front & rear Recaro's, steering wheel etc... Only engine mods I had was a Carbonio CAI & Forge 007 DV.
Insurance was costing just over £800 with the mods declaired. Fuel economy was around 30-32mpg on average. Never actually had the car long enough to comment on service costs.
When I calculated the likely cost of all the mods just to get it to look like an LCR, and the performance mods needed to hike the power to LCR levels, I found it was actually going to be a lot cheaper to buy an LCR! Especially with the rising cost of the insurance with each mod that goes on
So I did!
I actually bought an LCR bumper on ebay, drove from South Wales to Manchester to pick it up and on the way back, I called into a Seat dealer in Cardiff to order the grilles etc. They had an LCR with "Sold" in the window, and just out of curiosity, I asked how much it would cost to upgrade.
There were only 3 new platinum LCR's left in the country at the time - then there were 2!!
Anyway, I had to sort out insurance for the new LCR... something I never even considered finding out about! I actually had a £60 refund on my insurance! A modified (only CAI, DV & "sports seats") FR 20VT is more expensive to insure than a standard LCR.
Fuel economy is slightly less, but not hugely different... I'm averaging 28-30mpg. I had my 1st service done at a Seat Specialist, had change from £90, which included an upgrade to fully synthetic oil.
Obviously things like tyres and brake parts will be more expensive. I think GSD3's for example are £15-£20 more expensive. Brake pads & discs are probably around twice the price.
As far as ride & handling go, the LCR feels more planted. I feel more confident throwing it around the twisties
The brakes are excellent. The LCR looks more agressive and sounds a bit more throaty.
Some people think I'm mad for buying 2 brand new cars in the space of 6 months, but I'm more than happy!! I've had the LCR for just over a year now, and I still wear that silly cheesey grin every time I drive it!
I usually change my cars every 2-3 years, but I can honestly see myself keeping the LCR a lot longer - I love it!
