Going to buy a v5 tommorow - what to look for?

[Baffled Spoon]

Hi all,

I posted about buying a v5 Toledo way back in november and have finally gotten round to selling my old car. Going to see a 2002 Toledo v5 170 tommorow and if the car is as described I will hopefully also be buying. So because I haven't had a chance to drive one yet ( there wasn't one within a 100 mies of me so couldn't travel to try one), what should I look for on the test drive?

What does the gearbox feel like? Should I expect a bit of notchiness or is it quite a smooth box? Also whats the steering and suspension meant to feel like?

Most importantley though, what should that lovely engine feel like? Where does the engine pick up, how quickly should it rev up and how quickly should the revs die down and how should it pull?

I've researched all the other threads on here so know roughly what kind of things to look for but just don't know what to expect on the test drive, so any help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks loads, and I'll hopefully be posting pictures of my new p+j soon

 

[Slimy]

I didn't have to test drive many before I got the right one, but I found that its either absolutely spot on, or its a complete lemon. Here's a few things I found;

1. Start up when cold. It'll either fire straight up, or it'll turn over for ages and give you nothing. Obviously the former is ideal, however there is a few that need a quick squeeze of the gas pedal. If it doesn't fire up immediately, give it a quick boost and it should fire up and settle down to tickover revs.

2. Running. These engines are beautifully smooth, I still have trouble telling whether the thing is actually running until I look at the rev counter!! If its starts juddering, then it could be a coil pack or something worse. Either walk away or drop the price.

3. Early engine noises. There's all sorts of whistles and whines going on when you first start it up, as long as they're all gone after the first minute or so its fine. Oh yeah, and if you hear an odd whining and chugging in the car, don't worry about it 'cos its the sat nav disc!!

4. Shifting. It is a notchy box, but I prefer to call it 'positive'. Each shift should follow a smooth pattern. I'd be nervous if you got any missed shifts under normal conditions, even from cold. Move the armrest completely out of the way to make sure you can get a good feel from the stick.

5. Acceleration. Firstly, let me just say 'WOW'!! In any gear there is a definite surge, first and second gear will have you heading backwards no problem, but even 30mph in fifth should accelerate smoothly. In first you might notice a bit of a drop mid range but nothing aggressive. Second gear should be perfectly smooth. If you loose power anywhere short of the red line then something is wrong. The gas pedal is also extremely sensitive, so if it starts getting jerky, check its not your right foot causing the problem. Revving up and down is swift for a 5 pot, certainly more like an inline 4 than other V engines.

6. Drive. Its a soft comfortable car, so don't expect razor sharp handling. However, it should track accurately with no pulling. Brakes are also comfortably progressive without being threatening.

7. Others. Obviously you've got the leaky door signs to look for (wet carpets etc), coil packs and air mass meters will be covered by 5 above. Crash damage should be checked for. Even the absolutely knackered car I saw didn't have any rust on it, so don't worry about that.

This is from my experience of having a Toledo for one week and about 100 miles, so I'm sure the more long term owners may have other items to add. But as I mentioned, its either going to be looked after or completely destroyed, there doesn't seem to be an 'average' car.

Hope that helps.

 

[kewe]

Have to agree with everything slimy says, spot on for only having the car 1 week

Only thing I would add in my experience is:-

1) Gearbox may be notchy when cold, but once up to running temp is pretty slick.
2) Bigger alloys/lower profile tyres if fitted may make the ride comfort to a bit more cupra like.
3) Check for oil leaks or sump damage. Prone to getting damaged on speedbumps etc.
4) Lots of electric goodies, make sure they all work including electric folding mirrors.

All in all fantastic cars and you do get lots for your money. Like slimy says, pick a good un and you'll be well chuffed.


Good luck!

 

[Slimy]

4) Lots of electric goodies, make sure they all work including electric folding mirrors.

Yeah, someone suggested that to me, then I quickly found out that there are just so many electric goodies it would take me a week and a half to try them!! Only today I found that the lights above the sun visors light up when you open the mirror slide, I thought the bulbs had gone!!

And if I ever figure out how to turn the traffic announcements off it'll be so much better on the commute...

 

[Baffled Spoon]

Thanks for all the replies guys

Well, the good news is that I am now the proud owner of a lovely black Toledo V5 with cream interior

It's a 2002 car with 80k miles on the clock and full seat history. Car drove like a dream on the test drive, bodywork was straight and the engine makes no nasty noises and pulls like a train (well, it feels a lot better than my last car - a 1.4 honda civic).

Did all the checks that were mentioned in various treads on here (radiator fans, checked carpets for signs of leaks etc.) and the car seemed fine in every respect.

Only slight worry was that there seemed to be some fresh (ish) oil on the plastic undertray that links up with the front bumper, but the sump didn't seem to have any damage on it and given that it had a full service (to the tune of £600) from Seat only 800 miles previously (and the fact I had to travel 180 miles to get to the car) I didn't let this stop me buying it. I'll have to moniter the drive for oil stains but fingers crossed...

Anywho, I'm totally smitten after my long drive home and will post pics in a few days when I get some time off.

 

[Slimy]

Congratulations, you've got the same one as me!! Although mine is a 51 plate with 108K miles, but its also black with cream interior. I've got to ask, how much did you pay?

As for the oil, look at where the filler cap is, and see if its likely to have just been a spill when they did the oil change.

 

[car_guy143]

3. Early engine noises. There's all sorts of whistles and whines going on when you first start it up, as long as they're all gone after the first minute or so its fine. Oh yeah, and if you hear an odd whining and chugging in the car, don't worry about it 'cos its the sat nav disc!!

Least i'm not the only one who noticed this!

 

[Baffled Spoon]

Congratulations, you've got the same one as me!! Although mine is a 51 plate with 108K miles, but its also black with cream interior. I've got to ask, how much did you pay?

As for the oil, look at where the filler cap is, and see if its likely to have just been a spill when they did the oil change.

Thanks The car cost me £1950 after some negotiation which I think was a very good price. Even better is that I had sold my Civic 2 days before for £3.5k so I've now got pleanty of spare cash for petrol (although it will probably all get spent on alcohol given that I'm a student and it's St. Patrick's day )

 

[v5er]

Congratulations on your new Tolly!

If that cash is spare then it's worth considering some mods like lowering, wider wheels/tyres, side skirts etc. Some forum members have great examples to look at.

Just out of interest what made you look at a Seat instead of going for another Honda? I ask because I sold my Civic Coupe before getting a Tolly V5 a couple of years back.

 

[Baffled Spoon]

I did the whole modifed thing with the civic - i'm thinking I'll, be keeping the external appearance of the v5 as it is. I rather like the lines and the five spoke v5 wheels look good too. I was thinking of lowering it, but as the sump is low and I live at the end of a (very) bumpy cobled lane I'm thinking I should probably avoid lowering (the honda was lowered and that scrapped along merrily so I'd be keen to avoid that again).

One thing I will be getting done in the next fortnight though is getting parking sensors fitted - guessing where the rear of the car is is a bit of a struggle. May also get a induction kit in the near future to release more warble from the engine

As for what made me change to seat from honda, well I would have preferred to stay with honda (my automotive brand of choice), but being 21, the problem I found was that most hondas were either similar in performance to what I had or too fast and furious to be insurable.

So why a toledo? Well it's because I thought they looked great, had loads of kit, are a bit unusual and out of the ordinary, and because I heard one go past me at full chat and fell in love with the engine note In any case, it's a heck of a lot more intresting than most other stuff on the roads that people my age tend to drive

 

[Slimy]

I had an induction kit on my old V6 vectra, the sound was awesome but it killed the performance. The Vauxhall V6 ran extremely hot, and all the induction kit did was draw in hot air. I was told to put it back in the original airbox and open up the pipework, but that would have got rid of the noise that I wanted!!

In any case, I'd be interested to know when you get an induction kit, and where from. Although on the Toledo the airbox is on the middle right so I think some air flow rework might be appropriate? I'm really happy with the warble I get now, even on gentle acceleration, but I could always be tempted to improve the sound! I've never been a big exhaust fan, but I do like a good induction growl!

 

[car_guy143]

I had an induction kit on my old V6 vectra, the sound was awesome but it killed the performance. The Vauxhall V6 ran extremely hot, and all the induction kit did was draw in hot air. I was told to put it back in the original airbox and open up the pipework, but that would have got rid of the noise that I wanted!!

In any case, I'd be interested to know when you get an induction kit, and where from. Although on the Toledo the airbox is on the middle right so I think some air flow rework might be appropriate? I'm really happy with the warble I get now, even on gentle acceleration, but I could always be tempted to improve the sound! I've never been a big exhaust fan, but I do like a good induction growl!

I heard the induction system on the V5 is the same as what's fitted to the larger VW V6 engines, so if anything an aftermarket induction kit will only offer noise and probably will reduce performance. If you want the noise, then have a look at drilling a few holes in the underside of the air box like a lot of Leon owners seem to do.

 

[kewe]

The rear parking sensors are a great mod, really useful for getting into some of those tight parking spaces in the town I'd otherwise drive past. Also getting HID's this weekend which should be interesting, everyone seems to rave about them. I also have a set of modified dials in prototype format. It's amazing how the bug grabs you if you have a few pennies to spare, but i'm sure you'll resist.

 

[Baffled Spoon]

Submitted my dissertation today so for tommorow am planning a little trip to the countryside to get to know how the car handles. Am thinking of going up along the a82 along loch lomond heading towards Crianlarich - should be a good day

Drove the car some more today, and with the window down the engine really does sound sweet. May not bother with the induction kit given what you guys said (and that it could screw up my maf like it did on the old car).

One question though, I had a check under the bonnet and the coolant expansion tank was just below the minimum level. Could I top this up with just plain water (it would only need about a tea cup full of water to bring it up to level imo) or would it not be good to add water and dilute the mix in the system?

Thanks

 

[GrayT]

A teacupful won't harm but be wary that if it drops previous owners might have been adding teacupful by teacupful and diluting along the way. If you add coolant make sure you use the proper VAG stuff. They shouldn't be mixed. I think you're doing the right thing to stay away from an induction kit too. Enjoy the car and your drive tomorrow!