As the title suggests the time has come to part ways with Seat and with it my 66 plate Leon FR 184 Titanium so I figured I’d share my views on what it’s been like to ‘own’ and my thoughts on leasing as that’s what I’ve been doing - for those that care or are thinking of doing similar
I’ll start with the facts and figures. For reference I’m now 23, was 21 when I got it. The car was brand new, 60 miles on the clock, monsoon grey, 3 door with the titanium pack, convenience pack and full link options ticked. My mileage allowance was 15,000 p/a, servicing was included as well as breakdown assistance and free replacement tyres. I put £3000 down and paid £242 a month thereafter.
I’ll start with my thoughts on leasing. Initially I thought it was great, driving a car I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford for monthlies that I could, you can often find some more more ludicrous deals than I did but I knew I was going to struggle being as I did a lot of miles! The inclusion of servicing and breakdown cover is a must personally and gave the peace of mind that you wouldn’t be left out of pocket should something go wrong. In terms of finances before taking the lease i was on the cusp of buying a 16 plate ex demo FR for 17,000. In the time I’ve had my lease I’ve paid close to £9000 on a car that retailed(with options) for close to 25,000 meaning by the time I hand it back the amount I’ve spent really isn’t a million miles away from the depreciation value of the car - a big positive for me. On the flip side the downsides of leasing - which I’m yet to fully feel - is that regardless of when you hand back the car(mines going back 27 days early) mileage is calculated pro-rata meaning you can still get stung with excess fines if they think you would have exceeded it. Also the whole thing is very impersonal which I’m not a huge fan of, everything was ordered online, some bloke turned up with the car then walked off into the sunset to catch a train or something and that was that. Overall I think leasing is an option for those that, like me, wanted something they couldn’t afford however these days I think getting a PCP deal is much better, when I give the keys back I have nothing to show for it and just -£8500, with a PCP there’s always options throughout the policy. Personally I wouldn’t lease again, my next car is on a pcp(I’ll come to that)
The car!! Sierra(as I’ve named her) has been great for the past 2 years and I love her to bits, she’s by no means without her flaws but they just add character...
The drive I can’t fault at all, sharing an engine with the Golf GTD means there’s more than enough power and torque under your foot(be quiet cupra owners) and the economy isn’t too bad to boot, in my 29,000 miles my average mpg is 45.7, I do 54 miles a day on the work commute and don’t care much for economic driving, often it’s the opposite...
The interior is very Seat, like a Golf but not quite there, a lot more hard plastics, the infotainment screen occasionally freezes and needs resetting, there’s a notorious rattle in the passenger door card, the dashboard cover buzzes from time to time but on the whole it’s a nice place to sit, everything your hands touch the most is good quality(gear stick, wheel, infotainment), the seats are comfortable, the boot is large, rear leg room in the 3 door is average(not that I ever cared) but on the whole it’s a fantastic car, it has its quirks but that hasn’t stopped me loving it! People will say the brakes are crap or the tyres are and maybe that’s true but day to day unless you’re hurling round a track those things are trivial, the car has tyres and it stops was always my view.
Faults - during my stint with the car I haven’t had any major issues. I had low coolant after 17,000 miles or so that Seat checked and topped up - nothing since, I had one service which was all fine, filled up my oil twice outside of that service(tends to use more in the first few 10,000 miles then beds in beyond that) and I had the front tyres replaced within my lease due to my excitable right foot and getting the car in winter(8000 miles on the set)
What next? For me personally I’m stepping away from Seat but staying cosy with the VAG(pun intended). I’ll be collecting a MK7.5 Golf GTI on Sunday on a PCP deal. I’ll still float around these forums and answer anything people throw up that I may have experienced.
Thank you for reading(if you still are) and if you have any questions/comments about the car, leasing, my new car or just think I’m a moron then I’m all ears!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I’ll start with the facts and figures. For reference I’m now 23, was 21 when I got it. The car was brand new, 60 miles on the clock, monsoon grey, 3 door with the titanium pack, convenience pack and full link options ticked. My mileage allowance was 15,000 p/a, servicing was included as well as breakdown assistance and free replacement tyres. I put £3000 down and paid £242 a month thereafter.
I’ll start with my thoughts on leasing. Initially I thought it was great, driving a car I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford for monthlies that I could, you can often find some more more ludicrous deals than I did but I knew I was going to struggle being as I did a lot of miles! The inclusion of servicing and breakdown cover is a must personally and gave the peace of mind that you wouldn’t be left out of pocket should something go wrong. In terms of finances before taking the lease i was on the cusp of buying a 16 plate ex demo FR for 17,000. In the time I’ve had my lease I’ve paid close to £9000 on a car that retailed(with options) for close to 25,000 meaning by the time I hand it back the amount I’ve spent really isn’t a million miles away from the depreciation value of the car - a big positive for me. On the flip side the downsides of leasing - which I’m yet to fully feel - is that regardless of when you hand back the car(mines going back 27 days early) mileage is calculated pro-rata meaning you can still get stung with excess fines if they think you would have exceeded it. Also the whole thing is very impersonal which I’m not a huge fan of, everything was ordered online, some bloke turned up with the car then walked off into the sunset to catch a train or something and that was that. Overall I think leasing is an option for those that, like me, wanted something they couldn’t afford however these days I think getting a PCP deal is much better, when I give the keys back I have nothing to show for it and just -£8500, with a PCP there’s always options throughout the policy. Personally I wouldn’t lease again, my next car is on a pcp(I’ll come to that)
The car!! Sierra(as I’ve named her) has been great for the past 2 years and I love her to bits, she’s by no means without her flaws but they just add character...
The drive I can’t fault at all, sharing an engine with the Golf GTD means there’s more than enough power and torque under your foot(be quiet cupra owners) and the economy isn’t too bad to boot, in my 29,000 miles my average mpg is 45.7, I do 54 miles a day on the work commute and don’t care much for economic driving, often it’s the opposite...
The interior is very Seat, like a Golf but not quite there, a lot more hard plastics, the infotainment screen occasionally freezes and needs resetting, there’s a notorious rattle in the passenger door card, the dashboard cover buzzes from time to time but on the whole it’s a nice place to sit, everything your hands touch the most is good quality(gear stick, wheel, infotainment), the seats are comfortable, the boot is large, rear leg room in the 3 door is average(not that I ever cared) but on the whole it’s a fantastic car, it has its quirks but that hasn’t stopped me loving it! People will say the brakes are crap or the tyres are and maybe that’s true but day to day unless you’re hurling round a track those things are trivial, the car has tyres and it stops was always my view.
Faults - during my stint with the car I haven’t had any major issues. I had low coolant after 17,000 miles or so that Seat checked and topped up - nothing since, I had one service which was all fine, filled up my oil twice outside of that service(tends to use more in the first few 10,000 miles then beds in beyond that) and I had the front tyres replaced within my lease due to my excitable right foot and getting the car in winter(8000 miles on the set)
What next? For me personally I’m stepping away from Seat but staying cosy with the VAG(pun intended). I’ll be collecting a MK7.5 Golf GTI on Sunday on a PCP deal. I’ll still float around these forums and answer anything people throw up that I may have experienced.
Thank you for reading(if you still are) and if you have any questions/comments about the car, leasing, my new car or just think I’m a moron then I’m all ears!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last edited:
