Advice on buying a Leon fr 2.0 184

[Jorro1127]

Hi

I'm seriously considering buying a fr 184 diesel. Iv been looking for about a month now. I have a budget of upto 11000 possible pushed to 12000. Iv come across A car that has brilliant spec but what I would consider high mileage for its price.

It's a 2014 plate with 68000 miles with a price of £10,500. Teck pack and winter pack although I hadn't heard of the winter pack before seeing this advert.

I'd like to ask peoples opinion on if this is too many miles for the price. It has a FSH and is RAC checked. I do about 15000 miles a year, mainly on the motorway to and from work, so the mileage could add up quickly. I would hopefully like to keep the car for 4-5 years.

Any advice would be very much appreciated

Thanks

John

 

[Ronnie Bagel]

Hi mate, you considered leasing? Just had a quick look on Contract Hire & Leasing and you can get a new 184 Coupe for £204 a month, with £1450 deposit over 36 months and 15k miles. That works out at less than £8,800 over 3 years. You've got to think how much that other one would be worth with 140k on it in 4-5 years, plus what you could be spending on repairs as the mileage goes up. A lease would be covered by warranty for the whole time and tax is included........And you also get to drive a brand spanker and keep the cash in the bank......or buy the mrs a new kitchen

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[Curtly]

Hi mate, you considered leasing? Just had a quick look on Contract Hire & Leasing and you can get a new 184 Coupe for £204 a month, with £1450 deposit over 36 months and 15k miles. That works out at less than £8,800 over 3 years. You've got to think how much that other one would be worth with 140k on it in 4-5 years, plus what you could be spending on repairs as the mileage goes up. A lease would be covered by warranty for the whole time and tax is included........And you also get to drive a brand spanker and keep the cash in the bank......or buy the mrs a new kitchen

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Surely he should be comparing that lease to the value of the use car after an additional 3 years and 45k miles as this is what the alternative to the lease would be?

I'd wager that the used car at 6 years old and with 111k would be worth a lot more than £1700

 

[Ronnie Bagel]

Yes, you're right, plus the cost of tax and repairs/replacement consumables, of course. I wasn't necessarily saying it would be cheaper to go with a lease, just peace of mind and the fact it's a brand new car, not one with nearly 70k on it already.


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[Aardvark]

I bought, my son leased.

My down payment for the zero finance was almost what the OP has to spend on a previously thrashed model.

I would go with a four year lease at 12 or 15K and pay any overage on the miles. I wouldn't put my cash into another new FR ever again.

You should be able to find 14 plates with 35K for 12 grand, mine is this and is worth less than 11000 to trade in.

 

[Ckpearce91]

You can buy mine for £12k

 

[devJORD]

My only advise would be to consider a petrol. I couldn't really see many benefits for buying a diesel these days. In eco mode I can get 54mpg on the motorway and rural roads easily. The highest I've seen was 58mpg.

 

[ukoldschool]

yeah, why worry about £20 a year road tax, an additional 34bhp, decent brakes and rear suspension, bags of torque whenever you need it, 58mpg regardless of driving style and a decent resale value when you could by a 1.4......

 

[sheffield]

Hi



It's a 2014 plate with 68000 miles with a price of £10,500. Teck pack and winter pack although I hadn't heard of the winter pack before seeing this advert.

I'd like to ask peoples opinion on if this is too many miles for the price.

The price seems high for the milage, although the Tech pack and heated seats/mirrors are great in the winter pack.

As someone has already said there are 14 plates out there with under 40k miles on them for around 12-13k, mine is the same spec as the one you are looking at, and would value it at around 12.5k at 37k miles.

 

[sheffield]

Hi mate, you considered leasing?

A lease would be covered by warranty for the whole time and tax is included........

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Warranty would be useful but the tax in only £20 a year!

 

[devJORD]

yeah, why worry about £20 a year road tax, an additional 34bhp, decent brakes and rear suspension, bags of torque whenever you need it, 58mpg regardless of driving style and a decent resale value when you could by a 1.4......

I pay £30 annual tax, the difference of 80p a month. My mate at work has the 180bhp diesel and in a straight line they were basically identical, I'd say there was a matter of inches between the two cars after hitting 70mph.

The only benefit as you say are the better brakes and rear suspension, but then that's no longer an issue I believe in the facelift.

So all in all, running cost being almost the same considering diesel is more expensive. The petrol is cheaper by £5000. Petrols don't throw DPF warnings every month. The diesel is actually works out at £182 a month more expense than the petrol over a 3 year period. I've also read that a diesel only becomes cheaper than a petrol if you drive over 3000 miles a month with the majority of that being motorway miles for 3 years.

But hey, 34bhp! Which again, meant absolutely nothing in a real world test.

Also with resale values, if they bring in the diesel tax the resale values will plummet.

 

[ukoldschool]

You live in a dream world..... 34bhp means nothing? do you think if you managed to get an additional 34bhp in your 1.4 you wouldn't notice it? would it not make it just a lickle bit quicker and nicer to drive?

As you seem obsessed with your version of the 'real world' dont forget 1.4 has 250 nm of torque, the 184 has 380nm (that's 52% more), quite a large dollop of difference in in gear acceleration, overtaking etc (all things from the real world...)

 

[Curtly]

Just gonna slip in that the 184 is 120kg heavier than the 1.4

Not taking sides or agreeing with anyone, just worthwhile info

 

[DEAN0]

You live in a dream world..... 34bhp means nothing? do you think if you managed to get an additional 34bhp in your 1.4 you wouldn't notice it? would it not make it just a lickle bit quicker and nicer to drive?

As you seem obsessed with your version of the 'real world' dont forget 1.4 has 250 nm of torque, the 184 has 380nm (that's 52% more), quite a large dollop of difference in in gear acceleration, overtaking etc (all things from the real world...)

Then drop a tuning box or remap on the 184 and have around 235hp + stump pulling torque - with little difference to economy.

 

[ukoldschool]

yes (and I have done exactly that), but to be fair you can tune the little 1.4 too..... even mapped the 184 is still a quicker car, even in the 'real world'

 

[Aardvark]

Just a note here that although I slag mine off for depreciation, you can't beat that wall of torque in any gear from 1200 revs and I get 75mpg on a motorway. Never had a DPF light, not even sure mine has one

And I love the way it overtakes things going uphill 4 up and a full boot

My work bus is a 320D but the Leon is a nicer car in every way.

 

[neil_f225]

I sold my 184fr estate in September for 13k with 45k miles on it. Was a good spec and car was mint. My mum works at arnold clark and they said trade price was 10k!