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Hello, from Netherlands but originaly Portuguese!

jksoarez10

jksoarez10

Active Member
Aug 7, 2018
49
10
Delft, Netherlands
Hello guys,

My name is Joao and I'm 28 years old. Portuguese but currently living in The Netherlands for the last 4 years (lovely country)!
At 20y I bought my first Seat (Seat Ibiza 6L FR Diesel 1.9 130hp) and later I changed to a Seat Leon 5F FR Diesel 2.0 150cv). Both in Portugal.

Since I moved to The Netherlands, I've been driving a cheap and economic Opel Corsa 1.2 Petrol from 2001. :cry: Quite boring but reliable tho.

I'm looking to buy a Seat Leon Cupra 280 in the near future (next couple of days). I'd like to know your opinion about a few things.

1. Is it still worth to buy the Cupra 280? Or rather save a bit more money and go for the 300? (The price difference in between 7-10k)
2. Can I easily upgrade the radio to use Car Play?
3. Is the maintenance way more expensive than my previous Seat Leon 5F FR Diesel? (Especially because it's automatic gearbox)
4. Best tyres?
5. What kind of things should I look up before I buy the car?

Thanks in advance guys! :D
 
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Syphon

Syphon

Site Owner
Staff member
Feb 28, 2002
9,700
2,371
South West
www.seatcupra.net
Welcome! I've had both the 280 and the 300. I loved both to be fair. The 280 was the SC (Sports Coupe) three door and personally I felt it handled better. I had both remapped so there wasn't much in it power wise.

For upgrades on infotainment @East Yorkshire Retrofits would be able to advise.

Not sure about maintenance wouldn't have thought there was much in it.

Tyres plenty of people will have different opinions. Personally I tend to go for Pilot Sport tyres.

Things to look for check out our MK3 Leon forum which is huge and has lots of experience and owners there.

Good luck!

Scott
 
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Seastormer

Seastormer

Cupra Leon VZ2 300/CBF1000
Apr 25, 2014
5,309
841
69
Edinburgh (Scotland)
jksoarez10 said:
Hello guys,

My name is Joao and I'm 28 years old. Portuguese but currently living in The Netherlands for the last 4 years (lovely country)!
At 20y I bought my first Seat (Seat Ibiza 6L FR Diesel 1.9 130hp) and later I changed to a Seat Leon 5F FR Diesel 2.0 150cv). Both in Portugal.

Since I moved to The Netherlands, I've been driving a cheap and economic Opel Corsa 1.2 Petrol from 2001. :cry: Quite boring but reliable tho.

I'm looking to buy a Seat Leon Cupra 280 in the near future (next couple of days). I'd like to know your opinion about a few things.

1. Is it still worth to buy the Cupra 280? Or rather save a bit more money and go for the 300? (The price difference in between 7-10k)
2. Can I easily upgrade the radio to use Car Play?
3. Is the maintenance way more expensive than my previous Seat Leon 5F FR Diesel? (Especially because it's automatic gearbox)
4. Best tyres?
5. What kind of things should I look up before I buy the car?

Thanks in advance guys! :D
Click to expand...
Had my 280 for near 8 years and loved it, not a thing went wrong with it and tyres and wiper blades where the only things replaced. Agree with Syphon's comments above and I had Pilot Sports too, and the dealer servicing was not bad for a performance car either. I miss the 280 as it still had a CD player rather than messing around with MP3's on a usb stick like I have to now, a it's a great car is all I can say.
 
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nd-photo.nl

nd-photo.nl

Active Member
Mar 6, 2012
4,140
319
The Netherlands
youtube.com
Hi Joao,

Fellow dutchman here, and I bought a ST280 not too long ago (december 2024). See my built thread here: https://www.seatcupra.net/forums/threads/nd-photo-nl-s-seat-leon-st-cupra-280.477591/

Please note, I like to spend money on my car, as my car is also my hobby. So a lot of the things that I do are not always necessary haha

1. Is it still worth to buy the Cupra 280? Or rather save a bit more money and go for the 300? (The price difference in between 7-10k)
I like this car very much. I didnt buy a 4drive because they were above budget. I wanted to buy something below 20k. The Cupra has a front diff with LSD which works quite well. You can also spend 7-10k in things to adjust the car to your taste

2. Can I easily upgrade the radio to use Car Play?
I believe you can. Mine already had the Full Link with wireless car play.

3. Is the maintenance way more expensive than my previous Seat Leon 5F FR Diesel? (Especially because it's automatic gearbox)
Are you able to do maintenance yourself?

4. Best tyres?
Any A-brand, Continental SC7, Michelin PS4S, etc

5. What kind of things should I look up before I buy the car?
- Check if the waterpump has been done, these are notorious for failing
- Also check if the silicat bag has been removed from the coolant reservoir, as these are known to clog up if the bag ruptures, which means replacing the heatercore in your interior. Replace the G13 coolant with G12 EVO once you do this. More info: https://www.seatcupra.net/forums/threads/nd-photo-nl-s-seat-leon-st-cupra-280.477591/#post-5068749
-Also check if the fuel hose is the newest revision. If the fuel hose is one piece, you have the latest revision. Early revision had the hose disintegrating from within, clogging up the injectors with major engine damage. More info: https://www.seatcupra.net/forums/threads/nd-photo-nl-s-seat-leon-st-cupra-280.477591/#post-5068770
-Check if the PCV valve has been replaced, these are known to fail. More info: https://www.seatcupra.net/forums/th...-leon-st-cupra-280.477591/page-2#post-5068962
-Check the maintenance for DSG service and regular oil service
-Euro Cupras have 2 sets of injectors, the direct injectors & MPI indirect port injectors, this means that the intake valves are less prone to be cooked up with carbon deposits
 
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tracktoy

tracktoy

Active Member
Jun 11, 2023
714
555
Just to add to @nd-photo.nl comments

Check out my service schedule for the 280 here taken from the original SEAT documents and with this in mind
Make sure the front diff has also had oil change as its very common they have not been done.
Break Fluid and Sparks should also have been changed to keep everything in tip top condition.

If you do purchase one check out the sort of stuff you can do with an OBD Plug in device

You should also check with your insurance company to make sure this is inside your budget (for insurance)

I have had my 280 for over 10 years now and have no plans to sell it as its just so much fun but can also return good fuel figures on long motorway journeys.
 
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jksoarez10

jksoarez10

Active Member
Aug 7, 2018
49
10
Delft, Netherlands
Thanks all for the info and tips!
Today I close a deal for a Leon Cupra 280 from 2015 with 150.000km and well maintained! I’ll pick it up Wednesday

fd8ca65b442d4312c644cd64a19f4c1a.jpg

IMG_8281.jpg
 

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jksoarez10

jksoarez10

Active Member
Aug 7, 2018
49
10
Delft, Netherlands
Guys,

I need a small help:

I connect my carista OBD scanner to the car and I saw that the "engine controle module" mileage is 174.000km and the odometer and the engine mileage is 157.000km!
I saw the maintenance book, also checked online the report on https://www.kentekencheck.nl/ and everything matches the 157.000km.
Can one of the previous owners have changed the ECU from a donor car? Or do you think the mileage was tampered?

I'm supposed to pick up the car tomorrow but I want to be sure about this discrepancy.
 
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jksoarez10

jksoarez10

Active Member
Aug 7, 2018
49
10
Delft, Netherlands
nd-photo.nl said:
Congrats and nice Maxton bits. I would replace the old exhaust tips, that will upgrade the look immediately

Unfortunately I dont know about the difference in mileage, maybe ask the seller?
Click to expand...
Thanks! I'm also thinking about changing the exhaust tips... not sure if I'll go for the double one or the single one. Need to get some inspiration elsewhere :p

The seller is not sure. But everything matches de 157.000km. Except the ECU so probably the previous owner changed the ECU.
 
jksoarez10

jksoarez10

Active Member
Aug 7, 2018
49
10
Delft, Netherlands
nd-photo.nl said:
I bought them from Aliexpress and fitted them myself. Unfortunately, I dont know any reputable shops in that area.

Its time to start your showroom topic (Readers Rides) :wave:

Readers Rides (SEAT)

Show us your ongoing projects / work in progress / pride and joy for SEAT cars.
www.seatcupra.net www.seatcupra.net
Click to expand...

Done!

My new Seat Leon Cupra 280

My new Seat Leon Cupra 280

Hello, My name is Joao and I'm from the Netherlands. I recently bought a Seat Leon Cupra 280. Future mods: Double Exhaust Tips (carbon) Front Lip (tbd which one) 8inch navigation radio with carplay Carbon + Alcantara steering wheel Carbon knob (DSG) Cupra badges in the trunk Spacers in...
r.tapatalk.com r.tapatalk.com


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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