Hoping to buy a Cupra - road test advice welcome

[Kuang]

Alright folks?

I've been after a Leon 20VT Cupra for some time now and a nice looking 2001/Y example has come my way just as I was thinking of changing car. I've used some of the great guides on this site to give it a once over and it really is spotless (except a tiny rear washer leak) so I'm going to go back and take it for a run this week. I have a couple of questions before I do that I'm hoping the good people of the forum can help out with

1. This particular one idles beautifully even after standing for a while, but sounds a bit tappety - is this usual for this engine after a period of no use? It's only showing 60k with a FSSH and I believe this to be genuine.

2. It's one of the 2001 models that still retained the folding mirrors, but the left/right adjust on the passenger mirror doesn't seem to work. It also doesn't appear to have the passenger side park assist or the automatic driver/passenger adjust. Could the dodgy adjuster be reponsible for the other bits not seeming to be there, or is it really hit and miss in terms of what you get? Is this particular bit of electrics a known weak point?

3. I've checked the dump valve and it seems in perfect order and there don't appear to be any flat spots when revving it to 4-5k at a standstill. I have a route planned that takes in a few national speed limits, some twisty stuff and a few speedbumps to check the rear bushes, but what else should I be looking out for on the test drive?

4. Having never driven one of these before, I found the gear level felt a bit slack around teh centre position even though the shift seems really positive. Is that a characteristic of this box and if not what may be at fault?

5. Does Ovni yellow suffer from any of the issues that some of the other finishes seem to have (thinking of the soft blue, specifically)? Wasn't sure about the colour at first, but it's growing on me

I'd appreciate any tips you could give, and if all checks out I'll be joining the ranks here as a fully fledged owner soon

 

[Willie]

Hi can't help with everything but........

The tappety noise sounds like the pollution thingy ma jigger
Basically all the leons do it and its nothing to worry about.
It should only make this noise at standstill.
Not hydraulic tappets as you might think

 

[CupraUK]

Folding mirrors can be a bit hit and miss after the battery has been flat. Mine occasionally don't work left and right but I'm sure its just the switch.

 

[The MoffMeister]

can always get an independant person to look like a garage that do pre purchase checks!

 

[Kuang]

Cheers for the advice there!

I'll see is the noise calms down after a run and if not, have a bit of a prod about. The wing mirrors were odd after the car had been standing as they closed with a thunk and then wouldn't open. I left them and started mucking about with the aircon and they opened on their own around 10 seconds later. After that they were fine, so maybe it was just the battery. Hopefully I'll be running the car around to my mechanic (who lives just round the corner from the dealer fortunately) and getting him to do a quick once-over. I'd like an AA check but I don't know if I can afford it on top of the car and the cam belt change it's probably going to need.

Any ideas on the loose gearstick? I'm not sure if they're all meant to be that way, as the shifting action felt very light and positive.

 

[Punch IT!]

Hi i have the cupra 02 preface lift model and trust me the are lovely cars so you are making the right decision got mine 4 months ago and still love it to bits. Only other car i would get is the cupra R. Anyways the problems dont seem bad just make sure you get it checked by a pro and that test drive sounds great. Good luck and welcome to some serious power!

 

[Punch IT!]

Oh and gear stick could be nothing i personally thought the throw was far too big so i got the short shifter which took me 30mins to fit.

 

[cupra_lis]

i have a 2001 51 plate and mine didn't come with passenger side park assist or the automatic driver/passenger adjust.wouldn't worry about the gear stick too much,sounds like mine and i've had no problems at all apart from a leaky footwell but i knew that was a common problem before i bought the car.

enjoy your test drive,your mind will be made up in minutes!

 

[Kuang]

Cheers folks!

I've got the test drive booked for thursday afternoon, and I'm running it round to my mechanic straight afterwards for a once-over. All being well I'll be back here shortly as the proud owner of a turbo-nutter banana

 

[ElasticTangent]

Good luck with the test drive. I had an 02 LC before getting the LCR and loved it.

The only comment I would make is that the 60,000 service is a big one with most people on here recommending that you get the cambelt and waterpump done. If the garage is selling it with a FSSH they should be able to let you know if this has been done or not. If not I would say that you should be able to use this as a bargaining tool. SEAT will charge around £600 for this work.

Other than than check for signs of water getting into the footwells. The older LC's are infamous for leaking door seals but are not hard to fix.

 

[flares]

If u can , put a hosepipe or jet wash over the bottom of the doors & see if any water leaks into the footwells .

 

[Dyscontinued]

Engines can get tappety if you don't do oil changes, and can lead to very bad engine damage.

 

[Kuang]

Thanks for all the replies, most helpful

I took the car out and was very impressed - it felt like everything the MK4 GTI should have been.. tighter, pokier and just generally solid. In gear accelleration from 30-70 was astonishing and completely unfussed, which would be great for getting past octagenarian rover drivers on the country roads heading to work.

The only thing that was a bit odd was that first gear seemed a bit obstructive but as the garage owner had his knee just about where I wanted to shift to I couldn't give it the welly I normally would. Is that something anyone is familiar with?

Things got a bit odd though - I got my mechanic to have a quick look and he instantly said 'don't buy it - it's overpriced, and you'll never sell it'. He recommended the diesel or the R, but I can't afford the latter and I've never been keen on PD diesels.

I understand that shifting a bright yellow Cupra might be tougher than the equivalent Golf, but it seemed to be a decent price at just under 5k for a spotless Y plate with 60k on the clock and everything sorted that needed it by the dealer - I may have been able to bargain for the 60k service for that price too.

Thing is, I can't afford to make a bad buy as I'm wringing the piggybank out as it is. What do the experienced folk here think?

 

[skahigh]

hmmm, the trouble with your mechanics opinion is that its not based on mechanics which, presumably, is why you got him to look at it. if he had said "sounds like the turbo is about to die" then his reaction of "dont buy it" may have been justified but his reasoning is a little suspect. i would take your time and look what else is about, theres no shortage of performace bargains to be had

 

[daniel_owen_uk]

Know it's tricky but get a drive in more than one, first one I drove drove like a bag of spanners, was horrid and almost put me off.

Second one I drove was absolutely glorious, and I bought it

 

[Kuang]

That's the thing - this one drove like it was new, absolutely tight as a drum and without the slightest bump, rattle or hesitation. I reckon it's probably as sorted as any Cupra that age of going to be, and has a FSSH and a fresh MOT to back it up.

You're right though - my mechanic is a total petrolhead and always loves the hottest versions of everything. I get the feeling if he'd have looked at it that he'd have found nothing wanting, but that he'd seen a lot of problems shifting them from his other customers. The showroom is also just around the corner and I reckon this Cupra has been there for quite some time, which implies it isn't selling even at that price and with dealer backup.

Good advice though - it might be worth trying the diesel, although I really don't like the PD Golfs.. just that horrible low grade buzz through the controls. They may pull like trains, but they give me a headache

Cheers

 

[Kuang]

Various ups and downs have happened leading the purchase to be put back by a bit, but I think I'm out of the woods now and seriously looking again. I realised that the advice I was given was based on personal opinion and missed the yellow one which I'm still annoyed about, but I suppose that's what happens when you let someone else's judgement get the better of your own. It's a good lesson, if an irritating one, and one I don't intend to make again.

Still, now I've test driven a Cupra I've been well and truly bitten by the bug and am determined to find the right one. There's one just about to come up locally which could be a gem if I can get the price down by a bit so fingers crossed