Hi All, 

We were going to replace the wives vRS this year with a newer 1.2TSi Fabia or 1.4TSi Leon as she only does 6000 miles a year (and mostly around town). She would like a slightly larger car to fit the kids buggy in and to give my daughter a bit more space behind me when I'm driving (she ends up being very close to the back of the chair). 

 

However, when we have worked out wife returning to work and child care costs it looks like we won't have as much cash as we perhaps thought we had. 

 

So my plan is to perhaps change to a similar aged car to her current vRS (03-05) but a simpler petrol model. She doesn't drive the vRS like it should be driven and generally bumbles around. So I thought a Seat Leon 1.6 or 1.8 20v Nat Asp lump would do. 

 

I had a Toledo TDi 110 and really loved it, it was well screwed together, comfortable and well equipped. I'm thinking a Leon with a petrol engine could be a good compromise for us. £2000 should get a 1.6 SX with 70,000 miles or so on the clock. But I have a few questions. 

 

• How reliable is the 1.6 and 1.8?
• I think the 1.6 is a cambelt but what is the 1.8?
• Any common problems with either of the engines?
• Can cruise be retro fitted to the 1.8 20v? I haven't found a coherent answer.

I could go as far as to self service this one!

 

Any thoughts or suggestions would be most welcome.

We have had a 1.6 SX from new and it has been a great car. Tax and fuel economy aren't great compared to more modern petrol cars but its not a massive difference. Performance is fine for driving round town and is OK for longer trips.

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Hi All,

We were going to replace the wives vRS this year with a newer 1.2TSi Fabia or 1.4TSi Leon as she only does 6000 miles a year (and mostly around town). She would like a slightly larger car to fit the kids buggy in and to give my daughter a bit more space behind me when I'm driving (she ends up being very close to the back of the chair).

However, when we have worked out wife returning to work and child care costs it looks like we won't have as much cash as we perhaps thought we had.

So my plan is to perhaps change to a similar aged car to her current vRS (03-05) but a simpler petrol model. She doesn't drive the vRS like it should be driven and generally bumbles around. So I thought a Seat Leon 1.6 or 1.8 20v Nat Asp lump would do.

I had a Toledo TDi 110 and really loved it, it was well screwed together, comfortable and well equipped. I'm thinking a Leon with a petrol engine could be a good compromise for us. £2000 should get a 1.6 SX with 70,000 miles or so on the clock. But I have a few questions.

• How reliable is the 1.6 and 1.8?
• I think the 1.6 is a cambelt but what is the 1.8?
• Any common problems with either of the engines?
• Can cruise be retro fitted to the 1.8 20v? I haven't found a coherent answer.

I could go as far as to self service this one!

Any thoughts or suggestions would be most welcome.

The 1.8 20v is a belt too. It's the exact same engine in your vRS just without the turbo. I had this engine in my first 98 Octavia and it ran perfectly.

The 1.8 20v is a belt too. It's the exact same engine in your vRS just without the turbo. I had this engine in my first 98 Octavia and it ran perfectly.

 

Wives vRS is a Fabia mk1 vRS so 1.9 PD130 engine. 

 

Do they like to eat coil packs as much as the 1.8T?

We have had a 1.6 SX from new and it has been a great car. Tax and fuel economy aren't great compared to more modern petrol cars but its not a massive difference. Performance is fine for driving round town and is OK for longer trips.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

How do you find the fuel economy? How long did you keep the car for? Are they 205/55/16 on the SX?

Our 2003 1.6 is still on the original coil packs.

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How do you find the fuel economy? How long did you keep the car for? Are they 205/55/16 on the SX?

The SX came with 195/65/15 tyres with 5 spoke alloys.

Fuel consumption is OK. Swmbo fills it up on a completely random basis so can't really work out an accurate mpg but I think it does between 30 and 40 mpg mainly around town. I can get over 40 out of it.

We have had the car from new in 2003.

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Wives vRS is a Fabia mk1 vRS so 1.9 PD130 engine. 

 

Do they like to eat coil packs as much as the 1.8T?

Ah, fair enough.

Not that I know of, I had mine for just over two years and it never missed a beat. Returned approx 36-38mpg around town and 45-50mpg on a run.