do us a favour ...... ........that torque would be good - when i had my sti prox 260bhp , the only times i ever used that power ,were 0-60 - a little childish and for 70-90 squirts- all to easy ta lose license ........just a waste o petrol .....IMHO. 220BHP quite enuff

 

I've test driven one of the remapped leons(270bhp) It certianly gives you a kick up the **** when you plant your foot. Big smiles all round.

 

I've tried the PD140 and the 180 1.8T engines in the Golf and Octavia. Much preferred the 1.8T, far wider power band.

You'd choose a 1.8T VAG FWD car as an affordable pseudo performance car, and an STi or an Evo as a performance car that is expensive to run. The WRX is an awkward thing in between that whilst good when modified is a bit dull and in many ways I don't think worth the extra running costs over something like a 182, CTR, LCR, Octavia vRS etc.

 

I've made up my mind..........CUPRA for me......Sorry scooby fans its a cash thing. Would have loved a wrx though, maybe next time

 

scooby373

I am thinking of getting a STI PPP at the moment.

I have a Black LCR APR'd to 265. I have had it from new so I will give you a heads up on cost of ownership.

Paid £17K 1/9/02

10K service - £135
12k miles New front tyres (PZero's) - £250
20K service + brembo pads - £305
23K miles New front tyres (F1's) - £250
30K service - £76
40K Service + Brake fluid change - £300
44K Miles Brembo Discs & Pads - £400
46K miles 4x tyres F1's - £500
50K Mile Service Today £95

Total of £2311 for 50K miles of motoring!
I have had a few thing replaced unded warrenty but it has never let me down!
Goes very well indeed...

How does that rack up against running costs of WRX's and STI's???

 

I hvae just sold my standard lcr for a wrx my04. All i can say it is the best thing i have done. The lcr isn't that good on petrol and on a steady 70-80 mph run the wrx is better, no joke. I had the lcr for 5 months and the car just didn't grow on me. I beleive the 1.8 turbo 20v engine has been described as the most souless engine ever made, and i must agree, i just found the car and the 'thrill of driving' boring. In the wrx i can drive at 30 mph and it makes me smile from ear to ear. So there you go.

 

I pretty much avarage 28 MPG.

If I am on a long run I will get 31mpg

Low 20's when giving it some!

UKdub

Do you think I should have a look at the WRX first then?

I have just been looking at the imports. £16.5K on the road, add alarm,tracker and PPP. £19K is in my budget ...

 

MPG on an MY00 Wagon over the last 12 months = 22.25. Best tank = 35.38. Worst tank = 9.28

Service every 7,500 miles. Standard service is circa £140 from a main dealer
Big service at 60K was £721 shortly followed by 4 new boots @ £495.96 for pZero.

In just over 12 months I have done 21,500 miles and it has cost £6703.77 for everything, petrol, insurance, servicing, tax and MOT to run it.

 

darren 01
if both cars are standard then the wrx is in a different league to the cupra r. They will feel the same speed though but i just find the wrx more thrilling to drive. If you get the ppp!!!!! well what can i say. I think my comment above increases 10 fold even if you get the lcr revo'd or apr tuned

 

I will get a test drive booked up then!

PPP or an SL??? Decisions Decisions.

1st, 2nd & 3rd are hard work at this time of year!

ESP cuts in when flat out accelerating in 4th at 90-100mph when crossing the damp patches/white lines! Great if you want to be a complete hooligan... Not so good if you don't

 

SL is just a wrx with sunroof and leather seats, better off with a wrx and spend the extra on the ppp IMHO

 

I will have to agree with Darren you can't beat the LCR 225 for value for money it is kitted out well as i had the first 210 bhp then the 225bhp ------- BUT even when you spend the money for a remap all that power IS directed to the front wheels only don't forget, and from experience the front wheels just can't handle it, and not forgetting they are P Zero's @ around £120 quid a tyre mine lasted only 8000 miles at normal driving. And now owning a new WRX 04 I think its the best thing and drive i have spent my money on ....

 

Hi there everybody just like to say i work for ford and there have taken over seat which ment that they had brought a few seat's in and 1 was the 04 cupra r in red with 18inch whees and the brembo brakes so i jumped in it as you do and took it for a thrash around the compound and Yes nice and quick but have 220bhp through the front wheels is no good it just would not grip to the road and the traction control,Well you may aswell bin it as its no good.If i had 1 of these i would go through tyres like nothing else.So yes quick car but no grip and not as fun to drive as my scooby

 

Oh and i got offered the cupra r 04 with 9500 miles on for £10500

bargain i thought

 

Well I can certainly vouch for lots of wheel spin and you obviously cant just plant the loud pedal in 1st, 2nd requires a bit of thinking and if greasy you can spin in 3rd with a rempa. However, if you drive with this in mind and occasionaly switch of the TC you can ge the power down pretty well. Now obviously it cant compare to 4 wheel drive and off the line isnt really the LCRs thing, although a remaped one will do 60 in around 6sec in the dry.
Once moving however it doesnt suffer from the weight or transmission losses of 4 wheel drive cars so 30-100 for example is pretty rapid.
I have had a play with new shape sti and it was pretty equal through the gears and yes we already going about 30, nothing in it really.
Twisties again the scoob is gonna be quicker.
Basically for the money I would say the LCR is very good value and not too many of them around.

 

absolutly no comparison the money ud pay for a seat leon cupra r you could get a mint p1 or sti type r. looks a lot better goes a lot quicker and sounds amazing and you wont look like a sales man of somesort :-)

 

I looked at both, had a Leon Cupra, test drove the type r, and now own an STI.

The leon r is a nice car with good performance (not same level as STI though). You do get good performance for the money BUT...the main thing that lets them down is the inside quality. The plastics and seat material are bloody awful and you get plenty of squeaks / rattles - which really do annoy you quickly.

STI inside quality is far better, and hardly any rattles, plus the better performance, but yes it costs more to buy and will use more fuel, although for service costs I think you will find the Subaru cheaper.

 

I can second that about the interior - drove the Cupra and Cupra R a few times in 2003 and the interior put me off, very dark and old fashioned. To drive I actually preferred the std Cupra, the steering on the R is rubbery and heavy, the ride was also very firm. I also drove the Octavia RS - (liked it but a bit too soft in power delivery and an old fashioned interior) and Golf 4motion, each one had different plus points but in the end I went for a new WRX03 as it really stood out in comparison to the others, it was definately the right decision, a superb machine.

 

Bluudy hell!!! has he not bought a car yet???
dave

 

Well I have booked a test drive on saturday. So I shall see for myself how the WRX fairs up against the LCR...

I really want to like it as the isn't anything else around that I like!

 

Insurance coys aren't stupid, they will be well aware of the remap potential, and in the event of a claim won't hesitate to check the flash rom.

 

SEAT's were my choice when a scoob was just too expensive to consider running - new house lots of miles to work etc. Betwen us we had a 1.8 20VT 180 bhp Leon then a 210bhp Leon Cupra R, eventully chipped to 270 bhp (Revo). Have to agree with all that's been said on here so far. The Cupra R is a fine car for the cash its comfortable and can push on at a fair pace it even makes a reasonable noise when remapped - lots of whooshing from the turbo. Ride wise the Cupra was better than the R, the steering is really heavy on the R and tyre wear has already been mentioned. Black paint is really poor quality, metalics much better. The front seats are not very supportive - that was main complaint. Both can easily average 28mpg even with the remap if you do a mix of town/a road/m'way driving. Watch the front splitter on the R its lower than you think and if you live near speed bumps and use multistorey car parks it will catch every time - the noise is worse than the damage though tbh. In my opinion, living out here in mid Wales the Cupra R is nowhere near as fast as a scoob on the poor roads and damp weather we have most of the time, I am sure it would be close in straight line but there aren't too many of them around here!! Ijust like the extra confidence the Scoob gives - allbeit for a price - probably £200 more insurance (unless your remap the Cupra R then that will be more expensive), a few more ££ in fuel and servicing. Personally I wouldn't buy another Cupra R - if I needed to save cash and needed that size of car again I would go for the Cupra 150PD (diesel) - better ride, more mpg, cheap insurance and once rolling not far off the pace of an R - still poor seats and of course the diesel clatter.

If you can live with something slightly smaller try the Ibiza Cupra 160PDi (our 'sensible' car now) - again its a diesel, there is also a 180bhp petrol version. Its quick (0-60 about 7secs) , has all the toys and the handling is good - ride quality is harsh though. Mid range overtaking punch is superb 50-90ish it can't be far off WRX pace (I don't know for sure and I am not trying to start a 'mines faster' war - it just feels that way on the road). One warning though - It sounds like a Transit with 100K on the clock and the gear change is sloppy - all Ibiza's are. Cheap insurance and looks the part - you pays your money and makes your choice!!

Have fun I am sure you will be happy with whatever you choose!

Mark

 

burtsbugeye, are you sure Seat are owned by ford, it still says VAG on their corporate site.

A LCR is a good car for the money a friend has one. I have driven his car and he has mine. We both agree the WRX is better but if it is worth the cost difference is an individual decision. Both cars are now modified and the mods to the leon are cheaper and have a bigger impact £900 for a jabba & zorst on the leon brought him upto nearly 2k of mods on the wrx. The leon eats tyres now and is a handful from the off but is very quick once moving. Not much between us to be honest (but i get more mpg which is suprising).

He has had a few problems interiroe and exterior !! trim falling off, rattles CD player broke, all minor but all irratating.

 

Ive got an LCR jabba remapped to 275bhp/290lbft.

Traction is difficult in the 1st 2 gears. You'll spin all the way to 60mph if your not careful with the right foot. However after 60mph it would have ripped my old classic a new arsehole.

I had 260bhp/240lbft in my old classic, but at the wheels figures were in the region of 180bhp. So high transmission losses.
I now have 275bhp/290lbft in my LCR, but at the wheels figures are in the region of 240bhp. So low transmission losses.

The scooby is always going to be better below 60mph but after this the 4wd losses are against it.

 

Was it an insurance job? cat write off?

Ive not seen a 2004 LCR 225 for under £14500. Even the 53 plate 225's are around £14000 The 03 plate 210's are still selling for £12500-14000. The cheapest ive ever heard 1 selling had 60000 miles and that still went for £11000.

God knows where youve seen an LCR 225, less than a year old for £10500. Remembering when registered it was £18500. No car loses that much, especially a car that only has 9000miles.

I think you've probably got your figures mixed up or your confused with your cars. You sure it was an LCR and not a cupra??

Its about as ludicrous as me saying i'd seen a 9000 mile 04 plate Sti for sale for £14000

 

Well I test drove a 05WRX today. It was standard but it had a Sports exhaust.

First impression when jumping in was what the F&^k have they done to the seats? I have been in a bug eye previously and it was the seats that really impressed me. So big thumbs down there I am afraid.

Pretty well made inside but a bit old fashioned. very few gadgets. Demo car had a couple of nasty squeaks and rattles from the back!

Starting it up put a smile on my face though. Made a lovely noise.
Nice light steering but plenty of weight when moving...
Also nice to hear the turbo when putting the foot down (LCR is a bit quite).

grip from standing start was just fantastic.
Just never felt like the power really came in strong. Don't get me wrong it pulled well but I was expecting a wee bit more. PPP would be a must. My LCR is chipped admittedly so a bit unfair to compare the standard WRX because there was no comparison. The LCR would hammer the WRX once moving.

didn't really get chance to throw it around but it felt very nice out on the road. Oh and even at 30mph it sounded great. Did I mention it had a lovely sound to it!!!

loved the following:-

Sound
grip from a standing start
the ride
sound again
nice pillar-less doors
big boot

wasn't to keen on
Seats
looks like it's on stilts
some of the trim and stalks
Seats again

Overall I thought it was a nice car. Just not good enough for me to part with £20K. ( it would be a step sideways not a step up I'm afraid)

Before I went for the test drive I had pretty much made my mind up that I was going to buy a WRX from someone likeLitchfields £16,500 and add PPP. Now if I am to become a owner of an impreza its going to have to be a STI (decent seats) with PPP (second hand). I will let you know when I have had a chance to test drive one. Just hope it is as good as I hope it to be.