Im thinking of joining the dark side

Forum to discuss the Seat Ibiza
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pologti76
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Im thinking of joining the dark side

Post by pologti76 »

im thinking of selling my polo gti and getting an ibiza cupra or if i can find one a cupra r i was wondering if there is anything i should look out for or avoid.
Thanks in advance James
shantybeater
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Post by shantybeater »

haha no prob...

Weeeellll... a few things:

- check for rust below rear window on the boot (builds up in the seal)
- make sure there is no smoke from the exhaust, give it a good rev.. blue indicating worn valve stem seals or possibly turbo on its way out, black meaning overfuelling as you prob know - dont worry so much if you get that
- No engine lights or TCS light constantly on
- Brembos are a very expensive upgrade for standard cupras so big bonus if you get one with (standard with cupra R)
- Check the usual oil levels & colors (the engines are prone to sludge more than others if not properly serviced)
- Good service history (reason above & the usual benefit), if modded really should have more frequent oil changes.
- Most are modded with a map, nice cooler & a few other bits and bobs...will save you alot of money in the long run if you can afford the insurance
- Mileage isnt a massive issue, there are cupras on 150k+ still going.
- aim to get one before 2002 for tax reasons

The bible with these cars is VAGCOM, the engine is fairly advanced so any sort of issues at all will be brought up, just check the faults...although if any are showing they may not be as dramatic as whats shown (e.g. when i first bought my cupra i got alex to plug in VAGCOM, it came up with 13 faults, alex then went on saying i'd made a big mistake listing how my turbo & engine was completely fooked - turned out to be a sensor cable had degraded shorting on the engine making the ecu freak outp.s. dont believe a word alex perkins says especially when its not a polo...ask a trained mechanic :lol: )

Engines & gearbox are pretty much bullet proof so you dont have to worry too much about that!

Common issues are all fairly simple & cheap
- Coilpacks blow causing lumpy idle & power loss £30 from dealer
- MAF sensors go (mainly on modded cupras because of increased air flow), another cheap fix £60ish for a new one
- Window regulators (same as gti)
- Interior door handles are the same as the gti, so expect them all to look scruffy
- ECU is susceptable to water damage as standard, difficult to diagnose (get this sorted when youve got it)
- plastic waterpump fails (upgrade to metal pump on 60k service) - make sure thats done if 60k+
- few others but not important when buying...

Cupra R is cool to have I reckon as there are only 75 in the uk, but you will be paying extra, and the only differences are:

- badges
- handbrake has red stitching
- steering wheel has red stitching
- cool gear nob
- map to 180bhp rather than 150
- brembos
- half leathers have seat sport badges
- OZ 16" multispokes
(think thats it)

Good luck on your search, try SCN for sale section first as they will be most likely cared for...

If you need any more help dont hesitate to ask, or pm me
pologti76
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Post by pologti76 »

Cheers Shanty i have found a black cupra in a garage near me im going to look at it tomorrow,
thanks for the tip about SCN its awsome also thanks about all your info you gave me it looks like it will come in handy the car has done 75k and they will do a proper service and will change the cambelt so ill ask them to change the water pump at the same time if i get it.
its up for £3995
shantybeater
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Post by shantybeater »

good time to buy defo, sounds good & black ones look well cool!
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stani540
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Post by stani540 »

id have a scout around if i were you as shantybeater says its a great time to buy as there cheap right now, but i recon you could get one with half the miles for not much more than that!!!!

theres been a few on pistonhead with decent miles recently sub 50k

id check it out if i were you

definitley a good investment though you wont regret it!!
pologti76
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Post by pologti76 »

yea im gonna look about to find a good 1 im just going to have a look tomorrow and go for a test drive to see if i like the ibiza i think i will tho lol
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stani540
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Post by stani540 »

i've never driven a standard cupra but i dont think you will be dissapointed

get one with a remap if you can as its 500 quid you dont have to spend

having said that its probably the best 500 quid u'd ever spend on the car!!

and you dont need to tell insurance as neither there or vw/seat diagnostics can tell its mapped!!
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stani540
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Post by stani540 »

pologti76
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Post by pologti76 »

it looks good but i want a black 1
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stani540
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Post by stani540 »

imperial blue all the way!!

if you find a black one jump on it i havn seen many in the huge amount of time i looked
pologti76
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Post by pologti76 »

yea thats why im not telling anyone any more info about it otherwise they will get it before me
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