I have put my 16v Golf GTI up for sale with the view to changing my car in th next few months.

My choice of replacement is either 1 year old Ibiza Cupra 20VT or around a 3+ year old Scoob Turbo or WRX...

What is your recemmendations & why?

Ibiza seems ot be winning for me due to low cost running, and with a chip it's a potentially fast car.

However, always wanted a Scoob since I the McRae edition 1st came out!! Insurance on a std UK car is bearable, but not sure about the general running costs such as servicing & petrol...

I was hoping for a relatively new car, but can't afford a Scob like that. Are they really as expensive to run as people make out??

Cheers

 

regarding running costs of a standard UK scoob, if you stick to Subaru services you should budget on 2 services per year. One is small service (approx £120), one is a biggie (approx £400). This is assuming you do average mileage as the schedule is every 6 months or 7500 miles. You could save quite a bit by going to a specialist instead of main dealer.
Average mileage is approx 230-250 per £40 for normal driving.
Subaru parts are expensive. For example front discs and pads would set you back approx £400 supplied and fitted and discs tend to last about 25k miles (in my case). But there are plenty of cheaper (and probably better) alternatives available.
If you get a decent car in the first place and then look after it, it needn't cost a fortune to run (ignoring insurance!), but will certainly be more than your current Golf.
So, if a scoob is what you have always wanted - you better buy one! I personally don't know anyone who has always wanted an Ibiza.

Steve

 

Rather have a Lada than a Ibiza

 

i've ran my my00 for a year now and spent around £500 on servicing from the local dealer, plus the usual new pads etc. To be honest is not as expensive as I thought. The fuel is the main thing, but even that you can get used to.

Go for the Scoob - the grin factor outweighs almost anything!!!

 

scoob no contest!!

 

S S S C C C O O O O O O O O O O B B Y!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Lada gets my vote.
Dare to be different

 

If you are looking at 3+ years for the scoob, that takes it outside standard warranty period. You are then not tied to official dealer services or tuning mods, allowing you to get more for less - at your own risk

 

Buy Scooby
U could be dead next week, don't want to be stood at the pearly gates with regretes.......

 

What sort of Scoob will I get for arounf £9000?? Has to be a UK Scoob for insurance as Jap imports are that bit more to insure.

Cheers for the replies

 

you should just about be able to get an MY99 for that money. There were quite a few changes made for that model, most of which I cant remember! However, a lot of MY98s seem to suffer from piston slap so best avoided unless it has been fixed (most of them probably have been). Not sure when the 4 pot brakes came in (98 or 99 I think) but definitely worth having. 99 has a bit more power - 215PS instead of 208.

Steve

 

TEST DRIVE!!!

after that your desision IS made

Big factor is that you get on first name terms with you local petrol station owner

go for it, you know you wanna

 

Volvo 440...

Much under-rated future classic. P-Reg well within your budget.

Mak.

 

Volvo

 

There is some logic in Makalu's post...

The 440 was available with a 1.7turbo, easily tuned and would make a great (cheap) Qcar.

Sorry, off on a tangent there.

Ian

 

Mike, i use to own a Cupra 20 VT, chipping isnt as simple as it seems. You can chip the car too 210 bhp easy for about £500 but the car's standard brakes and suspension is dangerous as standard, without slappping another 50 odd brake on top.

You need to uprgrade the brakes to say Brembo off the Cupra R, for that you need new wheels as the offset doesnt clear on the standard wheels with the Brembo calipers. The Brembo are £450 through Bill Brockbank (famous name in VAG circles) and then you really need to look at the suspension. Bilsteins are approximately £600.

So with the cost of new wheels, brake and suspension plus the chip, you'd do 2k easy in mods. Some Seat dealers offer chipping BUT the program they use is a very crude mannor of getting the boost up and it will goes through clutches very quickly.

I looked at the cost of modding my ibiza and in the end I thought why spend thousand to make the ibiza a fast car. Just buy a fast car in the 1st place.

Also there's just been a massive factory recall on the Coil packs on all VAG engines.

For more info check out www.seatcupra.net

 

Just curious, how can a crude way of turning the boost up make a car go through clutches?

 

Say three times fast "Buy brill Brembos from Bill Brockbank!"

I bet his salesmen don't risk a pint at lunchtime!

 

The programs causes mental boost spikes.

 

Never had any boost spikes on my 20VT, despite a "chip" upgrade to around 195 BHP.

Have to agree on the suspension though. TERRIBLE. Drive one and you will soon realise the Subaru is far, far superior.

Can't comment on the need for a brake upgrade, never dared go fast enough to need one.

However, if you want something cheap to run, reasonably quick, and are not too bothered about going round corners, then the Ibiza may well suit.

 

Save wasting cash and get an MR2, a turbo if you can stand the insurance of a scoob..

 

What about a Leon 180bhp ?