Ibiza Owning

[Wom]

Hey guys, random thread topic!
I'm soon looking to buy a different car and really fancy a Mk3 Cupra. I was wondering how people find them to live with (economy, insurance, tax etc.), any common issues to be aware of and if they in fact show up for sale! I have seen maybe two come up in the last month, I assume they sell quickly due to a smaller production run but I love the shape, find it a lot more sporty looking than the MK4.
Thanks in advance guys.

 

[Tony 156]

Good car on the whole, had 2, first was rubbish but this one is 5 years of ownership virtually trouble free. All coil packs changed (carry a spare) and random fuel pump fuse failure. Rust issues on rear arches will be very likely too, shouldn't be a huge fix though.

Comfy for long runs, Reading to Newquay non stop no problem, boot is reasonable and roof bars for bikes solve any issues.

Tax is 250 a year, insurance is 187 a year (I'm older than the average owner however I would imagine) and I can average 37mpg going up to 55mpg on a really calm motorway run (going down to less than 10mpg giving it beans).

I would recommend one for sure but make sure you get a good one, loads of very abused ones out there now and they are oldish so chassis and suspension work may not to too far away if standard. All bushes and suspension parts changed on mine so is still pretty good.

End of the day it's a 14 year old shopping trolley with a big engine so as long as your not after a sharp handling hot hatch that is anything like any modern car you will be happy.

 

[vaughant]

Not long bought one myself and their very easy to live with and IMO a cracking performance buy right now. The 20vT is a great motor but as echoed above a lot of crappy ones out there, I bought one with fsh but tons of bodged mods on it, exhaust hanging off, wheel bearings gone, boost leaks everywhere, interior shot etc but so far aside from spending a few £££ on it but a LOT of my time she's been fantastic.
Best mods I've done are too throw away the dismal seats in it and replace with mk3 golf vr6 leather ones, transformed the comfort levels. Put the cat back on it today as the de-cat did nothing for me and the exhaust was way too loud.
I think their a good package out of the box and IMO don't need a lot done too them, in fact I almost wish I could 100% put this one back to standard bar a remap but its a bit too modded for that and probably not clean enough to warrant it.
Mine stands me about £1500 so far but there's some out there for £800 and up to £3/3.5k for a nicely modded clean as one.

 

[Tucker157]

Owned it for over 4 years, used as a daily the whole time, and except the odd issue she's been awesome!

150k and still sweet, needs a small head rebuild in the near future, then another 150k is on the cards!

Now have another... One I'm building to be crazy...

I average 120 miles max 100 min to 30 quid vpower, and I'm 25 with about 300 a yr insurance, all mods declared.. Every other running cost is decent. I do lots of short sub 15 mile journeys so change the oil every 3-4k miles, and thats about 40 quid DIY.

Very capable, quick, semi economical car... Can get over 300 to a 50 quid tank on a good long run. Yet can punch its way to a ton before it really needs to on the road with a few choice 'inexpensive' mods

Anything else you'd like to know?

Sent from my iPad Mini using Tapatalk HD

 

[vaughant]

Yeah forgot mines on 127k and still feels really tight and well put together.
Great thing is as well that looking on the likes of eBay/gumtree etc complete engines/gearboxes can be had for a few hundred quid which is always going to be your biggest expense should the worst happen. Simple to work on too, I changed both read wheel bearings/hubs on mine, hardest part was taking the wheel off!!! Took about 20 mins a side.
My only real moan is the crappy LCD display on the stereo and the fact the steering wheel feels a bit wobbly despite tightening up bolts everywhere( that were loose).
I've been so impressed I'm considering getting a brand new Leon for the mrs, tdi 184fr, looks awesome and some great deals through seat finance.