Leon FR 170 at higher mileage??

[PEZ125]

First post on the forum! Just looking for a bit of advise if possible...

I'm looking at purchasing a 08 Leon FR 170 BTCC. The car has full history, 2 owners, and is mint inside and out, my only worry is the mileage at 110,000!

I've never bought a car with such high mileage before, but i've been looking for one for months and this fits the bill perfectly other than that.

I just wondered what forum members experiances are at higher mileages? Is there anything I should look out for when viewing? When is the cambelt due etc?

Any help that you can give would be appreciated!

 

[lewischadwick7]

mines got 134k on and its fine! i've removed the DPF and blanked the egr to prevent them troubles arising though

 

[King of comedy]

I would be more wary of a diesel at higher mileages than a petrol.
I had a PD170 Octavia VRS with the same engine as the Leon.
It got to 110 to 120k miles no problems and then all the stuff that has to be added to a diesel started failing - the dpf required replacement so it was removed and an appropriate Shark remap installed, the dmf and clutch went west and was replaced, the induction manifold cracked and failed, etc.
At this mileage I would get a petrol rather than diesel which would be cheaper to run overall and a far nicer driving experience as well

 

[PEZ125]

Thanks for the replies!

I'd heard about the DPF issues so was planning to remove/remap, out of interest how much did it set you back?

That's a bit worrying! I always thought it was the other way round and diesels tended to do higher mileage? I've always been put off getting a petrol due to extra fuel costs and insurance.

 

[CRNeo]

I think the whole derv vs. petrol thing is not that relevant.. a lot depends on the car and how it's been driven and looked after, servicing etc.

Then a lot of it is down to pure luck to be honest!

I know lots of people with PD engines with 100k+ on modded and standard with no issues at all, but then various other people including myself with lots of petrol or derv motors with varying mileage on with varying levels of problems!

I wouldn't be too bothered about the high mileage myself much if everything else was looking good, I'd be looking at the number of owners and the service history and also considering the price of the car and what I was going to be using it for and the mileage I was going to do.

I used to have a lot of higher mileage but cheaper cars, some of which had issues but then I also didn't rely on the car heavily for my commute etc.

Now reliability and cost of running are more of an issue for me I bought a newer, lower mileage car under warranty which works out better for my current situation.

I'd bank on a cambelt no later than 60k or every 4years or so personally, I'd hope it's got at least one change documented.

For me the move from petrol to diesel made a huge difference to fuel costs, newer petrols are a lot better but then I still think they've only very recently started to catch up and get efficient enough to close the gap. I guess if you are unlucky to get those big ticket derv faults then it could be costly but equally you hear of people on forums like this talking of their horror petrol stories too.

 

[midgetgem]

For me millage isn't an issue as long as it has the history to back it up. In the last month I've just bought a 57 reg fr tdi and it's just turned 90k, not huge miles but more than a few others I looked at. My advise is to go and look at the car, look at the history and old mot's if advisories are being carried over year after year then it might not of been looked after that well. If it looks as though it's wanted for nothing then I would take the chance but any Boult in your mind then you'll just be looking for problems instead of enjoying your new car

 

[CRNeo]

For me millage isn't an issue as long as it has the history to back it up. In the last month I've just bought a 57 reg fr tdi and it's just turned 90k, not huge miles but more than a few others I looked at. My advise is to go and look at the car, look at the history and old mot's if advisories are being carried over year after year then it might not of been looked after that well. If it looks as though it's wanted for nothing then I would take the chance but any Boult in your mind then you'll just be looking for problems instead of enjoying your new car

^^^^ what he said also

 

[Daniel M]

Mine has 106k and my brothers had 135k before it got stolen and you couldnt tell any difference in either of them. As long as it's been looked after and had things replaced when they should have it will be fine.

I had a PD130 A3 before the Leon and that is still going strong on 220k.

I wouldnt let mileage put you off.

Definitely go and see it though.

 

[PEZ125]

Thanks for the feedback.

I feel more reassured now. I know its impossible to say really and a lot is down to luck, but its good to know that there are some running at high mileage without problems.

I was oringinally looking at one around the 80k mark, but this one is perfect in white with btcc kit, which i'd almost given up trying to find as they seem to be becoming harder and harder to get hold of.

I know the current owner and his wife currently uses it for the commute to work, which is all motorway, hence the high mileage. The car is completely unmodified, and is pretty much immaculate inside and out (except the usual jack covers missing!). Ive just had a look through previous MOT advisories and the only thing thats mentioned every MOT are the tyres. I take it they go through tyres at quite a quick rate??

I think i'm going to go for it, but will get a mechanic to check over with me for some peace of mind!

 

[Daniel M]

I wouldnt say they go through tyres quickly really.

All depends how it's driven and if the trackings out I guess.