1997 Seat Toledo Sport 2.0
Summary:
Unless very cheap, never, ever buy!
Faults:
Gear box died at 19000 miles.
Clutch replaced along with the gearbox.
Oil leaks from the gearbox.
Faulty electrics in the cabin.
Heater controls broken at 33000 miles.
Suspension makes a cracking sound when braking, but the dealer says this is not a problem.
Interior aging badly despite love & care.
Power steering belt needs replacing at 33000 miles.
General Comments:
Very quick and at first was a grown up alternative to a GTI.
Fooled by Seat's VW connections. They are not and will not ever be VW's.
More rattles & bangs than may be tolerated.
Depreciation is sky high.
Very expensive to insure for a mediocre car.
Huge boot is one saving grace for holidays.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 8th June, 2001
15th Jul 2002, 07:05
I agree with you,
I also was fooled by the VW connection and ended up with a disappointment.
Nice looks and sporty marketing will fool you the first time, but you will never buy one again.
It looks like Seat is using bad quality leftovers from VW en Audi to build its cars.
25th Jun 2003, 05:11
I don't think there is room on this forum for the number of failures I've had since owning a two year old SEAT Leon. I certainly will not buy another SEAT.
14th Jan 2004, 02:22
I'm gonna disagree with everyone on here. I bought a SEAT Toledo Sport P reg (1997) last year for £2500. It's got 62k on the clock and has given me absolutely no problems whatsoever.
It has sailed through it's MOT. The interior is as good (and quiet) as it was when new. The engine has been treated with the best of care and I can generally beat most VW GTI's away from the lights.
It can be a little gutless mid range, but then you can get a chip upgrade for around £250 that'll take care of that.
A very good car that can be bought very cheaply.
17th Aug 2005, 10:10
I'd just like to add that we have had a Seat Ibiza, a Golf mk3 and Golf mk4 and pound for pound I would take the Seat any day. I think the people that were dissapointed with the "VW connection" would be just as dissapointed with a modern VW. As for service? Well, in my experience, the only way Seat could be any worse than VW is if they greeted you with a punch in the face... even then it's debatable. Simple answer is go Japanese!
16th Jun 2002, 16:44
I really can't agree with you. My 2001 Arosa is a far better car than the equivalent VW Lupo. Great build quality and really intriguing styling cues.