2003 Seat Ibiza 1.2 petrol

Faults:

New gear box at 20,000. Still have a smell of burning when in crawling traffic in 2nd gear or going uphill.

Drivers window failed at 36,000.

Timing chain has just snapped (whilst 280 miles from home), needing new engine. Waiting from Seat HQ to comment and recommend contributing to cost, as I and am unable to afford repair, and only 6 months out of warranty.

How come, reading all the previous comments, this car won Car of the Year the year I bought it?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 28th February, 2007

2003 Seat Ibiza TDI Sport 1.9 turbo diesel

Summary:

Diesel hot-hatch

Faults:

Front off-side wheel bearing - fixed promptly under warranty.

General Comments:

Bought the car after being messed around by a dealer on a Fiat Stilo Sport - how glad am I!!

Never been a huge fan of diesels in the past, but the torque oozing 130Bhp unit pushing a car this size is nothing short of breath taking, in fact, I find it very hard to stick to the speed limit.

The wheel bearing did problem make the car quite noisy and a little hard to turn, but now its fixed the handling is superb.

30-40 Mpg with hot-hatch power. Wait until the rev's hit around 1500rpm and hear the turbo kick in, then just let it pin you to your seat!

Not quite the usual VW/Audi quality interior however it does share the same layout - but for the price, it provides plenty of bang-for-the-buck thrills!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th August, 2005

2003 Seat Ibiza SE 1.4

Summary:

Decent, economical runabout with a few minor niggles

Faults:

Not had it long enough for anything to have had anything go wrong.

General Comments:

This is a first impression of the Seat Ibiza.

Good points:

The car holds the road well and feels stable.

The gearbox is smooth and the clutch is light.

Fuel economy is good.

Bad Points:

The power steering is too sensitive.

The car comes with only a single wireless remote key; a standard key is also supplied.

Unlocking the car with the standard key sets the alarm off briefly sometimes, even if the ignition is turned on immediately.

The worst problem with the car is the amount of road noise - even at relatively low speeds it is noticeable.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 4th January, 2005

2003 Seat Ibiza Sport 1.9 TDI

Summary:

A fantastic sporty package

Faults:

The offside front indicator had fogged with moisture that had entered the unit.

The drivers door internal trim panel rattled constantly from purchase.

Both fault rectified quickly and under warranty by local dealer.

General Comments:

The car looks very stylish and this model is still a fairly rare sight on UK roads, which means that you can stand out from the crowd.

This car represents a fantastic compromise between performance and economy. Rapid acceleration is available in any gear, but 50 mpg is achievable on long journeys.

Insurance is also manageable, for this model it is Group 7, which compares favourably with 13 for the Golf Mk4 with the same engine and similar performance, which makes it an ideal buy for the younger buyer.

Tyres can prove fairly expensive if you want to replace with top brand, due to the 205/45 R16 low profile.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd October, 2004

1st Nov 2004, 03:05

The original review does detail the correct tyre size, as this is the 130BHP which was introduced in 2002, well after the 'W' plate model.

Replacement of original Bridgestone tyre will set you back about £90-100 each.

Comment by Initial Review Author.

11th Jan 2005, 16:26

Sorry if this is the mk4 sport then it is the 2 litre 115hp and the 130hp is the replacement FR model :o)

18th Oct 2005, 11:16

No this is not the Mk4, this is the 130bhp tdi sport :o)

18th Feb 2006, 10:03

The Mk4 TDi Sport was released in 2002 and has a 1.9 TDi PD 130bhp engine as found in the Golf MkV and the Skoda Fabia VRS. The sport was downgraded to 100bhp when the original 130bhp sport was rebadged as the FR model.

Please research your information more carefully before commenting on other people's reviews!!!