1998 Seat Cordoba SE from UK and Ireland - Comments

Clutch cable replaced twice. Cables were always very stiff, and still are.

Clutch cable & gearbox replaced at 80,000 miles (probably as a result of the clutch cable issues).

Spark plug leads replaced at <20,000 miles, due to premature corrosion.

Very reliable in all areas except clutch. Bad clutch cables have resulted in new clutch & gearbox, and generally make driving uncomfortable.

Engine performs well compared to other 1.4 engines.

Seats are very uncomfortable, and cabin space is a bit cramped in the back.

Steering is too heavy.

Grundig radio has lots of features, but poor sound quality - causes speakers to vibrate too much.

Build quality seems quite good, inside and out.

Specification is very basic in the 1.4 SE, but that is reflected in the price.

Know what you mean about the clutch, is a very common problem on VW's for the clutch cables to stiffen up, mine was exactly the same and is a pain when swapping between our Cordoba and Peugeot 206, which has an extremely light clutch in comparison, even after we had a new clutch cable fitted on the Cordoba.

Can't really say I have found the steering all that heavy, maybe you might need to get the PAS rack looked at?

Have never found the car uncomfortable at all. In the time I have owned this car I have covered nearly 30,000 miles, a lot of these being quite long journeys and I have never had a problem. As a passenger in my friends Mondeo I got severe backache after an hour (this is on a 51 reg motorway cruiser!) however this is not a problem I have ever suffered in my Cordoba.

I have a 1.6se Seat Cordoba (1998) - this was bought by myself in June 2006 and I think its one of the best cars I have owned. It is very nippy round the local lanes - we found it a comfortable ride on long journeys. We paid a bargain price for it with full service history. It has just under average mileage. It's a very good looking car in a sporty green colour with spoiler which attracted us to it in the first place having never heard of it before. Very economical too.

Would definitely consider buying another in the future.

I live in Romania. I owned before an old Skoda 120 from`79 and after a Dacia 1310 from 89`.Now I have a Seat cordoba SE from 98` and I think is a very reliable car. The only problem I had is the clutch kit what I had to replace. It cost here about 150Euro.Stearing move very easy, the confort is good. Only problem is the clutch what is hard to push. (after the kit change too).