polo gti or ibiza cupra ?

Forum to discuss the Seat Ibiza
yosin
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polo gti or ibiza cupra ?

Post by yosin »

Deciding on my next car but dont know which...so just want some thoughts and opinions from some who may have had both and what they think about it?

2000-2002 polo gti 1.6 or SEAT Ibiza (99-02)1.8 20V T Cupra ?

thanks :D
shantybeater
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Post by shantybeater »

Weeeellll judging by the fact you are on uk-p i'd say you have already kind of decided..I'd just like to say i bought the polo then moved 'up' to the ibiza, dont regret it at all but miss the polo as it was a great car...

Polo - Pros
- looks awesome
- xenons
- Well built interior
- Nice dash
- nice extras
- Very easy to mod euro
- Far cheaper to insure
- Exclusive (not seen often)

Polo - Cons
- Alot slower, especially when the cupra has some money spent on it..even a map
- Not tunable at all (power wise)
- inferior handling
- Gearbox is a big issue making maintenance costs high
- Rubbish brakes (although upgradeable to g60)
- Pay for the VW badge but get none of the promised reliability
- Overpriced really

Ibiza - Pros
- Amazing engine & gearbox(VW stamped & lives up to the reliability)
- Tunable to ridiculous horses (400bhp+), a real performance engine, the difference between playing with modified scoobies & evos or playing with suzuki swift sports & saxo vtrs.
- Amazing value for money, you dont pay the VW premium but you get its parts
- Great mods available such as brembos
- a turbo (cant live without one now & the sound it makes)
- nice dash (i prefer to the polo) & half-leather seats
- even more exclusive than the polo
- common issues are cheap so maintenance costs are cheap

Ibiza - Cons
- Tacky interior (in respect to plastics used & the fact it rattles like a b***h)
- No xenons
- ALOT more to insure
- It doesnt say VW on the front, some people care about that...i dont
- the polo cuts it in the looks department (Although the cupra is not far behind)

Basically in my eyes its like this... i think my polo probably looked nicer (i might change my mind once the BBS RS's are on the cupra)the cupra is a better car in practically every way apart from the cons listed above but you must be able to get insured on it, THAT in my eyes is the only deciding factor...i would have bought a cupra outright had i of been able to insure it.

Saying that though when i had my gti it was so classy & shiny with its RM's it was all about slow & low and im not sure the cupra can pull that off as well.

two different animals, do you want peformance or comfort & a pimper look?
yosin
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Post by yosin »

lol..tbh i was looking at your cupra and it made me think twice thats why i put this topic up lol..

well...i would be able to get insured for both however it would be cheaper for me to insure on the gti now or wait until next may and get the cupra therefore lower insurance but having to stick with driving my 6n for a year...

I do like the polos dash thoug and the chrome and blue lights makes it look good however i havent seen the cupras...

Overall from your pros and cons and having driven both it does seem like the ibiza is a better car considered to the polo..

looks wise the polo does look slight better i think but then the ibiza looks like it can do more damage lol..

Well, tbh i am going for both but i dont want to tune the car up to riculouse horses maybe just little common mods. So i just want something that looks good and able to give me a buzz when my foot decides to get heavy ..

So a standard cupra one that has no mods compared to a polo gti with no mods...is there that much of a difference?

thanks
shantybeater
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Post by shantybeater »

You will find that most cupras out there will be slightly modified because it's so cheap!. Usually they will just have a map but this makes their output 200ishbhp rather than the standard 150!! You wouldnt really need to declare a map either as its not a physical mod, the insurance company would have no way of knowing you had it if you wrote the car off.

I cant really comment on what a standard cupra would feel like as i've never sat in one but i assume it wouldnt be massively faster than a gti (i think 0-60 figures are 8.4 polo & 7.7 Cupra), with a map though the cupra is alot faster, different league really as both the cars weigh the same. (you would be looking more at high 6's to 60)

I do agree the polo is better looking than the cupra, i'm sure you will be happy with both, like you say its not a bad idea to get the gti for a year or so & then upgrade when the insurance is less

The gti has a revvy engine and constantly eggs you on, i did get bored of its power fairly quickly but its enough to give you a little buzz now & then. With the cupra a year later & i'm still loving every moment, the sound it makes really is something else, and the power delivery is mental.

I'll try and get a snap or two of my dash for you!
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stani540
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Post by stani540 »

having also owned both a cupra and a polo (not gti) i am with shantybeater the cupra is streets ahead for so many reasons.

it just feels so much more planted than the polo ever did for example at speed ont he motorway feels great.

Again mine isn't standard its got a few tweeks and a revo stage one so im running 200 horses or a bit more. Its just an amzing feeling when you put your foot down its so hard not to have fun in the car, i will give you and example i was at the lights the other day and a guy pulls up next to me in a z4 convertible sunglasses on long hair you know the type, i just blipped the accelerator and then off the lights he gunned it and i crucified him he pulled up to the next set of lights very unhappy look on his face, widest grin ever on mine!!!

same again ont he motorway tangling with a type r awesome fun and burned him!!! another instance a lcr overtook me and doing ridiculous speed and i stuck on his back bumper like glue. i could go on!! it just makes you so happy to drive it and every night im thinking for an excuse to take it out!!!

as shantybeater says the polo is good for messing with saxo's and clio's etc but the ibiza is not to be taken lightly it can handle itself with the cars mentioned above plus evos if you chipped it up a bit more.

Dont get me wrong the polo is a great car i love the dash and the looks of the polo so much it was my first car had it for 3 years (1.4 8v) and loved it

had same reservations about the ibiza as my brother had one i didnt liekt he dash as much and thought the polo was better looking but after owning the biza for a week the dash grew on me i love the white dials and red lights and i just think the car has an overall meaner look about it!! Especially in imperial blue haha

at the end of the day its your decision, but put it this way i loved my polo and i thought id be gutted to sell it but when it went i wasn really that bothered as i knew what i was getting and boy was it worth it my biza does 0-60 in sub 6 seconds the polo is nothing close!!!

As i said my brother also has a biza but has the 1.6 sport 100bhp, and fromt hings i have heard it is very similar in performance wise to the polo gti and i drove his after owning mine a week and thought there was something wrong as it was so slow!!!

Decision is yours but why buy a polo gti for atleast a grand more than the cupra when you could spend that money on insurance. When i was buying mine there was one for sale 34,000 miles on the clock £4,800 pounds no jokes mint condition i would have had it if it was imperial blue!! you wont ever get a polo anywhere near that miles for a price liek that1!!


sorry to go on but get the cupra you wont regret it, and yes get it in imperial blue!!! oh and yes you need a turbo in your life as shantybeater says the noise is brilliant!! and then when its power kicks in its even better!!


My old polo

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and my cupra!!

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and engine bay!!!

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shantybeater
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Post by shantybeater »

well said! lol

thought i'd stick pics of my polo & beefa up as well to wet your appetite:

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stani540
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Post by stani540 »

what turbo are you running??? nice bay!!

pretty tidy new charge pipe aswell!!

what induction kit you running also??
shantybeater
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Post by shantybeater »

k03s with custom jabba map, RR'd at 253bhp. 1/4 mile been done in 13.68 by previous owner.

Not sure where the feedpipe came from but i'm running a green cotton filter, the pipe runs down to behind the passenger side fog with the filter on the end for maximum airflow...just a bit worrying that i might suck up a puddle!
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stani540
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Post by stani540 »

thats my only concern about moving mine!!!

running the massive jetex cone currently may go forced air bmc again to keep it all sealed up!!

got few things on my shopping list soon

strut brace
tip
intercooler

then some nice new wheels

suspension






then future

KO4 internals i think!!
shantybeater
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Post by shantybeater »

sounds good, my list of things to do is massive & would take days to type lol!

k04 is a good choice :), if i plan on keeping the cupra for a while to come then it will be gt28rs for me, on a lowish map of about 330-340, will be happy on standard internals as long as i'm not silly :)
tomo87
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Post by tomo87 »

you want the looks and quality of the polo gti with the power of the ibiza for sure 8) :lol:
yosin
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Post by yosin »

lol hmmmm just been gettting some quotes on a cupra its 1.4k :shock: ,,, where as gti is 900.... :roll:

Just been looking around the dash are actually alright and looks does look meaner to a polo...

Its either i buy gti now or wait a year or so and get a cupra... :evil: :x
yosin
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Post by yosin »

just wondering how much are these re maps? and how would you go about getting this done? expensive mod?..

:D
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stani540
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Post by stani540 »

well why don't you buy the cupra now and use the money you save by not paying polo premium prices towards insurance.

You have to ask yourself is there any point getting a gti you know your going to spend money on just to sell it in a year or so and start again on a cupra.

Maps usually cost about 400-500 but alot of cupras come with them very cheap mod though when you consider you get another 50bhp
shantybeater
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Post by shantybeater »

cupras really arent cheaper than gti's mate! im sure of it.When i was looking the ibizas were about 1k more than a gti of similar mileage, but they arent alot more and its so much more car for your money its unbelievable. Getting the gti for a year isnt a bad idea, what were you driving before?
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