SEAT TOLEDO 1.8 20V S 4dr (1999)

Seat Toledo - Reliable for routine tasks and motorway driving

My wife and I both feel this is one of the most reliable cars we've ever had, and we've had about a dozen of them so it has some competition. We purchased our Seat Toledo used from a local dealer with whom we've had previous dealings - one car bought by us and two by our kids. The Toledo was remarkably cheap, which would have raised some suspicion if we hadn't had successful dealings with them before. We did also shop around a bit and saw that this was pretty much the going rate for older Toledos.

We purchased the Toledo at 45 thousand miles and seven years old, and we've put an additional 30 thousand miles on it now. In that time it's had a few minor electrical repairs needed, as well as a cable that came loose from the gearbox. The latter sounds expensive but was very cheap, certainly not the expensive business of replacing a gearbox.

I have to say, the potential gearbox failure does concern me now, as we're approaching 80 thousand miles, which can be a bit of a benchmark for gearboxes to go. The only other problem which is reasonably minor is some slight water leakage in the passenger door, but that was very quickly and cheaply fixed by the dealer.

Driving wise, one of the best parts about the Seat Toledo is that it has six gears, which makes it extremely suitable for all speeds, very adaptable on the road. It can be easy to forget about all those gears when you're first getting used to the car, but that soon fades and you appreciate where they should all kick in. The six gears don't necessarily equate to a huge amount of power; it's more about versatility.

It's plentifully comfortable even for an ageing soul like myself, and remains pleasantly quiet even at higher speeds. My Toledo is a diesel which does make quite a bit of noise when I first turn the ignition, but otherwise isn't by any means the tractor sound that I used to expect from diesels. All the seats and the boot are quite generous, plenty of space for the family of five and our luggage when we all went away for a family weekend event last spring.

Certainly a recommendation from me, although I'm unsure about the immediate future on account of the high mileage count.