Seat Ibiza Review (1999 to 2002)

Quick Summary

Over the last few years SEAT have steadily carved out a reputation as the best place to go for quality at a reasonable price. Given that the residual value of the marque's offerings doesn't begin to approach that of Volkswagen or Audi, a used SEAT is the best way to buy into the VW empire at sensible prices. The Ibiza range is reliable, reasonably stylish and beautifully bolted together. Opt for the 1.9 TDi models and you get a classy all-rounder, whilst the 1.6 Sport is a good choice for those who are slightly younger at heart. It's best to buy at least a two year old Cupra model, due to its high depreciation, so the market may well have to play catch up with the bulk of these cars, the same applying even more resolutely to the Cupra R. Track down a good one and you'll have one over on every Polo, Golf and A3 driver you see. It doesn't get much better than that.

Overall:

Models Covered:(3/5 dr hatch 1.4 1.6, 1.8 petrol, 1.9 diesel [base, .cool, S, Cupra, Cupra R])

BIG IN THE BALEARICS

Solid but dull. That's what we tend to think when confronted with a second-generation SEAT Ibiza. The Spanish company set out to change this perception with the third stab at making a credible Iberian supermini and they might just have succeeded. In injecting more personality, more quality and considerably more money into the development of the Ibiza, SEAT have created a car which more than holds its own in a tough market sector. With used examples now starting to filter onto the market in meaningful numbers, taking advantage of famed VW Group build quality in a model which was conspicuously good value to begin with looks like being as close to a used market dead cert as it gets.
Used Seat Ibiza for sale

History of the Ibiza

Remember the SEAT Ibizas of 1985, emblazoned with 'System Porsche' decals on every available surface? How quaint, how featherlight they seem, parked next to the Series Three car. SEAT has certainly come a long way from the days of being an Iberian Lada, something for the domestic market only. Now an established European big-hitter, the company needed a small vehicle capable of punching above its weight in a big pond. Spending £150 million on imbuing the Ibiza with more class and less kiss-me-quick certainly reaped instant dividends, with the aggressively priced Ibiza poaching sales from more profitable Volkswagen and Skoda lines. A qualified success then for the VW Group.Launched in October 1999, the Ibiza range was available with a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines. The 60bhp 1.4-litre and 100bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines were direct carry-overs from the Series Two Ibiza, as were the 68bhp SDi diesel and the 100bhp TDi turbo diesel. Trim levels started at a base or S-spec 1.4-litre, Sport for the 1.6, base for the SDi and S for the TDi. All this changed in August 2000, when SEAT radically realigned the Ibiza range, deleting all of the previous designations bar the three-door 1.6 Sport.The newly configured range consisted of a three door 1.4 .cool base model ('productionising' a limited edition model which campaigned on the fitment of free air conditioning), three or five door .cool/S models, a three door 1.9 SDi .cool and three and five door TDI .cool/S trims. In October 2000 the 156bhp three-door 1.8-litre 20v Cupra model appeared, followed in February 2001 by an even more aggressive 180bhp version, the Cupra R. Finally realising that handicapping a car with a name like .cool wasn't the last word in sophistication, SEAT dropped this designation in early 2001, and with it went the unlovely SDi engine. Left with the 3 dr 1.6 Sport, 3/5dr 1.4 S, 5dr 1.9 TDi S, Cupra and Cupra R models, it was now far easier for customers to understand. The Ibiza range remained largely unchanged until it was eventually replaced by a new series early in 2002.
Used Seat Ibiza for sale

Seat Ibiza Road Test

Whilst all Ibiza models have a certain verve to them, buyers interested in performance will certainly look to the Cupra sports models. The three-door 156bhp 1.8VT Cupra certainly doesn't flatter to deceive, with sixty just 7.9s away from rest en route to 135mph. An even faster model, the 180bhp Cupra R, earns the title of fiercest SEAT to date, reaching sixty in 7.2 seconds and maxing out on the far side of 140mph. The improvements to suspension and body rigidity across the Ibiza range have resulted in a huge reduction in body roll and an astonishing improvement in refinement: this is now probably the quietest car in its class. SEAT claims a 2-3 decibel cruising speed noise improvement over the previous model.In pursuit of better ride and handling, the suspension has been re-tuned and the standard power steering set-up given more feel. The result is that even the entry-level 1.4 should feel good to punt along twisty secondary roads. On the move around urban areas, the Ibiza's more natural habitat, the car remains as nippy and manoeuvrable as its predecessor. So then, it's fun to drive. Which is all well and good when the conditions are right. But not much use when it's pouring with rain outside Sainsbury's, you've the supermarket mega-shop to cram in and every seat in the car's already taken. Fortunately, lifting the tailgate reveals an impressive 270 litres of boot capacity (before folding the rear seat).
Used Seat Ibiza for sale

Buying a Seat Ibiza

Tried and tested engines, the VW-standard quality auditing and an inherent feeling of solidity all bode well for the Ibiza's reliability. Having been on sale for such a short duration it's perhaps inevitable that no major faults have emerged, but watch out for neglected ex-hire cars. The Ibiza is a car where the price differences between good and bad examples aren't too great, so be fussy. Watch out for thrashed Cupra models and be aware that some buyers may find the bright yellow colour a trifle specialist, making it difficult to sell on. Look for a fully stamped up service history and reject anything that looks in any way tatty, grubby or vaguely dog-eared.
Used Seat Ibiza for sale

Seat Ibiza Typical Pricing

Whilst the SEAT Ibiza doesn't hold onto its value as well as a VW Polo or Golf, the days when your new SEAT instantly found pound/peseta parity as soon as you drove it off the dealer's forecourt are long gone. The first of the three-door Ibiza 1.4 S models retails at around £2,500 on a 1999 V plate, and expect to pay around £100 more for an extra brace of doors. A TDi S five-door, also on a 1999 V registration, will still command £3,075 and the 1.8-litre turbocharged Cupra model starts from £4,400 on a W-plate. Insurance for the Ibiza ranges from Group 4 for the base 1.4 up to a stiff Group 16 for the Cupra R.
Used Seat Ibiza for sale

Seat Ibiza Parts

(approx based on a 1999 Ibiza Cupra 1.8 20v) SEAT spares are reasonably priced, with consumables starting at just £4 for a spark plug. An air filter costs £20, a timing belt £40, an oil filter is £9 and a fuel filter a mere £6. Keeping a nearly new Ibiza on the road shouldn't prove too expensive.
Used Seat Ibiza for sale