What to look for
You'll do well to find anything notable here. Corrosion is simply not an issue with Exeos and another reason why resale values are high. Look for a fully stamped up service history and look for uneven tyre wear on the powerful petrol models.
+ More
Replacement parts
(approx based on a 2009 Exeo 2.0 TSI) A clutch assembly kit will be around £205 and an exhaust system (without catalyst) will be about £250. An alternator should be close to £120 and a radiator around £160. Front brake pads are around £75, rear brake pads will be £50.
+ More
On the road
Under the bonnet, most Exeo buyers choose a common rail 2.0-litre TDI diesel, offered in 120, 143 or 170PS guises. Though a little noisy at idling or low speeds, this unit is otherwise pretty outstanding. Pulling power in almost any gear is superb and sixty from rest in the 143PS version that most opt for takes just 9.2s, quicker than the identically-engined MK3 Audi A4 that once cost £4,000 more. Such is the price of badge equity. The 2.0 TDI 143 variant also gets the option of a continuously variable multitronic gearbox. For dynamic drivers, it offers both a Sport programme that results in gear shifts at higher revs, and a Manual mode controlled via steering wheel-mounted shift paddles.
If you want outright pace, then you might be one of the minority who could end up opting for the petrol 2.0 TSI model, which has a Golf GTI-derived engine good enough to get you to sixty in well under eight seconds on the way to a maximum speed of nearly 150mph. Unlike the old Audi version of this design, buyers don't get a 4WD option, but otherwise, the best bits of the old A4 have all been retained and improved upon. The advanced multi-link suspension for example, has been tweaked so that buyers can choose from either 'Comfort' or 'Sport' settings and Sport-trimmed models get offer the option of lowered ride height and stiffer suspension. Go for the stiff set-up and you get a well controlled driving experience but one that can be fidgety over poor surfaces at low speeds. At the helm, the Audi Servotronic steering system has been re-programmed for a sharper feel on the road.
+ More
Overall
Recycling has rarely seemed such a good idea than when you're behind the wheel of a SEAT Exeo. It's not often that a car that's a bargain form new works so well as a nearly-new used purchase but the Exeo is a case in point. After this long in production all the bugs have been thoroughly ironed out and it feels absolutely bulletproof. There's life in this one yet.
+ More
