Seat Leon

I had a 1.6S first registered in 2002 (March). I was generally impressed with it, except for the gearbox (notchy) and the engine, which 'pinked' even on 97 octane fuel. Also, I had leak problems with the door seals after 5 years. After 6 1/2 years and 55,000 miles, exchanged it for a new shape 1.6 Stylance with parking sensors which was 1 1/2 years old and had 6,800 miles on the clock. Completely different engine and gearbox; no 'pinking', more flexibility than the 1.4 turbo I tried out, and a gearbox to rival the best Fords. 1 1/2 years later I am still very pleased with it overall, however a recent fault with the ESP system has put it off the road for a few days. I wonder if this is a 'one-off' or something other owners have experienced. I would recommend the parking sensors as an essential - the rear visibility is not as good as the old Leon - but overall the second version is even better than the first - why buy an Audi A3 or VW Golf when you can have the same car in a better-looking bodyshell, for less money?