This is the original Seat Ibiza. A hugely important vehicle for the Spanish marque, it was the first car created independently by the firm after it split from Fiat in 1982.
It predates Volkswagen Group ownership and, despite its dated Fiat Ritmo underpinnings, featured cutting-edge Italdesign styling.
Similar in size to other superminis of the 1980s, such as the Ford Fiesta, Fiat Uno and Austin Metro, the Seat Ibiza offered excellent value compared to its mainstream peers (Spanish labour was cheap back then, after all).
It also competed with bigger budget offerings such as the Hyundai Pony and Toyota Corolla.
All engines used in the original Ibiza were inline fours – the 0.9-litre unit tested here was a Fiat engine, producing 44hp.
More powerful engines were created in partnership with Porsche (yes, really – it made more sense than small-time Seat creating its own powertrains), ranging from a 63hp 1.2-litre engine to the sporty 102hp 1.5 SXi. A 1.7-litre Fiat diesel was also available.
The first thing you notice is the awkward driving position. While this writer isn’t particularly lanky (other superminis of the era pose no problem), my leg needed to be bent awkwardly to give the accelerator pedal a trickle of revs.
Once moving, it’s more comfortable to treat the gas pedal like an on/off switch. And with 44hp, that’s unlikely to result in any difficulties, even on skinny 145-section tyres. That’s not to say it’s too slow. Officially, the first-generation Ibiza takes 18.4 seconds to hit 62mph, but it feels nippier than that.
Around town, the Ibiza’s narrow roof pillars (typical of 1980s superminis) mean visibility is much better than in modern cars. It’s happy to dart in and out of traffic, while the curious stalkless indicators are a novelty compared to the conventional ones you’d find in a Ford Fiesta, for example. It’s also worth noting the seats are exceptionally comfortable.
On the one hand, an original Seat Ibiza shouldn’t cost a fortune to run. It’s a small car, after all, with the respectable fuel economy you’d expect. Classic car insurance should be affordable, too – but be aware that parts won’t be cheap (and that’s if you can find them).
Fortunately it’ll share some parts with more common vehicles such as the Fiat Panda, but we’ve seen reports of brake discs and clutch plates selling for extortionate prices.
Well, everyone was driving cars like this on a daily basis 30 years ago. If you find one in good condition and you don’t cover too many miles, it should stand up to being used daily without too much fuss – providing you keep it well maintained.
However, with the numbers left on the road, it would seem a bit of a shame. Combine that with a feeling of vulnerability (it feels tiny in traffic next to 21st century cars) and a short supply of parts, and you might want to look elsewhere for an everyday runaround.
It’s finding one that is the problem. Despite being relatively popular on the continent, the original Ibiza never sold in huge numbers in the UK, and very few have survived. If you seriously want to buy one, it’ll be a matter of joining the owners’ club, spamming the internet with wanted posts and keeping in with specialist garages.
When you do find an Ibiza, don’t expect it to be cheap. We wouldn’t pay over the odds for an untidy example with a short MOT, but if it’s a good example and you really want it, you could be looking at upwards of £5,000.
Rust is an issue, particularly around the wheelarches. Other than that, they’re pretty simple – but as mentioned, finding parts can be difficult. Don’t shrug off something like a slipping clutch or cracked windscreen as an easy fix.
Be extremely picky and negotiate hard if there are any issues. But remember, you might find it hard to find another one.
An early Ibiza would make for an interesting purchase. Something like a first- or second-generation Ford Fiesta might be a wiser choice, though. Not only is it easier to find a good example, it’d also be simpler to maintain and perhaps more enjoyable to drive.
If you do want an Ibiza, we’d probably look for a higher-spec model than the example tested here. Although the 0.9-litre engine does a respectable job of keeping up with other cars, a more powerful engine would be more fun. And the System Porsche engine would make it slightly easier to justify it to your mates…
What you’re looking at here could have been the second-generation Volkswagen Golf. The designer of the original Golf, Giorgetto Giugiaro, had his proposal rejected for the Mk2 version (VW decided to use its in-house team instead).
Along came Seat, asking him to design a spacious supermini. So Giugiaro he went a bit ‘Blue Peter’ and showed the firm a project he’d created earlier.
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