The Cupra versions get a firmer, lowered suspension, wider tyres and 18 to 20 inch wheels from the factory. That has three consequences, and all three can be looked at during a viewing.

The rear tyre wears out first on its inner edge, and the reason for that is the factory camber together with the heavy loads. The wear is not visible on the outer face of the tyre, so you have to reach in by hand under the inner shoulder of the rear wheel.

On the VZ versions the brake discs and pads wear quickly, above 30 000 miles, that is above roughly 48 000 kilometres. The height of the lip on the disc and the thickness of the pad can be measured.

On cars fitted with adaptive dampers, damper faults appear above 50 000 miles, that is above roughly 80 000 kilometres. This can be screened by going through the drive modes: if there is no noticeable difference between Comfort and Sport, that points to the damper. Replacing an adaptive damper costs an order of magnitude more than a conventional one.