Not shite but...: Skoda Octavia

[mnde]

My fiancee and I have been looking at Octavias (and Fabia Estates) on the Bay with a view to getting one to replace her 07 Jazz which is coming to the end of its 3 year finance deal... and thinking that most new autos she likes are currently out of budget on the deposit/repayments side, with all we've paid out on the wedding, honeymoon et al.

 

We spotted this:

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0545589419

 

 

Opinions pls!

 

It's been on my watch list this week but no chance to go have a look... so we'd have to go like tonight... or bid unseen. We think it's *quite nice* all in all.

 

What should I be looking out for with Octavias of this sort of vintage?

 

Overall, budget is about £1500, has to be automatic. She's not keen on diesel as "more expensive at the pump" but she's not driven a modern one.

 

Obviously there were some tasty shitters in that price range when doing a search (e.g. Pug 604), but they weren't up her street. Although I had a surprising result: she thinks Hyundai Sonatas look nice and she said she'd have one!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[trigger]

My mate has a VRs which i think is the same engine and that really flies but i do think they have a few problems with injectors or something, oldford is best to ask as he works on Skoda for living.

 

Sorry I'm not much help apart from saying i like them!

[Mr Lobster]

I would expect that the 1.8T engine mated to a Heather Mills box would mean your local petrol station will have you on their Christmas card list. My Toledo is a 1.8T manual and struggles to break 30mpg round town and 35 on a run. So with an auto box it must have a proper thirst.

 

Aside from that though it looks ok. I know a bloke whos had a few Octavias and reckons they are brilliant.

[mnde]

Err yeah. The Jazz is a 1.4 CVT, that needs caning to get it to shift (as in get a move on) and therefore drinks fuel, esp when running the aircon. Or trying to get to a wedding miles away less late by plonking it into sport mode and blezzing up the overtaking lanes on the A38 in caravan country.

 

She says engines of 2.0L and above are out, for the prodigious thirst reason...

 

She did actually take a manual test, but for some reason didn't drive for a while then had refresher lessons in a badermatic because she wasn't 100% confident with gears in the first place. But she's up for taking my BX somewhere off public roads to try it. Need an abandoned airfield or something with public access that has enough space but no other cars...

 

But yeah - I'm liking the look of these Octavias more and more.

 

Mark.

[dollywobbler]

They're nice, but not particularly exciting. I did some miles in the Car Mechanics 200k mile ex-taxi they had on the fleet for a while. To be honest though, it'd be diesel all the way for me. The price doesn't really come into it if you can keep it up near 50mpg. Did they do any of the Octavias as diesel autos? I think the equivalent Passat could be had with that spec.

[oldford]

That'll be the 150hp ARX engine as used in the 4X4 versions, the VRS is 180hp AUQ engine code.

 

You need to watch out for split vacuum pipes around the dipstick area and for a perished Y shape breather hose on the passenger side top of the engine, they'll bring the engine light on. Coil packs are a favourite with this engine, also they can suffer from low oil pressure due to a blocked oil pick up in the sump, front anti roll bar bushes can go which will mean a new bar if the plastic collars have split due to corrosion, or you can bodge it with some Jubilee clips. Window regulators often break, coolant temperature sensors can play up and the rear washer pipe can come apart at its join close to the CD autochanger, if not caught in time that side of the boot can fill with washer fluid and there are a some electrical connections there that if they corrode can cause allsorts of happenings to the locking (convenience) system. Wiper linkages can seize and the parking switch on the wiper motor can go. Clutches on the air conditioning compressor can break or just fall off.

 

They're not a bad car, but they are electronically complicated, all the computers talk to each other. For anyone buying a VW product I would recommend getting a VCDS (VAG Com) cable for electronic diagnosis, and if getting a Skoda have a look at:

 

http://briskoda.net/forums/

[Milford Cubicle]

Are the pre-PD TDis very complicated? I'm half tempted to buy one of them eventually.

[Formula Autos]

A taxi company near me run a fleet of Octavias of approximately this vintage, and are always telling me about yet another one that's had to have a new gearbox fitted.

 

Having said that, they still persevere with them as they're frugal, good to drive, and just the right size - big enough inside, but not too big for the country roads around here. They just accept that every XX thousand miles the gearbox will fail.

[Timewaster]

I've been running a 2001 110hp TDi Elegance Estate for the best part of a year and 9000 miles.

 

Its great. It dull but its great.

 

Plenty quick enough, 55mpg everywhere, carries as much shite as I can cram in it and comfy in a slightly germanic way.

 

The only downside is the position of the climate controls mean you have to take your eyes off the road to alter them.

 

The only mechanical problem I've had was the clutched pulley falling off the alternator - apparently a comon ailment.

 

I'd recomend one!

[oldford]

A taxi company near me run a fleet of Octavias of approximately this vintage, and are always telling me about yet another one that's had to have a new gearbox fitted.

 

Having said that, they still persevere with them as they're frugal, good to drive, and just the right size - big enough inside, but not too big for the country roads around here. They just accept that every XX thousand miles the gearbox will fail.

One of our customers runs a 1999 Octavia diesel as a taxi, he looks after it and in 330,000 miles the only major work has been a replacement clutch and flywheel.

[Pete-M]

They're pretty good, these Skodas.

 

Our place has a few '08 plate Octavias that are on 85k miles. Other than regular servicing, cambelt, brake pads and tyres they don't get touched. They don't die. Clutches and DMFs can go if they're driven by idiots, but even then they're gonna be on 75k before there are any signs of clutch death in an Octavia. The Superb clutch seems less forgiving of bad driving, they go quite often at 60k.

 

Ours are hire cars.

 

Other good thing is that Czech roads are very similar to UK ones, i.e. knackered, so Skodas tend to ride and handle better than the equivalent VW / Audi / Seats do.

 

I do 500-1000 miles a week in various Skodas and they're pretty good. Bit cheap inside, but loads of space, comfy enough and they handle reasonably well.

 

I've considered buying something like the one pictured earlier in the thread, but I like my silly stuff too much.

[Rocket88]

I've extolled the virtues of these before, they're very, very good. The only problem is that they're almost too tough for their own good, consequently srvice schedules sometimes get ignored by the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" brigade. Circa 2003 1.9 tdi's are the ones to go for, especially estates. The Laurent and Clement editiion is especially groovy, but all they're all nice. Not cheap anymore though, they seem to actually be more expensive s/h than equivalent Passat...........

[mnde]

I've spotted this which seems to fit the bill quite nicely. Although a little vintage, (my good lady would prefer 2001> if poss) it has v low mileage and has been in the same family since new:

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140441438517

 

 

Only problem being it's very very far away...

 

I'm on the lookout for diesels too

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[whitevanman]

No Offence but I've never understood the 2001> type of mentality..........

[mnde]

Nor have I whitevanman, but there you go - each to their own. There's plenty of stuff from circa 94-99 in my searches that I'd have like a shot!

 

To be fair, she thought the T reg one was a good bet (except the distance) once I'd shown her the full ad.

 

Mark.

[mnde]

Oh yes, and I winced when I realised that the Octavia 1.8T was in the new tax group K ... but my other half didn't seem to be fazed by that - as she wouldn't be paying out monthly for finance. The diesels are of course cheaper.

 

This is the other thing about post 2001 - the tax bands...

 

 

Mark.