Mr Smith

I'm looking into the idea of an Octavia, but I'm not prepared to pay book price, and was wondering if anyone knew of a good importer?

They seem like a good buy, although the green calipers are nasty.



[Edited by Mr Smith - 2/26/2003 11:47:14 PM]

Merc_Cosworth

don't like the book price on an Octavia vRS?!?!?!?!

They're only £15,000!!!

And look on Autotrader - almost zero depreciation..

Stuart J

Also look at the 4x4 (150 bhp), I've just bought one after selling my STI 3 & I am very impressed. They tend to be a bit easier to find than the RS & possibly a bit cheaper. Skoda pre-registered some at the end of last year & if you trawl around the dealers you may still find a very low mileagr ex demo one. Skoda will give you a list of dealers if you ask nicely. Ive seen some for about 11000.
Now the good bit, they will chip to about 220 bhp & with the Audi 4 wheel drive system will be one quick Skoda & hopefully better on tyres. I know someone who took out a set of tyres on an Rs in 10000 miles

Mr Smith

Merc_Cosworth:

It goes against my principles to pay book price for anything, especially when Leon Cupras are available for around £13K new.

Zero depreciation - yeah but for how long... Short term demand maybe?

ianc

depreciation is a nasty thing, I'd try and get 6mth to a year old max, let someone else take the big hit!

(and yes, consider the 4x4, it's a different animal)

Ian.
(biased? hell yeah!)

Merc_Cosworth

18mth old ones go for approx £2000 less than new.

I'm stunned that you think £15,000 isn't value for money!

And no, I don't work for Skoda!!

I looked into getting one from Europe, and it would have saved me about £800.

The only bonus was the Europeans get a six speed box.

Mr Smith

£15k is a good price for the amount of car you get, but it's daft not to see if they are available cheaper before commiting a fair wedge of cash.

AdrianB

I work with people who are regularly getting Skoda RSs and Leons on lease/company cars. Most say that the 5 speed RS is a better car all round. I notice that no-one is bothered about the badge anymore, shows what a good job VAG have done.

My advise - get a UK RS second hand, unless you find real savings from abroad, but you will probably lose in resale what you gain in purchase.

Stuart J

Also bought a 1.9 TDI Octavia a couple of weeks ago for the Wife as a work car (Yes Im a Skoda convert) Got the best price I could get on the Internet, then went to a couple of Skoda dealers till one matched it & they did, Might be worth a try.

Stuart

jase555

don't flame me on this, but according to what car (eek)

they reckon with depreciation a 1yr old RS come in at 10k.....

(was actually thinking about this myself)

jase

ianc

Yes, they do reckon that - but go try find one at that price.

Something is worth what people will pay for it, not what is written down on paper. Supply n demand n all that

TaviaRS

People seem to be having trouble getting used 1 year old RSs for less than 12k for some reason.

There don't seem to be many below that price for some reason. Well worth getting though (not that I'm biased )

Mr Smith

Well I've now tried one, and I'm so sure I see what all the fuss is about.

The interior is great, but the exterior I'm not sure I could live with - it's a bit boxy.

As for the driving experience, it's quick enough, and certainly easy to find yourself doing a much greater speed than you expected. Certainly not lacking in refinement, and the handling seemed ok, though nout special - the standard fit dunlops have problems with cornering loads, and the ASR is very savage when it kicks in, which it does with relative ease.

Can anyone see any point to the "braces" in the boot? To me they seemed horribly tacky, and most likely pointless additions, that do nothing for rigidity, and only serve to reduce luggage flexibility.

I'm not denying an Octavia vRs is a good car, only I'm not so sure it's as wonderful as I've heard people suggest.

I don't own a scooby, but I'm pretty sure a 2nd hand 2000my would put a much larger smile on my face.... ignoring the servicing costs of course.

If anyone cares to flame my views by all means do - everyone is entitled to their say.

ianc

Absolutely entitled, did you drive the 4x4 as suggested also?

Mr Smith

Nope - didn't try the 4x4. Not enough time.

Merc_Cosworth

Boxy looks? Talking to the wrong man here (!)

I had an extended test drive in one, and was well impressed with the chassis, grip and general build.

The engine was flat though - but TBH, this critism can be levelled at most modern cars.

But at £15,000 you can't really complain can you?

However - £15,000 will get you a helluva lot of serious metal, and still see some change.

I mean £3000 extra gets you a 3 year old E55 AMG!!!!

Stuart J

Depreciation, Go buy a new Scoob, Thats depreciation

Stuart J

Mr Smith, what do you drive at present, it would be interesting to see what you are comparing the Skoda to

Flat 4x4

Good point !

If depreciation is a concern just go and buy a year old one with 2 years manufacturer's warranty still to run.

The Skoda website is pretty good for used car searches.

I also found the engine fairly 'flat' in tone and feel (as you would expect against the Scooby), BUT, as mentioned, the tuning potential means that performance should not be an issue.

The vRS is now out in estate guise - which I think is the better shape to be honest (as I did my Audi A4 and Impreza)

TaviaRS

But the estate "only" has 16" wheels whichm looks a little strage. If going for an estate I'd probably go the 4x4 route.

TaviaRS

Not sure how they corner though

Flat 4x4

I'm sure Ianc can remind you.

Paul_T

www.tins.co.uk offer UK cars at £13941.85 ( the cars come from the dealer in Derby you could try them direct )

Got my "51" plate vRS from them Sept 2001

ianc

lol, jon you're a muppet!

SWRTWannabe

Take it from me - you don't notice them when you open the boot in the wet - you are too busy cursing the fact that the water is running from the tailgate into the boot

I have no complaints about my RS (apart from the minor water niggle above), although as has been said, the ASR can be quite "enthusiastic", but you can always turn it off!

TaviaRS

ROTFLMFAO at Flat 4x4!