Ok - going racing next year, so i need a tow car. i was looking for an A4 Avant (1.9 tdi 110 bhp, ~25K, v/99), but the car i was after has gone. Its pretty difficult to find an A4 thats realistically priced, but doesnt have an astronomical mileage.

Then I stumbled across (dont larff...) a Skoda Octavia - 2 months old, minimal mileage, poor guy made redundant (at least thats the story), from a main dealer. Nicely priced.

So - i know that the A4, passat & Ocatavia all share the same 1.9 TDi engine, all share the same floorpan, and share the same switch gear. But what is actually different about them - which bits are "Skoda". Or am I really just buying a VAG estate without the snob value of the A4 ?

Someone convince me either way...

jon

 

See if I can post a reply before this gets moved to Non-Scooby...

Octavia doesn't use the A4 floorpan - it uses the Golf/Bora/Leon/Toledo/TT/A3/Beetle floorpan. The A4, Passat and A6 share the same floorpan but with different wheelbases.

But yes, there is no reason why the Skoda is cheaper than VWs or Audis except the badge.

 

It should be "general" & "non auto related" IMHO as 90% of the stuff in here has only a pretty tenuous connection with scoobs. oh well.

but ta - do they do an a4 / passat model ? the website is useless for techy info

 

Skoda don't (at the moment) do anything bigger than the Octavia, but, although it shares a wheelbase with the Golf et al, it's longer - bigger boot rather than more passenger room.

To be honest, I have absolutely no idea what difference it would make using an Octavia for towing rather than a Passat, but if you prefer the slightly larger car, a nearly new/supermarket/import Passat should be pretty cheap (good discount on list and a nicer interior than the A4 IMO - bigger, certainly).

 

You may as well get a Scoda if all you want to do is tow your race car. The Audi's have better interior and look better IMO but you pay a premium so you may as well get a Skoda that is newer with lower milage.

 

There's a brand new Octavia tdi for £9999 at motorpoint.co.uk

 

The Skoda has all the oily bits of a VW Golf underneath it, with there own styling on top. Engines, gearboxes etc are all VW, interiors are made to similar standards, but materials are said to be not as good. If you want the best interior its Audi hands down every time, but the Skoda is not that far behind. Depreciation isn't far off the VW, and the turbo-diesels do best. Look in the latest Auto Express for buying tips. One thing that everyone does mention are the stereos being crap. other than taht, you pays less money and get the same reliabilty and performance.

 

thanks people - Look like i'm after an a4 / passat size due to the towing weight. Skoda are coming out with the "superb", but the octavia (or golf / a3 ) isnt up to the job.

So A4's & Passats are on the cards. The 1.9 TDi's are bloody expensive second hand, especially when compared to the depreciation of scoobies & most other sports stuff; comforting if you own one i guess, irritating if you dont

oh well...