Hello all.
I'm considering a Skoda Octavia 90tsi and am wondering if anyone has had much experience with one. Skoda are pretty new to Australia so I don't know much about them except they are now linked with VW etc.
Any thoughts welcome
Cheers,
I have had a number of Skodas now (including the diesel Octavia) and am very impressed with them - build quality, reliability, fuel efficiency, comfort are all great.
The current one I have had for nearly 3 years and haven't needed to open the bonnet yet; I assume there is an engine under there, but who knows?
;)
I am a big Skoda fan - reliability, quality of materials, value for money. I have the Superb and my wife is on her 2nd Octavia Estate (125tsi). Absolutely no problems with them, great workhorses, and kitted out better than the competition for the same outlay.
I would say go for it !
I've had a diesel VRs estate and i've got a diesel Superb at the moment.....buy one,you won't be disappointed.
Most definitely yes! I bought an Octavia 1.8 TSI Elegance when we were expecting mini MST to come along and I knew my boy racer days were numbered, I traded in my Ibiza Bocanegra and haven't really looked back since.
IMHO it represents fantastic value for money all round and does exactly what I need it to do when I need it to do it, you won't be disappointed
Originally Posted by MST
IMHO it represents fantastic value for money all round and does exactly what I need it to do when I need it to do it, you won't be disappointed
If you can get over the badge great value :)
Great workhorses as previously stated, quality at a good price.
I've a taxi business and own a fleet of 1.6 diesel saloons. For taxi work there is NO better car, including mercs, audis, bmws, toyotas etc etc. About to take delivery of another 3. They absorb all the punishment taxi drivers/rotten roads/moon mileage hand out. Pretty basic, super sturdy, low maintenance, and the latest models cost £30 a year to road tax in UK. So if it's practicality you're after then look no further.
I don't own an Octavia but drive them at work sometimes. They get driven hard and have mileages upwards of 150k and are still great to drive. I would have no hesitation buying one myself, in fact I may get one next. The wife has a Fabia and loves it.
Octavia owners here. Great value car and has been very reliable. Only issue has been an injector failure outside of warranty, which Skoda picked up the full bill for!
A VERY minor issue, for me at least.
My first company car was a year 2001 Octavia 1.9 TDI (110bhp) Elegance.
I did 75k miles in 3 years and nothing went wrong - not even a light bulb.
So yes - I'd recommend them.
Back then there were a few raised eyebrows as I'd chosen the Skoda over a Peugeot 406 2.0 HDI (90 bhp).
Some were won over - some admitted it was a good car - but still couldn't bring themselves to get one.
Their loss IMHO. If you can see past the badge it's a great deal of car for the money.
z
Lovely cars. Owned an Octavia for 9 years; not a spot of rust on it and very reliable.
Ignore the badge snobs, whose opinion is about 25 years out of date.
If there is a big price difference buy the Skoda, if not get the VW or Audi. There used to be a huge price difference in the uk but that has gone now. Oz still has a huge badge culture, so I'd imagine you could save a huge amount for effectively the same car but with a slightly cheaper interior.
It's just a matter of time...
I have a Scout. I think it's great. If you can get over the badge snobbery you will end up looking at Audi and VW owners as fools.
"Bite my shiny metal ass."
- Bender Bending Rodríguez
They r not linked to VW...
They are OWNED by VW group....and MUCH better value...
They are always made to lok a generation older than the latest VWs, but for the same price you get a MUCH higher spec'ed Skoda...
They are VERY well made...excellent cars...and consistently getting BEST BUYs on different car magazines and review sites in EUROPE...
the ONLY downside is the terrible badge...
I know of a chipped 2004 Skoda Octavia TDi that is running ~150bhp. It's now on 200,000 miles and still running perfectly. Despite all those miles and the extra power it has only just needed its first replacement clutch!
I owned one for several years and found it excellent and really wanted to get another but at the time couldn't find an example of the model I wanted.
Before the company was wrecked by central planning, Skoda had a proud history of excellent engineering. They were the only European car manufacturer licensed to build the legendar Rolls Royce Hispano-Suisse. Their rebirth began to rebuild that reputation.
I've had my 2.0t petrol VRS for 7 years now... I can't think of a replacement that would suit me better. Practical but still fun and doggedly reliable. The trim isn't as nice as the equivalent Golf or A3 but it's more spacious, which mattered to me. I tried the VW and Audi at the time and although I did really like the Golf, the Skoda edged it on practicality.
I have an Octavia VRs diesel, more than happy with it. The build quality is not quite up to my previous car (BMW) but its a very close second.
Most people realise that basically there a VW but much better value.
I hope you pick one up soon :)
I don't think there is much badge snobbery left towards the brand, at least not in Europe. My Dad has owned several without issue. He's now got a Yeti, he thinks it's the best car in the world!
They're just sensibly priced VWs and Audi's. a bit like the difference between Longine and Omega - same company, much the same mechanicals but priced differently mainly based upon marketing strategy as opposed to a real value differential
I recently bought a new car and after asking on here was put on to Octavias. After trying Golf and Passat estates along looking at Mondeos and Audi A4s I settled on a Octavia VRS estate. It's only a couple of years old and to get a comparable VW was 15% more for a car with lesser specs and interior trim. The A4 was at least another 10% on top of that.
It's superbly put together feeling very solid and is a dream to drive. The DSG gearbox is a revelation from our old Polo, giving stupidly fast gear changes and a silky smooth acceleration. It has far more power than I need (0-62 in 8.4s from 180bhp) but it makes for a really fun drive on country roads and I know it will have the power required when fully loaded.
Delighted with my purchase and would recommend to anyone.
I've had my octavia vrs tfsi for 5 years and I love it. It's reliable, cheap to run (relatively) and generally a nice place to be. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Skoda.
I run a Vrs, love it, but they do say Kia are the new Skoda:)
I had an Octavia estate L&K. It was a tremendous car, probably one of the best I've had. We had a new arrival on the way and had to sell the Focus or the Skoda before getting a 7 seater. Had no bites on the Focus but the Skoda went in no time. I was gutted.
My next car will probably be a Skoda.
I have an 2009 Octavia Elegance Estate (2.0Tdi) and my wife has a 2011 Octavia SE PLus (1.4TSi). We are both very happy with our cars. Is the model being introduced the Mk 3 Octavia that is coming out in March in the EU? It is bigger than the current Mk 2 Octavia and offers more kit. It is also more expensive to allow for the introduction of the Rapid.
If Skoda are still best remembered in Australia for the rear engined Estelle, then you have a fantastic opportunity.
They have a marvelous engineering tradition and currently make high quality cars at excellent value.
Buy an Octavia and laugh at Audi A3 & VW Golf owners.
Mike.
Agreed. But also consider residual value... Look at the market and think how much money a VW or Toyota would lose over the period you are likely to keep it, then apply the same calculation to the Skoda. If Skoda residuals are strong in Oz then you would do well to buy it.
Rob
BUY ONE
My brother had the Octavia 1.9TDI for 8 years - apart from servicing was never near a garage.
Has just sold it to the local 'handyman/gardener', which he'd never do if had any doubts' and has been enjoying the new Superb estate TFSI and loves it !
They are a LOT of car for the money.
Good luck, cheers Peter
Thanks all, 31 replies and not one negative so that probably tells me enough...
They are slightly cheaper here than VW (eg, Jetta) and heaps cheaper than Audi. I am looking at a slightly second hand one (MY11) done only 5000km which is about AUD4k cheaper than new 2012 model. There is a new one coming out this year which will be more (and probably bigger and better) but the main reason I go for slightly older one is simply better value for basically a new car. They all depreciate like a rock anyway so perceptions about retained value are not that important to me.
Skoda doesn't have a bad badge history here that it seems to have in UK: doesn't have any badge history here at all; bit of a mystery. I personally don't care much about brand etc (though I have often thought of buying a Jag, when it comes to buying my wallet thankfully overrides my heart). I'm just after a good safe car that is reliable; but cooler than a Japanese car...
Thanks for your replies, appreciated and helpful.
Cheers
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