Michaelski

I'm on my 2nd Citigop SE-L, & would have gone for a 3rd. But I AM NOT prepared to shell out £16k+ for a tiny little hybrid (with such a limited range) so I'll either buy (I'm on a PCP) my current car & run that, OR I'll go for a petrol-engine car from another manufacturer, Pity really, as I do find that the Citigo delivers all that I need from a car, but if Mr VAG is getting "green (& greedy) than they've lost what was a loyal customer. It's somewhat ironic, but as small petrol-engine cars reach their optimum, then the EU slaps a kibosh on them & decrees that "everyone" has to go electric. & does anyone ask themselves where this electricity comes from???

Hi IamGaz & thanks for that. I've sorta come round to that view myself, but it's always nice to have a 2nd opinion. Bestest Mike

Perhaps I should have added that it would appear that I'll need to pay around £4000 to buy my current car at the end of the PCP - I think??? In my heart of hearts, I'm a "Petrol Head" & don't really fancy the notion of a Hybrid or the like, & at this moment in time they seem to be exorbitantly priced. I spent a fair amount on this current car_ upgrading the headlights to something better than a pair of dim candles, & also stuck all season tyres on as soon as I got it. If daughters' Citigo is now 7+ years old & has 40+k o0n the clock, than I reckon that I should be OK for a fair while. Also, if I keep this car, my insurance should decrease, & the costs of servcicing, MOT etc should be more than compensated by not shelling out some £180 pm on the PCP? Still, would like to hear from anyone/everyone who has an opinion. Thanks again.

Hi guys & gals, I'm looking for opinions. and the more of them the better - opinions are like heads , everybody has one In 2015 I got a 75bhp Citigo SE-L - a superb decision at the time: zero interest & NO RFL. I traded that in for another SE-L ( a 60BHP after 31 months & 16k) but this time NOT such a good deal - my PCP rate doubled, & I was hammered for RFL. Also, lost the CD Player & the Sat Nav, but did get a better radio (to which I listen to but rarely) & 2piecs of string to raise the rear parcel shelf. "Shortly" I'm going to be inundated with contact from my Stealer, asking if I am ready to change again. My dilemma is, & the Citigo REALLY does suit the needs of me & my Lady wife, now there's no choice but a Hybrid (& at a premium of roughly 50% more) call me old fashioned, but I DO NOT like the idea of a Hybrid, and certainly NOT at the current price that Mr VAG is charging. So, should I opt for a Hyundai i10 or a Toyota Aygo, or should I simple buy my current Citigo- I'm tending towards buying my current vehicle? Ar 3 years old, it will have around 15k on the clock & Both this & my previous Citigo have been fault-free & my daughter has one with around 40+k on the Clock. & one of our sons the same, with about 30~k on the clock & both have been faultless also. Look forward to your input & opinions & thanks in anticipation. Mike

Hi RickW, The garage from which I bought my little Tonka Toy was (seemingly like all most garages) taking the PI DOUBLE S & charging an unbelievable £140+ - which is ridiculous, because all it really involves is an oil & filter change (+ some totally irrelevant info which probably takes them some 30 seconds to check, & which you are probably well aware of yourself). Irrespective of what impression they may like to give you, they complete the work in less than one hour, so there's no question of removing the wheels to check the brakes etc, etc. I got the first 2 Services FOC, as a sop for buying my current car,but on my previous Citigo, & after shelling out mega dinero for the 1st Service, I took it to a local garage (who carried out EXACTLY the same work) but only charged me around £70 - & this DOES NOT invalidate the Warranty PROVIDING VW-specified oil/filter are used. These Services are little more than a means of the Agent recouping some of the cost of their Showroom & Staff, so DO NOT let yourself be sucked in. Do your homework & then shop around for an acceptable price. Service No. 1 is no more than an oil & filter change (& the second Service isn't that much more involved). ENJOY your cracking little car, but DON'T be fleeced, as there simply IS NOT a paper Service record any more - it's all "computerised" now!

Probably/possibly a little late for this particular thread, but on 1 Feb, I traded in my 75PS SE-L for a 60 BHP SE-L - PURELY because I didn't want to wait for the quoted 3 months in ordering one direct from the factory (I was initially going to go for another 75 BHP,) & instead elected to take delivery of one that was already sitting on the docks in Germany, & although there was indeed a SE-L there just wasn't either the option of the stronger laggy band version, or, come to that, the colour that SWMBO had set her little heart on (Silver). Instead, we finished up with a rather pleasing shade of light Blue. Initially, I was just a leedle concerned that I may notice the distinct drop in BHP, but our motoring excursions have remained the same as they previously were, & I can honestly say that after 10+ months & 7+k, I haven't noticed any change whatsoever between the different laggy bands - & to reinforce the impression, even Mr Skoda's "hot rod" version (the Monte Caro) has the 60 BHP clockwork fitted. So, if anyone is actually deliberating between the 2 different engines, the 60 clockwork does everything that the 75 does - & possibly a tad more economically. As some Briskodians have pointed out, you have to go WELL North of 4OOO revs before you would possibly notice any difference, & when doing that, you are exceeding the maximum speed limit with a vengeance. 60 BHP rules OK!

Hi Lady E, Ha ha, & very funny (unless you're actually leaning on the jamb of that particular door), although with regard to your question, am afraid that I'm not too sure, as I haven't been down that actual road yet - although swmbo seems to be unswervingly trying to direct me onto the access road. I'll let you know (assuming that you're into "the mysteries of séances) when the time comes. Keep on truckin', & remember that (according to swmbo) the very best "Spanish appetiser" is undoubtedly Julio Iglesias

Thanks for your, & very helpful, further thoughts, Lady E, it is most appreciated, & I have taken it all onboard. . During a "slack" moment (possibly when Seann & Katya were hoofing it) in last weeks' Strictly Come Dancing, swmbo calmly announced that when I snuffed it, she intended to have me cremated, so whilst I definitely won't turn in my grave, I just may turn in my Urn. But, the bottom line seems to be heed the advice of offski & 33q & "stay alive for as long as I can", content in the knowledge that for every month that I continue to draw breath, the magical 50% of the loan agreement draws ever nearer, & I can go to my eternal rest with my last living thought being "I screwed you too, VW Finance. Hmmmmmmm.............

My heartfelt thanks to all of you (especially Lady Elanore) who have given me the advice, & even to "Offski" (who I hope was speaking "tongue in cheek) when he mainly suggested me staying alive for as long as I could, & if not, being buried in the damn thing??? But having run out of patience, I eventually succumbed to phoning Skoda's Financial Dept (DO NOT phone them, as their piped music is diabolical) & eventually (& I mean "eventually) the helpful, albeit somewhat uninformed girl - she had to put me on hold (more diabolical music) 2-3 times whilst she went off to "consult" some other person(s) who possibly did know the answer. The definitive bottom line seems to be that if, and only if, one has paid off at least 50% of the loan agreement, the car can simply be handed back. If this minimum 50% has not been paid off, then one (or at least their executors, as the PCP holder is gunna be dead) has to make up the necessary shortfall - ie if you had a PCP for £9k, then you had to have paid off £4.5k (your monthly payments DO come off this amount) before being able to return the vehicle. Whatever shortfall there may be between the lessee snuffing it & this 50%, is payable by "someone" before the car can be returned. The good Lord alone knows what happens if the PCP holder dies intestate: didn 't have equity or a surviving spouse? So, & as I suspected, the Stealer simply trotted out a pack of lies in his eagerness not to lose the sale, & simply told me what he suspected that I wanted to hear, but at least I now know where I stand. I'll just have to be swayed by Offski, and try to stay alive as long as I can, as it will be another 15 months before my repayments reach this magical 50% figure!!!

Hi everyone, Possibly a little bit out of left field this one, but if anyone has any information, I really would appreciate having the benefit of your thoughts/experience. I'm now on my 2nd PCP (taken out Feb '18) and as I'm pushing (well, more leaning on) 79 years of age, I'm wondering what would happen if I were to shuffle off this mortal coil. The PCP is in just my name, as my wife is registered disabled, and hasn't driven for some 19+ years, so if I were to snuff it, she wouldn't need the car - in fact wouldn't even be able to drive it. The current amount of the PCP loan is probably now around £7,600 & the GFMV is £3,900 - leaving a discrepancy of some £3,700. The vehicle (cost £11,330 in Feb) is possibly/probably currently worth in excess of the GFMV, and as each month passes, the gap between the balance outstanding & the GFMV decreases. I will indeed "try" to stay alive for as long as I can, but when one reaches my advanced years, I would prefer to have the definitive answer to what would happen if I did fall off my perch. I posed this exact same question to the Stealer at the time of taking out the first PCP, but he simply said that all that my wife would have to do, would be to return the car to them, as on the death of myself, the PCP agreement would be null & void. BUT I don't really believe a word that they say, as my avowed opinion is that they simply say what a customer hopes to hear, rather than the truth and possibly risk losing a sale. So, guys & gals, your input would be most welcome & thanks in anticipation

Now Oct 2018, & have just adjusted the clock in my Feb '18 Elegance in readiness for tomorrow, & I followed my own guidance of Oct '15, & BOY was it easy - even more so as the clock on this Citigo seems to be much more accurate than in the last little Tonka Toy - it hadn't even lost/gained one minute in 8 months: so just the hours to change. ONE word of caution, you have to be fairly quick off the mark to adjust with the RHS button, as the hours don't "flash" for very long at all, & that means that you have to go back to Square One with the LHS button, & get the hours to flash again. On the upside, changing the clock also automatically changes the time shown on the radio. My God bless HMS Skoda, & all who sink in her.

In my case, that was total rhubarb, Eltezz. When I checked into the Stealer regarding changing onto a new PCP (& therefore a brand new car sale for them) the dipstick salesman with whom I was dealing, did not even bother to look at the previous car (I could have rolled up on a pogo stick for all the interest he took - & a bent, battered & buggered one at that) - he didn't even bother to check if I'd left the PID in the car, just asked me, & took my word for it. As far as the trade-in value was concerned, there was no questions of what condition the car was in, or where or even if I'd had the Servicing etc carried out, and as for the trade-in price, he simply offered me the GFV - which I was stoopid enough to accept without challenge - I've learned a little more sense since then, which is why I won't be buying any more cars from that particular bunch of shysters . I genuinely believe that, despite their self-serving claims, "most" Stealer/Dealers are only interested in how many sales they turn over, & everything else is academic. Before they flog the car on to another member of the gullible public (& mine was offered at around £1,000 more than they offered me) they may get "some" form of a Service, & tarted up a little, to make them appear attractive. Whether the engine/clutch/brakes etc has been really abused from day 1, they have no means of telling & care less anyway - providing some "mug" somewhere buys it, that's the limit of their interest.

Well, OndrejMensik, by either good luck or skill (obviously luck) I seem to have managed to do it, so very many thanks, I've fathomed it out somewhat. All is much clearer now, so this is Radio Stalingrad signing off.

Well, thanks for that, OndrejMensik, but I'm sure that I can't carry all of that in my head - it's way too complicated (at least for me), so I'm going to have to make some notes (now there's a laugh) & then "try" to perform the necessary when I'm in the car. When you know what you're doing, it's all very straightforward, but when (like me) you haven't a bugs' clue, then it all seems to be akin to "rocket science". But as my old Granny used to say (before I swapped her toothpaste for a tube of superglue), if you can't manage to get what you want, simply pretend that you never really wanted it. In other words, if you lower your expectations to what you can achieve, then you're never disappointed. But VMT for the help, I'll get there (or perhaps not) one of these days.

Never underestimate yourself, leckman, I personally don't as I have a wife to do that for me (& Jeez, is she good at that - self taught also). I don't think that there's a fault with the radio, as there seems to be several programs already set on it (possibly by the Dealer/Stealer prior to me taking delivery) but they all seem to be ones that I would never listen to, at least not through choice. Pressing the rhs button comes up with a whole dose of stations, & I can select from those without any problem. But if I tried (as I have often done) to transfer some of those programs to the preset buttons, they just don't seem to register, and any old thing comes up. It would be "raither naice" if I could have them on presets, but as I'm only allowed to listen to the radio when I'm in the car on my own (the wife absolutely hates any form of competition to her advice/guidance/suggestions - aka nagging) on these rare occasions, I can put up with having to choose from the already built-in selection. I just had this passing fancy to be able to store some progs on the presets. But many thanks for your attempted suggestions & assistance anyway.