JPW

Thanks, Tom - just sent you a PM back. J.

Hi, Tom. Really sorry - I left one crucial word out in my last message: "front" ! Great news that you still have it - is it in reasonable condition ? It certainly looks good in the original photographs. How much would you like for it ? I'm a fair way from where you are, but I'd happily come up to collect (not exactly the sort of thing you can post !). John

Hi, Tom. A real long-shot given that it's almost a year since your original post, but I don't suppose you held on to the bumper for the car, did you ? I'd be very interested, if it's still up for grabs. Regards, John

Hi, Simon - thanks for getting back to me. I'm tempted by the lights and the door cards but I don't need them at the moment, so they would probably just end up gathering dust. I'm sure you'll find a buyer for them on here soon. All the best, John

Hi, Simon. Are you still selling bits from your car, or is it all done and dusted ? If you are, I'd be interested in the front bumper and a couple of other bits and pieces. I'm in Farnham, so not a million miles from where you are. Many thanks. John

Hi, thanks for getting back to me so quickly. That sounds very reasonable to me. I have to say I was hoping to find one that was intact, but it sounds like your crack is a lot less visible than mine (not a euphemism !), so I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue. I was going to send a note to a couple of the other guys on here who are breaking mk1 Octys as well, so at the risk of sounding picky, do you mind if I hang on until I hear back from them before making a decision ? I'll drop you a line back as soon as I can to let you know either way. I'm rather keen on your steering wheel as well, so it looks like we might be able to "do some business" anyway ! By the way, are you selling that double-DIN stereo that's in one of your pics ? Catch up soon. All the best, John ps do you still have the sunvisor hook thingie on yours ?

Hi, Sebring. Just a quick note to check whether the sale of parts from your mk1 Octavia is still "live". If it is, could you let me know whether the front bumper is still available ? I have a mk1 L&K Octavia, so I'm guessing the front bumpers are identical on both cars. I'm also after the securing hook for the driver's side sunvisor (this is the small bracket that the free end of the sunvisor clips into to secure it). I live in Farnham, so collection from Heathrow wouldn't be a problem. Many thanks. John

Chaps, I tried to post another message last night, but when I clicked on the "post" button, it didn't send it and said that it was "saving" it somewhere instead (god only knows where). So, in a nutshell: Vrs: If the car you're looking at is in good condition/has a decent service history/checks out okay on HPI etc etc, then I would give it some serious consideration. The road tax, although higher on these, is a one-off charge per year, and the (slightly) higher fuel consumption is more than offset by the smoothness and comfort that the car offers. If you do a good mix of motorway and secondary road mileage, you probably won't notice the difference. What you will definitely get from the car is a huge amount of driving pleasure, particularly when you put your foot down and get propelled forward in a very distinguished and poised manner. Jimbof: If you're ever in my neck of the woods, I'll gladly give you a run round the block in mine. You'll be very familiar with the aesthetics of the car (I see you have an Edition 100 as well), but I would imagine the dynamics will be rather different ! Funnily enough, when I set out to buy a Superb, I had my mind set on a 1.9 PD 130 manual, but when I went to see mine for the first time it was in such good condition that I threw caution to the wind and decided to buy it on the same day - I'm very glad I did. J.

Vrs, I concur with Gaz, DieselV6 and FredBloggs on the subject - the 2.5 V6 is a gem of a car to drive, and if you have to spend a lot of time in your car as I do (500 miles a week to get to work and back), I can't think of a nicer place to be. Mine has given me faultless running since buying it in June last year from a fellow Briskodian, and the only things I've had to replace so far are a couple of front wheel bearings and two sets of front tyres (not unreaonable given that the car has just hit 100k miles, of which 25k are mine). If you keep it regularly serviced on a 10k fixed regime using OEM filters and good quality oil of the right spec, and if you attend to the usual Superb "quirks" (pollen filter mod, plenum chamber bungs, fragile rear parking sensors etc, all of which are common to all MK 1 Superbs), there's no reason why the car shouldn't give you reliable, relatively economical and pleasurable motoring for many years to come. One final little foible to mention: if you end up going for a Tiptronic, be warned that the gear lever knob can be a bit fragile (the release button is made of cheap plastic - another example of "bean counters" having too much clout these days). If the button breaks (which they often do, by all accounts - mine went a couple of weeks ago), the replacement part isn't cheap, but the fitting procedure isn't the nightmare that some people would have you believe. I was going to do a bit of a "walk through" on here if there was enough interest, to add to Supurbia's existing guide in the Technical section. There are many people who will tell you that there are plenty of other cars out there which have better economy, performance and green credentials - I daresay there are, but I would challenge anyone to find one of those cars for the sort of money that you can get a Superb for these days. I'm certainly going to hang on to my pocket rocket-ship for the foreseeable future - just need to find a job which is closer to home, so I that I stop racking up so many miles on it... J.

And it seems to have worked. Thanks to largeruk for his help and suggestions on how to do this - I am now officially a little closer to entering the 21st Century...

Hi, all. Another attempt to attach some photos, without the need to unzip any files this time...

Hi, largeruk. Have just sent you a PM.

Hi, Largeruk. Just coming back to you on your earlier question. The decision to buy the Superb was purely and simply a matter of "heart overruling common sense" - I have always loved the MK1 Superb ever since I clapped eyes on it for the first time back in 2002, and I've wanted one ever since. It's only because they have now come into my price range that I started keeping an eye out for one on the off-chance. However, wonderful car that it is, I'm not looking forward to the increased running costs: £280 road tax as opposed to £125 for the Octy, 45 mpg max compared to the 55 mpg + that the Octavia returns consistently, more expensive tyres, hugely more expensive cam belt changes etc etc. On the plus side, it's a hugely comfortable armchair to go to work in...

Hi, everyone. Piccies now uploaded to the original post - I hope they're viewable by everyone (I couldn't access them for some reason when I went back in to check). A quick comment on the photographs: they were taken very early in the morning before setting off for work which explains the lack of light, and the "matt finish" on the roof is nothing more sinister than morning dew !

Chaps (and chapesses), I've just realised (following my last reply to Largeruk) that I omitted one vital word in the original post (well, it is Friday, and it's been a horrible week...) - my Octy is an Estate ! Of course, you'd know this if I'd managed to include photos. I'm off to do this now - standby...