fastestlouigie

The Cx3 looks like it's the same size as a Yeti, although the rear passenger headroom may be a bit cramped. If either this or the Honda Hrv had been available a couple of years ago and the latter point was not too much of an issue (i.e. sloping rear roofline), then I would have probably gone with one of them instead. Assuming of course it drove as well as the Monster and wasn't spoiled by a wallowy ride :sun:

The Mk3 has been out for nearly 2 years, so yes, I would think prices will drop a bit more as you come closer to an update. By negative equity, I take it you mean that you owe money on a PCP deal? A bit more information would be required before options could be put forward on the table for you to decide on.

That Mazda 3 is a great deal. Like you said, the amount of toys! If it was available when I was buying back in summer 2013, I probably would have gone for one. Hope your drive goes ok and it would be interesting which comes out on top between the 3 and the Octavia mk3 1.6 diesel, especially given you've got the mk2 version to compare them against.

Mazda3 Zero deposit, 0% APR* Representative includes £500 Mazda Deposit Contribution on Mazda Personal Contract PurchaseThe 2.0 120 ps petrol SEL-Nav (with Arctic white non metallic paint, the configurator initially adds £600+ for their fancy red metallic) is £19,395. With the £500 Mazda deposit contribution on their PCP finance, this brings it down to £18,895.

The Mazda 3 doesn't have a small diesel and the 2.2, whilst frugal and sporty, pushes up the cost too much imo. However, a 2.0 120ps petrol Sel-Nav comes in at around £18,900 on their 0% PCP deal. You'd get through a lot of miles to make up the £2350 extra the oil-burner costs, given the official 55mpg average the 2.0 120ps supposedly does. If I was considering an Octavia 1.6 diesel, I'd go for the Greenline, for the extra 14mpg it (supposedly) does, 6 gears (5 for 1.6 non-greenline) plus the extra 5ps it has over the non-Greenline. 'Course, what do I know, I drive a box on wheels. Great fun chucking it through the bends though! :|

Assuming that this is a cash buy? Is the C class the previous generation? There were some threads from a few months ago where other Octavia potential purchasers were lured to the Merc brand getting big discounts off the old C class. I would get the best p/x for your Mk2 (or sell privately) and beat the Mercedes dealer down to £25k (which is probably what they've factored into letting it go for?) It's a good deal I think as long as you keep the car for quite a few years-looking at the Mercedes used car website, all the sub 18 month old C class estates are automatics, so you might take a big hit come resell time. Having said that, the used 200 Sports prices start off at just under £27k, so as long as this car is going to make you happy for a few years, I say go for it. Good mpg as well! You might get 35-40mpg in real world conditions? If the car is a new C class, then I would jump at it if I had the moolah.

'Ryeman, I just checked the new brochure and the 140ps 4wd has gained 5kg at 1460kg, although does the Monti Carlo add extra weight for more equipment? Wouldn't have thought so..

When I got my 2.0 Tdi 110ps 2wd in late 2013, the kerb weight was 1340kg. The 2.0 Tdi 140ps 4wd weight was 1455kg. That's a lot of extra weight to carry around. The official combined fuel economy of my vehicle is 55mpg and I'm averaging around 47-48 mpg (interesting info-the change from Dunlop SP01 to Nexen N8000 tyres has resulted in a drop of around 2-3 mpg but the Nexen's are much more quiet and have better road handling in all conditions I'd say). The 140ps had an official 48.7mpg. Take around 15% off this for a real world figure (plus reflecting what I'm seeing over 15 months and 23000 mixed miles) and you have around 41.3mpg. So what you're seeing may be a bit low. Have you had the car from new and therefore are these figures reflecting driving over warmer months as well? Like any vehicle, the Yeti does take a hit in colder weather getting up to optimum temperature. I would look at tyres carefully when you come to change them-the eco ones can make a big difference IMO.

Doing a very quick check online, £34 a day for a Rapid or £43 for an Octavia. You could probably get one a bit cheaper. I don't know of anyone who would exclusively rent a Skoda, you'd need to email a firm I guess.

Only 55kg difference between the Rapid 1.2 105ps and the equivalent Octavia. The Octavia gets all the nifty MQB technology/research, which is why I suspect it's more fuel efficient.

The Aldi 5L tubs of screen wash are great. Branded Auto XS (but it's from Aldi), they are £1.99 but occasionally on "offer" even cheaper. I bought my last 5 tubs for £1.29 each! 'Don't know if it's got any Methanol in it though, as there's no ingredients list but it just seems to get my headlights (and windscreen) squeaky clean with no discernable damage. I've been using this since my original screen wash ran out in winter 2013.

Yes but quite a few Skodas don't have 0% finance now-Yeti, New Fabia, Superb. If you were considering the Superb, a few weeks ago, you could have got 0%, 3 years servicing and £1500 off. Now it is 2.9% interest, no money off and £149 for 3 years servicing, plus probably some general price increases on the car plus options no doubt. I know that price increases and changes to deals are inevitable but as my own car would have cost £2500 more in current money, I would have almost definitely gone with another brand if purchasing now. When calculating the differences on the configurator, there were increases in the price of paint, sat nav, auto lights/dimming mirror, floor mats...the list goes on and on and we're talking big % differences in the cost of these options and they add up to a large final number.

My xp of DMFs in other (diesel) cars I've had is that they go alongside the clutch and the two combined with the work replacing them can cost anything from £1k to £1.5k. I think (hope!) it might be the case that older non-CR engines are more prone to eating them up-I've replaced two in 20-odd years of diesel motoring. As I'm doing 20k miles a year, diesel is the only way to go for me but there's a pot of money being saved for these potential large expenses some-when down the line.

If I lived "oop North", I'd definitely invest in a set of winter tyres. Many on this forum would advise getting some regardless of where you are. As I also have a garage I could store them in, I would probably also buy a set of 16" steel wheels as well, though I appreciate that you're starting to get into quite a bit of moolah going down this route. 'Might be worth it for you in the long run though, if you plan on keeping the car for a few years.

I wouldn't bother. I had a black Honda Accord prior to my Yeti and 90% of the people who commented on the car said that it looked great and was it a Beemer? When I mention that it's a Honda, they're really not fussed. Same applies with the Skoda, most people just wish they had one!

Free legal expenses cover to cover against uninsured losses is free under Ensurance, which is usually worth a bit. Otherwise, it just ensures that your vehicle is repaired at an approved Skoda center (if your Comprehensive cover doesn't cover this, Ensurance covers the difference in cost). Another benefit is that during the repair (subject to availability), they will also get the repairer to provide a courtesy car. Various terms and conditions are of course applicable, not limited to the fact that I've gleaned this info from my Ensurance document, which is from late 2013.

56mph is about the sweet spot with my monster (2wd 2.0 tdi 110ps). The Maxidot shows around 60mpg on a good run down the M4, so I would work that out as 53-55mpg in real life figures. I hasten to add this isn't my regular cruising speed, it's nearer 65-70mph but I have done a few runs where I have tried to see what the optimum mpg mph is. I find that if you keep it below 65mph, fuel economy doesn't take as major a hit as going above these speeds does.

If Honda have cottoned on to the fact that some drivers are over 5'7" tall and need a reasonable amount of headroom, then I might look at the HRV in a few years time. I am a long-time Honda owner and I really wanted to be able to buy a new Civic but it just wasn't practical for any driver that is above average height. Apart from the fuel economy, the Yeti ticks all my boxes for wants in a vehicle.

The official manufacturer Urban mpg for the 2011 1.2dsg was about 36mpg. Factor in 10% "over-optimism" of this figure (ideal official testing conditions, etc) and you've got 32.4mpg. Heavy London traffic would easily account for the shortfall. I would check the usual stuff like getting rid of excess weight in the car you don't absolutely need in there, ensuring it's serviced (should be as you just got it recently) and having the tyre pressures optimal to improve rolling resistance (maybe 1/2 to 1 psi above recommended, although tbh, this probably won't make much difference;can't hurt though...)

I've had a set of Nexen N8000's for a few weeks now that replaced the SP01's I had from new. I find them quieter (less cabin boom) and they give better grip. They seem about the same in the wet but I stress I haven't had to brake sharply with them as yet. I chose them over the highly rated Goodyear E.G. as they were over £40 a tyre cheaper at £55 per tyre. I paid £290 all in for 4 tyres via Tyreleader inc. fitting at a local garage chosen at time of online purchase. Given that I was charged £150 for replacing one SP01 in the summer when I had a puncture, I call that pretty good value.

I have also have a 2.0 Tdi 110ps (2013 pre-FL vintage) and in 25 years of driving, I've stalled this car more than any of the others I've had. It's always at the 2nd gear/3rd gear around the 20mph mark. Most of my cars have been diesels and I think that the Yeti is much less forgiving about being in the "right" gear when you're doing low speeds around town. Having said this, it is also the best fun I've had driving, with great chuckability around corners. Up to 19000 miles and counting having got it in October 2013.

Ok different cars I appreciate but a year ago, I test drove a Golf and a Yeti with same specifications, i.e. engines and kit (an Octavia was similar money/spec as the Yeti) and when you take into account the finance deals (0% vs 7%), there was a £7000 difference in the final price-that was with a £1k discount from both dealers. If you bought straight cash, the difference was about £4500. Whilst a great car, the Vw is definitely not worth that much more.

I decided to go for the Nexen's. £261 for 4 tyres fitted. That seems like good value to me-I paid £150 for one SP01 six months ago and with the amount of crap that seems to be littering the roads around our way, I'd be pretty gutted if I forked out close to £600 for them to pick up more metal shards/nails within a few weeks. From what I've read of the N8000's, the first few hundred miles can be a bit hairy, as they take a bit of time to "bed-in", so I'll be driving a bit more carefully initially than usual (some would argue I'm a Sunday driver anyway ). Btw, thanks again for all the suggestions and a particular ta to rriggs for the info/suggestion re. the Nexens.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. SWMO has thrown her opinion into the mix and is now saying that funds are tighter than previously stated (she's the money expert in our household!) The Nexen P8000 looks promising and I've found a seller who has them for £55 delivered per tyre. It seems to have average reviews when you check the German websites (why is it only them that seem to review tyres-come on WhatCar, AA etc.) I think that I'd have to offer a pretty convincing argument (probably around safety) to put to the Financial authority to convince her to go with something else that's getting on for three times the price of the Nexen.

I'm looking for a sturdy (i.e. completely nail/shard of metal resistant ) set of tyres for my 17" dolomite rims. They're 225/50 r17's. Whilst the Dunlop SP 01's I've had are fairly quiet and ok on fuel economy, they've worn quickly (over the past year since new I've done 18700 miles and the fronts are near the legal limit). As it's due the 20000 mile big service soon, I was thinking of swapping to Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance. Now this is a summer tyre I believe but reviews give it good wet grip and they seem to be quiet . My questions are, how puncture resistant and hard-wearing are the Goodyears? Does anyone have them on their Yeti? If not, then suggestions for tyres under £130 fitted would be welcome please.