ionian

20170321-P3210001-Edit-Edit.jpg by Simon Grimes, on Flickr I bought a 65 plate manual SE 1.4 TSI from one of the car supermarkets in January. What a great buy that was! 12.5k on the clock, stock SE except for a full size spare wheel and metallic paint, £11k. I came from a small family hatchback and I wanted something with a bit more size and a lot more comfort inside. Having test driven at the main dealership, I took a punt on one of the car supermarkets and saved about a grand and a half on the approved used sticker. I'm not sure if this was a risk or not - the car was ex-rental so may have been flogged I guess, but it was clean as a whistle and low mileage. I love the drive - having played around with the various modes, I just leave it in sport for the throttle response. 2nd is a bit revvy and I find myself block changing a lot, but it's just getting used to how the car likes to pull. It's very refined when keeping the revs down, and has plenty of grunt (not instant, but not far off it as long as you are above around 1800 rpm). I'm getting around 47mpg on a mixture of town, country and motorway. My only real complaint is that the dipped headlights aren't bright enough. I live in the middle of nowhere, no street lamps, and could do with more vision. Two quick questions: It's yet to have service, due at 18k or two years. Will I have an issue having not bought it from a main dealer if I get it serviced there? Is smartlink worth getting? I have a £5 phone holder from Amazon which does the job, but would rather it was put away while still allowing use of google maps. Has anyone added this as an aftermarket add-on? I've attached a couple of pics taken today after giving it awash. It does shine up nicely! 20170321-P3210004-Edit-Edit-Edit-Edit.jpg by Simon Grimes, on Flickr

Hello - first post, just looking for some knowledgable advice as I'm not much of a car person. I'm looking to get a family car as a second car, and I've been focusing on the Octavia. I'm budget-limited, and a stickler for value for money*, so the Octavia feels like the best option available. I've reserved a 1.4 SE trim from one of the big car supermarkets, a 65 plate, and I'm just after advice as to what to check for before completing the deal. Any known issues, any concerns to be aware of, anything to think about? I have had a test drive with this spec (but not this exact car) and so it's just a case of completing the deal. Your advice is most welcome! *im not as boring as this makes me sound, promise!