chesterben

PSM, thanks for your response, the 0% is only on the vRS unfortunately, but yes it has the VAT offer! I think I will do some shopping around a few other local dealers and see what they can do, I guess its all about being hard faced with them!

Latest update! Took the 1.6D Elegance (which is the one I would get) out on Saturday morning and the drive is a lot better than the Cee'd (Sorry martzweb). I am 6'5 and there is a lot more room in it than the Cee'd, I love the radio (especially as it tells you what track is playing on the radio!!). So we got back to the dealer and we started to talk about price. The problem is that they wont budge, the best they offered was to throw in the spare wheel for free. This means that if I added the safety features (ESP, curtain air bags etc) then the car would be nearly a grand more than the KIA!! But what I have found is that the Octy is far more economical than the KIA, on my test drive of the KIA (some motorway, some town) I was only getting 43mpg. I thought that maybe this was due to it being new, but I have been reading on a KIA forum and people rarely get over 50!! So im as confused as ever! What I would like some advice on the following:- 1) How important is the ESP? Does it really make much difference? Is it worth 300 odd pound! 2) How big an issue is is that the engine is belt driven? What does it cost to replace? When does it need doing? The Cee'd is chain driven! 3) What are the servicing costs? Are there any major ones in the first 5 years or so? 4) Colour - If i do decide on an Octy its between Silver or possibly White, any photos would help! 5) Price - Has anybody used "drive the deal"? are they reliable? Thanks guys, I need to order one this week!!

Ummm, not so sure now! Just took the KIA out for a long test drive and its not a bad little car! The ICE worked really well with my iphone, and it does look nice in white! Also the dealer has offered to match the £777 discount from KIA, so thats £14,700 for a top spec Cee'd with Bluetooth, ESP etc as standard! I'm taking the Octavia out for a longer run on Saturday so ill see what they can offer!

Thanks for the replies guys. Yeah thinking about it again i think the diesel is a good bet over the petrol. I have driven the CR 1.6 and didnt notice much difference to the 1.9 in the Audi, although it wasn't quite as noisy! The colour is a tough one, I personally think the octavia looks good in a light colour due mainly to the large dark grill. I guess I will have to ask the garage what used cars they have in the different colours so I can see them better. So what sort of discount would you think I could haggle for at the dealer? I like I said above the dealer let it slip that even with the VAT reduction, the GM that the garage get it the same, so there should be some room for manoeuvre.

Yeah its a tough one, always liked the White but its just a shame that it seams to be the choice of colour for taxi drivers too. Maybe I need to persuade my wife into letting me get a VRs Also started to wonder about the engine, I automatically thought the Diesel (1.6) would be better, but just did a calculation online and the diesel would only pay for itself after 3 years! Then when you compare the 0-60 times (11.8 for the diesel and 9.7 for the 1.4 petrol) it does make you wonder!!

Mixed feelings about Mitchell, originally they were very friendly, but when I tried to speak to them about price them clammed up and wouldnt offer anything! Therefore I will be speaking to other dealers locally to see who is more likely to do a deal!

Not a big fan of red cars, have a tendancy to fade sometimes, maybe it will have to be metallic silver!

Got the same engine in an A3 at the moment, and as others have said I have had no probems. It is a little on the noisy side, but if the Skoda is anything like the Audi you wont notice it once you are inside. Plenty of torque at low revs which means you get good pull from the lights. It may be an older engine in terms of design, but its a 'new engine' that you will be buying. As an engineer myself older is not always bad, in fact we would call it 'proven'!! Also, fuel economy is amazing in the A3, on motorway driving I get over 60mpg, on one journey down to oxford using a lot of 50 mpg roads, managed to get 75mpg average!!

Thats for all your comments, I think I have decided on the Skoda, I enjoy the Audi, and hopefully the Octavia will be simular. So now to decide on the colour, I like white (looks good, easier to patch up any scratches etc) but does it look too much like a taxi??

Thanks matrzweb, but now im more confused than ever Another factor is that I live just down the road from a Skoda dealership and the sales guys there have been very good, absolutely no pressure to buy, let me test drive it knowing this, and spend a good while with me going over the options etc. On the other hand the KIA dealership os about 15 miles away, and they didnt seam interested, yes I test drove it, but the sales guy made no effort to be helpful. Also the Skoda guy mentioned that you can extend the manufacturers warranty for about £300 a year, but he did indicate that he may be able to do us a deal on that! Therefore I have test driven both, I think the Skoda felt better, maybe because I drive an Audi now, but I just like the drive, as well as the switch gear (cruise control on them are very good etc). The Cee'd 3 did look good, expecially in white, but i dont think the interior felt as 'classy' if that makes any sense! Bit of a bugger really as im needing to make a decision this week!

Cheers for the comments, also I know the cars are on offer at the moment (No VAT), but the dealer did let slip the other day that the GM is maintained for the dealer, so what sort of discount should I aim to haggle to?

Hi all, I currently have an Audi A3 1.9TDI but this is a company car and im due to change job, so therefore I need a new car. I have managed to cut my list down to an Octavia 1.6D Elegance, or a KIA Cee'd 3 also a 1.6D. Both cars are basically the same price, I personally prefer the Octavia, mainly because it drives, and feels just like my A3 (even looks better inside), but the Cee'd has a 7year warranty, and also comes with ESP, curtain air bags, bluetooth etc as standard. So its a case of head vs heart, so im looking to you guys to help me choose, why should I choose the Octavia? Also what are the servicing costs like, I notice it would need the cam belt doing after 4 years which looks expensive (and wouldnt be needed on the cee'd), what are the others like though? Cheers