Stone

Revised to £4750 ono

Forgot to say I'm based just outside Aberdeen....

Skoda Citigo 2014 (63) 3dr S 60PS Petrol Solid White. £5200 or nearest offer Advert first put on Gumtree, been a slow month for nibbles so price dropped a bit and re-advertised there and now here. Reason for sale is we don't need it any more. Happy to talk to any Briskodians about the car and we can also talk about the price. Excellent condition inside and out. Owned from new since Jan 2014, only 7438 miles in just under two years, no MOT required until Jan 2017, full Skoda service history, next service due in Jan 2016. Over 3 years remaining on a 5 year manufacturers warranty. Costs are very low, we get 45-55 mpg on real world driving from town and country roads plus a few longer trips. Only £20 annual road tax, and it is Insurance Group 1E. Includes Skoda floormats and flexible boot liner. Trim details shown below: Safety 3 point height adj front seatbelts + pretensioners ABS Driver and passenger airbags Driver/front passenger side airbags Seatbelt warning lamp and buzzer Two 3 point rear seatbelts Security Electronic engine immobiliser Locking fuel filler cap Driver Convenience Rev counter Service interval indicator Speed sensitive power steering Exterior Body colour bumpers Daytime running lights Heated rear window Rear wiper Entertainment 2 speakers Radio/MP3 CD player with aux input Interior 12V accessory power point in centre console 4 spoke steering wheel Cloth upholstery Delay courtesy light function Directional air vents for side windows Folding rear seats Front head restraints Glovebox Height adjustable rear head restraints Height adjustable steering wheel Isofix Preparation 2 Rear child seats Luggage compartment cover Ticket holder ​

Interesting; I have the 2008 155 PS manual model and quite frankly it needs a shot of something as it accelerates like a ground sloth and MPG hovers around 30 on the daily commute. It's now out of warranty and once I find out the insurance uplift from fitting a box I'll decide whether to go for one. I considered one a few years ago but decided against it due to the potential for warranty issues and lingering concerns on components prematurely wearing out. When the clutch went spectacularly at 45K miles 3 weeks after the warranty ran out (I kid you not) those concerns were put in context. Sure, even more power might make things wear out quicker but then again more gentle pulling away in gear with higher torque could help. I'm willing to take a punt in that regard. Note that the first and second gears are incredibly short so too much power might be a problem to deal with unless the mapping compensates. Anyhow, back to the 184 ps thread. Given that Andrew's perfect car is 4x4 etc what about remapping the 150PS Octavia combi or maybe one of the 170 PS DSG diesel 4x4 Superbs? It would be fun to get one of those close to the Superb V6 4x4 which I believe has a quoted 6 point something 0-60 but a rather unspectacular MPG.

Good post. I back to back tested an R32 and a manual E46 M3 when considering what to have. Both capable cars that were nice to drive with great performance but for me the fundamental difference was that I reckoned with the R32 I would find the cars limits fairly quickly whereas in the M3 the car was far more capable than I was. The difference in top end acceleration was night and day and the steering feedback on the M3 was way better. I liked the idea that I had to improve as a driver to get more out of the vehicle. After 2.5 years I've not reached the M3's limits and may never do so but it's fun trying :-) That's not to say the R32 is not a good car, in many ways it's better than the M3 as I could use it all year round in all sorts of conditions with more confidence and fit more stuff in it but when it came down to it, it wasn't exciting enough to drive.

I believe they were built to satisy EU specified manufacturers total emissions limits. Instead of making all their cars more efficient they went for old school grande coupes with high emissions and these things with low or lower emssions to get the average down. I dobt they cared that much how many were sold.

Fair enough but we're not letting you get away with that without telling us what you do actually like and why :-). Apart from Skoda's I mean, that one is presumably a given.

Your BMW experience is the complete opposite to mine but I've only owned older BM's and only test driven the higher powered modern 3 and X3's. I've also rarely driven Fords so can't really compare in that respect. I suspect BMW don't put as much effort into their lower spec lower powered cars as they should whereas 1.6-2.0 litres is the sweet spot for a manufacturer like Ford. I remember seeing the older BMW 3 series compact cars driving around and thought they looked really cheap and underwhelming and they seemed to have been produced to tempt Ford and Vauxhall buyers into BMW's based on badge snobbery alone.

No, it's exploiting the "does not compute" bug in people with classic snobbery :-) I love driving BMW's because of how they perform and handle (in the right conditions...) but probably the best value car I've ever owned was a second hand 2003 Fabia 1.2 Silverline which I kept for nearly 8 years. It only lost £3900 in depreciation in that time. Bargain.

This place is rammed with Aston Martins, Range Rovers, Porches, RS4s, M3s (new and old ones), Maseratis, Bentleys the lot. The badge snobbery is probably in this order: Bentley Aston Martin Maserati Range Rover Jaguar BMW/Audi and so on. You should see people's faces when I turn up in a Citigo one day (S model at that) and an M3 the next :-)

You mean a modern BMW manual? All the ones I've owned (1991, 1997 and 2004) have been good but not brilliant. The M3 shifts like a sword in a stone until it's warmed up (it is nearly 10 years old though) but once warm it's great. I test drove the M3 SMG before going manual and was OK with it but I'd heard too many bad things about poor low speed control and reliability to go for it. Note that the legendary E46 M3 CSL only came with an SMG box so I guess it wasn't completely awful. Have to say the Octavia 4x4 6 speed manual shift action was at least as good as these BMW's if not better and the 5 speed gear box in my old 2003 Fabia was a gem as well. On the flip side I've found the Citigo occasionally very notchy particularly when shifting from 2nd to 1st which was disappointing. However, it's still running in so early days.

Ah, thanks for that.

Well I test drove the Octavia Estate 150 TDi SE 4x4 and BMW X3 3.0d MSport Step Auto today with my glamorous assistant (wife...) also testing the front and rear passenger options. Obviously these cars are apples and pears to some extent (No 2.0D manual X3's available to test) but here goes; Octavia Cabin felt good to sit in but a curious mix of semi tactile and hard plastics (unlike the Citigo which is hard all the way). Was able to test drive for a good 30-40 minutes and I have to say the drivers seat felt too soft with very poor lumbar support (this is available as an option though). The car handled well and the 6 speed manual felt very good with slick shifting and it is properly ratioed to the engine unlike my Santa Fe which requires you to be in 3rd to reach 30 mph (cheat to avoid a low ratio box). The Octavia felt good under acceleration and cornering but around the 70 mph speed limit there was some wind and road noise from the wing mirrors and the rear of the car respectively. The second row of seats were good for 2 adults but a third rear passenger would have a large transmission tunnel to deal with. For some unknown reason there were no air vents in the rear other than ones hidden under the front seats. Given my kids always complain of feeling hot on journeys that is a big deal although Elegance trim does have them. Boot is cavernous and with the variable floor, virtually flat as well. All in all a very well put together car that seems like a lot for the money. X3 Very comfortable drivers seat, good position and despite my lack of familiarity, a good set of controls (auto box, flappy paddles, iDrive). Boot is big enough and flat but not quite Octavia sized. Second row has slightly less knee room than Octavia but not by much and it does have slightly more seat width, seat comfort (front and rear) and rear air vents when compared to the Octavia. This meant overall comfort for driver and passengers was better compared to the Octavia but possibly only very noticeable on longer journeys. Car accelerated well and the 8 speed auto box modes (Econ, Comfort, Sport) shifted seamlessly (once warmed up) and allowed the rev range to be properly explored and controlled particularly when the flappy paddles were also deployed. Car accelerated nicely (too nicely at times...) handled very well with well weighted steering and nice flat cornering. Although it didn't handle vastly differently to the Octavia on the same test route it is a taller SUV shape so the suspension setup is impressive. Some slight noise apparent from the mirrors around 70 mph but less noise than the Octavia from front and rear. Verdict It's very hard to judge the true value of the two tested given the X3's merits vs. it's extra price (~£13-15K) over the Octavia. Both had stop-start systems which I had never experienced before and thought would be a nightmare but was pleasantly surprised to find both actually worked. Maybe a different story on a very cold day.... Right now I would guess that this version of the X3 would do everything with more style and leave you and your passengers feeling more refreshed after a 3-4 hour plus journey. However, in terms of straightforward practicality there's really nothing in it and the elephant in the room is whether the higher price you pay for an auto box, 3.0 litre engine, better seats and some more gizmos in the X3 are worth it. Still got stuff to test e.g. Touareg, Superb 4x4 and maybe others but I should probably also test the X3 2.0D SE manual vs. the Octavia to provide a fairer match up on functionality vs. price.

Interesting debate. I currently have a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe CDX and a 2004 BMW M3. Both very good at what they do but obviously very different beasts. I'm looking for a single replacement for both since the recent arrival of a bouncy baby Citigo means 3 is definitely a crowd. I will miss the M3 for sure as it is the best car I have ever driven by a country mile and reliability has been fine but it sits in the garage up here (Aberdeenshire) in the winter as the road conditions are no good for the alloy wheels or my safety. I've also owned a 1991 525i SE saloon and a 1997 528i SE saloon and loved their build quality and how they handled on dry roads although their practicality left a lot to be desired. The Santa Fe is very practical and comfortable but wallows about our twisty back roads like an old hippo and the performance is agricultural. Reliability and fuel economy hasn't been what I expected either. On paper, the 150 TDi 4x4 Octavia looks like the only sensible choice and I was impressed when I poked around one at the dealer recently although I haven't driven it yet. I've test driven the 330D xDrive estate auto and the 335D xDrive saloon auto and quite liked them to sit in and drive but to be honest I can't quite justify the huge price hike compared to an Octavia just for a bit more cabin class, acceleration and road composure. The Octavia is also way more practical with a huge boot and the acceleration is not shabby at all. Still undecided but test drives of the 4x4 Octavia, a Touareg and possibly the X3 are hopefully coming up so I'll provide an update soon. I have to admit the new Scout with an 184 BHP TDi and DSG would be very tempting so I may hold off for a few months.....

Good to see the Scout on the UK site at last: koda UK - The New Octavia Scout I also note that the Skoda UK website lists an Octavia 2.0 TDI 4x4 Estate despite the categorical denials I had from Skoda UK marketing that there were any plans to add a 2.0 TDI to the 4x4 lineup. Trying to shift some 1.9 TDI 4x4 stock by lying to punters? Shame on you Skoda UK

Having chomped thru this thread I was wondering, does that lazy low down torque that diesels are supposed to have count for anything against a petrol on a twisty road where gear changes are more frequent and need to be well timed? Of course you would have to be comparing two drivers of similar ability but you would anyway even if it was a salt flat. Everyone makes mistakes and I'm thinking that over a decent distance (10 miles plus) the forgiveness of the diesel torque availability might come in handy.

OMG, how will he live with himself whilst hurtling round a bend on the limits of traction with a huge grin on his face?!

Is there one for sugar in the petrol tank?

That reminds me of a story someone told me about a mate of his who joined a local council working in the transport deptament. After a few weeks someone pulled him aside and told him to stop working so hard as it wasn't the way things were done there. If he set a precedent they would all have to do some work. Rip off Britain and it's twin brother lazy get Britain.

Because the 528 is so great to drive and I'm not desparate to sell right now I'll only get rid of it if exactly the right Octy model at the right price comes along. Or when SWMBO tells me too In some respects I think the E34 may have the edge on the E39 in handling and responsiveness but not smoothness and comfort. Anyhoo, that's for a completely different forum ...................... In the meantime I'm having great fun throwing the fabia around corners in a way that would leave me in a ditch were I in the E39. I have to say I do envy you M5 owners though, so much torque and horses in one place - shouldn't be allowed!

I agree that the leagues are different but there is some overlap between target markets. In my case a sportyish BMW saloon car with RWD has been a hoot. But, in an area with crap weather, 3 growing kids, a growing mortgage, a shrinking wallet and the need for more car space all with the smile factor I think an Octy will do the job nicely.

So apart from the lemon flavoured Xenons, was their anything else really wrong with the car? I'm thinking of going the other way and getting rid of my E39 and getting an Octavia Vrs or 4x4 diesel or petrol in estate form. I've been well happy with the Fabia we have and figured an Octavia was practical enough but fast enough to replace the BMW. I've owned two 5 series (E34 525i and E39 528i) and both have been an absolute blast. A bit sluggish low down but fly above 2000 rpm and not a turbo in sight. I bought mine in their autumn years so avoided the rip off main BMW dealers and went to BMW specialists instead. Actually the only reason I didn't sell the current BMW 6 months ago was the appalling trade in price offered by my local Skoda dealer. All the dealers up here also have the rep of never giving discounts either so I'm probably hanging onto the beamer for a bit longer and seeing what the 2007 Octavias look like.

But is it practical and exciting? Probably not so no Avensis for me

I do believe you I was just dangling a contradictory little worm supplied by Skoda UK but no-one is biting so I'll leave it Because you're a bit far away from me I'll also try my local dealer in Aberdeen for a test drive. If they deny it's existence I think I'll either go and lie down in a darkened room or drive dahn south