Timing belt and water pump are due every "FOUR" years and not six years or 80K.

Get money kocked off to allow for this.

Cheers for the link to my car mdk 1

Its getting a new clutch soon so the sale of it is on hold :(

Also replacing the nsf wheel bearing as its starting to groan :(

Cambelt was done at 39600 miles fyi. Its now done 55k.

As with most car you gets what you pay for in most cases... I think for £5000 you can get yourself an older 01, 02 car with under 50k on the clock or a high miler newer model.... I paid £4500 for my 2005 (05) Estate VRS. It has over 100K on the clock :eek: though! As soon as I bought it I had a full service and cam belt done at a main dealer and then a wheel bearing shortly after. So my total spend is more like £5100... And TBH if I did it all again I would have gone for an older low mileage example. Mine still has a few bits wrong with it, the lumber on the seat is broken, center exhaust mount broken, funny noise from the starter sometimes and jurky when starting, clutch is seriously heavy and the gears are not that plesent to use. And im sure some of the suspension components/bushes are warn.

Go for as low mileage as you can... But make sure its honest!

Thanks for all the replies - good and bad reports alike, it's good to hear both sides of the coin, and it's not put me off!

Ok, so i have found a 2004 for £5800, 12mth MOT, FSH (last 2 done by the owner) last service was just last month.

What do people think? sound like a goer? it's a fair trek away from me though (about 180 miles :eek: )

Steve

That sounds a little on the cheap side to me.

I'd say it's worth a look , but I'd be checking it very carefully.

Whereabouts is it? Maybe someone could go and have a nose for you

center exhaust mount broken, funny noise from the starter sometimes and jurky when starting, clutch is seriously heavy and the gears are not that plesent to use. And im sure some of the suspension components/bushes are warn.

Go for as low mileage as you can... But make sure its honest!

I can honestly say, what you have just described is an Octavia vRS. Maybe i'v been unlucky with mine? Or maybe i have been lucky with my other 11 cars since i passed my test in 1994. The engines in these cars are fantastic but there are far too many niggly little problems to deal with.

Darren

this is the car, 2004 SKODA OCTAVIA RS SILVER on eBay, also, Skoda, Cars, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 28-May-08 21:05:17 BST)

It's in Lincolnshire somewhere, seller had already told me the reserve was £6500 - i decided to make a bid of £5800 on the off chance, even though i knew it was too low. The auction finished without making the reserve and was re listed -

A day or so past and out of the blue i was sent a 2nd chance offer for my bid of £5800 - i can only presume the seller mulled it over for a couple of days and decided to take the loot............ the re listed auction has since finished again, this time it finished with no bids.

What do people think? sound like a goer? it's a fair trek away from me though (about 180 miles :eek: )

Steve

Well it needs a cambelt change now!

I would also want to know what they mean by this

"The car has full manufacturer service history, the last two were carried out by myself"

I would be looking at £5,500 MAX

the gears are not that plesent to use.

Funnily enough when I test drove mine the gear bushes were totally sh*gged, changing gear was like stirring treacle. It had done about 89k when I bought it. The dealer got the gearbox fixed before I bought it though.

I can honestly say, what you have just described is an Octavia vRS. Maybe i'v been unlucky with mine? Or maybe i have been lucky with my other 11 cars since i passed my test in 1994. The engines in these cars are fantastic but there are far too many niggly little problems to deal with.

Darren

Oldly enogh I am pretty unlucky with every car I have purchaced since I passed my driving test in 1997. LOL! All appart from my Caterham 7 R300 which is awsom :drivesaf: and has never failed in 3 years of ownership.... Before you all say I probably never use it... Its got 90K on the clock, cars are built to be driven, not sat in the garage.... Appart from my VRS that is.

The VRS is a great car though, just wish I shopped arround a bit more and found a better one.

Whats the mileage on your lemon V666?

89,000 and i'v done 15k myself. Thing is though i wouldnt call it a lemon as its had all the common faults. Perhaps its been a good car up untill the last 5k? There has been nothing wrong with the car that thousands of other members have said about. Like i'v said good engine but poor suspension components and a VERY lazy Cavalier like gearbox.

I suppose it is down to the car being a budget marque really. I'v had a Focus TDCI since new and all its had in 95k is a camshaft position sensor and a wiper relay. Its never needed any bushes replacing the rad doesnt sit in jelly and the MTX75 gearbox is absolutely fantastic. It still runs on all the original wheel bearings the handling is miles ahead of the Octavia and the driving position is spot on (albeit slightly too high)

All in all, if the aftersales from Ford was as good as my experience with Skoda aftersales then i would buy another Ford. As it is i'v decided to go back to a Japanese car.

So not a lemon but i sure am bitter about the whole experience of owning a Skoda. Apparantly the MK2 Octavia is more unreliable:eek: .

Darren

Well i've had mine for a year now, and within that time i have spent a shed load of money on it!! I brought it with 49k it's a 2001, had cambelt and waterpump done, then the centre exhaust, front wishbone bushes, new arb and bushes, droplinks, temp sensor and more stuff i can't even remember about! :eek:

After all that i still have a clonking sound coming from the front which i've had pretty much all the time i've had it! and i have the surging problem too!

Done a few mods to like koni fsd's, rear arb, polybushes, strut braces, it's a great looking car with good performance, but i've never been 100% happy!

For now im going to stick with it hopefully get to the bottom of the clonking noise and sort out the splutter, hope i start to enjoy it otherwise think i may look for something else but i'd really like to keep it.

Well i've had mine for a year now, and within that time i have spent a shed load of money on it!! I brought it with 49k it's a 2001, had cambelt and waterpump done, then the centre exhaust, front wishbone bushes, new arb and bushes, droplinks, temp sensor and more stuff i can't even remember about! :eek:

After all that i still have a clonking sound coming from the front which i've had pretty much all the time i've had it! and i have the surging problem too!

Done a few mods to like koni fsd's, rear arb, polybushes, strut braces, it's a great looking car with good performance, but i've never been 100% happy!

For now im going to stick with it hopefully get to the bottom of the clonking noise and sort out the splutter, hope i start to enjoy it otherwise think i may look for something else but i'd really like to keep it.

Exactly the same kind of experience as i have had. Good looking car, but just doesnt make it as a GOOD car.

Darren

I bought an 04 with 50k for £6700 a few months ago. It needs new Anti-roll bar bushes as they squeak a bit now, but touch wood its been ok. It doesn't handle as well as my old Mondeo ST24, but it drinks less fuel and thats a good thing

Needs a service and possibly a cambelt change (not sure what mileage they are supposed to be done at)

Needs a service and possibly a cambelt change (not sure what mileage they are supposed to be done at)

Cambelt is every four years or 40.000 miles, its also worth getting the water pump and tensioner done at the same time.

I bought my 52 plate with 60200 on the clock, with revo stage one re-map, full skoda service history and just had the cam belt done aswell, which i bought off ebay

plenty of bargains to be had.

i paid 4800 18 months ago for my 02 vRS with 85K.

I changed cambelt etc as a matter of course plus exhaust and downpipe because I fancied it.

I use it hard if I'm honest but maintain it properly (myself, so I don't have to worry about getting robbed LOL), and apart from an understandable appetite for front tyres it's been one of the best cars I've had for everyday.

:iagree:

For 5k or under now(More like 4K) you can pick yourself up a real bargain.

As long as it's got good history the other things like the bushes/arb/mounts and cam belt are a bonus if they have been changed

Yeah i agree, when all the niggles are sorted out (one day) it is a good car! When i was looking for a car this ticked all the right boxes! I also like the fact you dont see many of them around.

I also like the fact you dont see many of them around.

thats certainly one of the reasons that attracted me to it.....

thats certainly one of the reasons that attracted me to it.....

I cant recall the last time i seen one to be honest.

I think after i sold mine, that was the last one i saw as it drove away !

ColG's one is for sale, sub £5k, would if I had the money.

ColG's one is for sale, sub £5k, would if I had the money.

Would certainly be my choice if i was buying.

Nice little clean up over the summer and that would be a top looking car.