Looking to buy 2000-2002 Octavia

[Dunc2610]

Hi guys/gals, i'm considering a Skoda to replace my Vectra, am thinking about either the Octavia 1.8t (possibly 4x4 estate) or the VRS (2000-2002 models). I've NO idea about spec levels as i've been in vxls since i passed my driving test.

I'm used to the cdx/elite spec lvl, which generally includes climate control/aircon, cruise control, leather seats, if possible i would like these on my next car.

Hoping you experts could give me a run down on spec levels and engines to go for/stear clear of?

Cheers

Dunc

[chicken_eyebrow]

The vRS and vRS WRC edition come with a black and silver half leather interior, and I believe full leather upholstery was an option on the Elegance model although not many of them seem to have it.

Air Con is standard on Ambiente models, and on Elegance and vRS/vRS WRC models you get Climate Control as well.

Cruise Control was an option on vRS/vRS WRC and Elegance models although a lot of them do have it.

The Elegance has front headlight washers, sunroof and ESP (safety feature) all of which were not standard on the vRS and had to be specified as options. The sat-nav system was also an option on all trim levels and replaced the Symphony stereo-cassette and CD changer. The vRS WRC has Xenon headlights and electronic heated seats as standard which were options on all other trim levels.

HTH

[Dunc2610]

Cheers Chicken, what about the 4x4 1.8 turbo varient, what are these like, i'm guessing not as quick as the 1.8 turbo'd VRs? Also what spec level did these have, not sure why they appeal, they just erm, do lol!!

And trim wise, i'm either looking for elegance or opting for the VRs to get the kind of spec i want? (I do like my heated leather in my vectra!!)

[Stuart_J]

Cheers Chicken, what about the 4x4 1.8 turbo varient, what are these like, i'm guessing not as quick as the 1.8 turbo'd VRs? Also what spec level did these have, not sure why they appeal, they just erm, do lol!!

And trim wise, i'm either looking for elegance or opting for the VRs to get the kind of spec i want? (I do like my heated leather in my vectra!!)

4x4 & VRs have the same Engine etc but the vrs is set at 180 bhp at the factory, 4x4 is 150 bhp. Both will remap to around 210 bhp. 4x4 has shorter ratios so a tadge worse on fuel but really sticks to the road, VRs will spin up the fronts in damp or wet conditions.

4x4 top trim was Elegance. 4x4 likely to be a bit cheaper & less likely to have been ragged by a boy racer.

Not sure the VRS has heated seats but certainly has leather.

4x4 saloons were phaased out as they didnt sell that well so will be harder to find than estates.

The 4x4 system is excelent & with a remap would be my prefered choice but Im biased having owned one

[Lex Dysia]

4X4 shares the same turbo as the VRS model and maps to the same level. Trim on these is Elegance trim.

Ian

[Lex Dysia]

Beaten to it

Ian

[Dunc2610]

If i were to go the 4x4 route, i'd opt for an estate anyway, cricket kit + stereo = no boot space!! So to have a little extra would be nice.

[Plodder]

You have p m

[chicken_eyebrow]

If you're after heated leather seats then choose either the vRS WRC (which are like rocking horse poo) or try and find a 1.8T 4x4 elegance which has been specc'ed with heated leather seats

1.8T 4x4 is also a good buy if you ever plan to modify to obscene levels of power

[Dunc2610]

What are the modifying costs like on Skodas, i've done a V6 cavalier before and that wasn't too bad (in terms of suspension, cams, exhaust, remap)?

[chicken_eyebrow]

Depends how far you want to take it really?

Exhaust and intake mods (CAI, TIP, DV and Intercooler), a custom remap, rear ARB and some decent brake pads will be just over a couple of grand

Same mods but with a K04 or similar turbo, better brake set-up and coilover suspension, best part of £5000

300bhp+ turbo and engine rebuilt to cope with it, 6 speed gearbox, uprated clutch, plus all the above mods and more, uprated Haldex controller (if you have a 4x4) somewhere between £12k and £15k

[Dunc2610]

Someone up top mentioned remapping to 210 on either the 150 or 180 Turbo engines, is that on standard internals? And what would that sent one back!? (cheers for all the info so far guys, i'm swaying in the right direction i think!!)

[Stuart_J]

4x4 Re Mods.

How far do you want to go ??

I started with 17" wheels, 335x32 front discs with AP 4 pots, Custom Exhaust (Miltec prefered) Front mounted Intercooler KW v3 suspension & a custom Jabba remap, Gave close to 250 bhp & a car that really handled. Probably circa 5K

Next must have is up rated anti Roll bars from a Golf R32 or better still R32 front & Jabba bespoke rear, with bushes etc probably 5-600.

If you go for bigger power then as the previous poster has said you need tom fit the TT box, uprate the Engines internalls, fit a bigger Turbo etc etc & that cost is infinite.

In the end I had a car with a very useable 350 bhp but I guess I spent over 3 years something approaching 30K (that Included body mods & Custom paint)

If you want to go big power look around for something thats modded & save youirself the money, theres a very nice VRS currently for sale for under 5K on Brisky running just over 300 bhp. If you stengthened the Internals it can be mapped for 30-40 more bhp

Personally I still love the 4x4 with just a remap, exhaust & Intercooler + the handling / brake mods. Its a really useable car everyday yet will give very quick cars a run for their money on the twisties, I can remember sticking with a Ferrari 360 & passing a 600 bhp Supra through the mountains on the Cannonball with just that spec, happy days

[Dunc2610]

To be honest i wouldnt want silly power, my brother (the ***) has an R32 and an RS6 so i'd never compete lol!! My cavalier was 225 when i'd finished with it, and that cost me less than £600, so if i could do similar to an Octavia i'd be happy. I'm not mad for power!!

[Stuart_J]

To be honest i wouldnt want silly power, my brother (the ***) has an R32 and an RS6 so i'd never compete lol!! My cavalier was 225 when i'd finished with it, and that cost me less than £600, so if i could do similar to an Octavia i'd be happy. I'm not mad for power!!

Spend the money on a custom remap, then get decent front pads, say Ferrodo DS2500 & upgrade the brake fluid to dot 5.1. That will be £600 well spent.

DONT be tempted by cheaper maps, you get what you pay for. A custom map means your car will go on a rolling road & be mapped to get optimum performance out of it. I would recomend Jabbasport but there are a few other good companies, a trawl around on here will throw up some names.

The std 4x4 sits quite high but the handling with stock suspension is pretty good, it adopts a bit of a lean but once you realise its not going any further its very predictable. I ran mine as a stock car for acouple of months and managed to suprise a few on roundabouts

[chicken_eyebrow]

Someone up top mentioned remapping to 210 on either the 150 or 180 Turbo engines, is that on standard internals? And what would that sent one back!? (cheers for all the info so far guys, i'm swaying in the right direction i think!!)

210 is achievable with just a custom remap for £400ish.

You don't have to worry about changing the internals unless you are going the 300bhp+ big turbo route.

[Dunc2610]

Suspension wise, i take it you can go Eibach spring/Koni dampers rather than full on Koni's i've had this setup before and it worked well.

Cheers for all your help so far!!

[chicken_eyebrow]

There was a discussion about this recently and I think the upshot was the Eibach springs are meant for the Mk4 Golf and not really suitable for the Octavia. The H&R springs are a better bet:

http://briskoda.net/octavia-i/what-else-while-fitting-koni-fsd/138223/

[Dunc2610]

Only reason i mentioned Eibachs as thats what combination i've had before and they seem to pair up well with the Koni adjustables i had.

Last question, what kind of MPG could i expect from the 1.8T 4x4? Unmapped and mapped? (i know that custom maps can often up the MPG)

[chicken_eyebrow]

I think the 1.8T 4x4 is just under 30mpg standard.

Remapping it can sometimes give you slightly better mpg as long as you don't go mad with all that power and go around with a lead foot It can be better mpg because you spend less time accelerating to the speed you require and can then stick at that speed.

[Dunc2610]

Just under 30mpg standard? Blimey, is it a heavy car, my Vectra 2.5 V6 will do 32mpg!!

[mannyo]

I used to get mid 30s MPG out of my old remapped vRS.

You get less on the 4x4 because of the additional drivetrain.

[chicken_eyebrow]

It's one of the reasons why I picked a Octavia vRS over the Audi A3 1.8T Quattro when I was looking at cars (that and the fact it was cheaper and newer than the Audi).

Parkers shows 35mpg for the vRS

Skoda Octavia vRS - 1.8T vRS Hatchback 5d - Facts & Figures - Parker's

And 31mpg for the 4x4 Octavia

Skoda Octavia Hatchback - 1.8T Elegance 4x4 5d - Facts & Figures - Parker's

You might be alright with the 4x4 if doing a lot of motorway mileage - you could probably see mid 30's with plenty of long trips and not much around-town driving.

[Dunc2610]

Funny you mention Parkers i just went and looked there, i guess its all down to how you drive it, most my 20 mile journey to work is m'way, so i'm usually doing 70 with cruise control on. So that shouldn't be an issue.

Last question, i promise, what are service parts like costwise?

[chicken_eyebrow]

Servicing costs are the same as most other cars, about £250 from a dealer for a fixed interval service, plus £30 on top for a brake fluid change, you could probably get the service prices down to under £200 at an independent and there are a few of the tuning companies who are partners on this site that will do it for even less (and still use genuine VAG parts). If you have a car on variable interval servicing the service is more expensive because they use an expensive long-life oil.