elegance the best bet?

[john96]

Hi guys,

looking at 1.9 PD elegance as my next motor, is it worth (any) extra outlay against the ambiente? Budget of 4-6K, estate is preferred option at moment, and which level of HP is the more reliable?

Cheers.

[Octygone]

The elegance has a Vast improvement in toys and comfort over the Ambient...1.9 pd tdi is 105 bhp and is probably the best bet, this can chipped to around 150bhp if needed

[james26]

The Ambient is a bit Taxi spec, people will see why it's cheeper than a VW Golf, but with Elegance "my what a nice car"

James.

[Nick P]

Elegance is definitely worth having over Ambiente. TBH, at 4 years old there's barely any price difference. I'd rather have a 1.9 PD105 Elegance than a 2.0 PD140 Ambiente any day.

[gadgetman]

ROFL.

Could just see you with pipe and slippers Simeon. Thinking about it, could see me too! :eek:

[john96]

im 38 so im ready for the pipe anyway!

any major probs i should look for at this price, I assume cam belt change would be the big one?

[Gillywibble]

Definitely go for the Elegance. Excellent spec.

[Paul007]

The L&K isn't worth the extra. As others have said, go for the Elegance. Keep an eye out for the exhaust pressure sensor/dpf problems too if you go down the diesel route.

[james26]

Elegance with the "Luxury pack (leather upholstery, active headrests, heated front

seats, multi-function steering wheel, Maxi-dot trip computer,

electric memory seats and mirrors, 16” ‘Lyra’ alloys)" is the dream short of L&K! (this is pre FL)

JAMES.

[Willum]

The L&K isn't worth the extra. As others have said, go for the Elegance. Keep an eye out for the exhaust pressure sensor/dpf problems too if you go down the diesel route.

Yeah, the difference in price between a new L&K and an Elegance is obscene, judging by the Skoda UK website.

There's much less of a gap between Elegance and SE.

[Nick P]

im 38 so im ready for the pipe anyway!

any major probs i should look for at this price, I assume cam belt change would be the big one?

john - cambelt change isn't until 90k on the 1.9tdi. Main things to check for would be:

Dual Mass Flywheel. Someone mentioned a DPF (diesel particulate filter) above, but this engine doesn't have one of those so I assume they meant DMF (dual mass fly wheel). Just check there's no judder as you pull away and no excessive vibrations when the engine's putting out a lot of torque say between 1500 and 2000 rpm as you accelerate.

Turbo. Just listen out for excessive whining / whistling sound at higher rpms say in 1st - 3rd gear. The turbo on the 1.9 is more reliable than the one on the 2.0.

More minor things to check:

Check no paint has been rubbed away on the front door sills by the doors.

On the estate, check for bubbling in the paint on the styled horizontal "crease" across the tailgate.

Check cruise control is working (on the end of the indicator stalk).

By the way, for reference, the list of differences between Ambiente and Elegance is thus:

Arm rest (known as jumbo box), dual zone climate, auto dipping mirror, auto wipers, parking sensors, nicer (16") alloys, leather stearing wheel and gear stick knob / gaitor, headlight washers and cruise control.

Edited 1 August, 2009 by wega3k

[moley]

I've owned an ambiente and I now have the Elegance and although I wasn't fussed about having the extra toys I'd sure miss them if I went back to the ambiente trim. Climate control, cruise control & the reversing sensors are worth having. The Elegance estate also has the level floor which is easily removable. I run mine with the rubber floor mat in the boot most of the time, but when on Holiday I put the level floor kit back in.

[Hairy Chris]

john - cambelt change isn't until 90k on the 1.9tdi.

Or due at 4 years old if the mileage hasn't been reached.

[john96]

thanks for the input lads!

[homedad]

By the way, for reference, the list of differences between Ambiente and Elegance is thus:

Arm rest (known as jumbo box), dual zone climate, auto dipping mirror, auto wipers, parking sensors, nicer (16") alloys, leather stearing wheel and gear stick knob / gaitor, headlight washers and cruise control.

My ambiente spec must have had a few extras fitted by the original owner.

It has parking sensors front and rear , and cruise control. If it didn't have cruise I wouldn't have bought it.

None of the other bits bother me if they were fitted or not. Infact I would rather not have auto wipers, and auto dipping mirror. When i'm driving, I decide when I want something to happen.

[PumpeDuse]

Or due at 4 years old if the mileage hasn't been reached.

Skoda are now recommending 60,000 miles, or 4 yrs

[Terry_McCann]

I think in the end it always depends on your experiences with previous cars and what you really want / need in your car.

2 years ago I bought a Renault Megane with limited resources of 10000 Euros I had available. As I also wanted a nice plushy trim I went for a luxe privilege top-of-the-range model. To make it fit into my budget I had to stretch to 80000 kms of mileage on the car.

This is a thing I had better not done because in the 18 months after that the car took some 4000 Euros in repairs .... mainly on warranty but it didn't look like it would be over once the warranty ended.

So, now with the Octavia I made a different approach. I had 14000 Euros to spend and I only went for an example with maximum warranty left, minimum age and mileage and ended up with a classic model. OK, it's got the Climatic AC, remote controlled central locking and the double layered boot floor, but also manual windows and black mirrors and roofrail and stuff like that. But it got a full 2 years of manufacturers warranty left is is from 08/2007 - in my (current) view this weighs more than buying a car with many toys and 80000 kms on the clock.

So, what I am trying to say is, don't let yourself be blinded by too much toys if you are limited on cash and try to find a good compromise between mileage and costs and all that....

Elsewhere I agree, Elegance is THE way to go if compare all the versions available...

Don't forget to post pictures once you found your car....

Edited 2 August, 2009 by Terry_McCann

[gadgetman]

The L&K isn't worth the extra. As others have said, go for the Elegance. Keep an eye out for the exhaust pressure sensor/dpf problems too if you go down the diesel route.

Many people like me spec'd their elegance's up. BUT some options the L&K worked out cheaper.

All depends what options you're after....

[Brimma]

ROFL.

Could just see you with pipe and slippers Simeon. Thinking about it, could see me too! :eek:

I think I can imagine you both, sat together, watching Countdown, drinking Horlicks - we could visit in the home and have a meet !!! :rofl:

Sorry, back on topic - Elegance without a doubt

[Burnsey]

I think in the end it always depends on your experiences with previous cars and what you really want / need in your car.

2 years ago I bought a Renault Megane with limited resources of 10000 Euros I had available. As I also wanted a nice plushy trim I went for a luxe privilege top-of-the-range model. To make it fit into my budget I had to stretch to 80000 kms of mileage on the car.

This is a thing I had better not done because in the 18 months after that the car took some 4000 Euros in repairs .... mainly on warranty but it didn't look like it would be over once the warranty ended.

So, now with the Octavia I made a different approach. I had 14000 Euros to spend and I only went for an example with maximum warranty left, minimum age and mileage and ended up with a classic model. OK, it's got the Climatic AC, remote controlled central locking and the double layered boot floor, but also manual windows and black mirrors and roofrail and stuff like that. But it got a full 2 years of manufacturers warranty left is is from 08/2007 - in my (current) view this weighs more than buying a car with many toys and 80000 kms on the clock.

So, what I am trying to say is, don't let yourself be blinded by too much toys if you are limited on cash and try to find a good compromise between mileage and costs and all that....

Elsewhere I agree, Elegance is THE way to go if compare all the versions available...

Don't forget to post pictures once you found your car....

Apples and oranges - comparing reliability of a renault with a skoda, hmmm jd power survey anyone. Anyway, if it bothers you buy an extended warranty and allow yourself to have the car you want. 1.9tdi is a decent mix of torque and economy, costing me less than 10p a mile in fuel on mix of town and country driving.

[darrenw]

Elegance here too.

Big advantage over the L&K? You can have black leather seats in the FL.

[Taxi 219]

The Ambient is a bit Taxi spec

James.

Wrong its too good for a taxi but the Classic is Taxi spec

[PumpeDuse]

Wrong its too good for a taxi but the Classic is Taxi spec

seconded

[villa1]

Us lads in the emerald isle get ambient spec for our elegance money(07 1.9tdi). Tis a bit of a rip off!! Wish i had the UK elegance spec.

[psycholist]

I got a UK spec 55 reg car a while ago after looking at various 'Elegance' spec Skodas in Ireland. The UK model seems to have more toys alright. Including import through a dealer in Tipperary it cost about the same as all the other Irish cars I was looking at, just with full dealer service history, a CD changer and cruise control...