I'm looking for an economical family estate at the moment and have seen a few 2006 registered Octavia Elegance 1.9 tdi on the market. Can anyone offer me a bit of guidance?

- Am i right that these don't have a dpf so are fine for persistent short runs?

- I've heard that they are noisy as hell at motorway speeds. Is this likely to bother me given that I rattled around for a decade in an old skool Peugeot 405 turbo diesel? (It's not always possible to find somewhere to test drive at full speed up here !)

- Advertised prices seem pretty variable (£6k-£9k). What would be reasonable for one with average mileage for its age (say 40k-50k)

- Do Octavias of this age have an aux socket that I can play an mp3 player through?

- Anything to be aware of when checking one out?

Thanks!

Phil

It will not have a DPF so no need to worry about that (only the VRS diesel had a DPF at this age).

I always thought my 1.9 Elegance was great on the motorways. Very relaxed cruiser. Cant say I ever thought it was overly noisy....

Watch out for the clutch and flywheel - any unusual vibrations whilst engaging the clutch or if the biting point is really close to the floor, just walk away.

Also, look out for turbo issues - overly smokey under hard acceleration or whining noises as it spins up and down.

Window seals for the rear door quarterlights are a weak point on the estates.

Also, if it has ESP (more than likely only ASR at this age though) be prepared for a bill WHEN the Teves MK60 ABS controller fails, plenty of threads on here about this.

Other than that, an excellent car. I test drove both the 1.9 and the 2.0 Estates before I bought, not much difference in noise that I could notice. The only reason I went for the 2.0 is I wanted a 6 speed manual with full leather and all the trimmings (Maxidot, Tunnel Lights, Auto Wipers, Auto dimming wing mirrors etc.), which narrowed it down to a L&K in the price range I was looking in.

Oh, and the extra power

The 1.9pd unit is not as smooth as the newer common rail diesels, but I've driven about 120,000 miles in the 1.9's and they are good motorway cruisers, with good economy.

The later Mk2's with the Stream mp3 have the aux socket, so look at the HU and make sure it say's mp3. The connection is inside the armrest box on the Elegance. If you can afford the Elegance then go for it, it gives you cruise, climate parking sensors etc.

I had an Octavia mk 1 with the 1.9 TDI engine (90bhp) and then a Seat Toledo with the 150bhp version, I never thought either were that noisy at motorway speeds. The only time I really noticed the engine noise particularly was with the window down to swipe through barriers as the engine sounds a bit agricultural but it never bothered me. I'm not sure of the exact point the Stream MP3 unit came in (I'm not even sure if there is an exact time), my Octavia was registered in October 2006 and it has the Stream mp3 unit which from what I've read around here makes it one of the earlier ones to have it.

John

....my Octavia was registered in October 2006 and it has the Stream mp3 unit which from what I've read around here makes it one of the earlier ones to have it.

Mine is a May '06 with Audience HU, and does not have an aux in socket in the jumbo box - or anywhere else unfortunately.

My 56reg Ambiente Estate has the stream mp3 but no aux socket. I moved from a Vaux Omega, so it seems noisy on the motorway, but I've just been getting 70mpg on long A-road trips, and about 35 on the short trips that the petrol Omega used to go as low as 7mpg. I do have to drive for economy.

Over about 55mph, the mpg drops with speed, so I think the aerodynamics are not as good as I'd hoped. It's well put together and doesn't rattle, but the suspension is hopeless on the roads round here. very bouncy. If you have a drive like mine that has to be started up a steep hill and round a 90deg turn, the dmf/clutch combination feels flimsy and very juddery, but the main agent says it feels normal to him. Every now and again I hit what I think is an out of sync dmf, there is a bang and the engine stops, usually in the middle of a corner. It needs a proper heavy flywheel, so I'm just waiting for the dmf to fail.

Based on this and the Focuses I saw when I got this, I'd avoid anything with a dmf in the future. My old auto Disco is like a dream to drive after this Skoda, but I can't get more than 30mpg from it.

Interior space is OK for the mpg, but it won't take an 8x4 sheet of ply in the boot, so it's not as good as my 1500 Mk1 Cortina estate was back in the 60's.

Passengers still complain that the seat material is so cold that it feels wet, so if you have daughters with short skirts beware, or get some cloth for them to sit on.

All the logic and electronic controls are way too complex like most modern cars, and I'd happily scrap all of them for simple locks and switches.

It has a proper spare wheel and my and my passenger's heads do not scrape the roof, so it's better than almost every other car of a similar age that I could afford and that I tried.

If my Octavia fails before I die, and I expect it to, I'll look out for an older car to replace it with.

- Am i right that these don't have a dpf so are fine for persistent short runs?

Correct - neither the normal 1.9TDi nor the 2.0TDi (non-VRS) had DPFs in the UK. If you're doing short runs, I've heard it's a good idea to give it a bit of a run every now and then to let the turbo clear out, etc ...

- I've heard that they are noisy as hell at motorway speeds. Is this likely to bother me given that I rattled around for a decade in an old skool Peugeot 405 turbo diesel? (It's not always possible to find somewhere to test drive at full speed up here !)

My parents have a 2.0TDi Elegance estate, and engine-wise it's pretty quiet at motorway speeds (or, indeed any). My frame of reference is their old Cavalier/Carlton 2.0 petrol, my friend's 2004 Golf 1.9TDi, and my Fabia. When they were looking, at normal speeds, there wasn't a noise difference between the 1.9TDi and 2.0TDi they test drove. I will say it gets a little rattly in the back due to vibrations in the sliding boot cover.

Correct - neither the normal 1.9TDi nor the 2.0TDi (non-VRS) had DPFs in the UK. If you're doing short runs, I've heard it's a good idea to give it a bit of a run every now and then to let the turbo clear out, etc ...

Only exception there is the Scout model - the PD140 in those have a DPF. But yes, if you're looking at an Elegance for example - no DPF. One of the reasons I went for that spec/engine combo myself

Cheers,

Steve

Thanks fellas!

A change of plan was enforced by the missus after I dragged her round a few dealers at the weekend - she now fancies a new car. So we're probably going for a petrol given the number of very short trips she makes.

I'll bank the advice given above though...I might be facing a longer commute at some point and bagging a used TDI for a second car will then be back on the agenda...