This is probably a bit of a ramble. One consequence of online forums for car makes is that a huge number of postings are about problems and niggles with our chosen chariots. I know it is probably unlikely that we are going to endlessly post about trouble free miles but in general on here, even reading through quite difficult problems the overall impression seems to be that Skoda drivers like their cars and are willing find ways round poor dealers, bad servicing, broken bits etc etc because the cars are excellent value and good to drive etc.... so I feel that if I were an "outsider" thinking of buying a Skoda, I would be encouraged by the impression this forum creates.

So, as a middle aged bloke I started having this barking mad fantasy of having a "fun" rag top, in addition to my Skoda, to amuse myself and went to explore the online forum to see what problems owners have with modern versions. ( I have owned 4 cars from this particular Italian marque in the past, loved them all even when they dissolved in the rain and fell apart ) The first post I read was one about the demister causing fires under the dashboard.... and the second was from someone who's electric hood regularly got stuck half closed and a dealership who couldn't fix it, he spoke in less than flattering terms about it and said he couldn't wait to get rid of "this heap of junk"....adding that no amount of affection for the marque or the beauty of the car would persuade him to keep it. Anyway I left well and truly put off my middle aged dream of owning a beautiful red Alfa Spyder and just keep my fingers crossed that Skoda will one day do another convertible before I am too old to care

Edited 11 May, 201115 yr by hugothebear

Don't despair!

As well as a Yeti,my wife has a BMW E30 318 cabriolet and I have an E30 325 Motorsport cabriolet(not quite roadworthy as we speek.).

We previously owned a fabulous Mazda Limited edition Eunos(MX5)

They are/were all great to own.:p

Someone said before it's like going into a Doctor's surgery and wondering why there's so many ill people there. It's just a place to ask about faults that arise and other queries. Some people post up their latest mods, recent purchases and can also review dealerships which I think is a nice touch. All car forums catering for a specific marque are like this with the exception being Pistonheads, even though it does have specific sections is more general.

I'm not saying this because I'm here but Briskoda is easily the best forum I'm on. It's the most knowledgeable and friendly car forum I've ever been on and I've been on loads over the years. Very rarely do we get a troll and when they do turn up we all have a laugh at their expense for a bit and it's quickly snuffed out. Same goes for keyboard warriors. Also when it comes to problems and common faults with Skoda's there's plenty of people here who give sound advice to fixing the problem and not just the usual "it's f***ed mate" like you see on other forums. Just look at the Fabia I forum for how many threads are stickied for FAQ's, common faults, part numbers, etc.

Also have a look at how many people are now FREEDOM members, all showing support for the site.

Yes it must be strange.

I think you need to differentiate between those who get them second hand and those who buy them new.

Anybody who recognises Skoda as part of VW and is not a badge snob would recognise that Skoda is a great buy new or second hand.

Being a data nut I took my copies of What Car and analysed all the data and the answer always comes back as Skoda.

Bought a new one, or sometime two, each year for the last 14 years or so as we do about 100K miles a year.

Skoda has been a magical brand for over 100 years, easily the best European brand.

The challenge is going to come from the Far East. Hyundai is particularly strong and it will be interesting to see how MG go.

Talking to some people in Skoda there is a rumour that in addition to Suzuki VAG may buy Alfa but I cannot understand why VAG would want another Euro currency based place more likely to move SEAT to Mexico I reckon.

Edited 11 May, 201115 yr by lol

I'm not saying this because I'm here but Briskoda is easily the best forum I'm on. It's the most knowledgeable and friendly car forum I've ever been on and I've been on loads over the years. Very rarely do we get a troll and when they do turn up we all have a laugh at their expense for a bit and it's quickly snuffed out. Same goes for keyboard warriors. Also when it comes to problems and common faults with Skoda's there's plenty of people here who give sound advice to fixing the problem and not just the usual "it's f***ed mate" like you see on other forums. Just look at the Fabia I forum for how many threads are stickied for FAQ's, common faults, part numbers, etc.

Slightly off-topic I guess but I would buy another Skoda partly because the forum is so good. We've had a few problems over the years with my wife's Peugeot & it was always more difficult to get to the answers; perhaps because there are so many different Peugeot forums. Another example of a well supported marque, forum wise, is JEEP. Very easy to find info on almost anything when I had my Cherokee.

In fact I think 'forum quality' will be a fairly important factor when I buy another car.

Slightly off-topic I guess but I would buy another Skoda partly because the forum is so good. We've had a few problems over the years with my wife's Peugeot & it was always more difficult to get to the answers; perhaps because there are so many different Peugeot forums. Another example of a well supported marque, forum wise, is JEEP. Very easy to find info on almost anything when I had my Cherokee.

In fact I think 'forum quality' will be a fairly important factor when I buy another car.

Exactly the impression I had when I first started looking at buying my car.

I posted up identical posts on here and SCN saying I was looking for a Fabia vRS or Ibiza FR, here I got a very friendly welcome, whereas on SCN I got nothing.

This has got to be the friendliest forum I've ever been on.

First impression of this forum? Good, otherwise I wouldn't look into a skoda as enthusiastically. I'm part of another forum which made the car experience a lot better. When I first looked at Briskoda I did notice an higher numbers of threads relating to general issues/faults of the car but, those were also followed by advises, previous experiences and constructive comments.

All I need now is to own a skoda

I wouldn't advise buying an Alfa unless you are willing to spend a lot of money maintaining it. Nor, in general, would I advise buying a fwd drive Alfa. However once you have owned Alfas you tend to find that they pay back in driving pleasure in ways that are hard to explain to owners of 'normal' cars.

If you want a cheap to own / cheap to drive soft-top try looking for an MX-5. There are many dogs out there but some good cars as well, and at least they have the benefit of being rwd. The Mk1 is said to be the most 'pure' in terms of a driving experience, but the later Mk2 (which has projector headlamps) is also very good. There is also an enthusiastic following.

My memories of Alfa are perhaps rose tinted, among others I had a beautiful 1st series Guilia Sprint many years ago, basically a very simple car which was a joy to drive and easy to work on, alas they are now way beyond my pocket and more recent Alfas with fwd and complex electronics not so "user friendly"... Mazda MX5 is indeed very attractive little car and I see that Toyota MR2 GT's are quite reasonable and supposedly very reliable and although not convertible there is a T Roof version with removeable panels... oh well, half the fun is the dreaming and planning So in due course I will also visit the Toyota forums to see how helpful they are and find out if the MR2 is as reliable as reputation suggests.

Edited 12 May, 201115 yr by hugothebear

There may still be some Rapid convertables about, and there are certainly some surviving RWD Felicia convertables.

Compared to many forums where you see a 'help!' post and people just say use the search or something, it's much better here. Also very friendly, trolls etc are ignored and most of the advice is well written and useful, not some half hearted input.

I've not owned a car Skoda for about 14months, but I'm still here, as are many others - says a lot about it IMO.

First impression of this forum? Good, otherwise I wouldn't look into a skoda as enthusiastically. I'm part of another forum which made the car experience a lot better. When I first looked at Briskoda I did notice an higher numbers of threads relating to general issues/faults of the car but, those were also followed by advises, previous experiences and constructive comments.

All I need now is to own a skoda

If it helps, Hughes Skoda in Aylesbury were pretty good when ever I've used them seeings as I think they're your closest dealer.

Edited 12 May, 201115 yr by TriggerFish

Interesting thread - I think people reading after searching off the web will think its a great resource and as others have mentioned might draw them towards a Skoda! I always find it funny when I search google that this forum crops up a lot! I would think this forum overall gives an impression that the cars are good to work on and affordable.

With wanting a soft top I would consider - Felicia Fun (back of cab opens out), older Skoda Rapid Cabriolet (as mentioned above), and of course an MX5! Of course I am a bit biased with the last one - they are cracking little cars!

As for Doctors surgeries - MartynVRS mentioned, you do indeed see the worst of it. I have worked in the NHS for the past 5 years!