I am looking to replace my 2002 Superb early next year and fancy a 2.0T VRS Estate.

All of the car mag reviews recommend them however I don't want to buy a pup.

What things should I look out for and what should I be able to get for between £7000 - £9000.

Would I be better off buying Private or from a Garage / Dealer

I am hoping to buy in Jan/Feb 2012, is this a good time of year.

Many thanks

going off my experience i bought the exact model last year. i would say go for peace of mind and get one from a dealer. you will pay a bit more but if you buy a later model you should be able to get an approved used skoda. this will give you 12 months breakdown cover ( hopefully not needed) and skoda warranty which is the same as a new car warranty!! well worth the extra in my opinion!! give you peace of mind. later models have others such as 18inch alloys rear elecric windows jumbo box and aux output again worth looking for. hope this helps.

You've not got much to watch out for TBH. The 2.0 TFSI engine is really strong, though judging by your budget, it'll probably be due a cambelt change (every 4 years).

Depending on how the market is, you should be able to get yourself into a 56/57 plate at least. If you can get a later car, you should get 18" wheels, dual zone climate control and the jumbo box too. You should also be able to get a car with relatively low milage too.

The time of year won't make a massive difference to the value as it's not a season dependent motor like a cabriolet.

The best advice I can give is to test drive a few. You won't be disappointed, it's a fantastic car.

See if the ABS unit has been replaced they commonly go at that age, that's not as big a deal as it was.

Check the ABS light will go off and on (switch off ESP to put it on) allegedly some people have been taking out the bulbs to cover up the brake fault.

Timing belts are to be done at 4yr (matter of debate whether it's just a money maker for VAG).

Check the cruise control if it has it, the contacts in the stalk get gunky after about 4yr, easy fix again but worth checking.

My TFSI is an 07 with 50k on the clock and other than the cruise control needing the contacts cleaned it's still solid as a rock (touch wood)and drives like new.

I just bought a tfsi hatch. I paid in the top end of your budget. Because I needed finance I bought from a main dealer. The Skoda website is easy to use and shows a good selection of cars available. Generally speaking I found there to be a much higher amount of diesel vRSs for sale.

Anyway I'd say look about and travel (I covered 300 miles and spent 2 days traveling) but I ended up with a 56 reg with 26k, rear parking sensors, climate control and maxidot. Furthermore the dealer changed the cambelt for me and I was able to benefit from 2 years MOT and servicing, GAP insurance and life shine.