Finally decided to start actively looking for a replacement for my old Octy I TDI. I do allot of towing and the scout was probably 1st on my list followed by a Jeep patriot with the same VW engine in it.

I looked at the Scout when it 1st came out in 2007 and could have had the local dealers demonstrator for about £17k if I recall correctly so I thought £10-11k would bag me 50k scout no problem as the early ones are pushing 5 years old now. I was pretty surprised to see that some dealers still want just short of £15k for an 08 with 60k miles on the clock. What has happened to the budget skoda brand?!

My other car is a BMW which cost the 1st owner £37k in 2005, I picked it up last year with 21K miles for about £11k.

I've now ruled the Scout off my list and am considering either spending 8-9k on a Patriot or 13k on a 2006 A4 3.0TDI Quattro Avant. Its a shame as I have loved my Octavia but can't afford another skoda. :'( Whats happened?

Budget doesn't equal cheap any more.

Look at the build quality + VW running gear + kit level! We've demanded more and more from the cheap end of the car ranges over the years. Everything has PAS, RCL, EW, CD/MP3 as standard.

Back in 'the day' Felicia's had 'nothing' and started upwards from there.

I realise that new cars are more expensive across the board now but second hand skodas seem to have gone through the roof.

A 57 plate Audi 2.0 TDI 170 Quattro avant is now the same as a Scout to buy with similar mileage despite costing about £10k more than the scout when new.

Skodas just seem to have gone up allot more than most other brands.

Might be a case of losing less than costing more

The point here is not that Skoda's have gone up in price, more that they are retaining their value.

A Skoda is still comparably less expensive than it's equivalents when new, however is holding it's value as well if not better than these same competitors. Add to this brand awareness and people who previously would never even consider a Skoda now seeing them as a serious consideration adds to demand. More demand = Higher price.

I think thats the case, while a new skoda is still cheaper than the equivalent from VW or Audi they seem to be hanging onto their value so well that they appear expensive compared to the others second hand.

Looking at the second hand prices its only the Octavia estate and Yeti that look like they are hanging onto their money like this.

Can all the people who weren't interested in a Skoda's until the yeti was on Top gear go back to buying what they always used to please, so those of us who bought them in the 1990s can still afford another one now. lol

Just spotted a 57 plate new shape XC70 D5 SE LUX with 50 thousand miles on auto trader for £15k from a main dealer. They were £34k new. May have to up my budget!

Just spotted a 57 plate new shape XC70 D5 SE LUX with 50 thousand miles on auto trader for £15k from a main dealer. They were £34k new. May have to up my budget!

Very nice car, I looked at these back in 2009 before I bought the Scout but they were just too expensive.

Very nice car, I looked at these back in 2009 before I bought the Scout but they were just too expensive.

I guess that's my point. If you were buying now and had the choice between a XC70 like that or a Scout that was only 6 months to a year newer for the same money would you have still gone for the Scout?

My link

Here you go, just in case someone wants to buy this and sell me their Scout?

If you looked at the prices of the Scout 15 months ago they were comparable to the rest of the Octavia in relation to their depreciation.

Then came the snow

Since then prices have gone up for S/H Scouts combined with the difficult delivery situation if you bought new.

Just look at how few are for sale on Autotrader and Skoda used car site.

Audi A4 quattro maybe cheaper because a lot more were sold new

If you looked at the prices of the Scout 15 months ago they were comparable to the rest of the Octavia in relation to their depreciation.

Then came the snow

Since then prices have gone up for S/H Scouts combined with the difficult delivery situation if you bought new.

Just look at how few are for sale on Autotrader and Skoda used car site.

Audi A4 quattro maybe cheaper because a lot more were sold new

Agreed, I'd ask yourself if you need four wheel drive for towing or off roading. If you only need it for towing, I'd be looking at Audi A4 & A6 Avant Quattro's. Many more of them out there to choose from and IMHO a better choice that a full blown 4x4 if you are never going to need it's off roaring prowess. I know the Jeep has a VW engine, but they still lag behind in the quality finish and reliability department. They also depreciate like a stone! My mate works at a Ford main dealers and the one they took as a part-ex back end of last year, they have just sent one to auction; no reserve; as they couldn't shift it no matter how they discounted/advertised it! Of course it could have been a real dog, but probably not where i'd stick my money in the present climate.

If on the other hand you do need more of 4x4 style of vehicle, the Volvo is a good halfway option, but for that money you are easily in Freelander/Discovery territory & there are plenty out there in every price bracket!!!

Scouts and 4x4's also appear to have higher second hand values as they are very rarely discounted from new. I think the Scout may once have had a zero VAT offer for a short period, but the Haldex 4x4 (and DSG) are currently in short supply across the VAG range so new prices remain at list and second hand values remain high as a consequence.

I guess that's my point. If you were buying now and had the choice between a XC70 like that or a Scout that was only 6 months to a year newer for the same money would you have still gone for the Scout?

I wouldn't be buying either as they are both too expensive for me.

I bought my Scout back in 2009 because it was the bargain of the century. Less than a year old, 8,000 miles, owned by Skoda UK and only £14K.

An almost identical car on Autotrader almost 2 years later was £2,000 MORE than I paid!

Edited 7 January, 201214 yr by silver1011

Agreed, I'd ask yourself if you need four wheel drive for towing or off roading. If you only need it for towing, I'd be looking at Audi A4 & A6 Avant Quattro's. Many more of them out there to choose from and IMHO a better choice that a full blown 4x4 if you are never going to need it's off roaring prowess. I know the Jeep has a VW engine, but they still lag behind in the quality finish and reliability department. They also depreciate like a stone! My mate works at a Ford main dealers and the one they took as a part-ex back end of last year, they have just sent one to auction; no reserve; as they couldn't shift it no matter how they discounted/advertised it! Of course it could have been a real dog, but probably not where i'd stick my money in the present climate.

If on the other hand you do need more of 4x4 style of vehicle, the Volvo is a good halfway option, but for that money you are easily in Freelander/Discovery territory & there are plenty out there in every price bracket!!!

I agree, the Jeep quality/reliability does lack behind the skoda but a 2008 with low mileage can be had for less than 8.5K saving anything up to 5k on a similar age Scout with higher mileage. For me being able to lock the torque split 50/50 front and rear is also an advantage for doing hill starts on the beach with a boat on the back and none of the 4x4 estate cars provide this. I don't really need a raised ride height but have a few scrapes off lips on the end of slipways so not a bad thing.

Most of the problems with the Patriots seem to be water leaks with the optional factory sunroof and ball joints/track rods in the front suspension which can be sorted for a couple of hundred quid using after market parts. The plastic fantastic interior also suits boating and wet gear/mess etc.

On pure merit the scout is still my 1st choice but considering the prices now I would either spend 8k on the jeep or 15k on the volvo.

The snow factor really annoys me. My MkI octavia made it through some horrendous conditions in the Alps running on snow tyres which I picked up for £55 each. A normal car on winter tyres will almost certainly do better in the snow than the 4x4 with 18" wheels and low profile performance summer rubber.