HI guys new here so first off all a big hellow to you all and hopefully become a very active member thru time as hopefully be getting my first Octavia vrs very soon, well just as soon as I shift my Subaru impreza wrx !! looking for something slightly better on the fuel as 99% off the scoobys use is town driving, short stop / start journies and with the scooby struggling to get 24mpg with this type off driving and not a great deal more on motorway journies just feel its time to move on and the vrs is the next car on my wanted list !!

okay noticed this one on ebay for sale recently, listing is finished but car still for sale, owner is looking for £8500 , one owner low mileage model 2008 petrol model which certainly interests me !! would have prefered a blue one but the red still looks nice !!

so okay what about the price off 8.5k - reasonable or over priced ?? anything to look out for with this particular model when buying ??? likely mpg figures town driving and lastly can this model be remapped without causing any harm to the clutch / gearbox, appreciatte the petrol engine does not respond as well as the diesel model with regards a remap but is there worthwhile gains to be had with a simple remap off this particular model ??

been advised the road tax will be the the hefty £240 level , insurance on the vrs models not too bad ?? hopefully slightly better than the £600 off the scooby !!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280807544294&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123

Any help / advice on any off the above would be much appreciatted, thanks.

Realistically, not sure you'll get much better mpg from a VRS if most of your driving is around town - my average is about 28/29mpg when doing the stop/start commuting. Longer journies/motorway are well into mid 30s. If you're looking for a thrifty runabout then think again! Spot on with the road tax, insurance seemed OK - to put this into perspective, I moved to VRS ownership from an old Civic estate. I loved that heap, never failed but the VRS just got under my skin and I've not looked back since, constant grin. The running costs are almost comparible - road tax for the Civic was £220, insurance was £330. VRS road tax - £240 and insurance £360. Guess what I'd rather be driving for an extra £20 here or there. Oh, and Civic fuel consumption was about 27mpg regardless of town or motorway, it liked a drink.

All in all, if you're determined to change cars then the VRS has so many other qualities to consider; quick, comfortable, spacious, plenty kit etc. so it's more about what you think any purchase is worth to you. If you're wanting cheap running costs then head for a diesel supermini - the VRS is never going to be 'cheap' but for what you get it's not the most expensive fun option out there. Sorry, can't comment on the ebay ad - sounds not too bad but there will be better informed price experts on the forum! Should be plenty of information on what to watch out for if you do a quick search - the only thing I asked about was if the coil pack issue which is easily checked with SkodaUK.

Not sure when the TSI came in over the TFSI but I think it' one VED bracket lower. £240 is a bit of a thump every year.

Insurance is relatively cheap.

TFSI will be lucky to do much more than 24mpg in town. I can get 35-37 at a steady 70mph and have seen the very occasional 40+ on slower runs.

An 08 will be due the Cam belt this year and quite a large service.

£8500 is probably dear for an 08 unless it's very high spec.

Autotrader has a Higher mileage (68k) 58 plate for £8k and that's an approved used with the warranty.

IS this the same as the Ebay one?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201203442336318

Advice that is always given on here, to prospective new owner.

Go & drive one first before buying, as there is the possibility you may not like the way it drives.

...lastly can this model be remapped without causing any harm to the clutch / gearbox, appreciatte the petrol engine does not respond as well as the diesel model with regards a remap but is there worthwhile gains to be had with a simple remap off this particular model ??...

Whoa, whoa! Who told you that?

You get very significant gains from a Stage 1 map on these engines.

Also, taking it up to Stage 1 (200bhp to ~235bhp and 207lbft to ~270lbft) leaves you within normal ranges for the drivetrain components, the clutch is the same as used in the S3, Leon Cupra etc, which put out the same/more power as standard than a stage 1 remapped vRS.

My long-term average is ~27mpg, but that includes a lot of v.short trips. On a decent run I've *just* touched 40mpg, but mostly hover around 35-37.

Budget for around 20p per mile for petrol costs.

With regards to a remap, petrol will get you bigger gains than diesel.

The newer TSI engine even more so than the previous TFSI.

Good luck finding a nice car. Lots of great advice on here.

You won't look back once you're into a vRS!

Oh, and welcome to Briskoda!

Hi guys first off all sorry for the slight delay in getting back to you all to say thanks for the info really do appreciatte that, yep the octavia vrs in the autotrader is the exact same car as the was listed on ebay.

again look okay for the money ?? the owner has advised me that even thou the car has a full dealer service history the cam belt does not require changing until 50k ??

any gains to be made with a remap off this petrol vrs with regards increased mpg figures obviously if the extra performance gains were not constantly used ??!!

Cam belt is 4yr or 60k however it's been serviced.

Service allegedly says different (I've never looked) but the current advice is 4yr.

I had mine done last year, it probably would have lasted quite a bit longer but I'm not taking the chance on that bit of the car.

A few posters have reported mpg gains with a remap if the car is driven for economy.

Edited 20 January, 201214 yr by Aspman

I got my 2007 petrol vRS in November last year and mpg is not stellar, but then again I am mainly doing short trips so the car is barely getting warmed up. Weekly average is around 27mpg, long runs fully laden with kids and bags goes to about 33mpg, by myself on a long run is about the 35-36 mark.

I have pretty much given up looking at mpg, I just drive it gently until warmed up, and if I feel like booting it there is lots of poke available. Very good torque means not changing gear all that often as well, so almost like a diesel to drive (apart from filling up more often of course). I tested a diesel before getting mine, and while that was nicely quick but my preference was for a petrol one if I could get it. I will probably have no choice but change to diesel with the next car, as Irish folk do not really get petrol RSs any more due to Tax.

I was told by my dealer that the cambelt is either mileage or age, with 5 years being when it is due. I had it done a month ago as a precaution when some other stuff was being fixed, so I am good for another 5 now. Normal price for that, including the water pump is about €550 here in Ireland.

Great car to drive though, but a little soft in the suspension department. This would be a higher priority for me than more power, as that would just make things even more wayward on bumpy roads. I am planning on fitting an H&R Cup Kit when funds allow, as I have heard good things about it.

Drive a couple if you can, preferably a new one first so you know what a good tight car should feel like.

Having owned a 54 plate WRX, the vRS is in a different league economy wise. Don't look at a remap as a potential money saver as the cost of it will far outweigh any fuel you might save. Chances are, you will want to boot it everywhere as it drastically improves how the car drives.

I had my WRX remapped to 270bhp, but I have to say that my current vRS is a far better car (other than the AWD and the exhaust note obviously).

Perfect again guys appreciatte the info, stay tuned !!