Are they worth it?

[4matt]

Sorry in advance everyone.

If the yeti is so good, why are there so many of them for sale second hand?

I am in the process of negotiating with her in doors and she is convinced they are not up to much. She loves the B-Class you see..... Even though its running costs are way more than a SIMULAR sized car. I need amo to back up my reasons for changing cars.

I bow down and take my punishment be gentle with me. LOL

[Yetigreenline2]

Dunno where your'e looking but when we were looking for a skoda yeti last year we did a auto trader search and it came up with 20 in total over the whole uk and none of them where greenline models so i would say its the opposite there are not many at all for sale used

[Yetigreenline2]

I find my yeti to be the best car yet though build quality is awesome from the time we have had it for a car that is based on a golf chassis inside room is enormous, and the yeti is one of the most versatile cars on the market today i reckon 5 seater, 4 seater, 2 seater, Van, 4x4, etc etc the list goe's on and also it does not look like a MPV as i hate Mpv's

[bal]

Dunno where your'e looking but when we were looking for a skoda yeti last year we did a auto trader search and it came up with 20 in total over the whole uk and none of them where greenline models so i would say its the opposite there are not many at all for sale used

I think a large percentage of these second-hand Yeti's are demonstrators. Perhaps whilst determining the popularity of the Yeti you should be looking at the new car end of the market, ie the long waiting list for the SM - usually a good indicator for most popular products.

Take it from me, book a test drive and you will be, at the very least, pleasantly surprised.

[weasley]

I currently run a B Class and have a Yeti arriving next week (to run alongside the B, not replace it). They are similar in some ways but different in others. What I like about the B is the high floor and high seating, which makes insertion and extraction of kids into child seats easy on the back. The Yeti has high seat but a lower floor, which makes the seating a bit more 'sit up and beg' compared to the rather low-slung seating feel of the B. The rear legroom is also good in the B, on a par with the Yeti.

The Yeti's boot is similar is dimensions but the B does taper significantly towards the roof, where the Yeti is boxier (and therefore more commodious). I find the engine in the B quite agricultural - definitely not a match for other Mercs and some way behind other marques for refinement - the Yeti engine is a far more pleasant unit to live with in terms of NVH.

Ride in the B is a bit harsh (and that's with the optional 'comfort' springs). The turning circle rivals the Queen Mary's and the steering geometry really promotes understeer and excessive tyre side-slip in tight corners - my first set of tyres went only 12,000 miles. The interior is quite old-generation too and does not look or feel like a MB-family car. The Yeti is more nimble, more fun to drive and the interior is a great mix of VW quality and Skoda charm and practicality.

Of course the major win for the Yeti is the possibility of 4WD.

I chose the B because we wanted an 'MPV' without looking too mumsy (think Zafira, Golf Plus, C-Max); the B does at least try to look a bit 'sporty'. However we chose the Yeti on its looks, practicality, value for money and general Yetiness.

[BossFox]

There are not a lot for sale.

There are 237 Yeti for sale on Autotrader, including the demos. (quite a few are demos)

In 2011 8983 Yeti were taxed according to "How many left?".

If less than 3% of all cars sold in the UK are for sale on one of the UK's biggest sales mediums, it is not a lot.

Maybe if they were terrible and had only sold 50 it'd look like they are much more popular, even if they were all for sale.

Ours is shortly to go into a dealer in part exchage so will be for sale...

Why?

Because it's so good and held it's money so well that it makes sense to us to upgrade to a newer Yeti.

[ejstubbs]

There are 237 Yeti for sale on Autotrader, including the demos. (quite a few are demos)

In 2011 8983 Yeti were taxed according to "How many left?".

Careful... There are 273 Yeti's listed on the Skoda UK approved used finder (142 diesel, 131 petrol). Howmanyleft says there were 8,983 licensed in the UK in Q3 2011, so 3% are being sold on. Compare that to the B class: 588 approved used nationwide, and 34,404 registered in Q3 2011 means only 1.7% being sold on. So the B class does look better by that measure.

I think the mistake the OP is making is trying to combat an emotional response (OP's SWMBO "loves" the B class) with rationality and logic. That kind of thing will only end in tears...

To the OP: Has she driven either a Yeti or a B class? It's surprising how a close acquaintance with the object of your desires "in the flesh" can take the glint out of your eye. My SWMBO was dead set on getting another Renault Clio until she had a test drive in a recent used one. She now has a Polo! (I drove the Clio too and there was definitely something odd about the feel of the power steering.)

(Funny story: SWMBO complained to me that the Polo's interior light "didn't work". Turned out she had turned it off herself. When asked why, she said it was because it didn't go off when she shut the door. She had never had a car with a courtesy delay on the interior light before!)

[Bobdog]

I certainly prefer my Yeti to my last two cars (Volvo V50 and Audi A4 Avant), and whilst I'm not intending to replace it any time soon, at the moment my thinking is that my next car is likely to be another one.

[Trevorminor]

According to Skoda UK, there are 72 Yeti available within 100 miles of me.

The same figure for B Class up to 2 years old is 296 via Mercedes UK.

About 4 B Class for every Yeti. According to ejstubbs, the comparative sales for new was 3.8 B Class for every Yeti

So I reckon that the number available secondhand should cause no need to worry - I'll fetch my Anorak

[grayson]

There's plenty of BMW series for sale too but not heard too many complaints about them. There aren't very many Renault Vel Satis- there may be a reason for this.

[MacFadyin]

There aren't very many Renault Vel Satis- there may be a reason for this.

Probably because it hasn't been imported to the UK for several years.

I came to a Yeti from a seven year old Vel Satis,. I'm very happy with the choice however had a new VS been available the choice would have een much more difficult.

[andyspan]

I suppose, being realistic, as the Yeti becomes more and more prolific there are bound to be more secondhand ones available. It would be interesting to know how many are actually outside the dealer network and have been traded for rival brands. I suspect not many have been traded for anything else apart from another Skoda or another Yeti. I only know of one local owner who traded for an Octavia estate because I assume he wanted a bit of extra boot room, although my dealer told me the customer in question changed his car frequently and seemed to be going through the whole Skoda range one at a time!

[r999]

Howmanyleft says there were 8,983 [Yetis] licensed in the UK in Q3 2011

It does indeed. However, Howmanyleft also says there were 4995 petrol Yetis and 9461 diesel Yetis at that time. So the very same data are being used to produce a grand total of 8,983, but also a total (adding petrols to diesels) of 14,456.

Everyone knows (and Howmanyleft explains) why there are problems with the data they use, but this is such an extreme example of the discrepancies that one should hesitate to deduce anything at all from their figures.

[My_Yeti]

Are we talking about a new B-Class or a Yeti, because I really like the B-Class interior.

[grayson]

Probably because it hasn't been imported to the UK for several years.

I came to a Yeti from a seven year old Vel Satis,. I'm very happy with the choice however had a new VS been available the choice would have een much more difficult.

You are right of course- but very few were ever sold here. I thought it was impossibly cool looking, in a bonkers french sort of way but few people appeared to share my view. The Avantime was also as mad as a box of grenouilles ...

[900000]

4matt did you do a similar search for Cashcows? How many of those are for sale? A think you will found thousands and thousands more. So the amount of Yetis for sale sounds about right to me.

As to Yeti over B-class you only need look at the Driver Power survey from the Auto Express magazine for 2011 to see why the Yeti is good (as voted by owners). Whatever your wife has read (or badge snobbery she might believe?) the survey proves her 100% wrong:

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/driver_power/

In the top 100 the B-class does not even feature!!!! (not because it is that bad, just I suspect, that they did not have enough of a sample from owners to include it at all):

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/driver_power/265609/the_top_100.html

Are you looking at a secondhand B? So you are looking at the previous shape one? If you do go and test drive the B just do one thing: get in and look at where the steering wheel sits in relation to the driver's seat. Yes it is not centre on the seat. It is a good 35mm off centre towards the centre of the car... Now imagine your body sitting behind an offset steering wheel like that for say 12,000 miles every year... Will your lower back appreciate that?! I think not.

[JCP]

Are we talking about a new B-Class or a Yeti, because I really like the B-Class interior.

That does look very luxurious, how much is a "B" class with that level of trim/equipment and an adequate engine?

The interior of the Range Rover vogue is nice too but not a Yeti competitor.

[4matt]

weasley Thank you. Your reply was great. I agree with all your comments about the B.

ejstubbs Swmbo, doesn't drive! mobility problems and a wheel chair. Her access is all important.

My_Yeti Yes the New B is rather nice, however I would not buy another MB full stop. I would however keep running our existing B as funds allow. The new B is also not able to tow our caravan, existing B does and quite well too.

With regards the numbers for sale it was an observation made by "her in doors" while I was looking on line. She and I quote said. " Considering the yeti has only been out a little while there seem to be a lot being re-sold. Are they crap cars. " end quote. If you consider the length of time the B has been around and the volume of sales second hand I cant see how you can do the maths as easy as some do.

Like I said in my OP sorry in advance. I am just trying to get as much feed back to back up my argument to replace the beloved B.

Edited 3 February, 2012 by 4matt

[4matt]

900000 Thank you for the reply. Had my B from march 2008 had not noticed the off set wheel until quite recently. I do enjoy the car and feel its a good car. Can drive 600 miles on a tank of fuel get out the other end feeling fresh as when I got in its that comfortable. The cabin is very old fashioned but solid and uncluttered not fussy like new fords and other space age cars. I like the inside of the B and only bought it because the price at the time was less than the comparable C4 Picasso the closest rival at the time that suited our needs. I do not like the high service costs and the fact I had to have new rear discs on its second service at a cost including service of 700 uk pounds. I also hate the customer service MB provide its all such a smarmy pressure led system. Text after text trying to sell you a new car, from the second month of ownership. Continual mail sent through the post with offer after offer to get you to part with money... They are the pits.