Evening everyone .

Right so i decided that in the near future i'll be the proud owner of a skoda superb (although i said a couple of years ago i'll never drive one in my life ) after a bad experience with a vw passat that set me back about 3k in a matter of 2 months .

Now i really like everything about the car ,the fact that os big (i'm a saloon fan ) the gizmos u get for a fair price and all of that but i don't know anything about mechanics .. some would say i'm shallow as i always go for the looks but hey we only got a lifetime so i guess we should go for what we like .

Now i'll be going for one between the two :

1st one is on autotrader

http://autotrader.mobi/used-cars/advert/201210454668316/viewing-3/0?PHPSESSID=erhfgti0epmp2ec9hqfqa8pa62

And the second one would be on ebay

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=170946085475&index=0&nav=WATCHING&nid=67218511800

Now i know both of them aren't the best ones on the market but which should i go for as my budget can't stretch more . I'm a bit scared of the 2.0 as the 58 passat that i had shared this engine and i can't afford to spend so much money with a car . Any known problems..? Things i should look at ? Isn't 180k more then loads of miles ..? Noob here so please give me a comprehensive advice if possible . Cheers

The Autotrader link didn't work for me. The other one has high mileage (though not high for a taxi) and it looks a though the timing belt, water pump etc (roughly £400) is due for change. I'd enquire about the Diesel Particulate Filter condition - that's a costly replacement if it's past it and use What Car's used car valuation service to estimate what your maximum bid should be.

I'm sure you'll go and see it and drive it before bidding and as you say you're not mechanically minded take someone with you who is!

If you can't, my advice would be simple - walk away.

The Autotrader link didn't work for me. The other one has high mileage (though not high for a taxi) and it looks a though the timing belt, water pump etc (roughly £400) is due for change. I'd enquire about the Diesel Particulate Filter condition - that's a costly replacement if it's past it and use What Car's used car valuation service to estimate what your maximum bid should be.

I'm sure you'll go and see it and drive it before bidding and as you say you're not mechanically minded take someone with you who is!

If you can't, my advice would be simple - walk away.

Thank you very much for your reply first of all .

I do hope that the link for autotrader will work now as previously i've posted from my mobile

right so here it is :

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201210454668316/sort/default/usedcars/dealer/128855/page/3/advert-type/dealer-stock?logcode=dsp

it's quite attractive and it really looks Superb i always wanted a black car but everything i had till now was silver , i don't know what's wrong with me but from being an Audi , Mercedes and Vw ex owner i kind of like the Skoda more even though i haven't even driven it yet .

Right so the millage doesn't seem that high 115,000 shoudn't be a bugger if it's not clocked and they changed it lol also i haven't received a reply regarding common problems on the 1.9 ? better then the 2.0 ? things that i should be careful on ? Is it actually worth it ? Isn't the price to low ? Really do apologize for asking so much stuff but really i don't wanna repeat the vw experience it really placed a mark on me so now i'll triple check everything

Autotrader one - SE trim (I like), 1.9PD engine (I don't like, sounds like a tractor in a Superb), dealer/trader

Ebay one - Elegance trim (I don't like), 2.0 CR engine (I do like, nice and refined), private (debatable)

If I was buying on a budget, though I'm no fan of the 1.9 engine in the Superb, I'd be tempted to go for the one on autotrader and haggle him down a bit. Buying from a trader should offer you a little more protection if things go wrong and it's got 70,000 fewer miles on the clock.

Autotrader one - SE trim (I like), 1.9PD engine (I don't like, sounds like a tractor in a Superb), dealer/trader

Ebay one - Elegance trim (I don't like), 2.0 CR engine (I do like, nice and refined), private (debatable)

If I was buying on a budget, though I'm no fan of the 1.9 engine in the Superb, I'd be tempted to go for the one on autotrader and haggle him down a bit. Buying from a trader should offer you a little more protection if things go wrong and it's got 70,000 fewer miles on the clock.

Hi Gyp ,

I really appreciate that you took the time to reply .

That's exactly what some friends told me as well .. you're a bit protected like 6 months with the fair trading law or however it's called so i'm thinking that it might be the right approach maybe he can drop the price till 6k as i'll be coming from london and all of that ... maybe after having it for some time i'll be able to raise some more money till jan or feb and get it chipped afterwards to get a little bit more horsepower? Although i'm 24 i'm not really a race boy at all ( my top speed is about 70 ) i can't say i would really need it but maybe it's gonna help with the fuel consumption as well .. Anything horror stories with the 1.9 ?

Because of the budget issues, it's worth noting that (if memory serves me right) the 1.9 will cost more to tax than the 2.0. Not much in the grand scheme of things but worth being aware of if you're planning on keeping it a while.

The remap question is interesting and it's something I'm wrestling with at the moment. It matters not a jot that you drive slowly and want the map for economy, the insurance will most likely go up and it might well be that the extra insurance cost will outweigh the fuel savings.

Not aware of any problems with the 1.9PD, just noted that in the one I test drove, it was quite noisy compared to the 1.9TDi Octavia I had before and the CR one I've got now.

But whatever you choose, IMO, black with alcantara is the right choice

Happy hunting.

Hi Indrutz

As a relatively recent Skoda owner, I don't have the experience many of the contributors on this site have, but I do want to make a couple of comments.

1. A car (any car) with the miles of the silver one has the potential to do to you what your Passat did, i.e., empty your bank account in a short period of time. I'm not saying it would happen, but it has the potential. Cupar is a rural market town in East Fife. The mileage a private hire car would pick up would be partly local, some runs to the nearest city (Dundee), and possibly airport runs (to Edinburgh). This sort of usage pattern should not be too harsh on the dpf, but again, at these miles, anything goes. This, of course, should be balanced against the very low asking price for the car. Big question, are you willing to go that far North for something which might not turn out to be what you want?

2. The black one, in North Manchester, is a lot closer, significantly lower miles, and, as you say, is being sold by what, from their website, appears to be an established trader with a quality spread of stock. One thing you do need to be aware of is the fact that in my opinion some Trading Standard officers see any car with more than a 100K miles as having reached a point where anything could go wrong. What I'm trying to say is they will be unlikely to be as sympathetic to a 'not fit for purpose' complaint, as they might be for a 40 or 50K car.

Hi Indrutz

As a relatively recent Skoda owner, I don't have the experience many of the contributors on this site have, but I do want to make a couple of comments.

1. A car (any car) with the miles of the silver one has the potential to do to you what your Passat did, i.e., empty your bank account in a short period of time. I'm not saying it would happen, but it has the potential. Cupar is a rural market town in East Fife. The mileage a private hire car would pick up would be partly local, some runs to the nearest city (Dundee), and possibly airport runs (to Edinburgh). This sort of usage pattern should not be too harsh on the dpf, but again, at these miles, anything goes. This, of course, should be balanced against the very low asking price for the car. Big question, are you willing to go that far North for something which might not turn out to be what you want?

2. The black one, in North Manchester, is a lot closer, significantly lower miles, and, as you say, is being sold by what, from their website, appears to be an established trader with a quality spread of stock. One thing you do need to be aware of is the fact that in my opinion some Trading Standard officers see any car with more than a 100K miles as having reached a point where anything could go wrong. What I'm trying to say is they will be unlikely to be as sympathetic to a 'not fit for purpose' complaint, as they might be for a 40 or 50K car.

Hi Ksr ,

Thanks for your reply it actually weighted more then you may think .

Spoke with the dealer from manchester obviously he said the car is in pristine condition lol . the good thing is he's offering a 3 months engine and gearbox warranty (can't say it's the best thing ever but it's better then nothing ) and from my point of view i would a lot more hapy with it . Specially cuz it's black haha ( i know i know but i wanted a black car since i was 18 ) .

Next step would be go down there on wednesday and if happy with it pay the piper and we'll see what happens afterwards .

I'll keep you guys updated again i'm very grateful for each and everyone that took the time to reply as i really needed some advice there's no parents to turn to and i'm hoping not to repeat the vw experience again .

Cheers and all the best from london :p

Right ... so a sad update .. spoke with the dealer just now .. they seem quite dodgy ... just asked them about last service which it seems it was done in january 2012 , the cambelt hasn't been replaced at all .

Now i asked them right so how do you feel about that , their reply was well we just sell used cars lol . i find that quite funny because from my point of view you should sell a car with proper maintenance and they were like ohh yes but we do offer warranty 3 months for the engine and gearbox which is the most stupid thing i heard , no company will touch your vehicle ( as far as i know from my previous experience ) if it wasn't properly mentained for example if it was due a service , cambelt , or whatever and you didn't do it your liable for whatever . What they said is that they can change the cambelt but for an extra £100 from my side .. any opinions ?

Right ... so a sad update .. spoke with the dealer just now .. they seem quite dodgy ... just asked them about last service which it seems it was done in january 2012 , the cambelt hasn't been replaced at all .

Now i asked them right so how do you feel about that , their reply was well we just sell used cars lol . i find that quite funny because from my point of view you should sell a car with proper maintenance and they were like ohh yes but we do offer warranty 3 months for the engine and gearbox which is the most stupid thing i heard , no company will touch your vehicle ( as far as i know from my previous experience ) if it wasn't properly mentained for example if it was due a service , cambelt , or whatever and you didn't do it your liable for whatever . What they said is that they can change the cambelt but for an extra £100 from my side .. any opinions ?

A lot of cars being sold with those sort of miles will have a less than perfect service record. A lot of used car warranties actually require a cambelt change prior to them providing a policy. £100 is not expensive for the peace of mind of a new belt. From their website, they appear to have their own workshop. I know it's a couple of hundred miles, but the only way you will really get a feel for the company is to actually go and see them, and the car.

A lot of cars being sold with those sort of miles will have a less than perfect service record. A lot of used car warranties actually require a cambelt change prior to them providing a policy. £100 is not expensive for the peace of mind of a new belt. From their website, they appear to have their own workshop. I know it's a couple of hundred miles, but the only way you will really get a feel for the company is to actually go and see them, and the car.

Ok i guess that's fair enough but when i'm actually saying is if they are prepared to sell a car with dodgy maintenance like not even the cambelt change which is just a basic thing would you said they are trustworthy? honestly now i don't .. i mean yeah i guess i could just go and see what's out there or maybe i'm just paranoid from my last experience and i don't really trust anyone anymore lol ..

Hi Indrutz

I don't know these guys, and have never dealt with them, so I can't really say they are dodgy. They are probably, like most used car sales operations, trying to maximise their profit by spending as little as possible on the vehicle. That doesn't make them dodgy, they are just trying to turn a car around.

The story comes to mind of the motor trader who lifted his little boy up on to the table, encouraged him to jump to daddy, and then stepped back and let the little guy fall to the floor. As he picked up his son, who was sobbing "Why did you do that, Daddy?", he replied "To teach you your first lesson in the motor trade business, son - Trust no one, not even your own father"

I'm sure that is an unfair caricature, but it does paint the picture of some I've met...................

hahaha good one ksr ) i guess that's right seems that you find the wises things to say . ... i`m gonna try and squeeze them as much as possible although on the phone they didn't seem to move on the price at all because it was just discounted bla bla bla .. i guess they i have an advantage as the car sales in november december and january it's quite poor so maybe i`ll get -200 .. anyway if anybody knows any things as should look at when i go and see it on wednesday please be my guest and tell me ... cheers

it is a buyers market

i would have neither of them and keep looking

one will come up that is right for you

The price in Used Car Expert was between £3400-£3800 for the car at 183000 miles.

Edited 26 November, 201213 yr by Danny 57

So if i would offer him let's say 4k and he would go for it ( presuming that i had a test drive and everything is alright ) is it worth it ? Another thing that i haven't mentioned on my previous posts is that i"ll be doing a bit of private hire around london as part time because i'll be at uni .. should i just flip a coin? There's also a 59 plate on autotrader black 1.9 for 6750 or something like that with 90k but obviously almost 3k more then our presumption

The price in Used Car Expert was between £3400-£3800 for the car at 183000 miles.

Price guide figures are of limited relevance when you're into mega mileages. Every vehicle needs to be assessed on its own merits. You can be sure, however, that a dealer valuing a car being offered as a trade in, will always find the lowest 'book' price to show you. Sometimes Glass's Guide and CAP can be quite far apart.

2nd one is a taxi

Edited 26 November, 201213 yr by racing boy

I don't wanna be rude now but u're just stating the obvious ) i mean i guess i would have read the add before posting lol ..