It is common knowledge that the face lifted Yeti will be unveiled soon so I am wondering why anyone would order one of the "old" models now knowing that very shortly after they get their "new" Yeti it will be outdated by a new model? Inevitably the value of "old" models will take a knock with the newest ones taking the biggest hit.

Of course, we don't know exactly what the updates will be but it is likely that it will include more efficient engines (in line with the trend in the rest of the VAG Group) with some bodywork updating and tech changes - DAB radio etc; okay Skoda might ruin the front appearance by opting for the corporate front end but possibly not. The question is why not wait till the new model is unveiled so you can see whether the enhancements are worthwhile improvements before placing an order?

I am happy with my 2012 1.2 Elegance but if I was buying it now I would certainly wait till I knew more about the "new" model before placing an order.

:yes:

Because I had already placed the order and paid deposit.

Because I will be getting DAB radio on MY14.

Because we dont even know when the facelift will be launched and my current car value will depreciate whilst waiting.

Because I like the Yeti as it looks now and may not like the FL.

Because I'm impatient.

Because your part exchange (if a Yeti) is worth more now. So smaller cost to get a new one with a 5 year or 100k warranty.

I am happy with my 2012 1.2 Elegance but if I was buying it now I would certainly wait till I knew more about the "new" model before placing an order.

I am expecting Skoda to confirm details of new one about the time order books close.

So you won't have the choice to order an old one instead.

They did this with the Octavia IIRC.

The question is why not wait till the new model is unveiled so you can see whether the enhancements are worthwhile improvements before placing an order?

What do you do then if the changes don't suit you?

It's a gamble either way, but not a huge one. The facelift probably won't involve any drastic changes. Yetis are still scarce enough that the residuals will be decent on pre-facelift models.

For me the other factor is that I have to have a car under 3 years old for work. I could have stretched that a bit but waiting for the facelift would be pushing it too far to get away with.

Okay, if there is a business reason to buy now - 3 year lease etc. - then I can understand. However, if it is an elective private purchase then I still find it strange to deliberately choose an older model when generally cars improve from version to version. Maybe I am more patient than most, for example I never buy a car in the first year after launch to let the bugs be worked out by the more impatient have-to-buy now crowd. Same with most technology!!

Don't doubt your logic but if you wait for the facelift do you allow time for any new configuration to bed in? I'm not everso patient so I'm unlikely ever to be as logical. In my case even though the L&K has all the hallmarks of a run out edition it suits me. I am very fond of the current look and would prefer to retain it.

Dunno, while I'm personally in the 'waiting for more detail' camp re the FL model, I can see that there's perhaps a lot more patience and uncertainty involved in delaying a new order, for instance:

It wouldn't surprise me if any more desirable FL models (like a higher-powered petrol DSG, even if it were to come to pass) might have a phased launch, just like the Octavia vRS has only just been announced. Hopefully this wouldn't be the case but it really wouldn't surprise me.. So it could be a year from now before an order for such a model was actually fulfilled.

Then there will presumably be quite a few like-minded people waiting for the FL order book to open. So delivery times might well spike back up to the 4-6 month level.

Discounts are like to be much better for the existing model over the next 3-whatever months. I'm sure discounts will return on the FL model, but it could be 6 months or more after launch before they really settle down again into a more consistent and predictable pattern, during which time it will be luck of the draw almost as to how much discount you can negotiate.

Finally, if the changes do involve eg a change of engine line-up for example, ie more than simply something cosmetic, then would you be tempted to order sight unseen? Or would you want to see a considered review of your planned new model (which would probably only appear post-launch), if not the opportunity to test drive or to see any new styling in the flesh? All of this is going to add some further months into the waiting process.

So I think I'm almost talking myself into having to be prepared to wait until this time next year for actual delivery of a new Yeti to my preferred specification (not that this would be the only contender, but it would be perhaps the front-runner).And I can see why someone who is not already a Yeti owner might be tempted to take the plunge sooner.

Looking on the brighter side, there seem to have been quite a spate of Skoda announcements in the past few months, so presumably most of the other model launches are now out of the way and the Yeti FL is getting close to the top of the list for the next launch. Maybe things will happen faster than I'm anticipating?

Edited 7 June, 201313 yr by prodata

I don't know about other people, but when I choose to change a car has more to do with the state of the old one than anything else. I recently changed because my old Citroen C4 Picasso was coming up to six years old. The MoT and a service were due, and it was also coming up to needing a new set of tyres.... so changing now meant a saving of around £800 on routine maintenance....I'd rather put that lump of money into a replacement car, than spend it on the old one where it would add nothing to the trade-in value.

By your own admission expatman you never buy a new model within a year of launch, which seems to negate your entire argument for holding off a few weeks.

Don't doubt your logic but if you wait for the facelift do you allow time for any new configuration to bed in? I'm not everso patient so I'm unlikely ever to be as logical. In my case even though the L&K has all the hallmarks of a run out edition it suits me. I am very fond of the current look and would prefer to retain it.

Agree. And I swapped an Elegance that was only just over 2 years old for an L&K (i) because I got back 85% of my purchase price against a better-equipped car and (ii) although I realise the value of the old model will be correspondingly less than the new one, at least my old model will be one of the newest, if you follow me!

There are obviously always reasons to wait until the face lifted or a new model is launched (and if we did that with computers, it seems we'd all wait a very long time to buy one that wouldn't be "the old model" before you've barely got it out of the box ) but for me the Yeti I've got is the one that, on the first test drive, felt absolutely right for me.

There is always a risk with a face lift that the changes will alter the overall "feel", and you won't know whether for good or bad until it arrives. With a new model the risks are even greater - in my past I've had five Peugeot 405s and loved them, the 406 was acceptable but lacked something and the 407 just didn't appeal but on paper each one was a development of its predecessor. The "new" Yeti may well come with a new engine but part of the practical appeal of this model is that a lot of the parts have been not only well tested in other VAG cars but also Skoda have had four years of practical experience and feedback of this model on the road and reading posts on this forum it seems whilst in the earliest models not unexpectedly there were a few problems but by the time I bought mine they had been recognised, properly investigated and sorted out.

As regards more efficient engines, every manufacturer is constantly telling us that they have made a major leap forward in fuel economy and present the figures to prove it but we all know in the real world whilst there have been changes for the better really these have been quite small - engine efficiency improvements seem to get cancelled out by extra kit and more weight. (My first 405, probably 20 years ago, was a diesel which regularly returned a real world 50+ mpg, my journeys including commuting into Portsmouth every day and few long runs). Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but as an example I've been told digital radios consume a lot more power than conventional radios (certainly batteries last no time in my portable DAB radio) and the power ultimately has to come from the fuel going in the car so potentially DAB has an adverse effect on fuel consumption. Whilst this may only be tiny these things do add up.

Continuing the thought of a possible DAB radio, I now have a car with an AM/FM radio (that basically is on one or other of two stations), a six CD player (not yet loaded) and an SD card reader (with about 20 albums on it). I have all the in-car entertainment I need and probably more than I can use!

Finally, I am quite happy that in a few months I will have the "old" Yeti - from what I've seen of VAG cars over the years the models change through evolution rather than revolution. This is in contrast to some other manufacturers and I'm thinking particularly of Renault and its Megane Scenic model where each new model (and sometimes face lifted model) is a very different looking beast and it was for that reason as much as any that when I was looking around I discounted the Scenic (although I've owned and been happy with Renault cars in the past), because I could be pretty certain that when the new model came out mine would immediately look dated and it seemed to be that Scenic prices dropped pretty quickly perhaps because of this.

I'm very happy with my Yeti, I don't think I will be any less happy when the face lifted one comes out. And if the new one is more corporate and less quirky looking I will be glad I bought when I did!

And of course there is the perennial question regarding 16" rims, will they still be available? - or perhaps it will become a factory option at last!

And of course there is the perennial question regarding 16" rims, will they still be available? - or perhaps it will become a factory option at last!

I hope not, they look like shirt buttons on a Yeti.

Going to stick a set of Annapurnas on my Mum's new greenline before she gets it and hope nobody notices...

Going to stick a set of Annapurnas on my Mum's new greenline before she gets it and hope nobody notices...

:'(

I hope not, they look like shirt buttons on a Yeti.

Going to stick a set of Annapurnas on my Mum's new greenline before she gets it and hope nobody notices...

Lov'in the attitude. That is all!

I hope not, they look like shirt buttons on a Yeti. ....

Please don't start that again ! Vegit8 said 'factory option'. I thought we'd agreed 'each to his own'?

Going to stick a set of Annapurnas on my Mum's new greenline before she gets it and hope nobody notices...

But this will mean a set of Moons going cheap!

You could put some Winters on them Bri...

But this will mean a set of Moons going cheap!

You could put some Winters on them Bri...

Good point - but don't even some 17" fans like 16", for just that purpose ?! I haven't got time just now to check on the Boss's own preference....

Good point - but don't even some 17" fans like 16", for just that purpose ?! I haven't got time just now to check on the Boss's own preference....

I bought a set of 17" Matterhorns for my winter wheels and put slightly bigger profile tyres on (the biggest that would fit on full lock) so I got a slightly more comfy ride while making it look nice.

In fact it actually looked better than stock as the wheel/tyre combo filled the arches better.

Bonus was the speedo then overread by 1%, rather than about 4%.

As you say though, each to their own.

I just feel a bit sad for my Mum's current Greenline every time I see it. She doesn't care at all.

Bonus is, there will be a brand new set of 16" rims and tyres for sale in September.

I don't know about other people, but when I choose to change a car has more to do with the state of the old one than anything else. I recently changed because my old Citroen C4 Picasso was coming up to six years old. The MoT and a service were due, and it was also coming up to needing a new set of tyres.... so changing now meant a saving of around £800 on routine maintenance....I'd rather put that lump of money into a replacement car, than spend it on the old one where it would add nothing to the trade-in value.

By your own admission expatman you never buy a new model within a year of launch, which seems to negate your entire argument for holding off a few weeks.

Not really because I don't consider a facelift as a new model - generally facelifts updates bodywork (or tarts up things if you prefer!), includes elements learned by the manufacturer during the first cycle of the model (probably most important) and adds updated technology by way of drivetrains etc.

I'm hedging my bets and waiting to see the facelifted Yeti before deciding what to get next.

The choice is really between an Octavia 3 vRS TDi or another Yeti ... quite different cars but I did have three vRS diesels prior to my current Yeti so am aware of the advantages of both!

Another potential would be the new Scout but only if it gets the 181 TDi.

I bought my last car, a 2008 Octavia L&K three weeks before the FL came out. It was cheaper, much cheaper, and all I was really missing out on was the new headlights and a Bolero stereo. I saved a few thousand pounds as the FL always incorporates an element of a price increase.

If this helps in any way??

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/skoda-yeti-sochi-2014-special-edition-unveiled-in-moscow-48853.html

If this helps in any way??

http://www.autoevolu...scow-48853.html

Looks like a "special edition" before the facelifted model. Of course it could be that Skoda decided to leave the external untouched for the face lift and just changed mechanicals etc - and NO I don't believe that either!