Hi all,

 

Traded my 2012 12 Fab VRS in at the end of October, to a Skoda dealer, and just noticed it is still on their website, but now for £200 quid less than I got as a trade in, £11000.

It only has 17000 ish miles on it, although it is a basic spec as was dealer demo for a day before I got it, but seems cheap for a car with 16 months warranty left.

Is this the sign of things to come, as the motoring public becomes more aware of the issues with the engine or just a confirmation that it appeals to a small minority of the car buying public.

I did enjoy the car for the most part, performance was great,economy was okish , it liked to rattle inside, and as for the brakes, well that is one area for an upgrade.

 

Still around here as moved onto an Mk3 Octavia VRS ( well another one as had mk2 as well) diesel.......

 

Cheers

Dave

It might be, but as much to do with they gave a price on a 2012 car in a trade in, 2013.

 

This is now 2014, and at the end of February '14' plate cars are on sale.

Your car is a 2 previous owner car now, and worth that bit less any way than a 1 previous owner.

 

They need to cut their losses and shift your car.

Maybe take in a Trade In they can make a profit on.

 

They got a new car sale to you, and some profit, they maybe now know they gave too much on yours.

Or maybe they are still quids in if they can shift yours.

 

Skoda Dealerships Deserve to get their fingers burnt with Mk2 vRS Fabias, Ex Demos and cars they took in Trade Ins.

then Skoda might start treating the Customers rather better.

Once the Dealers are on their backs.

 

Was it their Demo car when you bought it?

If theirs or even another Dealers, they got that bit extra Profit selling it first time around compared to selling a New Build Order.

 

george

Mine,about 12months ago sold for £750 less than I was paid in PX.

Deal.

Sad,and dealers persist in trying to sell new at top dollar,even with the troubled history. Residuals are rubbish. However,its. Okay if you can pick up a trouble free engines motor at a cracking low price.

You say it was a "basic" model and a vRS with no options in 2012, with the VAT free deal,was available at only £14k.

So if it makes £11k in 2014 that would not seem to be excessive depreciation to me.

It sounds like you got a cracking trade-in deal - did you get anything off the Octavia?

I agree with XK140 - depreciation not unreasonable - at the three-year old stage a few months ago I considered whether to stick or twist - webuyanycar made a surprisingly good offer but I decided to stick.

It sounds like you got a cracking trade-in deal - did you get anything off the Octavia?

I agree with XK140 - depreciation not unreasonable - at the three-year old stage a few months ago I considered whether to stick or twist - webuyanycar made a surprisingly good offer but I decided to stick.

What year, current  status and weas car new or 2nd hand . 

What was their valuation if you don't mind me asking.

As 12 months ago they were crap in comparison to trade-in.

I would be worried about seeing this, especially as the amount they are dropping it below what you got as trade in is probably the amount you paid over the odds for your new car.

What year, current status and weas car new or 2nd hand .

What was their valuation if you don't mind me asking.

As 12 months ago they were crap in comparison to trade-in.

They offered £8,500 which I'd happily have taken if I'd decided to get shot.

Trade in wasn't an option for me as there were no other nippy super minis I fancied at the time - if it had gone I'd just have done without a car - I only do 4,000 / 5,000 miles a year so I'm only prepared to pay low for a car (£12k max).

I may be wrong but I'm not sure that the sad news about the twincharged 1.4 TSI engine problems will necessarily be that widely known - maybe, maybe not?

 

It seems that the vRS has not sold well and is due to be dropped.  I suspect that the Skoda name may not appeal to the "drive it like you stole it" brigade who lust after a hot hatch; in the case of the target market for the more expensive Octavia this may not be so much of an issue.

 

As others have suggested, it may be that Skoda have decided to cash in on their reputation and have allowed their customer service and inevitably their reputation to suffer?

 

Whatever the case, having spent some six months following this forum, personally I would be very reluctant to buy a used Fabia vRS at any price, even with 16 months unhelpful Skoda dealer warranty left.

They offered £8,500 which I'd happily have taken if I'd decided to get shot.

Trade in wasn't an option for me as there were no other nippy super minis I fancied at the time - if it had gone I'd just have done without a car - I only do 4,000 / 5,000 miles a year so I'm only prepared to pay low for a car (£12k max).

What mileage and what years is your vRS.

 

My friend found his experience with WBAC , was online offer and actual turn up in flesh was a different thing- haggled, so he walked away. 

 

Not sure what other people experiences are.

vxh26,  

Why do not not get on with trying one and see why us that like them own them?

 

Buying one is a lottery, but loads of fun to drive and own.

If £8,000 gets you a good used vRS, thats a pretty good deal.

Smiles per mile IMO.

 

3 year old vRS have not depreciated as much as many cars around, i doubt anyone lost 50% or more on one in 3 years.

 

Some did quite well as getting rid after a couple of years,

getting shot after only 1 year or less is always liable to lose you money.

 

george

 

EDIT, i always check out what i can get with WBAC to see what the worst will be.

When they want a car, if your stated condition is truthful, they can try screwing you down all you like.

 

WBAC take cars to supply their Car Sales Showrooms, Auctions & Car Traders,

Most people can get a car sold to a Independent Dealer for a bit more than WBAC will give,

that cuts out the Middleman that is WBAC.

 

Handy to know you can punt quickly if you want tho.

Last year WBAC were wanting vRS, they were selling quicker than now used.

 

I have done my worst to killed the market!!, and could not care less.

Skoda need to give Owners a 5 Year Warranty because of the Lemons they built and are selling.

If Skoda VAG put a proper Warranty on all the Twinchargers in the UK, then the Used prices will stay OK.

Skoda UK are still messing owners around with engines they know are faulty due to their fault.

What mileage and what years is your vRS.

 

My friend found his experience with WBAC , was online offer and actual turn up in flesh was a different thing- haggled, so he walked away. 

 

Not sure what other people experiences are.

It did cross my mind that they'd tried to find minor faults and knock their offer down (even though my car is immaculate) - it was only an exercise and doesn't matter now - as George says, handy if you want to get rid of a car pronto for whatever reason.

Depreciation is certainly not a concern of mine - the car was cheap in the first place and I've had plenty of enjoyment out of it - I know people that have lost more in one year's depreciation than what I paid for my vRS.

Hi all,

The fabia was registered on the day i test drove it so only 7 miles on clock. It had a few extra, nothing special as dealer chose them.

The deal i got on the new octavia was around 1000 off list coupled with the trade in figure meant i was very happy

Dave

Still 2 previous keepers now, making the next one the 3rd.

 Not that it really matters except it might to the next owner unless they buy it as a keeper.

Effects its value  if the Dealership can not get a Private Buyer and has to put it to Auction or to Trade.

 

george

Very true George, 3rd owner on an 18 months old car so next one needs to keep it a while. Dealer was a little optimistic with 12000 price, now at 11000 with a bit of haggling could make it a good buy

Dave

Lower Mileage than 17,000 mile 12 plates are on offer at Car Dealers for under £10,000.

 

For £11,000 cash i would be expecting a Speced up Estate.

With an extended Warranty included.

 

george

A couple of points from me, before I write the thread I'm thinking of:

 

1.  £11000 seems a lot - I know mine is "only" a Monte Carlo, but I have been offered £8300 from WBAC - 18 months old, 17000 miles.  17000 miles in 18 months is a bit above average mileage, but if average is supposed to be 10000 per year, then why do we see so few Fabias at 20k after two years?

 

2.  New reg is out soon and a new model.  If it's been on the forecourt since October, then they might have "written off" a couple of hundred to shift it.

 

3.  Skoda seem to have lifted their prices to within spitting distance of VW, no longer offering many deals like the great VAT free offer that stretched on forever.  manufacturers like Kia and Hyundai have also pulled themselves out of the "bargain" segment, with prices and quality increasinng.  To my mind, Skoda may be pricing themselves out of the market - new Octavia VRS is abouut £400 more than a base Golf GTI - I know some people will want more space etc, but in my book, Skoda should be cheaper than VW - it's almost a brand sellng point.  That means VW quality for less money.  Some won't touch it for the badge, but more fool them.  If you try to lift Skoda prices to within a gnat's fart of VW, they WILL lose sales.

 

4.  The car market is on the up - so more new cars sold, MUST mean more used ones on the market.

 

5.  Is the VRS engine problem really a problem, or just internet hype?  Yes, it has affected some, but certainly not all, a known work around/cure is out there and a new engine was introduced.   But how many cases really? From how many cars? 500 of 5000?  200 of 10000?

 

6.  I keep reading about indifferent dealers and the like - I am convinced this is down to who they hire and the garages themselves just franchising.  they're not really bothered about aftercare (in some cases), as that isn't making them money...

vRS problems.  CAVE engines, about 20% of them 2010-2012,  1,800 cars in the UK with the CAVE engine.

More being effected weekly yet still Skoda UK are in denial.

 

Not an internet thing, CAVE Engines in the Ibiza Cupra from 2009, & Polo & A1 Twinchargers from 2011, same percentage.

 

It is Dealerships first that are Indifferent, and Volkswagen Audi Group,

 SEAT, SKODA, VW & AUDI that will not come clean on the problem with engines and make owners with problems jump through hoops.

 

As to Monte Carlo Values,

They were over priced when new, hence the cheaper Tech Models were introduced to boost sales.

They are not selling well used as there are New Models around offering the buyer better value.

 

Not everyone wants Sporty Looks but without much go to back it up, not when spending on a Used car.

Of course not everyone does - I presume they did some market research to sell a cooking model with a better than VRS body kit.

 

As for not much go - yeah, 105 bhp can't match 180 (petrol or diesel on Monte), but it's not bad in suuch a sized car.  I think the diesel is brilliant, taking into consideration that other skeleton in the cupboard of DPF (is it a REAL problem?).

 

So yeah, of course it was offered at a price, less than the top model.  So it's worth less now.  I'm not disappointed with the trade in value - it works out as about £4k in 18 months - 30% depreciation.  I'd expect to lose 20% driving off the forecourt.  10% for 18 months and slightly higher mileage.

 

I'm sure the gap will close and maybe even cross at some point, but I wanted that to happen now!!

I like their Market Research, it often involves spin.

 

The Good doctor said or is quoted as, 'they thought they might sell 3,000 Monte Carlos, 

& they Produced 20,000.'

 

There appears to be around 5,000 max of those in the UK.

 

Last year Skoda Sold 31,000 Fabias in the UK. 

only 800-1000 vRS and around 2,000 Monte Carlo,  

so Montes twice as Popular in 2013, not a runaway success really though.

Selling the Lower Price Techs was what boosted the Monte Sales in 2013

 

People might want Sporty looks and practicality,

But Skoda do things like a rip off of £700 for an extra 30 ps done with a different map,

& over charge for some plastic trim, seats and Alloys.

 

If they continue putting out value for money models, they sell well,

Charging over the top for just making something look decent is taking the P1th.

<snip>

Kia and Hyundai have also pulled themselves out of the "bargain" segment, with prices and quality increasing.

<snip>

Significantly, Kia and Hyundai offer seven and five year warranties, suggesting that they believe that their cars are not prone to blowing up.

 

 

Kia quote:

"One day all cars may come with a 7 year warranty. Until then, it's just ours.  

It’s strange isn’t it. Out of all the car companies in Europe, Kia is the only one confident enough in its build quality to

back every single one of its cars with an industry-leading, full manufacturer’s, 7 year warranty."

 

 

Hyundai quote:

"Our dedication to quality underpins everything we do. We're confident enough to offer a five year unlimited mileage, fully transferable warranty, five years' roadside assistance and five years of annual vehicle healthchecks with every car."

 

 

Sadly I suspect that the quote from SUK might be along the lines of:

"SUKKAH - we've got ya money!"

Edited 29 January, 201412 yr by vxh26

Even more interesting - Kia and Hyundai are one and the same, so why does one offer 5 yr, the other 7?

 

And yes - Eastern mentality was to start at the bottom, offering budget cars.  Then increase quality, but still effectively rebadged 10 year old designs.  Now they have come into the arena fully.  They have done 20-30 years of auto evolution in half that time.

 

Skoda were the butt of all auto jokes (with Lada) 30 years ago.  Then came the VW buy out, probably to secure cheap a labour force and factory facilities.  Quality crept up (from Favorit to Felicia to Fabia Mk1 in that segment), but so did prices.  Now, the pretence of being "budget" or even lower in the VAG pecking order has bypassed head office apparently - no more VAT free offers, list prices a shade below VW and no longer given choice bits to release before big brother.

 

Chuck in the fact that they are often complete with oddball styling (Roomster? Fabia ugly duckling?) or between segments (Octavia bigger than most competitors, but below them on certain sizes), or just misunderstood (Superb?) and I can't see where they're going.

 

I certainly didn't look at Skoda with rose tinted specs, but the new range looks confused - Citigo I get, Fabia is ancient, Rapid is barely bigger, Octavia only just bigger than that, Superb is huge.  Add in the body styles and you get crossover between models.  Rooster is whacky, Yeti is not really competing with Tiguans and RR Evoques and anyone wanting budget 4x4 will go to Dacia...

 

Maybe we're (Skoda owners and supporters) stuck in the middle of a Brand Evolution - new Fabia, Rapid solidification, Octavia firming up as a true Golf competitor (but with more legroom) and the other models to come soon.  I hope so.

 

As for those with niche models (Fabia VRS, Monte Carlo), we'll have to see.  Maybe the market doesn't really "get" them, so private sales are the best option, because yes, my Monte is an SE with a body kit.  No extra go, just a few bits that lift the appearance.

Edited 29 January, 201412 yr by PDIBK