As some of you know I've been seriously considering selling my Fabia vRS Estate since my commute is that much longer now. I can easily rack up 500 miles in a week so I have been considering an Octavia vRS Estate. Way too big for my needs but diesel and supposedly quick. I drove one that had been Shark mapped and lowered on Eibachs and it felt great. Point to point it was quick and accurate and not much body roll thanks to the springs. In the right hands cross country it is very quick and once past 30mph it feels like a smaller car. So I started looking for one. I knew that a stock car wouldn't be the same but shouldn't be far off.

I headed up to Coventry to see one. From the ad it was a 59 plate, had 40k, front and rear sensors, jumbo box, all the usual options and looked great for £12k. I got there and noticed a few marks on it noticeably some flaking paint on both sides of the number plate. Only one, perhaps two reasons this happens.... But all the panels did look straight and both front wheels had a normal amount of balancing weights on. Salesman came out, talked to him about a few things, he evaluated my car and picked up on that it needed 4 tyres and a service which I knew already. results for this later.

Then came the test drive and what a massive disappointment! We went down a country lane which should have let me open it up and throw it at a few corners. Acceleration wasn't great. Didn't pull that strongly compared to the mapped one but felt very lethargic. Then came the first corner. Changed to 3rd at about 30mph and turned in. Massive amounts of understeer which I had to correct. Over bumps it was all over the place. They say the Fabia has a crashy ride and is an "old chassis" but this was bad. I didn't understand how it could be so bad. It was just a big, white bucket of meh. Sometimes you connect with a car instantly but I couldn't with this. I also noticed it had 45000 miles on and not the 40000 as stated in the ad, servicing done mostly by an "approved independent", the last one being done with that dealer and that paint issue on the front.

And then came my evaluation. I was initially expecting just shy of £9k since it needed a service and about £320 in tyres. Then came the sob story about how they don't want them because of the oil issues. It's all over the Internet that they have issues and they even sold one recently that destroyed itself. Mine is an estate so less desirable and despite costing more than a hatch also worth less. He wouldn't give me a penny more than £7.5k which is bottom book. My mileage is also still less than average too and isn't 3 years old until end of September either where I'd be then expecting to get around 8k for it which is roughly half what I pad for it 3 years ago.

I know part-ex is always worse but £7.5k is a joke! Especially when they had a 60 plate hatch on the forecourt similar to mine for £9k. So they not only wanted to make money out of me by getting me to buy the tyres (which they were charging way more for) and the service which they can do themselves for peanuts, and still wanted to make roughly £1500 on it! Plus they wouldn't budge on the Octavia price either which IMO was at least £500-£1000 overpriced given the condition.

I am massively disappointed and did over 300 miles for nothing. But on the way back my "lowly" Fabia vRS Estate on it's sh@gged tyres was massive fun and I started to remember the reasons why I bought it in the first place. I even got 42mpg out of it. So now I think this leaves me with two options. Keep the car, drive a little slower to work where I can, lower it, add a RARB, take the rear seats out and keep it to enjoy for the next few years or leave Skoda and get a completely different brand.

Both Octavia vRS' I test drove (including the one I ended up buying), both (to me) felt planted round corners, pulled very well (compared to a Mk1 Fabia PD100 running 150bhp/270lbft), both had no paint issues around the number plate either.

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I honestly think it was just a dog but it did make me appreciate mine more. Some cars you connect with instantly and know it's right. This I just couldn't.

Off to test drive a 5 door Suzuki Swift Sport to cheer me up.

Are you seriously basing your decision on a dealer trying to sell you a unlooked after and possibly clocked car?

Are you seriously basing your decision on a dealer trying to sell you a unlooked after and possibly clocked car?

What decision? I've just said that one was crap and a massive disappointment. It's opened my eyes a bit to try other things and other solutions to my problem. That and a main Skoda dealer giving a crap part-ex figure doesn't help either. I'd get more going to WBAC but it's too good a car for that.

Just come back after my Swift Sport drive. Just as awesome as I thought it would be. Not as fast as my vRS but better on fuel keeping up with traffic. It's another option and one I am seriously thinking about.

Keep the vRS and use the £1000+ you'd 'loose' on a PX for fuel.

The flaking paint on the bumper is common. I've had mine resprayed under warranty.

I have both the fabia and the octavia and I feel more confident throwing the octavia into a corner than the fabia. I do 20miles of a roads each way to work and when the traffic is quiet it's a hoot to drive.

I'm giving the car at least one more month since I have too much going on anyway. That's about 2500 miles which is just over 8 tanks of fuel and over £400 . I'll still have to spend £300 on 4 decent tyres, £100 on a service but these are things that have to be done. The fact I'm having to drive it like a 1.2 to make it viable to keep it is annoying me. Problem is I find it hard to do that and I can have all the good intentions in the world. But when it's late and I want to get home my foot goes down and costs me more. Was hoping the Octavia vRS would be having my cake and eating it but maybe not. Paying more for a car that's 5 years older and more mileage maybe the wrong way to go. 

I have a Swift and its a great little car. That 6th gear on the Sport makes all the difference over the standard cars, especially on the motorway

I have a Swift and its a great little car. That 6th gear on the Sport makes all the difference over the standard cars, especially on the motorway

I loved the Swift Sport I drove today. Did about 20 miles in it on a mix of roads and the 6th gear makes a big difference. It's very very tempting. I could get that, save money in fuel costs, servicing is £300 for 3 years meaning with my mileage I'd save even more. Then when I buy a house close to work so even less miles again I could afford to tweak it a bit

I'd get more going to WBAC but it's too good a car for that.

Too good a car for WBAC? That's surely a commercial decision, you sell to whoever gives you the highest price, WBAC included. It's not like it's going to be broken for parts.

Too good a car for WBAC? That's surely a commercial decision, you sell to whoever gives you the highest price, WBAC included. It's not like it's going to be broken for parts.

I guess so. I foolishly thought that part-exing it with Skoda so it's another good car for someone to have they may give me a decent price but obviously not. I've become quite disillusioned with car things lately and I have lots of thinking to do.

I thought the Swift Sport was quite thirsty though? 

buy an old SDI for the commute and keep the VRS

I thought the Swift Sport was quite thirsty though? 

 

I drove my brother's 1st gen Sport to work and I was doing an indicated 40mpg. The one I drove today was the same. It would drop to 32mpg when I was hammering it but steadily road when just keeping with traffic. The 6th seems to help. My brother is doing a proper tank to tank test for me over the next few weeks. He drives hard all the time since his commute is only 15 miles one way but he said he'd cool it down a little for the test.

 

buy an old SDI for the commute and keep the VRS

My dad has suggested this or even a Mk1 Octavia. But then I'd get itches to sell the vRS again and get a better project car.

After talking with Mr Sharkrider and Bryan I'll keep it for the foreseeable. It's my car and I know everything about it. A dealer will pull my pants down giving me that sob story of oil usage. If I keep it my only costs are £80-£100 in fuel every week and usual wear and tear stuff. Even if I went for a Swift there's still a changeover cost. Probably only £1-2k but then how long would it take to get back in fuel costs? I reckon I'd get it back after a year or two. My warranty runs out in October. That's ages yet. Think I'll keep it until at least the warranty is out and go from there. I'll get it serviced, put new tyres on then I'll add a RARB and some Eibach springs to freshen it up a bit.

Your car needs £320 worth of tyres and you expect a dealer to offer you more than the book value? Good luck with that.

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I told him it was getting new tyres this week anyway including a service since they have to be done. Tyres and service can be done for £460 so IMO there's no justification to be £1500 off it's value.

Why is everyone so hostile and defensive here lately. Every post lately I have to justify.

Dealer would probably assume you wouldn't bother to get the tyres done after a deal was struck.

 

Trade-ins are appalling right now and doubly bitter since the metal sits on the forecourt for more money than ever.

If they're selling a similar one to yours for 9k then 7.5k is surely about right as a part ex? Usually at that price point they'll want £1200-1500 to move a car on but by the time they've paid out for the tyres and service, they wont even be making that I guess.

It's always been the case that used vehicles in Wales are often more than in England so presumably the part exes are also worse in England too? They could of course be area dependent. For example I bought a bike in Cheltenham for £2300. The same bike in Swansea was £3500. My parents Swift we got from Stroud and was about £1000 cheaper. I'll keep the vRS for a bit more, get my money's worth out of the tyres and service and decide in the Summer. Even though I work miles away I'll sell mine privately or even WBAC it, borrow either my brother's or parents car for the time being until I bought something else.

Talked to a current vRS owner and the one I tried and he's convinced it must have been clocked or had a bump. His is great. I could get an old PD one but these could possibly be too leggy now. The who experience was a bad one. In comparison the Suzuki dealer who I've never really rated couldn't do enough for me.

Cars are usually dearer in Scotland too. Trade-ins are just as shoite. They just bring out the big CAP book of misery and doom.

Cars are usually dearer in Scotland too. Trade-ins are just as shoite. They just bring out the big CAP book of misery and doom.

Yeah he did that. They also had the cheek to email me today to provide feedback on the dealer experience.