[Paul007]

Why do you think it's not worth it? On its own terms.

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I've said elsewhere on here. Quality of plastics etc.

[gt40]

I've said elsewhere on here. Quality of plastics etc.

 

Ok so you put the quality of plastics as a -ve. No positives?

 

What makes up your etc.? I'm not being picky - I genuinely want to know why you think a TDi vRS is not worth £24k.

[Yogi-Bear]

That's not difficult, to list a few that are available for under £40K:

 

Audi A4's (inc V6 diesels)

Audi A6's (including the new Ultra model and V6's)

BMW 3 series

BMW 5 series

Ford Focus ST

Mercedes C class

Mercedes E class

Assorted Volvo's

etc., etc.

 

I think that's the problem. A few years ago you might have had the choice of a rep spec base BMW 3 series for vRS money, but now you can have a 190bhp Audi A6 S-line saloon (without extras) for £25K at DtD.

 

I know which I think offers the better value for money!

 

You need to check the load space on most of what you've listed - even the A6 and BMW 5-series are smaller than the Octavia (certainly when talking about estates).  I think the E Class is bigger, but I can't remember off the top of my head.

 

And yes, you can get deals on them, but I did mean < £40k list.  You can get a good deal on an Octavia if you don't want a vRS.

[Falkster]

Superb 140 Business Estate anyone? Under £23.5k List c/w 18's and metallic paint. Nice spec but can't decide on whether I like the look. Also Mrs F said I'm too young for a Superb! Lol

[Paul007]

Ok so you put the quality of plastics as a -ve. No positives?

 

What makes up your etc.? I'm not being picky - I genuinely want to know why you think a TDi vRS is not worth £24k.

 

A bit of what I wrote somewhere on here

 

"The rubberised plastics have fallen in quality IMO. There's a unusual lip on the dash in front of the front seat passenger which I didn't like, and as well as the handbrake issue above (that when extended it fouls the armrest), the bonnet release is also on the passenger side. That really would something me right off after a while.

 

The cd player and SD slots are in the cubby. WTF. How are you supposed to change CD's on the move ?  Granted it has lots of options but an extra five grand over what I paid for mine ? Not worth it. So the replacement to the Peril will either be a used one or something from another stable. Shame really as I really wanted to like it but if I'm honest, I preferred the 150hp Golf GT TDi I had a couple of weeks back...."

 

I wasn't alone on here in pointing some of these things out....

[CJSVRS]

I've got a £27K VRS Diesel DSG estate with lots of options on order and because of the prolonged wait I've looked around at alternatives. There is nothing coming close at the £310 a month deal I have with my current 3-year old Mk2 FL VRS as trade-in deposit (even when pofffered better trade-in prices from non-Skoda). Admittedly I am at Nov 2013 prices and 0% with free servicing.

I want a diesel auto and for me nothing beats a DSG type box.

Audis? Seem to have CVT gearboxes unless you want Quattro. nice but pushes price to high and A4/A6 is old now. Also Audi's feel cramped and dark.

VW Golf Estate - tempted if I can find one, but VW quoting 12-16 wait too! VW dealers are idiots. "Try a Mk6 sir they are the same!"

Seat Leon ST - as above.

BMW 3-series touring? Hasn't got the space of the Octavia but does feel nicer inside. Best price over £100 a month more!

Jag XF? Nice but its too big on the outside and again for the same kit more a month.

C-Class? Cramped in back and old model which is not a good car (noisy and why cant they put the steering wheel in line with driver?)

Mazda6 Tourer? competent, but even with 0% dealer couldnt get residuals on finance to get near Skoda.

Hyundai i40 Tourer? Well equipped but 1.7 diesel with auto not good combination. Oh and its dull.

Honda Civic Tourer? Not bad but cant get a diesel auto.

 

Was tempted by some cracking deals on Passat estates but its too big externally and as stated I'm not impressed with VW locally.

 

This is just my opinion but it is genuinely hard to beat the Octavia. The VRS is being made expensive by Skoda as its proved very popular as we all know on here. But I'm bnow feeling better about the wait as it helps my car keep its value.

[Orville]

Some of the plastics within the Octavia are actually pretty good. The parts you see the most such as the mid to upper dashboard and door trims are very nice, but the less visible parts are what helps make the £24K price tag seem steep. Lower dash is budget hard pastic, as are the door bins and the console area between the front seats. The boot carpet and 6mm thick flooring is ridiculous for such an expensive car. Place any moderately heavy load in the back of my estate (such as suitcases) and the floor sags and strains. What's the point of a huge load space that cannot be used to carry loads? The rear doors, bonnet and boot hatch feel tinny compare to previous cars. I can appreciate this reduces weight, but I would rather the car carry a few extra Kg and feel more solid. In terms of build quality there really is not much difference between my VRS and my wife's 2008 Renault Megane which she paid £11K for brand new.

 

I am not saying that everything about the Octy feels cheap, just that I would expect there to be less obvious cost-cuttings within a £24K car. The things I do like are the TSI engine (superb), gearbox (excellent), handling (competent), looks (very nice) and practicality (apart from the rubbish boot floor material). The car also has charachter which has been missing from many of my previous cars. After my Subaru's the Octy attracts more positive comments from others than any of my previous cars.

 

It is certainly not a bargain at £24K, but at the same time it not overpriced. The price is probably about right, but there are better bargains available elsewhere. A4's, A6's, 3-Series and C-Classes with similar engines and specs can all be acquired at huge discounts, bringing them within range of VRS prices.

[jlwah]

You need to check the load space on most of what you've listed - even the A6 and BMW 5-series are smaller than the Octavia (certainly when talking about estates).  I think the E Class is bigger, but I can't remember off the top of my head.

 

And yes, you can get deals on them, but I did mean < £40k list.  You can get a good deal on an Octavia if you don't want a vRS.

They may be smaller in volume but often longer in load bay length - the A6 is nearly 5½" longer, which is useful if you need to carry something long (obviously)! I managed to get 3 internal doors into our A6 and close the boot by just edging the front seats forward (they wouldn't fit in the Octavia which is a Mk2, but has a slightly longer load bay than the Mk3 according to the brochures).

 

The Octavia is certainly very capacious, but unless you constantly fill the boot, it's unlikely to be the deciding factor when choosing a car.

I certainly didn't choose my last two vRS estates because of boot size, I just liked the car and thought it very good value for money.

 

As nice as the Mk3 is, it doesn't quite stack up for me in the same way the Mk2 did and part of that is the price (plus boot space isn't an issue any more), but I wouldn't knock anyone for choosing the Octavia.

 

Also it doesn't get adaptive damping which is available on the other VAG group MQB cars and my age combined with a lack of road investment means what I seek now is a comfortable ride combined with a reasonable amount of power (so Leon FR 184 or Golf GTD currently top my list).

[gt40]

As I said earlier, I see it differently. To put it bluntly, the MkIII is the first Octavia I've felt is good enough for me. YMMV

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[Timoctav]

The price for most of the Octavia range is pretty competitive given the size of the car and the overall build quality etc. but i don't think the vRS, particularly the diesel version is good value compared with the Elegance when you take into consideration the much higher equipment levels on the Elegance and the better deals available on it and the only marginal increase in performance of the vRS.

[themanwithnoaim]

TDI's are expensive full stop, as everybody is looking around and saying "not compared to this and that" I'd go so far as to say all diesels are expensive, when EU6 comes in their gonna get more expensive, it really is a time to "do the math" & really check that its a diesel you need & not just what everyone says is needed.

I was very surprized to go from a manual diesel to an auto petrol but, my mileage was a sheload lower than I thought and the 1.4 TSI DSG is Fn great to drive and we're having loads of fun together, which my fuel avg. can prove also, in Elegance spec its a very civilised place to be when you're not hanging the arse-end out.

@ £266 a month and £1,000 down with 0% PCP, servicing, breakdown & assistance I'm happy as a sandboy, the diesel may not be great anymore but, EU^ is coming and demand ain't droping so, if you've gotta have one, get it soon I just can't see them getting any cheaper actually or comparatively.

[gt40]

The price for most of the Octavia range is pretty competitive given the size of the car and the overall build quality etc. but i don't think the vRS, particularly the diesel version is good value compared with the Elegance when you take into consideration the much higher equipment levels on the Elegance and the better deals available on it and the only marginal increase in performance of the vRS.

It's good that there's a car to suit all preferences.

You prefer yours, I prefer mine. Everyone's happy.

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[kenny]

I've got a £27K VRS Diesel DSG estate with lots of options on order and because of the prolonged wait I've looked around at alternatives. There is nothing coming close at the £310 a month deal I have with my current 3-year old Mk2 FL VRS as trade-in deposit (even when pofffered better trade-in prices from non-Skoda). Admittedly I am at Nov 2013 prices and 0% with free servicing.

I want a diesel auto and for me nothing beats a DSG type box.

Audis? Seem to have CVT gearboxes unless you want Quattro. nice but pushes price to high and A4/A6 is old now. Also Audi's feel cramped and dark.

VW Golf Estate - tempted if I can find one, but VW quoting 12-16 wait too! VW dealers are idiots. "Try a Mk6 sir they are the same!"

Seat Leon ST - as above.

BMW 3-series touring? Hasn't got the space of the Octavia but does feel nicer inside. Best price over £100 a month more!

Jag XF? Nice but its too big on the outside and again for the same kit more a month.

C-Class? Cramped in back and old model which is not a good car (noisy and why cant they put the steering wheel in line with driver?)

Mazda6 Tourer? competent, but even with 0% dealer couldnt get residuals on finance to get near Skoda.

Hyundai i40 Tourer? Well equipped but 1.7 diesel with auto not good combination. Oh and its dull.

Honda Civic Tourer? Not bad but cant get a diesel auto.

Was tempted by some cracking deals on Passat estates but its too big externally and as stated I'm not impressed with VW locally.

This is just my opinion but it is genuinely hard to beat the Octavia. The VRS is being made expensive by Skoda as its proved very popular as we all know on here. But I'm bnow feeling better about the wait as it helps my car keep its value.

There's no way the A6 feels cramped compared with the Octy! No darker either tbh.

The octy does offer a lot. Space and practicality is great. That said and mentioned earlier not everyone buys for space. If your not after huge luggage space the selection group is larger.

Octy does many things well and is a great car. It is pricy and without the offers many wouldn't have bought. TSi vRS was close to deal I got on S so IMHO getting pricy. Tdi was better and a more sensible but slower choice

Having had a mk1 and 2 the 3 is very good. Steady and consistent improvement as each mo has gone on. Price sadly risen at a bit higher a rate in comparison

[Timoctav]

It's good that there's a car to suit all preferences.

You prefer yours, I prefer mine. Everyone's happy.

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You are taking me out of context - I'm talking about value, not preferences

[Telboy5]

Bottom line, when all said and done, people out there are still ordering the octavia mk3 so.........I bloody love my mk3 TSI VRS :-)

Edited 5 May, 2014 by Telboy5

[gt40]

You are taking me out of context - I'm talking about value, not preferences

Ok, you value things differently than I do.

All's good.

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Edited 5 May, 2014 by gt40

[Timoctav]

Ok, you value things differently than I do.

All's good.

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Well yes in purely black and white terms the Elegance is clearly better value. Better equipped, performance difference ( in the case of the diesels) is marginal, if you are buying on finance the Elegance is interest free and the vRS isn't....

Yes, the vRS is a better looking car, has better suspension no issue there and as a result as a drivers car it IS a better car - but I can't see any valid argument that the vRS is as good value.

Each to their own and emotion overrides the black and white every time I agree. And cars ARE an emotive purchase if you've any interest in them. We all have otherwise we wouldn't be on forums such as this would we?

Edited 5 May, 2014 by Timoctav

[gt40]

Well yes in purely black and white terms the Elegance is clearly better value. Better equipped, performance difference ( in the case of the diesels) is marginal, if you are buying on finance the Elegance is interest free and the vRS isn't....

Yes, the vRS is a better looking car, has better suspension no issue there and as a result as a drivers car it IS a better car - but I can't see any valid argument that the vRS is as good value.

Each to their own and emotion overrides the black and white every time I agree. And cars ARE an emotive purchase if you've any interest in them. We all have otherwise we wouldn't be on forums such as this would we?

Indeed. I find the Elegance a bit too "Vanden Plas" for my liking. That may seem irrational to some, but there you go. People eh?

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[Timoctav]

Indeed. I find the Elegance a bit too "Vanden Plas" for my liking. That may seem irrational to some, but there you go. People eh?

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Yes it is. Especially with wood trim and leather seats (mine hasn't ). It is not an exciting car to drive by any stretch of the imagination !

[Falkster]

Great banter chaps! The "Vanden Plas" comment made me PMSL, good come back with the "wood trim", I love this forum, who needs the pub!

[classic]

Square steering wheel anybody ??

[MartynVRS]

Passenger wing mirror was an optional extra on those

[Timoctav]

Great banter chaps! The "Vanden Plas" comment made me PMSL, good come back with the "wood trim", I love this forum, who needs the pub!

 

Thanks! I'm now looking for a pork-pie hat, tweed trousers and start smoking a pipe.

[Falkster]

Thanks! I'm now looking for a pork-pie hat, tweed trousers and start smoking a pipe.

You and me both Tim, I admire your tenacity in debate so the above items (along with the car) will serve you well as a politician. I bet you are a member of CAMRA too! ;-)

It looks as though it will be an Elegance for me based on price but I can't help asking the dealer to quote the Sports Package....oh and wood trim!

Edited 6 May, 2014 by Falkster

[gt40]

Thanks! I'm now looking for a pork-pie hat, tweed trousers and start smoking a pipe.

Did you ever dream of owning and driving a car which has as it's main description, and therefore differentiated by, the word "elegance"?

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