Hi Forum!

 

Been a while since I've posted here - used to have an Octavia as a company car and currently drive a yucky Ford CMAX but wanting to get back to a better (cheaper to run!) car..

 

I am looking around the used car market at the moment for a Diesel Octavia in my price range that is of a reasonable age.  I just wanted everyones thoughts on the good, the bad, dangers and potential pitfalls of buying medium - high mileage diesel octavia's as second hand cars.

 

Basically I have seen a couple advertised at dealers that are about the same age if not slighty newer than my current car (2004-2008) that have mileage in the range of 120000-150000 some of which have full service history some of which don't say.

 

I am a bit new to buying and driving Diesels so wondering if there is likely to be any dangers/pitfalls or good things in buying a car for what I deem has a high mileage for its age.

 

I've seen a lot on the interweb about high mileage diesels being fine as long as they have spent most of their lives on motorways etc.. but I am just not completely  certain about the idea of buying a high mileage car second hand.. 

 

Thanks in advance all..

 

 

Which diesel engine were you looking at? There are a couple of choices for you age range:

 

1.9 PD 105, 5 spd manual or 6 spd DSG

2.0 PD 140, 6 spd manual or 6 spd DSG

 

Phil

Hi Phil

 

 

Which diesel engine were you looking at? There are a couple of choices for you age range:

 

1.9 PD 105, 5 spd manual or 6 spd DSG

2.0 PD 140, 6 spd manual or 6 spd DSG

 

Phil

 

Hi Phil

 

Anything I guess, I don't really mind as long as the Road tax is cheaper than the £165 I'm paying at the moment!

 

That's the three bad things with my CMAX at the moment, 1) its Petrol 1.6, 2) It does about 35mpg and 3) the flippin road tax is £165 a year!!

Which diesel engine were you looking at? There are a couple of choices for you age range:

 

1.9 PD 105, 5 spd manual or 6 spd DSG

2.0 PD 140, 6 spd manual or 6 spd DSG

 

Phil

 

Did they also do a 1.9 130bhp PD ? 6 speed Manual.

Did they also do a 1.9 130bhp PD ? 6 speed Manual.

Only in the mkI not the mkII.

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Hi Phil

 

 

 

Hi Phil

 

Anything I guess, I don't really mind as long as the Road tax is cheaper than the £165 I'm paying at the moment!

 

That's the three bad things with my CMAX at the moment, 1) its Petrol 1.6, 2) It does about 35mpg and 3) the flippin road tax is £165 a year!!

 

I know that the 1.9 with manual gearbox is £125 per year tax. It's probably the best bet for higher miles and achieves better MPG than the 2.0 (57 vs 51 respectively).

 

Look for an Elegance trim level to get a decent amount of kit (4x electric windows, rain sensor, dual zone climate, 6 cd changer, puddle lights, rear parking sensors etc).

 

Did they also do a 1.9 130bhp PD ? 6 speed Manual.

Not in the MK2. They dropped that engine and used the PD105 instead.

Edited 7 May, 201412 yr by Phil-E

I know that the 1.9 with manual gearbox is £125 per year tax. It's probably the best bet for higher miles and achieves better MPG than the 2.0 (57 vs 51 respectively).

 

 

And my PD140 (MY05) is £145 per year to tax, FYI. 6-spd manual, the DSG might attract a different (higher?) rate.

 

What's your budget? Biggest risk is likely going to be turbo wear and potential for failure, particularly on the 2.0 PD140 so worth keeping an eye out for. If you see in the car's history that it's been replaced, treat this as a positive

And my PD140 (MY05) is £145 per year to tax, FYI. 6-spd manual, the DSG might attract a different (higher?) rate.

 

 

It does Steve. My 1.9 is £175 vs the £125 for the manual.

 

Phil

Yikes. That's quite a jump!

 

Suppose it was of an age where they'd not quite calibrated the emissions down enough, for the DSG boxes.....

 

Tax also seems to be going up £5 year-on-year on mine, for what it's worth - looking at my old tax discs

Yeah I think it's the added weight.

 

We're happy though. Still getting the same MPG that we were in both the Peugeot 306 1.9 (non-turbo) diesel and the Cordoba PD130.

 

Phil

Yep true, the 'boxes are heavier. Just did a quick check on the Mk3 out of interest to see how the most modern setup compares and there's still a difference. 119g plays 129g for the DSG. So 10g isn't too bad, but there's quite a difference in tax: £30/yr for the manual, £110 for the DSG!

 

So I'll keep sticking to the manuals :yes:

Manual it is then! Lol anything I should look out for in high mileage diesels?

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Turbo - listen out for any strange noises on spool up - akin to an owl or police siren, those are the popular descriptions for when it's making noises it shouldn't! Should obviously spool up and deliver power cleanly and watch for smoke production - some light smoke is expected at times, especially with wide-open throttle but shouldn't be thick.

 

Other things to consider - clutch action and also watch for dual-mass flywheel operation. This usually is experienced as a judder at low speed when moving off, and vibration felt through the drivetrain as you're accelerating.

 

Those would be my main areas to watch for, on any turbo diesel. Then just other 2nd hand car checks - how the gearbox performs, check steering, handling and ride compliance over a variety of surfaces and road types during a test drive, how the car reacts and settles through a bend on a test drive etc etc etc.