O.K. Guys,

 

 So, following on from this thread here:-

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/355930-16-tdi-cr-elegance-bought-with-hidden-scratches-what-to-do-about-it/

 

After a bit of a fight, I got my money back.  So,

 

I've been looking to buy another Octy Mk3.   I found a 63 plate 1.6 TDI SE for £12,000 with 31,000 miles on it. It looks very tidy, but TBH, I think I'd still prefer a Elegance model, and / or a 2.0 TDI engine instead, but the  potential savings can't be ignored.  It's an ex mobility car that was apparently handed back early, no idea why.

 

As I understand it, all mobility cars are serviced at the correct intervals. Is this correct? If so, what do you guys think?  Mileage is a little high for it's age in my opinion, but if it's been properly serviced?.....

 

All opinions welcome!!!

 

Thanks!!

Yes all work to be done by a main dealer and when required. Also tyres are like for like by Kwik Fit. They also have to be looked after by the owner

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Thanks j306TD,

 

Humm, I've just been reading that some people abuse the mobility scheme and cars that could be use as Taxi's (5 door saloons) are often chosen by those who abuse the scheme.  That might explain the high mileage on this car, but the bodywork is very clean though.

If they are then that person needs reporting. They should be driven by the person in receipt of mobility and 1 named driver. The named driver can only drive it for the benefit of the main driver ie shopping or hospital visits

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If they are then that person needs reporting. They should be driven by the person in receipt of mobility and 1 named driver. The named driver can only drive it for the benefit of the main driver ie shopping or hospital visits

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Indeed, you are quite correct. It might be, that the car wasn't handed back, but was taken back due to a breach of the mobility rules.  I think I need to do some more digging into this cars history.

Ask the dealer or speak to Mobility themselves for more information. Surely they can help you.

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Ask the dealer or speak to Mobility themselves for more information. Surely they can help you.

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I didn't realize it's possible to ask Mobility about a vehicle?  Can you do that?  I have been able to find out that the car was first registered in Peterbourgh on the 8th of October 2013, The car is now in Central Scotland.  I'll ask the dealer for more info!!

I didn't realize it's possible to ask Mobility about a vehicle? Can you do that? I have been able to find out that the car was first registered in Peterbourgh on the 8th of October 2013, The car is now in Central Scotland. I'll ask the dealer for more info!!

I don't know if you can but it's worth a go. How about also speaking to the supplying dealer also

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If they are then that person needs reporting. They should be driven by the person in receipt of mobility and 1 named driver. The named driver can only drive it for the benefit of the main driver ie shopping or hospital visits

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Not quite true.

 

My late wife gave-up driving in '89, 'cos she no longer felt "safe enough" to drive. (She had M.S. & it's a downhill slope, especially with regards to operating machinery.)  We still used the Motability Scheme until her untimely demise in 2005.  

 

Motability were quite happy to accept me as the "main driver", but did insist that we should name a neighbour or close friend as the 2nd named driver, if I were become unavailable to drive her car.

 

As for the O.P.'s original question, we were seriously picky re. the general condition of "our" cars. they were always serviced on time, had tyres before

they were needed & were in really good condition for their age. (Why wouldn't we look after the cars, after our initial cash contribution to get the cars we wanted, everything was free.......!)

FWIW, every dealer we used complimented us on the condition of the cars & wanted our repeat business.  It's worth remembering that back in the day 

the supplying dealer was contracted to buy back every car that they supplied on the motability scheme, so they had a vested interest in ensuring that the cars were suitable for resale!    

 

It might be worth mentioning that since we wanted to drive "nice cars", we usually put approx. £6k every 3 years into the deal, usually Ghia X Mondeo Estates, with the last car, a Volvo V70 costing us £7,600, all for cars that we would never own.

 

Still cheaper for us though, better suffering the depreciation & servicing costs for 3 years.

 

FWIW, one of my friends bought an ex. motability car from a car supermarket in 1999, & he's still running it, without any problems or unexpected expenditure.

 

Most "genuine" motability car users do not abuse their transport, it's vital transportation.

If you are genuinely worried that a car might have been used / abused, then why not try & find a more upmarket car that is unlikely to have been used as a taxi? 

 

DC

@Old Newbie2,

 

 Thanks, I appreciate your input .  Having previously spent nearly 15,000 on a 1.6 TDI elegance and had a bad experience (see thread at the top on the page), it's made to re-evaluate the whole concept of spending so much on a car.  I really liked the elegance I had, but it was perhaps a little lacking in low down grunt.  Very comfortable and refined in the cabin though.  I've also been looking at the prospect of buying a 2012 - 2013 Focus 1.6 TDCI estate, I've been told it has a bit more low down grunt, but I've not driven one yet, and I can't find one in the Titanium spec I'd prefer.  I have sat in a Focus, and the drivers view seemed to be a bit impaired by the thick A pilars.

 

  I've been a Skoda owner for about 8 years now, and always been happy with my previous cars, but my last experience has me thinking about my options a little more.

Tbh, if it has done £31k miles in 18mths as a taxi, then the owner must have been a pretty lazy one.

Sounds like a relatively good deal to me...so just over a year old, 31k miles is really nothing these days...I guess so long as the condition and how it drives meets expectations (and assuming the vehicle didnt have any driving aids installed that have left lasting marks/scars) then given you are probably saving the bulk of the depreciation on a new car (a 1.6 SE Id imagine is around 20k new is it not?) I'd say go for it. I also reckon you could negotiate another few hundred at least off the price.

I gather the SE gained standard cruise and centre armrest during the MY14 build run so if the car has these particularly would be good IMHO, but at that money hardly a show stopper.

The alternative is to hold out for a 1.6/2.0 Elegance but they will almost always fetch a premium over the lesser spec models (£1-2k I guess) so does really depend on what you want to spend really. Regarding the vehicle you got a refund on, did you look into paintwork correction or anything, you'd be amazed what a decent detailer can do with ropey looking paint so long as its not too damaged; dealership could have paid for it too.

I didn't realize it's possible to ask Mobility about a vehicle?  Can you do that?  I have been able to find out that the car was first registered in Peterbourgh on the 8th of October 2013, The car is now in Central Scotland.  I'll ask the dealer for more info!!

because they are sent to auctions

You should be okay as the car is still under warranty but it is a surprisngly high mileage for a mobility car all the same. Only experience with this kind of thing was my parents buying an ex mobility car as a second car, in that case a three year old Ford Escort. The car looked to be in good order and had lowish mileage, limited warranty though, well just after the warranty ran out the car needed work done on the gearbox as I think lower ratios were damaged, obviously one not very careful owner in that case! That car always had a very soggy clutch too, never any real bite to it, I found it hard to drive to be honest because of that but this is probably unusual, most of these cars nowadays should be able to give many years more of good service without major repairs to gearboxes and other expensive components.

@Old Newbie2,

 

 Thanks, I appreciate your input .  Having previously spent nearly 15,000 on a 1.6 TDI elegance and had a bad experience (see thread at the top on the page), it's made to re-evaluate the whole concept of spending so much on a car.  I really liked the elegance I had, but it was perhaps a little lacking in low down grunt.  Very comfortable and refined in the cabin though.  I've also been looking at the prospect of buying a 2012 - 2013 Focus 1.6 TDCI estate, I've been told it has a bit more low down grunt, but I've not driven one yet, and I can't find one in the Titanium spec I'd prefer.  I have sat in a Focus, and the drivers view seemed to be a bit impaired by the thick A pilars.

 

  I've been a Skoda owner for about 8 years now, and always been happy with my previous cars, but my last experience has me thinking about my options a little more.

Glad to have been of help.....

 

New SWMBO did try a dieslel Focus Estate about 2 years ago, but wasn't impressed. Titanium X spec, 163 ps diesel + powershift, ex. Ford Management role car in very good condition.

 

A very sensible choice, but, in our opinion,  no fun to drive.

 

In the end she swapped her VW EOS for a FL Octy vRS RSi & that seems to be a keeper!

 

We are both Ford pensioners & we sometimes get invited to test drive events. Last month we drove a couple of Mk 5 Mondeo's & a diesel Focus ST.

The Mondeo's were as expected, competent but maybe a little too large, but the Focus was a real bummer.

 

We were advised to "be careful, it's a powerful car", so we set off, like the old & nervous OAP's we are, but after 20 minutes of trying to find the "grunt" we

gave it back.Thanks but no thanks. We decided not mention that we had driven to the venue in my EOS which has been remapped to 250 bhp / 284 ft/lbs,

so perhaps it wasn't a fair comparison, & obviously not a suitable vehicle for us oldies....

 

We have driven diesel Octy vRS's & although we don't really like or need diesel cars, at least we were happy with their performance.  

 

Good luck with your search, the only advice I'd care to add is, that don't worry about the performance / economy of a bigger or more powerful engine,

driven gently the real-world economy is better than we ever expected, & if the red mist descends then they can be quite entertaining......

 

HTH, DC.

FYI:  Motability cars are on a 20k miles per annum contract. A point about servicing.... Motability cars are on the "variable mileage" plan so they reckon that over the three years they will probably only need one service.

FYI: Motability cars are on a 20k miles per annum contract. A point about servicing.... Motability cars are on the "variable mileage" plan so they reckon that over the three years they will probably only need one service.

I know about the mileage. But when did it change to variable. The FIL has his done yearly. Dealer rings him when it's due and normally collect it and drop of a like for like courtesy car

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Certainly in March 2013 when I got my Tig, it was going to be on Motability, but I actually bought it outright.... The result was it was set to Variable Service as it was Motability but I changed it to 10k / 12 months as I believe in frequent regular servicing.

My Yeti is on Variable Interval but I will get the oil & filter changed at 10k which will be at approx 8 months.... I will have to pay for this myself.

Not sure it is high mileage tbh. Motability lease us three years 60,000 miles. If the car is two years old, that's not bad.

Can't be used as a taxi as that invalidates the lease and the insurance.

Generally (but if course there can be exceptions) they are well looked after cars as all servicing, tyres, ancillaries are covered by the lease.

There can be many reasons that the car has been returned early, from yes, being caught out breaching the rules, but more like the disabled persons situation has got worse and needed a specialised vehicle, a auto instead of manual, had to go into care, disability meant getting in and out if the car became difficult etc, etc.

If the service book is correct, it's still in warranty, it's a good deal.

It is largely down to the disability being applied for (bear with me, this isnt a rant lol)

 

Paint marks from Wheelchairs are potential, as well as any cosmetic marks from conversions being removed. My (former) father in law had the attitude of not caring about them, regularly abusing 3 Zafiras he worked through (effectively using them as kiddie-wagons and builders vans for his house refurb).

 

So in short, it doesnt guarantee it either way - The mileage is nothing (barely run in) so do the usual checks and make your decision from there.

Not sure it is high mileage tbh. Motability lease us three years 60,000 miles. If the car is two years old, that's not bad.

Can't be used as a taxi as that invalidates the lease and the insurance.

Generally (but if course there can be exceptions) they are well looked after cars as all servicing, tyres, ancillaries are covered by the lease.

There can be many reasons that the car has been returned early, from yes, being caught out breaching the rules, but more like the disabled persons situation has got worse and needed a specialised vehicle, a auto instead of manual, had to go into care, disability meant getting in and out if the car became difficult etc, etc.

If the service book is correct, it's still in warranty, it's a good deal.

+1.

 

Our last car went back after 9 months & 9k miles, due to her demise.

Motability offered it to me at a really silly / high price, but the supplying Volvo dealer pointed out that as a Ford (!) Pensioner I qualified for the 20% discount,

meaning that I could have a brand new car for less money.

 

Didn't bother though, I wasn't that impressed with the V70 & bought a V6 Mondy wagon instead.

 

No-one ever contacted me why it was returned early, but it was a genuine reason.....

 

Motability cars seem to be much cheaper now, we were restricted to 12k miles per year & only 4 new tyres over the 3 year contracT.

 

We took special care too minimise wheelchair damage, (protective blankets in the boot, etc.), but not all Motability customers have the same

standards. 

We did realize that we would never own the cars, but we tried to treat them as if they were ours, rather than a cheap / free c

 

DC

OP, why are you buying a diesel ? Do you do high mileage ?, currently this car is running at about 50% over avg. mileage, if you intend to to do reasonable high mileage is never gonna hold its value.

 

If you don't do high mileage, why not look at the TSI with the DSG and that'll be Elegance spec which you seem to appreciate, they're very refined/quiet.

 

Or why arn't you looking at what you want brand new, today and tomorrows offer means a lot of saving whilst tucking away that nest egg of yours or NOT paying interest of a loan, I don't know your circumstances.

 

Either way 50% over avg. mileage and a seemingly good price do make you wonder and I've always found if something looks "to good to be true", its generally just that "to good to be true"

Hey guys,  Sorry for being slow to reply to your posts, Sometimes I can get logged in a work, and sometimes I can't, something to do with web filters probably.

 

This morning on my way into work I had another quick look at the car.  I didn't have time to look at the paper work they may or may not have, so I asked them to pop up the bonnet so I could have a look at the engine bay.  first thing I noticed was that the coolant level was way bellow the min level, there was barely any in the filler bottle.  TBH, it doesn't give me any confidence that the car has been properly serviced, so I think I'll walk away from this one. 

 

@ themanwithnonaim,  I don't do high mileage, no.  Probably only about 8,000 a year these days as I now have a shorter commute to work, through town and country roads. only 15 minute drive.

 

I test drove a New Fabia Estate 1.2 TSI a few weeks ago and it was pretty good around town, but a big disappointment on the motorway.  Fuel consumption was pretty high, and I found myself having to drop down into 4th when driving into the wind and up a very slight gradient.  I've never driven a car I had to change down gears on the motorway before, and that's not acceptable in my book.  I get that it just doesn't have enough torque in higher gears, but given that the fabia estate is smaller and lighter than the Octy3 saloon, it rather put me off the idea of the 1.4 TSI in the Octy 3.  How do you find yours on the motorway?, and what sort of real world fuel economy does your car return around town and on the motorway?

 

I guess I got used to the low down grunt that my 1.9 TDI PD engined Fabia Estate I had, but it's gone now, lost in the trade in a did to buy the 1.6 TDI elegance I bought, and then got my money back on after the dealer messed up the paint work they were supposed to be "fixing" etc.

 

I prefer to stay away from finance, even 0%, and although I have £15,000 to spend on a car, I'm pondering as the whether just spending around 10,000 - 12,000 on a car and putting the rest to good use on something else might be a better idea.  I've run into a spot of gearbox trouble with my motorbike, and it looks like it won't be economical to fix it, so.......?? IDK!!

Edited 8 June, 201511 yr by TheTokRa

For what it's worth, my other halfs last car was a mobility car and her current one is, no issues with either.

http://www.motorpoint.co.uk/vehicleadvert/skoda/octavia/547735

 

But you do not want a modern diesel for the kind on trips you describe.

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201504152623110/sort/ageasc/postcode/dg71tr/fuel-type/petrol/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/channel/cars/make/skoda/price-from/12000/radius/1500/page/2/model/octavia/usedcars/price-to/14000?logcode=p

 

FWIW: I used to go to a lot of car auctions, Shotts, Newmains and Edinburgh and a lot, no most of the motability cars I saw for sale were in poor condition, dents, scratches, dirty and full of rubbish. It did make me wonder if the majority of keepers didn't value what they had been given. Personally I would avoid.