Hello all, this is my first post so please ignore my ignorance on certain matters. :?

I have a few questions to ask here, some of them may seam a bit unusual but I am just looking for unbiased opinions on the cars, as people like Mr Clarkson seam to have an Anti Skoda attitude.

What are your opinions on this car, is it a good buy, what made you go for the Skoda over something like a Golf GTI.

What are other people attitude towards Skodas nowadays, are the misconceptions still rife? :cry:

How cheap are the cars to run, do they break down, any major problems I should be aware of.

What sort of modification can I do to this car; I currently drive a ford fiesta that is slightly modified so I am defiantly going to modify my next car.

I am an 18 year old male, what is the opinion of the opposite sex on this car? :oops:

Thanks for any help you provide..

P.S love the website

My 2p's-worth:

Skoda's are no worse for reputation than other makes - if someone's

going to laugh at your car they'll find any reason to do it, and at least

in the case of the Skoda it's just at the brand rather than the car

itself!

I don't know about your financial circumstances, but I'd imagine if you're

looking at buying a vRS at 18, you can afford the hefty insurance which

will undoubtedly go with it! In the end this is what prevented me from

getting the vRS. :cry:

Octavia's are solidly built, and I've never heard of one breaking down.

In my experience you might have a few minor things go wrong, but these

will be covered by warranty. It's no worse than I've had with any other

car, and the aftersales team I deal with are a lot better!

I couldn't really tell you much about modifications, but I'd imagine that

chipping, brake and exhaust modifications are pretty easy. They will

push up your insurance even more though!

Not sure how females react to the car, most of the ones I know don't

really care that much about cars and are just grateful they don't have to

walk. And if a particular young lady refuses to get in your car because

it's a Skoda, remember that passengers are essentially ballast and will just slow the car down

Hope this helps,

Rob.

Hi Adam

Welcome to Briskoda! To (hopefully!) answer your questions...

Is it a good buy?....Well for just over 15K you get what 'Evo' magazine rate as 'The best Hot VW product'...its 1200 quid cheaper than the 3 door Golf Gti 1.8T (remember that only has 150 bhp!) and has been acnowledged in many mags to be the best handling VAG car on sale (leaving aside the 60 grand monsters like the RS6 ect!)

What are others attitudes to the car?...Well all my mates think its a great car ,(thats coming from Supra , Celica and Lancer evo owners) Other people say things like "They havent half come on in the last few years"...and " Thats never a f***in Skoda!!" , also i get a few folks who do a double take once theyve eyeballed that badge , most mistake it for some kind of Audi , apparently!

How cheap are they to run?...I get mid 30 mpg figures around town , closer to 40mpg if im on a sedate run , tho if I am booting her its down in the mid 20s...Breakdowns seem to be mainly coil pack problems (this makes the car drop onto 3 cyls) although ive never had it happen to mine in 18 months of ownership , it does happen but not just to Skodas , the problem afflicts all cars with the 1.8 T engine including TT Quattro ect!

Mods?...The usual that can be done to any turbo car apply , Chiptuning to a reliable 220 ish bhp is easy , a little more if you fit a full exhaust and change the Cat , wheels are the VW golf 5 bolt fitting so finding a nice new set is easy too , other things ie ICE, fitting recaros (golf 4 fitment is , i believe identical), body kits , WRC wings ect are availible too!

As for the girls , they like the car too , ive had no problem with adverse reaction to the badge...all you have to do is take them for a spin and they wont care what it says on the badge anyhow

I see the main problem for you at 18 will be the insurance quote...make sure you can afford that 1st , im 33 and I pay 420 quid thru Direct Line , but the car is grp 16 and i Have full NCD...

Hope i have been of help

Regards

Duncan

Welcome!

Right, my opinions on the Octavia RS;

-

If insurance is a crippler for the vRS, and I assume that you would be looking at fully comp given the value of any vRS you buy, have look at the 'lesser' models - the 4x4 in particular is great fun, and 2 insurance groups lower.

My youngest son (age 20) has a Nissan 200SX (IG 16) insured TPFT with 3 years accident free driving experience and Pass Plus, albeit only 2 years NCD (he had to change insurance companies mid policy to get cover). His premium for a rural location and off road parking is well over

hi adam and welcome to briskoda!

pretty much echo what the others have said really.

value for money but that does not mean compromises on performance or equipment.

has the ability to very quickly change preconceptions, but not all.

insurance for you may make it unfeasible, but i hope not.

of course i would say this, but go for it! honestly, there is no better car for the price.

regards,

Welcome to Briskoda, glad you like the site!

As others have said, (and obviously we are all biased, but most have been through the same process as yourself), it's a great car and a great engine, if you can afford the insurance and want something that looks the part the RS is a fantastic piece of kit.

Have you driven it yet? Make you sure you know if you can afford the insurance before you do, as once you have driven it you *will* want one.

I'm guessing you want something that looks the part, but if not take a serious look at the 4x4, same engine (tho lower output before chip), cheaper insurance (till you chip it then identical) but more expensive in the first place. Where in the UK are you? I'm sure one of us can take you out for a scaring session if you want.

"Getting over" the badge is the first step, we've all done it, usually on the first drive, you think "hey this is fun" and look down at the badge in disbelief...... :lol:

Thanks all for your prompt reply

I took a trip down to my local Skoda dealership today to have a look at the car, unfortunately they did not have an RS in, but they did have a Laurin & Klement.

When I sat in this car I was very surprised, it is a very nice car.

The salesman told me that I would be better going for the Laurin & Klement as I get more toys, it

Adam

Have you tried Adrian Flux for an insurance quote?

Adam

Have you tried Adrian Flux for an insurance quote?[/quote:dcea0abc74]

No, i have not tried them. do they have a website?

Adam,

I've always found Direct Line cheapest -

Take a look at the 4x4 then, even unchipped is great cross country and has a few toys over the RS, if not quite the spec of the L&K.

(and in a couple of years when you can afford the insurance you can chip it, the 1.8t 150 in the 4x4 is more different (more tunable) than the 1.8t 150 in the FWD cars)

oh, and direct line also -

Just out of interest, what are the resale values like on the car?

Ian,

What's your excess like on that?

Rob.

Adrain Flux telephone number is 08700 692202.

Mon - Fri 0900 - 1730 Sat 0900 - 1300

Rob, think it's 200 or 250.

Adam - resale values seem strong on estates, TDi's, RS's and 4x4's, anything there are not many about of it seems.

Where in the UK are you?

Where in the UK are you?[/quote:393dde9910]

I am in the West midlands, Birmingham to be precise

ok, if you ever want to have a blast in a remapped 4x4 just shout, happy to meet you someplace and go for a drive.

The "standard" 150 engines are "ok" but once you've been in a remapped one it changes opinions somewhat.

(like colin, that was torn between an RS and a 4x4, I took him out for a blast and within days he had bought a 4x4 )

ok, if you ever want to have a blast in a remapped 4x4 just shout, happy to meet you someplace and go for a drive.

The "standard" 150 engines are "ok" but once you've been in a remapped one it changes opinions somewhat.

(like colin, that was torn between an RS and a 4x4, I took him out for a blast and within days he had bought a 4x4 )[/quote:4d18205db6]

Can I get the Laurin & Klement in 4x4?

no, the 4x4 is basically an "elegance" model + independant supension\4x4 and ESP.

You don't get the leather, but you get side airbags, leccy roof, headlamp washers etc etc..(and a 1.8T thats more tunable when you can afford the insurance)

Hi Adam,

I bought the Octavia RS completely equipped with all extras and I got a juicy bill from my insurance company, even tho I now have had my drivers license for four years without a single accident. Considering that you being "only" 18 (sorry) the car insurance will most probably make it impossible for you to buy the RS, unless you got lots of cash...

Still, the car is great and has a moderate fuel consumtion of appx. 8l per 100kms (unless you put the pedal to the metal), I've had some smaller problems under the 6 months of ownership, but nothing really serious, everything was covered of the 24 months warranty Skoda offers.

To answer your question why I bought the RS, well, it's a cheap alternative under the middle class performance cars and has been tested several times as the top car in it's class (even over the BMW 3, which costs twice as much for similar equipment and engine power) by a number of car magazines. Also, I loved the car from the first minute I saw it at the dealership.

Only one thing to complain: It's "only" FWD, if that's a problem for you is a completely different question. Having tested a professional racing car yesterday all my complaining of my Skoda being "only" a front-wheel-driven car is pretty much a thing of the past. That racing car was driving like hell and, you guess it right, it was only FWD. So 300hp with FWD are not a problem, once you know how to handle the beast

Still, the "normal" 150bhp 2WD or the 4WD 150bhp could be a cheaper alternative for you, especially if we are looking at the insurance aspect of things.

Bought my RS last July new and have done 9k over the last 5 months.

I absolutely adore the car as its perfect for me. Quick, practical (boot size etc), relatively economical (avg 33mpg - usually 37ish) and fun.

I would recommend the car to anyone. One of my clients has a 328ci (I think thats what it is anyway) and he eyes up the Octavia as well.

Upsides: Performance, Economy, Build Quality, Deceptive size, looks - sporty and subtly aggresive, handling - especially in dry, brakes, 'sporty' interior ... the list could go on.

Downsides: Insurance Group 16 - (but thats the same on all higher performance cars), stereo lacks punch (speakers can be changed easily enough to improve it), steering needs to be a little sharper in my mind (but then the rallycar is 2.2 turns lock to lock) and the grey carpets are a nightmare to clean...

Paul..

Very handy thread, have just spent a month or so looking around for a replacement for my Alfa 156 Selespeed and have pretty much settled on the vRS, this thread has helped confirm that choice, will go and get myself a test run in the near future

Constraints had to be a quick of the line car as any car seems pretty slow after being out on the bike, decent mid range as I do a lot of motorway, decent set of toys (again due to high mileage) and not cost the 18K it would to replace the Alfa with like for like (new baby cost a lot to run!!)

The vRS seems to pretty much fit into all categories so i'll be waiting for the 03 reg to come around and playing a couple, of delaers off against each other as want to add parking sensors (for the wife :lol: :lol: ) and cruise control for motorway use - to be set at 15mph on the M6 over Thelwall viaduct at the moment :evil:

Anyway usefull info but a couple of questions:- :?: :?:

Is the cruise control any good (some systems aren't great or are too fiddly)?

What's the service interval on the vRS, got the brochure but no mention ??

ANyone recommend one of the Northwest dealers, either Preston , Blackpool, Bolton or Warrington as I am within 30 miles of them all ??

Anyone know of when the Octavia is due a facelift or replacing ?

Cheers !