Tell me about old Skodas

[Witchfinder]

I don't "love and adore" the marque, I'm a relative newcomer to Skoda. I bought an Octy vRS and owned it for 3 years, before selling it recently. I happen to think that Skoda have made mistakes with the Octavia II, pricing it out of their traditional market. Don't think of me as a Skoda-fanatic, because that's just not true. In fact, this year expect me to be driving something with a blue oval, an octagon or perhaps four interlinking rings on the bonnet. It certainly won't be something with a winged arrow on the nose.

"Most people" don't like Skodas because of peer-pressure and the stigma, not because they think they're ugly.

[JMK2]

Jon - I am chilled. No problem. Come on I have been ridiculed so many times - how can I be anything but...

In all fairness the problem came from 1 car - the Skoda Estelle. The Skoda people did their best but it wasn't good enough. The handling on the early cars with 155 * 14 tyres, box steering and swing axel - yeouch.

Thats where Kings Lynn import centre came in. They did so much work to turn the car round. And when rack and pinion steering was available they helped Skoda fit it. And the same goes for the 130 and Rapid's rear suspension - developed with help from Lynn.

Indeed Lynn were also miracle workers - and VW came in closed it so all the cars come through - Milton Keynes (land locked!)

Think about it though. 1977 - what were the cars out then. Morris Marina, Datsun Sunny. There were a lot of better cars - there were also some rubbish ones too - and the estelle didn't look too bad at the time - just what do you expect build quality wise from a car built by prisoners.

Through the Estelle, Skoda became the butt of all jokes - cheap jokes. Yet one of the perpatrators (Bobby Davro) drove... a Lada estate. Interesting he didn't shout about that.

Anyway that's my 2p worth. I'm not fanatical about the old cars - I drove a few - but in my experience they were better than walking.

[lozgti]

Sadly they were for some reason classed the same as Yugo's,Ladas and FSO's.

This was unfair, though having said that,my Uncle had a Lada garage in the past.He always thought they were unfairly treated! (and he did rather well out of them)

I knew little about what an amazing history they had tillI came on here.I think the history is very interesting.Especially the fact that they used to make luxury cars.Somewhere on here there is also a pic of a little Skoda Convertible from the past.It is pretty stunning:thumbup: .

[ap0gee1978]

In fact, this year expect me to be driving something...an octagon...on the bonnet.

What the bleedin' 'eck do you want to buy an MG for? There's an example of a brand that got away (for a time) with producing rubbish cars that managed to maintain a better-than-deserved reputation! The exact opposite of Skoda, judging by the post so far on this thread!

And if it's the ZT you're thinking about, I can't deny it's probably better than the recycled early-90's Hondas (ZR / ZS), but if your feet are size 10 or bigger, they will catch on the underside of the steering column trim. Have no other experience of the car (I drove my old boss's one once around the works car park), but quite frankly being unable to reach the brake pedal easily is enough of a turn-off for me - there's no excuse for design flaws like that... :thumbdwn:

[smerko]

absolutely nothing wrong with a 75/zt. even the zr and zs were fairly decent cars - the press rated the zs 180 very highly and you can't exactly say the zr was unpopular!

[Witchfinder]

What the bleedin' 'eck do you want to buy an MG for? There's[/i'] an example of a brand that got away (for a time) with producing rubbish cars that managed to maintain a better-than-deserved reputation! The exact opposite of Skoda, judging by the post so far on this thread

Have you driven the ZT 260?

[ap0gee1978]

Have you driven the ZT 260?

Wouldn't want to - like I said, I took my old boss's 1.8T ZT round the car park and couldn't easily get at the brake pedal. If I couldn't stop safely with 160bhp under the bonnet, I wouldn't be too happy about climbing in to one with a 4.6 litre V8... :eek:

But then again, maybe it was a 'Friday afternoon special' - I guess I'm being harsh on the entire range on the basis of one particular example.

Although, having said that, if you do plump for the ZT 260, please let me know as I'll want to see about buying your local petrol station!!!

[JMK2]

ApOgee you drove one of the bad uns

All I will say is When I drove one I did like it - just couldn't afford the petrol for the V8.

Nice car - If the lotto comes up on Friday -yes I'll keep the Furby VRS - buy a 2nd even. But I will be hunting a ZT V8 (Ideally the ZT-T)

[Kingsley]

We bought a Favorit in Sofia out of tax for 5000 dollars and ran it without a single problem for nine years. In all that time it needed one replacement of the tyres and a new exhaust, otherwise the servicing cost next to nothing. That is how we discovered this very noble make of car, why we now run a Fabia, and why we are considering an Octavia 4x4 combi for our next posting (depending on where we will be sent).

If people are stupid enough to laugh still, let them. All over Europe Skodas are now recognised as the best, most satisfying make of car after the Japanese, and in the JD Power survey came only second as a marque to Lexus!!

If they laugh they lose out on a car that, for all its technical resemblances to a VW, is actually better made and more reliable than any other VAG marque, save perhaps Bentley. In fact, the early prototypes for the Continentals were made by Skodas, such is the class of the factory.

If you are seriously interested in the World's third oldest car company, try tracking down the two volumes of 'L&K Skoda 1895- 1995' by Petr Kozisek and Jan Kralik, privately published by Motor Press Praha in cooperation with the publishing house MILPO, ISBN 80-901749-2-2 in English. These two lovely volumes were published in 1995 to celebrate the centenary of the company, and are exhaustive, with pictures of almost everything ever made and all the prototypes. Truly one of the greatest and most interesting ever marques of car.