I'd like to buy a second hand Roomster. I don't have a great deal to spend at the moment and I'm useless when it comes to cars so, naturally anxious.

 

Could you offer me any advise on what to look for and what to check?

 

I've got a freind who knows a lot about cars who will check them out with me but I'd like a checklist if possible. That would include things like cam belts and stuff.

 

Thanks

@Steph_P

 

1) Ask for the service book, and look for a check against "toothed belt" (Skoda for cam belt) in the last 40_000 miles, or try and get the price chipped by £350 to pay for the new one.

2) Beyond that, buy on condition rather than "It was only driven by an OAP who only used it to go to church" low mileage.

Welcome.

What are you looking for a diesel or a petrol a manual or an Auto / DSG? 

What sort of budget?

My 63 plate has a chain instead of a belt. I know opinions are divided but my Roomster is coming up to 5 years old and if I had a belt it would need to be changed. My Vauxhall Corsa has a chain and has run for 18 years without attention so I know what I would have. Just look around the car for accident damage and give it a test run to see of any mechanical issues - like any other make I suppose. Another consideration the 1.2tsi came in two guises a 86bhp and a 102bhp. There is no detailing on the car to distinguish between the two. The 86bhp was on special offer in 2013 with prices below £10,000 so they can be picked up pretty cheaply by now. I bought a Brilliant silver SE model for £9600 new. The other colour was a duck egg blue. Buy the SE model as it came with aircon, parking sensors, panoramic roof and rear disc brakes. Wonderful value.

 

Edited 30 August, 20187 yr by edbostan

Hi, 

 

Check the rear sets are all still removable. 

Electric windows work correctly. 

Condition of wires in door jam looms. 

 

Thank you for your advice. I don't have a great deal of money, between £1,000-2,000 hence the Roomster rather than the Yeti. I don't mind whether or not it's petrol or diesel although I suspect that drivers with diesel vehicles are going to be penalised increasingly. I'm taking an upholstery course so the Roomster feels like a good compromise between a car and a small van. I don't drive quickly but I live in Upper Weardale with lots and lots of steep hills. I don't need speed but I need enough power to get around some serious countryside in all kinds of weather.

 

Thank you again.

Best check out what is for sale around your area for your budget and then maybe some here can help once you know what takes your fancy.

Maybe there will one coming already fitted with tyres that will be good for you in Winter or you will need to allow in your budget to get tyres suitable.

All Weather / Winter Wheels / Tyres are often advertised in BRISKODA.

http://autotrader.co.uk 

Edited 3 September, 20187 yr by Offski

At this price range I'd advise looking at a higher mileage 1.9 TDi - a generally reliable engine and capable of big mileage, if correctly maintained. 

 

As above look for a relatively recent timing belt / water pump and buy on condition / provenance, rather than mileage / age.

 

I had a new 1.9 TDi back in 2009 and loved it - a great car

 

I'd definitely look to avoid the NA 1.2 12V - not a nice engine and very slow.

 

I ran mine on winter tyres (Nov - March) - very inexpensive for decent tyres (for the 15" rims), less so for the 16".

2 minutes ago, pinkpanther said:

At this price range I'd advise looking at a higher mileage 1.9 TDi - a generally reliable engine and capable of big mileage, if correctly maintained. 

 

As above look for a relatively recent timing belt / water pump and buy on condition / provenance, rather than mileage / age.

 

I had a new 1.9 TDi back in 2009 and loved it - a great car

 

I'd definitely look to avoid the NA 1.2 12V - not a nice engine and very slow. 0-60 in 16 seconds and still (relatively) costly to tax.

 

I ran mine on winter tyres (Nov - March) - very inexpensive for decent tyres (for the 15" rims), less so for the 16".

No DPF (on any 1.9 TDi) is another bonus

Edited 3 September, 20187 yr by pinkpanther

Thanks everyone. Your advice is very much appreciated.

As above the PD 1.9tdI.  Really solid engine. 

 

The scout trim level makes the vehicle look a bit more 'chunky' and I loved my Roomster Scout 

I loved my Scout 1.9tdi too.  Best car I have ever owned.  Only sold it because of the return of an old knee injury, which meant I could no longer drive a manual.  And whereas Jonny5ive tuned his to 200+ bhp, I found the standard 105 bhp more than adequate!  Pano roof option was the icing on the cake.

Agree on the 1.9tdi for your hilly locale, but not Scout trim as has 16" wheels, harsher ride, tyres can be more expensive.

 

At your budget you should find some decent ones around, I sourced mine via Autotrader at a small garage down in Notts, traded in my previous 1.4tdi Fabia Mk1 against the Roomster, bought 5yrs ago with c56k miles, now on 93k and feels good to do same again and more!

 

Don't know whether Turners at Sedgefield still sell and service used Skodas, possibly switched to Ford, but that's where I got the Fabia, I recall they replaced a front wheel bearing at very short notice AND lent me a courtesy car!

 

I get mine serviced annually at a small local garage, I source my own oil and filter (Millers Oils, made here in Yorkshire, also use their EcoSportMax fuel additive to keep it running clean and sweet, sails through MOT smoke test every time, see my MPG real tank-full to tank-full results.)

 

As others say, the wiring to the tailgate and the driver's door tend to fail, there's a german kit for the hatch, and I got a Skoda loom kit for the driver door.

 

And yes, vital to ensure cambelt, water pump and associated pulleys and tensioners have been changed every 72,000 miles (or sooner).  If due, haggle to get it done within the price asked (dealer), and why not insist on an oil and filter service change too.

 

Another common bother is the big rubber "console" bushes, one each side in the front suspension, the standard ones don't seem to last long (and ditto units on Fabias), you can tell if they're failing if the car twitches as you go over a single-side bump or depression.   I sourced some stiffer Mahle/Mehle german ones via tinternet from a car spares place at Huddersfield.

The stiffer ones are slightly harsher/vibratory on broken surfaces, but make the steering response a little sharper.

 

Plenty of useful help and advice on here to assist you keeping an older Roomster going.

Good luck, keep us posted on what you choose. 

 

If you like colours rather than boring grey/silver, there's several cheerful blues from a pale watery metallic, my zingy Ocean Blue, also a very dark blue.  Occasional post-office reds, a very dark green, a khaki-like bronzey green, a rich dark red, a cappucino beige,  funereal black, and very rarely white, seen a white one in the rare "1" trim with steel wheels. Never seen a yellow or orange shade.

 

My "2" trim has electric front windows, 15" alloys, aircon (just had to get that re-gassed), roof rails, came with towbar and electrics and two roofbars, has full-size steel wheel spare (important for you in rural area).  And the aircon is vital given the big greenhouse window area, in hot weather.

 

Standard H7 headlights are pathetic, I've followed many on here and had a HID bulbs kit fitted, think it stands for High Intensity Discharge.  And replaced front sidelight and both cabin interior bulbs with LED's, significantly brighter;  bootlight still to do.

 

One other thing I had to replace was the vacuum control box, diagnosed by distinct "sighing" noise from under bonnet after switch-off after decent length trip.

 

Last winter I bought a set of winter tyres, and as George ("Offski") says you might find a set of four already on the right size (suggest steel) wheels for sale on here, the Fabia Mk2 are same dimensions.   I sourced four steel rims this spring from a big breakers at Doncaster, the winters now live on those, stored over summer, swaps done by my local tyres place, they also supplied the Kumho winters.

Some tyre place offer to store your "winter wheels and tyres" as a set, as its likely you'll use them to do the swapovers twice a year.

 

 

Can't recall anything else just now.

Edited 7 September, 20187 yr by RichardatWakefield
Improve reply to post.

Thank you all for your advice. I've gone for a 2007 Skoda Roomster 1.4 Diesel TDI that has a towbar. I did read all your advice, printed it out and took along a friend who has a lot more experience than I have but I need a car for Monday, this one appears to be in excellent condition and the towbar is a must given that I'm selling my house and need to use a trailer. I spent a week or two thinking about it so it's not an impulse purchase and it's not the 1.9 that many of you recommended but, I figure that it will do everything I need for the short to medium term and, at a point when I'm a bit more settled, I can trade up.

 

Hopefully, I'll have it by tomorrow. Thank you again.

11 minutes ago, Steph_P said:

Thank you all for your advice. I've gone for a 2007 Skoda Roomster 1.4 Diesel TDI that has a towbar. I did read all your advice, printed it out and took along a friend who has a lot more experience than I have but I need a car for Monday, this one appears to be in excellent condition and the towbar is a must given that I'm selling my house and need to use a trailer. I spent a week or two thinking about it so it's not an impulse purchase and it's not the 1.9 that many of you recommended but, I figure that it will do everything I need for the short to medium term and, at a point when I'm a bit more settled, I can trade up.

 

Hopefully, I'll have it by tomorrow. Thank you again.

Good luck with it mate, should do what you need