That's a fair point, I couldn't care less about the girlie car / hairdressers car reputation (especially as I'm 6'4", 15 stone and work in construction), it's more the comments that it's not very quick or very good to drive. I'll be the first to admit the steering isn't as sharp as my old Mk I Octavia vRS, but other than that it drives very well and is certainly quick enough !

I have heard that they are not all what they are cracked up to be. Suppose cos the build quality lends itself to be heavy which in turn slows it down compared to others with similar outputs.

Noone has ever laughed at me for having an Octavia..... not even for having a diesel one!!

Having said that tho, I do know some people who think skodas are good cars but just won't buy one because of the badge.... my response to that is: ok, you go and buy a Bora/Golf/whatever. With the money I've saved, I'll go out and have some fun

When I was a kid my Dad had 4 Estelles.....120LSE's and so on.... I really loved them as did he... Regardless what others said about Skodas being unreliable - they never let us down....and were great..

Unfortunately, I went to a posh school (not my fault) and went through years of hell with so called friends ripping the p*** out of me for my Dad having skodas - kids can be really nasty - skoda jokes all the time and especially when your Dad is the only skoda owner amongst a sea of BMW's and Mercs....quite nasty at times. Didn't do the confidence much good at the time and used to make my Dad drop me off up the road - which I regret now.

Now I'm a good deal older/wiser I couldnt care less, I could have chosen a 5 series or a Merc but went for a Octavia II VRS ... I love it, its a good looking capable car that people look at and think " is that really a skoda?"

So I suppose what Im trying to say is Skoda owners have an inner confidence....

We dont need a "so called" flash car to inflate our social status...

I must have been blissfully ignorant as a kid.

A friend of mine in school, his parents had Skoda vans and we never thought anything bad of them.

Of course when I got my Skoda Felly my uncles was like other people my age/younger drive around in Beemers/Mercs/Audis etc but I didn't care.

Then I bought my Fav. People laugh when I told them how much I bought her for.

I don't care much for badge snobbery, it's stupid but if those people want to look stupid its their problem not mine.

I didn

I say "look at the beautiful woman in the passenger seat - she was made in the Czech Republic too". That shuts them up lol

I'm Ex-Military where taking the pi$$ if common nature. I recently bought my Mk2 2.0 FSI and the jokes still roll in; the old 'Has it got rear heated windows to keep your hands warm when pushing?'. I reply with 'yeah but by the time the mist has cleared, you are no longer in the rear-view mirror'

A mate bought an X3 last week and I left him standing at every opportunity, the look of disbelief was priceless, he just can't comprehebd that a 'Skoda' can beat a Beemer!

May I draw your attention to a quote from the Top Gear website:

Performance

The 2.0-litre Fsi petrol uses a turbo and delivers 200bhp, 207lb ft of torque and 0-62mph in 7.3 with a top end of a fraction under 150mph. Stick that in yer pipe and smoke it - suddenly the Police pursuit cars don

Ive always had cars that people take the pee out of, had loads of Fiats and until later today I have a smart. I was just getting out of the smart once and someone from where I work stopped his car, wound the window down and shouted "what a ****e car" in a very serious tone:rolleyes:

I the looked his car up and down while pulling a bit of a face, and replied "yeah right"... he quickly drove off in a huff in his..... Chrysler pt cruiser:rofl:

My mates daughter laughed when she found out I was getting Fabia, and said I was just too mean to buy a VW. I said Im not mean, just dont like VWs cos of their bland styling... shes a proper dubber too.

I went to a posh school too and one of my mates had an Estelle followed by a Favorit. He got the **** taken out of him too... until he left the other rich kids in the dust with the Estelle 130 (oversteer being better than terminal understeer in his opinion) on the back roads around Meopham in Kent.

As for me driving a Skoda now? Well I haven't had a negative word from people. I think the mark is well respected now amongst those in the know.

May I draw your attention to a quote from the Top Gear website:

I read this and had the image of a drunk Alan Partridge on the phone from his motel room "Not my words Carol, the words of Top Gear magazine..."

Only look of disbelief I've had so far is from a mate with more money than sense who admitted that his Z4 sits on the drive and he pootles about in his missus' corsa.

Clearly, his car opinion means little to me....

On the motorway a wee grin and gentle press of the pedal works for me when some s******ing wee baseball cap wearing boyracer has given me the " its a crappy slow skoda look" .....no need for words:)

K:)

I'm Ex-Military where taking the pi$$ if common nature. I recently bought my Mk2 2.0 FSI and the jokes still roll in; the old 'Has it got rear heated windows to keep your hands warm when pushing?'.

I'm in the Military and know this banter all to well.

That said, i only ever had one lad at work take the mick, and he used the exact same 'heated rear window' joke.

I told him if his tank of an Omega could keep up with me, i'd buy his next tank of fuel.

He never bothered to take up the challenge, and the 'jokes' dried up after that.

I wish he had taken the offer, i hated his guts and would have had great joy in showing him up and leaving him in a cloud of black smoke

I normally say about my Furby vRS, "It's a VW Polo with a different badge!"

I sure on an episode of 'Driven' young people were surprised and liked a Fabia with all the badges covered up. They were surprised it was a Skoda.

Nice thread revival anyway.

Edit: corrected old spelling errors!!

Edited 20 February, 201016 yr by Jim H

This doesn't quite follow the thread but it's similar.

This Wartburg USA website includes some amusing hate mail against Skodas that dates from the 1950's.

Wartburg And Skoda Hate Mail 1960

Not been laughed at yet and have had a few admiring glances, even from those in BMW's.

On friday i had the dubious honour of a compliment on the vrs. I say dubious as i was sitting in a car park when a "sporty" vectra swung about and pulled alongside, whereby the scally passenger leaned out of his window and shouted "f e c k i n rapid mate!" before his scally driver mate screeched off out of the car park, basshunter blarring out of the speakers! Maybe he was talking about his mates car:rolleyes:

Who cares what people think about the car you drive? If you are fussed...dont buy one you think people will laugh at. Its called keeping up with the Jones's....... or summat

i just say "come back when ya know what ya talkin about"

Well after owning an impreza for 2 years Changing to a Skoda was a hard choice. But after having a go in my mates vrs i was really impressed with just how quick it actually was.

A rather old thread but sadly the topic of badge snobbery still rears its head regularly.

My mate is wanting to change his aged Honda CRV for another comparable vehicle.

Hes looked at a Nissan X-Trail, Land Rover Freelander, Honda CRV of course, Toyota Rav 4 and a Skoda Yeti.

He really likes the Yeti and would buy the top spec diesel 4X4 model.

BUT

His wife wont entertain it at all.

She even said, "The neighbours will see it!"

I told him to just get it ordered..He cant he says as shes funding it.

She wont even go into the dealer in case someone recognises her!!!

Unbelievable!!

I am going to park my new Octavia on her drive the day I get it!!

BTW. She drives a filthy, and I mean filthy, BMW 320

Edited 20 February, 201016 yr by ChrisRs

But they'd be seen in the other choices?!

But they'd be seen in the other choices?!

Guy in work was telling me that years ago he was going to get his wife a Mk1 Octy vRS but she couldn't handle the badge, so they got a Rover 200 Streetwise instead! :no: :S

I have never had a problem, but being six foot and as ugly as sin might help

I have never had a problem, but being six foot and as ugly as sin might help

Right on one count Len.....I'd put you at least an inch taller

Right on one count Len.....I'd put you at least an inch taller

Thanks Chris...............

But we must have a celebration meet when you take delivery, at the Malthouse

Thanks Chris...............

But we must have a celebration meet when you take delivery, at the Malthouse

LOL.....We will yes. I'll be in touch

i say what car do u own, they usually say italian or french, so i say atlest mine has not broken