Hi Folks

 

Need a new (to me) car.  I think I have narrowed it down to a Skoda Octavia VRS Petrol and I think I'd like it to be a facelift version.  The search is quite an interesting one given when you look at how many are available they are like hen's teeth scattered around the country.  Additionally they seem to be quite pricey so finding something is proving a challenge.

 

I think my budget has to be between 15 to 17k (the lower the better though) or at least that budget seems possible...though restrictive.  

Would like an auto,  Colour could be grey, black,  blue or red (so fairly flexible on colour).  Ideally the red stitched interior over silver but frankly if the car was auto,  had decent low mileage then I think anything else on top would be a bonus.

Wheels, while I like the 19's I think the 18's would be better to live with and more economical in terms of running costs?

 

So - while it looks like most in that budget are 230hp,  there are a few 245's that pop up from time to time but mostly manuals.  Is it preferable to take a low mileage 230 or a higher mileage 245? Or simply wait and stretch to top end of budget for a 245? 

 

Also,  I've no idea what dealers are like these days on their prices,  I've not had to buy a car for so long.  Is the advertised price the price I pay... or can I realistically expect to negotiate a few pennies off?

 

What are you views?

 

Thanks for your feedback

Phil

 

Phil - I've responded to another of your postings.

 

Autotrader have a large range of VRS's available.  https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-search?sort=relevance&postcode=td145js&radius=1500&make=SKODA&model=OCTAVIA&aggregatedTrim=vRS&price-from=15000&price-to=17000

I would have a chat with either Marshall Skoda or Horton Skoda - as they tend to stock a good range of cars.

 

 

I would (if possible) try and aim for a facelifted VRS (the one with the split headlight) - as they are better cars all round.  All of your colours are generally available and most VRS's tend to have red stitching anyhow internally.  Like most VAG cars, if maintained, they are very good vehicles.  18" wheels are a good bet - nothing is gained by having 19".  230bhp gives good shove and the cars can be easily chipped if you need extra go.

 

As we are at the end of Covid19 and the MK3 is in Run-out, then there are some superb deals to be had.  Be honest and see what you can do; there doesn't tend to be a huge amount of slack in the car market these days; negotiations around £500-£600 are typical or you can bargain by asking for extra accessories and add-ons to make it your car.

 

 

Hi - yes thanks I've seen both of your posts thanks. 

 

I've been scouring the likes of Autotrader,  CarGurus and Heycar.   There is one I've got my eye on... but given the weird position we're all in right now I can take my time and wait if I need to.   There-in lies part of the problem... do I wait.. see how the market plays out and see if the market drops off a bit or do I fill the rectangular space on my drive with something now.

What I would say, if you're not desperate, is expect to see more 245s arrive on the market in the coming months.

 

Mine is a July 2017 car and one of the earliest deliveries of 245s (was originally a dealer manager car supposedly). What that means is that now is when you'll start to see more of the 36 month PCP and lease cars coming back onto the market. 

 

The early 245 cars have a good few extras compared to the facelift 230s and personally I'd rather the extras than low miles - mine is over 40k now and wearing the mileage very well - bar a few stone chips you'd easily believe it had half the miles on it. The seats and steering wheel still look virtually brand new. 

 

As for the extras you'd get going for the early spec 245 vs a 230, that includes the following and probably more that I've forgotten... 

 

19" gloss black wheels

Black pack inc black exhausts, black mirrors

VAQ electromechanical limited slip diff

newer 7sp DSG

Electric memory alcantara seats, heated with 4way lumbar adjustment

310mm vented rear brakes

Front and rear park sensors

'quicker' steering rack (I think, sure I've seen @shyVRS245 mention it before) 

Performance dials on infotainment, lap timer on maxidot

 

Some of these things were removed later in production (2018) when the 230 was discontinued and the 245 became the new normal vRS rather than a 'special'. 

 

All that said, I don't honestly think you'd be disappointed in any petrol vRS. 

Thanks Kenai

 

Yes what you say makes sense.  Am not really in a hurry, however , I do note that the cars coming up you mention are pricey.
 

There is a red one done 41000 miles that’s a reasonable £16.2k but I can also get a 230 that’s done 16000 miles for £15.4k.
 

To me a car that’s done 41000 miles has done close on 5 years worth of travelling (in my hands).

 

While I like the idea of a 245 the 19” wheels scare the hell out of me..... expensive to replace and hard on the ride.... would prefer the 18s but frankly at the right price I’d accept the 19s and replace them.  (Have a family member has a golf R on 19s and its a terrible ride).
 

I do like the idea of some of the other standard equipment but there are precious few to choose from at the moment so will need to be very patient.  First time without my own car for more years than I’d like to admit.

I was in exactly the same position as you where a few months ago. That said I had been looking for a new car for about the past year since the better half and myself where expecting. I started off with your budget in mind but realised what I wanted spec wise and price wasn't realistic. In NI anyway. I had the same dilemma go for a 230 or go for the 245. I went for the 245 and I'm glad I did ive had mine for 2 weeks now and I love it. Its the dsg and is a joy to drive. In regards to the 19s and ride quality, I dont find it bad at all. I would wait as kenai suggests and get one of the 36 month lease and pcps. I actually think I had looked at the red one myself and thought it was really nice. Try and take one for a drive and see what you think. 

2 hours ago, Scott235 said:

I was in exactly the same position as you where a few months ago. That said I had been looking for a new car for about the past year since the better half and myself where expecting. I started off with your budget in mind but realised what I wanted spec wise and price wasn't realistic. In NI anyway. I had the same dilemma go for a 230 or go for the 245. I went for the 245 and I'm glad I did ive had mine for 2 weeks now and I love it. Its the dsg and is a joy to drive. In regards to the 19s and ride quality, I dont find it bad at all. I would wait as kenai suggests and get one of the 36 month lease and pcps. I actually think I had looked at the red one myself and thought it was really nice. Try and take one for a drive and see what you think. 

Thanks Scott,

 

I'm staying clear of leasing or PCP financing and simply using a good old personal loan.  Plan is to keep the car for a good many years as my mileage these days is going to be between 5000 and 8000 miles perhaps even lower.  While I appreciate I could probably get a PCP for a new car at similar monthly payments it does mean that I never own the car... and I'm at the point where I'd like something I own at the end of my payment period.  Net result I'm looking to maximize what I can get and still afford the payments.  

 

The other advice I've received from everyone is to Test Drive a car.... easier said than done these days.  There are so few available that I have to make an appointment to drive something that's miles away from where I live and may not be the car I'm interested in.  It doesn't feel right to mess about a dealer but I'm not sure how else I achieve a test drive.

 

I can actually see why a load of people are buying cars without test driving them... while there is some excitement in a car purchase.... the logistics side is certainly not it. 

 

Think I saw Startin advertising a Black Vrs245 Estate with 738 miles on the clock with over £8,000 off now around £21,000 which seems a good price. Not sure whether it's a manual or DSG though.

When buying my previous MK2 fl Octavia VRS TSI, I had to travel 160 miles to see it and buy. With my present Octavia VRS I had to travel around the same distance to pick it up. In other words, to get a good VRS petrol, as they are hard to find, you might have to travel to buy. With both cars, I bought in a way I never thought I would ever do. Got all the info I wanted about the independent family owned dealership on the MK2 and asked a lot of questions to the salesman. Put down a £500 deposit on the condition if it was not as described, I would get my deposit back. The MK2 was perfect.  

With my present VRS, did the same thing, but this time I bought from Marshal Skoda, it was one of their cars they had used themselves for the first 9 months from new. Turned up and the car was again as described, perfect. I actually spent a few thousand pounds extra for this one than I had originally planned, it was just so perfect for me. They are hard to find, but if you are prepared to travel, snap it

 up quick before somebody else buys it. Just had it remapped as well yesterday, boy they can be extremely fast!!

3 minutes ago, shyVRS245 said:

Think I saw Startin advertising a Black Vrs245 Estate with 738 miles on the clock with over £8,000 off now around £21,000 which seems a good price. Not sure whether it's a manual or DSG though.

Thanks

 

I acknowledge that in that price bracket there are many more 245s to choose from,  trouble is,  it's not my price bracket 🙂  My max is hovering round the 17k mark and that's a little more challenging.

 

It's also especially frustrating when you investigate further and look up insurance quotes by registration only to be told that the car your interested in is worth many thousands of pound less in value than it is being advertised for sale..... not a few pounds less but many thousands less.  Further investigation has WBAC telling you the same.  Now I acknowledge that a dealership needs to make some profit but we're talking 3 to 4 and 5k in some instances and when you see that cars displayed... their condition belies the value being asked in most all cases.

13 minutes ago, roaddetective said:

When buying my previous MK2 fl Octavia VRS TSI, I had to travel 160 miles to see it and buy. With my present Octavia VRS I had to travel around the same distance to pick it up. In other words, to get a good VRS petrol, as they are hard to find, you might have to travel to buy. With both cars, I bought in a way I never thought I would ever do. Got all the info I wanted about the independent family owned dealership on the MK2 and asked a lot of questions to the salesman. Put down a £500 deposit on the condition if it was not as described, I would get my deposit back. The MK2 was perfect.  

With my present VRS, did the same thing, but this time I bought from Marshal Skoda, it was one of their cars they had used themselves for the first 9 months from new. Turned up and the car was again as described, perfect. I actually spent a few thousand pounds extra for this one than I had originally planned, it was just so perfect for me. They are hard to find, but if you are prepared to travel, snap it

 up quick before somebody else buys it. Just had it remapped as well yesterday, boy they can be extremely fast!!

 

Hi Yes am getting the sense that I'm gonna have to spend some time on the road to get what I would like.  The rest of the gang have me thinking I should wait on a 245 model but I'm not sure if the extras are worth waiting on a better specced car that will inevitably command a premium.  I've seen a DSG 230 same colour as yours in my budget that looks like it may have a few pounds left could be knocked off the price.

 

So given your remap what does your 230 turn into?

23 minutes ago, Insearchofaskoda said:

 

Hi Yes am getting the sense that I'm gonna have to spend some time on the road to get what I would like.  The rest of the gang have me thinking I should wait on a 245 model but I'm not sure if the extras are worth waiting on a better specced car that will inevitably command a premium.  I've seen a DSG 230 same colour as yours in my budget that looks like it may have a few pounds left could be knocked off the price.

 

So given your remap what does your 230 turn into?

I used a very reputable map company, Racingline. On the first dyno run it showed a fair bit above 230bhp, as is very often the case with these TSI engines. Once mapped it achieved 329bhp with 499nm of torque. It's now a bloomin beast. Getting 2 new Michelin PS4S better grip tyres to fit on the front tomorrow, as my car is still on it's original tyres, Pirelli Zeros. They still have a good 4mm of tread, but as expected can't handle the extra power. I am with LV insurance and they only charged me £16 for the last 7 months I have left on the policy. So around £30 per year extra for the remap, not too bad at all.  

3 minutes ago, roaddetective said:

I used a very reputable map company, Racingline. On the first dyno run it showed a fair bit above 230bhp, as is very often the case with these TSI engines. Once mapped it achieved 329bhp with 499nm of torque. It's now a bloomin beast. Getting 2 new Michelin PS4S better grip tyres to fit on the front tomorrow, as my car is still on it's original tyres, Pirelli Zeros. They still have a good 4mm of tread, but as expected can't handle the extra power. I am with LV insurance and they only charged me £16 for the last 7 months I have left on the policy. So around £30 per year extra for the remap, not too bad at all.  

Impressive! Perhaps a cheaper start is simply the way to go? i.e. there's a 230 with 16K miles on the clock that's peaked my interest that's in my budget range and could probably stand to have a few quid knocked off.. which I could use on a subtle remap .. doesn't need to be 329bhp though... that is really impressive.

18 minutes ago, Insearchofaskoda said:

Impressive! Perhaps a cheaper start is simply the way to go? i.e. there's a 230 with 16K miles on the clock that's peaked my interest that's in my budget range and could probably stand to have a few quid knocked off.. which I could use on a subtle remap .. doesn't need to be 329bhp though... that is really impressive.

Most stage one maps will get you to 300bhp easily. Good luck with your car purchase mate. 

18 hours ago, Insearchofaskoda said:

Thanks Kenai

 

Yes what you say makes sense.  Am not really in a hurry, however , I do note that the cars coming up you mention are pricey.
 

There is a red one done 41000 miles that’s a reasonable £16.2k but I can also get a 230 that’s done 16000 miles for £15.4k.
 

To me a car that’s done 41000 miles has done close on 5 years worth of travelling (in my hands).

 

While I like the idea of a 245 the 19” wheels scare the hell out of me..... expensive to replace and hard on the ride.... would prefer the 18s but frankly at the right price I’d accept the 19s and replace them.  (Have a family member has a golf R on 19s and its a terrible ride).
 

I do like the idea of some of the other standard equipment but there are precious few to choose from at the moment so will need to be very patient.  First time without my own car for more years than I’d like to admit.

I've seen that 230 looks like a cracking car if I wasn't planning on moving house again in the next 12 months I'd be off to have a look at it.

11 minutes ago, Gissin said:

I've seen that 230 looks like a cracking car if I wasn't planning on moving house again in the next 12 months I'd be off to have a look at it.

But it's Southampton ... google maps reckons 2 hours but I remember travelling that route years ago and in real life the haul down the M40 and then A34 used to be brutal.... still it could be an interesting day out even if I don't buy.

1 minute ago, Insearchofaskoda said:

But it's Southampton ... google maps reckons 2 hours but I remember travelling that route years ago and in real life the haul down the M40 and then A34 used to be brutal.... still it could be an interesting day out even if I don't buy.

I live in Didcot Oxfordshire just off the A34 and since the virus the roads are a lot quieter than they used to be. Try not to hit the M40 north bound from the A34 though in the middle to late afternoon, as although better than before, it can still be queues of traffic. 

9 minutes ago, Insearchofaskoda said:

But it's Southampton ... google maps reckons 2 hours but I remember travelling that route years ago and in real life the haul down the M40 and then A34 used to be brutal.... still it could be an interesting day out even if I don't buy.

if it's a large dealer they might be able to move it to a closer location - but yeah you're probably going to have to travel to get the one you want (Think mine was 1.5hrs away when I got it) id recommend driving a few local from say at available car to work out exactly what you're after

 

h

5 minutes ago, roaddetective said:

I live in Didcot Oxfordshire just off the A34 and since the virus the roads are a lot quieter than they used to be. Try not to hit the M40 north bound from the A34 though in the middle to late afternoon, as although better than before, it can still be queues of traffic. 

Would be the weekend so perhaps not so bad from a traffic perspective though it looks like rain so that will add to the fun.

12 minutes ago, Gissin said:

if it's a large dealer they might be able to move it to a closer location - but yeah you're probably going to have to travel to get the one you want (Think mine was 1.5hrs away when I got it) id recommend driving a few local from say at available car to work out exactly what you're after

 

h

No petrols near me - so if am travelling.. may as well be for the one I'm interested in I suppose.

22 minutes ago, Insearchofaskoda said:

But it's Southampton ... google maps reckons 2 hours but I remember travelling that route years ago and in real life the haul down the M40 and then A34 used to be brutal.... still it could be an interesting day out even if I don't buy.

And allow some extra time because of the "smart motorway" roadworks on the M27.

1 minute ago, PetrolDave said:

And allow some extra time because of the "smart motorway" roadworks on the M27.

Aaahh - of course the ever present smart roadworks for a system proven to dangerous to anyone who breaks down.    I spent 4 years going up the M6 to a client while the roadworks were on and whilst it was great for fuel economy... it was murderous doing that trip each week watching the roadworks get longer and longer.....

Just bear in mind that the the facelift 230 doesn't have the electro mechanical diff.

That's only on the preFL 230 and the FL 245.

 

To throw another thought in to the mix. The amouny of money you spend on a used Octavia either hp or on pcp. You could wait and probably get a new VRS cheaper per month given the deals Skoda have on now. Plus you would have 3 years hassle free warranty. I know where my money would be going.