Hi all,

 

I’m currently thinking about buying a Skoda Octavia mk2 vrs (in the next 6 months or so) as an upgrade to my Skoda Fabia. Looking for something a little quicker with decent mpg and the Octavia vrs seems to fit the bill. Just wanted to get some other peoples thoughts on whether this is the car for me or something different. I have just over a year of driving experience which isn’t much (and a full year of NCD) and I would need this car to be reliable, quicker than the Fabia and good on fuel. Has anyone with this car got experiences to share? Also, what’s a good price? The post facelift model is definitely my preferred option with the hatchback body, I have seen one or two ranging from £2,250 - £4,200 - there’s not many around!

 

A summary of my questions:

Is this car reliable? (common faults and all that)

How long should this car last me? (provided that it’s been well looked after in the past)

How’s the mpg?

Should I go diesel or petrol?

What’s the price range? (I’ve heard these things are built to last so I assume a well maintained Octavia with around 100k miles is decent)

What are the differences between the pre and post facelift models? (The post model is definitely my preferred option purely based on appearances)

Is this car suitable for young drivers with 1-2 years of NCD?

 

Cheers in advance for any and all feedback!

Only you can price up insurance and know if you are prepared to pay it. My lad's insurance on the Fab VRS, Fiesta ST and Mini Cooper S have all been eye watering. Makes my eyes water 'cos I've paid most of it.

It's a family hatch, so a jump in size and may seem a bit 'old man' if you're a young 'un.

Do you want petrol or diesel? Petrol models come with their own issues. Diesel versions have typical diesel issues that can get expensive once they get to that age/mileage - DPFs, cambelts, the fact they are often bought to do high miles in the first place or end up with an owner or two that only goes to the shops and then it's back to DPFs...

Insurance is a real killer it had to be said, it’s not the cheapest I’ve seen but far from the most expensive. Depending on what price these cars usually go for it might just squeeze in the budget. If these cars are worth over £3000 - £3500 I doubt I can afford it. I’ve had both a diesel and a petrol Fabia and I do prefer the petrol - do you have any insight to any common problems with the petrol engines? As for the sizing I agree. It’s definitely a big change from the wee car I drive right now - but for me I think it’s just “sporty” enough? Maybe that’s just me. Cheers for you’re reply!

cam chains on petrols has a sticky post at the top of the section. worth a read to to know what to ask any potential seller. 

diesel vs petrol really comes down to which fuel suits your usage better as to what issues you may end up facing.

Hi.

If you need any help with insurance at all then please feel free to drop me a line.

Regards,

Dan.

An octavia vrs is ok, roomy, comfy quick enough for most things, mine has been reliable enough for the last 3.5 years and handles ok in the dry. Can feel a bit cumbersome if you are used to something more agile.
Depending on how you use it depends on whether you choose petrol or diesel, and driving preferences. I love the low down grunt of the diesel but if you’re used to petrol it can take a bit of getting used to (car before this was a 285bhp wrx but that was a bit thirsty for 60+ miles a day). 
Would I have an octavia vrs if I was a young driver? Probably not, but as a slightly warm family car it makes sense 🤷‍♀️ Xx 

 

I had one in my early 20's, that may be a while ago now, it wasn't too expensive for me.
I had 3-4 NCB and insurance was around £1000 a year on the tfsi model including a few modifications, eventually sold as i was racking up a lot of miles so went for a diesel fabia.
I liked the car so much i've just purchased another