Hi, I want to buy a 4x4 wagon with higher ground clearance. The car will be used mostly for trips outside the town, on weekends. I am interested in a more spacious station wagon, because it will also be used as a camper for 1-2 nights. My 'dream car' would be a 2014+ Subaru Outback, but it is clearly over my budget and I am also afraid of costs of maintenance and possible repairs. The budget being 13-14k Euro, the options seem to be Golf 7 Alltrack (a bit more expensive, and less spacious), and Octavia 3 Scout, which I think is the best choice. I am not so much interested in the quality of the car's interior as in its reliability and practicability.

 

Now, 2 questions about Octavia 3 Scout:

• Which engine do you recommend, 2.0 TDI 150HP or 2.0 TDI 184HP? Is the power difference between the 2 options noticeable? Is one more reliable than the other?
• What is the number of km I shouldn't cross when exploring second hand options? 150k km? 200k km? Irrelevant?

What's your budget?  There are a number of good Scout's out there; a lot have done mega-miles (cos they are so good).

 

Engine - having had both a TDI150 and a 184 - definately a 184.....hands down.  Not much difference in MPG (I still get 50mpg+ from 184 on a good day).  Power difference is noticable. 

Try and get a Facelifted (2017 onwards with split headlight) as they are better put together.

 

Thanks Max. My budget is around 13-14000 Euros. Unfortunately it's too low for a facelifted Scout with 184 HP, at least for now. On mobile.de, the cheapest ones with 130-150k km start at 16 - 17000 Euros.

As a person who was in your situation an year ago, I would say that you can find pre-FL Scout for 14-15k euros. I bought mine for 15k Euro with 1 year extended warranty on 100k km. I was searching for it about 4-5 months so don’t hurry.

 

I had tried both the 150 and 184 you can definitely find noticeable difference between them. Choose the 184 version, the maintenance is the same, fuel consumption also, not sure about the taxes in your country, but I suspect that will also be almost the same because they both cover the same Euro standard.

 

The FL version is more comfortable, but IMO those headlights are ugly as toad   Even the pre-FL vRS looks better than FL one.

 

The back lights look better on the FL version  
 

Look at the car services on fixed intervals(yearly), not on extended ones(every two years). The extended intervals are for companies and people who change their new cars every 4-5 years.

You are about to buy a second hand car and you want to serve you well for at least 4-5 more years - it has to be well serviced.

 

* Look at the car below 150k km

* check the DPF condition for sure, it can be cleaned in some cases, but it’s better to know that it’s below 60% accumulated soot.

* The DSG is better in the petrol version. In the diesel versions it’s kind a clunky in the city between traffic lights if it’s driven lightly.

It’s great when you floor it. If it’ll be driven mainly outside the city both manual and DSG are good options.

* In case yoh choose the DSG - it should be serviced every 60k km.

* The Haldex oil( the 4x4 ) should be serviced every 60k km as well. It’s poor 4x4 system perfect for most of the people going on skiing and things like that. The Subaru AWD is much better for offroad  But their boxer engines are usually opened every next oil change

* There are no full leather seats in the Scout, which is the preferred option when you have kids... so you can skip the alcantara if you are on a budget.

* You can easily retrofit reverse camera, so skip that option if you are on a budged.

* Those without Navi option on their infotainments usually have SmartLink option which allows you to use Apple/Android car play. So if it has SmartLink in the menu, you can choose it if it’s the cheaper car. It may need additional activation if it’s there but requires code( ~200€ )

* The Xenon headlights are great, it’s worth choosing a car with them compared to the one with halogens.

* Many have defective water pumps, so if the cambelt and the pump aren’t changed at 150k km, plan to do it soon.

The cambelt in many EU countries for this car is suggested on every 210k km and no time interval, but I would change it every 5-6 years/150k. Like they do in UK. Especially when you have in mind the defective water pump.

* Good luck with searching and don’t hurry if you can, it takes time to find yours  

Thanks @fr1nklyn for the thorough response, I'll definitely keep your advice in mind. I agree the split headlights are ugly but I have the feeling they could grow on me if I keep looking at them. Why would the FL be more comfortable? I thought the changes were only cosmetic + the improved instrument cluster.

 

Better suspension in FL models; the build quality is slightly better too.  Definately go for the Bi-Xenon if you can find one.  The cars are really good; just got to make sure they have been serviced correctly.  Can you change your profile to let us know where you are based?  Its sounds like Europe, only because most folk are UK based on here.

I'm from Romania. I imagine I will buy either from here or Germany. Do you know some document/article where I could read about the improved suspension on the FL?

Okay - some UK reviews here:

 

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/skoda/octavia/98563/new-skoda-octavia-2017-facelift-review

 

Here is one in Bulgaria on 130k. You can check the mileage at the local Skoda dealer Euratek.

https://mobile.bg/details/11610379038508022

 

It has reverse camera, front and rear parking sensors,  ugly alcantara leather  , 8” Columbus and activated SmartLink.

 

Plus the cambelt and waterpump are changed. Most probably because the pump had started to leak. Which is good.

 

Appoint hour for full diagnostic in Euratek, talk with the owner, buy a one way airfare and it’s yours  ( I did it like that, with the difference that it was a domestic flight ) haha

 

And it’s 15k Euro, but I think you can take it for 14-14,5k.

Edited 25 March, 20215 yr by fr1nklyn

Sorry for the off-topic, but why someone decides to order brown interior when there are so many black parts like the wheel, plastics on the dash, vent holes’ grills, etc. It’s just inconsistent   

Taste...or lack of it.....

9 hours ago, varaderoguy said:

Okay - some UK reviews here:

 

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/skoda/octavia/98563/new-skoda-octavia-2017-facelift-review

 

 

@varaderoguy I read the article and watched the video, but there is no mention about an improved suspension.

 

8 hours ago, fr1nklyn said:

Here is one in Bulgaria on 130k. You can check the mileage at the local Skoda dealer Euratek.

https://mobile.bg/details/11610379038508022

 

It has reverse camera, front and rear parking sensors,  ugly alcantara leather  , 8” Columbus and activated SmartLink.

 

Plus the cambelt and waterpump are changed. Most probably because the pump had started to leak. Which is good.

 

Appoint hour for full diagnostic in Euratek, talk with the owner, buy a one way airfare and it’s yours  ( I did it like that, with the difference that it was a domestic flight ) haha

 

And it’s 15k Euro, but I think you can take it for 14-14,5k.

 

Nice price for that one, but indeed ugly interior color. It's well known that Romanian mess with the mileage of SH cars, I believe the same goes for Bulgaria. Checking the mileage at the dealer is certainly a must.

3 minutes ago, anstj said:

It's well known that Romanian mess with the mileage of SH cars, I believe the same goes for Bulgaria.

Ours are worse  

 

I would look at it if it’s been bought from Bulgaria and has full service history. Otherwise it’s not worth the risk..

 

There are people doing the same in Germany, Italy and Switzerland. Buy one from a dealer or with full service history confirmed by a dealer. Regardless of the country.

11 hours ago, anstj said:

I read the article and watched the video, but there is no mention about an improved suspension.

The suspension parts were part of the overall improvements to the Octavia range, not just to the Scout.  I know I saw reference to improved suspension in the FL brochures, but Skoda UK have removed all legacy info from their website. :-(