Am i mad to be seriously considering to buy a 2017 170000 miles Octavia? Priced 5k+
It’s got full history, cambelt and water pump done once, supposed to be motorway miles only, MOT is decent and nothing jumped out.

I’ll add roughly 9k per year on it. As the Octavia is a car I’ve been wanting for a long time… I intend to own it for as long as it’s got life left or I go bankrupt. 

i looked at the car and loved it instantly. Haven’t test driven yet and it’s a 2.5hour drive for me. The online viewing looked good but I want to see it in person.
need some advice on what I should be looking out for and what everyone thinks of the high mileage on the car.

Not mad if the price is right. I have seen a 1.2 tsi taxi with 230,000 miles on it. The one you’re looking at is the second highest mileage I have seen. There aren’t really any major issues with the ea211 tsi petrol engines which is why I chose one. 
I would have to say 170 k miles is getting up there for a turbo petrol engine and you would probably be pioneering how long they can last. At that mileage your more likely to run into issues with air conditioning not working, alternator wearing out, drivers seat worn etc if you get it at a good price and are prepared for some inevitable maintenance work there’s no reason to avoid it.
I’d be more wary if it’s a dsg at that mileage. I’m sure you could get a reasonably low mileage second hand engine if it ever came to that as there are plenty of Octavias on the road that will end up in breakers yards over the coming years.

If it drives ok and the price is right,  why not ?

Nothing wrong with the mileage especially  if has been well maintained  and mainly motorway  miles.  My 1.4tsi has done 160k and had no major work  apart from regular oil service.  Just check that the Cambelt has been done by a specialist as the 1.5tsi has ACT and needs proper timing equipment.  Also just be aware that Cambelt changes on the 1.5tsi can cost around £750 to £1k whereas the 1.4tsi with no ACT  is  around £350, so something you wish to consider before going for a 1.5tsi 

Edited 6 January, 20242 yr by wiilydog
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Welcome.

 

What is the History other than the Cambelt and Water pump?

 

Was it variable servicing so 18,000-20,000 miles between oil changes.

Is there a record of when the spark plugs, air filter, pollen filter and brake fluid was changed and anything on the AC being serviced? 

?

Is it a manual or a DSG, 7 speed DQ200? 

Thanks Classic! I was looking at alternators repairs and saw they’ll cost roughly around £450-500 for Octavia mk3. Does this ring true?

Thanks wiilydog! Wow I wasn’t aware the cambelt cost that much on 1.5tsi! I’ll ask where it was done and by who. I’ll have to accommodate this in my repairs fund! 

1 hour ago, Rooted said:

Welcome.

 

What is the History other than the Cambelt and Water pump?

 

Was it variable servicing so 18,000-20,000 miles between oil changes.

Is there a record of when the spark plugs, air filter, pollen filter and brake fluid was changed and anything on the AC being serviced? 

?

Is it a manual or a DSG, 7 speed DQ200? 

Thank you Rooted! 
 

These are good questions that I’ll need to ask and look into! I know it’s a manual for sure but nothing about the rest.
 

Say spark plugs and brake fluid weren’t done recently… you know what sort of costs I’m looking at?

A main dealers might take about £115 + for changing spark plugs. So about £65 more than buying them.  Brake fluid around £65.  The thing is, a Full history can be a history of what was not done when it should be. Maybe not even checked.   You want a history of servicing and maintenance actually carried out. 

4 minutes ago, Rooted said:

A main dealers might take about £115 + for changing spark plugs. So about £65 more than buying them.  Brake fluid around £65.  The thing is, a Full history can be a history of what was not done when it should be. Maybe not even checked.   You want a history of servicing and maintenance actually carried out. 

True that! I’ll go through that service history in depth. 
 

i saw some very useful information you posted back in April about servicing and costs (attached thread below). The servicing price plan shouldn’t differ too much to now im guessing?