New member from Brisbane, currently on his second octavia.

Hello all

So I became a Skoda owner about eight years ago. They were still new to the marker in Australia and I think they were selling cheap to get a bit of market share. Nobody much in Oz had heard of them but my partner's father was Czech and we've visited family there several times so were fairly familiar with them. I also knew that technology, components and platforms were widely shared among VAG and it seemed like you pick your car, then decide what you want to pay for it - the Skoda price, the VW price or the Audi price (They don't sell SEAT down here).  

I bought a (2015) 110TSI Octavia sedan and loved it. Interior space seemed tardis-like, it handled as well as my old Alfasud and pulled effortlessly up hills like a V8 of my youth. Alas, a few days after a torrential downpour we noticed a strange smell. Under the front passenger floor mat was a small lake. And then an airbag warning light came on. Fast forward a few days and my favourite-ever car was written off by the insurance company. Now we're on our second Octavia, this time a 2015  Scout. If they import a Skoda plug in hybrid my next car could well be a Skoda too. 

Though a new member I'm certainly not new to the site, having frequently ended up here when googling stuff.   

Re my user name, someone at the refinery where I did my apprenticeship many decades ago remarked of me "doesn't he look like a murray cod?" and the thing stuck. Largely because I encouraged it. There are many worse things you can be nick-named in an oil refinery. 

Cheerio

Russell