My wife and I are on the lookout for our first car that has the capability of being a family car. 

We live in Denmark, and from my research and the cars that are currently on sale - everything leads me back to Skoda Octavia. 
 

 Requirements & Thoughts: 

- At least 15km/L OR  6-7L/100km fuel consumption (Gasoline) 

- Budget limit 70.000Dkr OR 9386€

- Isofix

- 780-2200Dkr OR 105-295€ yearly taxes

- Cherry on top; towbar 

- Spacious in regards to family/kids incl. the boot, we will travel long trips multiple times a year due our to family being spread to a different country.

- Trying to keep the monthly & yearly costs excl. repairs to a minimum is one of the main thoughts. Hereby creating more space for repairs and the like. 

 

What brands & models have i looked at?: 

- Toyota (Avensis, Corolla)

- Honda (Civic, Accord)

- Hyundai (i30, i40)

- Mazda (3 & 6)

- Nissan (Qashqai)

- Suzuki (Not 1 specific model)

- Skoda (Octavia & fabia)

 

What have i found?:

- I've found that every road leads back to Skoda, especially the Octavia models from 2012-2014, which are the ones on sale within our above mentioned budget/requirements. 

- The other brands & models can be bought around 50-60.000Dkr OR 6700-8000€ the same goes for the Skoda Octavia currently on sale

- + side of the other brands is lower mileage, around 120.000-200.000km BUT far more expensive in gas & taxes

- % of the Skodas; high mileage around 222.000-300.000km BUT far less expensive in gas & taxes

 

What engines are in the 2012-2014 Skoda Octavia models? 

- 1.2 TSI 105hp/175nm 

- 1.4 TSI 140/250nm

 

What do I need advice for?: 

- Worth buying the Skoda Oct. with the above mentioned engines yet high mileage? 

- Other brands/models that could be relevant?

- Something worthwhile that i haven't considered & presented in my above mentioned thoughts?

 

Some of the Skodas that are currenlty on sale & being considered: 

- https://www.bilbasen.dk/brugt/bil/skoda/octavia/14-tsi-140-elegance-combi-5d/6313360

- https://www.bilbasen.dk/brugt/bil/skoda/octavia/12-tsi-105-family-combi-5d/6378707 

- https://www.bilbasen.dk/brugt/bil/skoda/octavia/12-tsi-105-ambition-5d/6357940

- https://www.bilbasen.dk/brugt/bil/skoda/octavia/14-tsi-140-elegance-combi-5d/6331952

- https://www.bilbasen.dk/brugt/bil/skoda/octavia/14-tsi-140-elegance-5d/6352571

 

 

Thank you in advance

 

Max

 

 

 

 

Hi Max, welcome.

 

For reliability and less frequent servicing, maintenance and repairs costs start at Toyota, or Honda perhaps, obvious you always buy on condition as there can be good and bad examples of any brand or model depending on previous owners.  Take mpg figures as a generalisation on any car, particularly from the manufacturers, and different people will always get different mpg figures from exactly the same car,  High mileage is often better than low or very low mileage in many areas but of course high mileage may show signs of wear in say things like seat(s), carpet, trim, switches perhaps (perhaps another reason for some better made Japanese cars).

 

As you can tell I am unusual here as I do not particularly like the German marques including VW that has the Škoda brand now but the vast majority of other members that do like, or to enough extent, so lots of advice on this site for you.

 

For your first car (and also later cars possibly) for at least the first year of ownership do not be tempted to spend money after purchase on cosmetics and changing anything that is not needed as part of servicing, maintenance and repairs.  An appropriate battery charger maintainer would possibly be a good investment particularly with German marques start-stop cars. 

 

If you really want a 2012-14 VWŠkoda Octavia then you might be better looking at and/or perhaps asking in the model forum, 2012-14 covers two models Mk2 and Mk3 so here is the link to the area of Briskoda that cover both plus other Octavia forums. - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/169-škoda-octavia/

 

Good luck.

 

Edited 4 December, 20241 yr by nta16
typos

I can't comment on everything, however those long trips are something to consider.

 

I have a 2.0 vRS now, but previously have had a 1.4 Leon and an 1.5 A3.

 

They were absolutely brilliant engines (and I mean that, the Leon's 1.4 ACT in particular) around town and when empty, but once loaded up and with two or three people, they were a bit gutless - especially on the motorway. Then again, your expectations are probably very different to mine.

 

I wouldn't bother with the 105ps option - the 140ps 1.4 EA211 is a fantastic little engine and will return similar enough economy. 

 

Also worth looking at a 1.4 SEAT Leon ST. It's the same as the Octavia underneath, but might take your fancy a bit more. I would avoid anything Ford from ten years ago - the maintenance isn't worth it. 

 

All other options are nice, however you won't really find any Japanese/Korean/etc, estates.

 

The only thing to remember maintenance wise is that VW group cars aren't the cheapest to maintain. They are by no means expensive, but I think a Toyota or Honda will run for longer, for cheaper.

 

Something with smaller wheels would be nice too - perhaps 17s or even 16s. The larger wheel sizes on some of the cars you look at might be more appealing, but you'll sacrifice ride quality.

Edited 4 December, 20241 yr by Occy245

15" or even 14" are more sensible size wheels and tyres but for decades fashion has dictated larger wheels with over-wide tyres with too narrow sidewall height (ratio).

 

VWs also have silly wheel bolts instead of fixed wheel studs so if you ever need or what to take a wheel off get yourself a set of two (or four) of these "wheel alignment tools. -

One alone works just fine, I bought a pair and gave one to my Skoda owning neighbour as it was redundant. Most people only have one.

 

Having 2 does make it slightly easier in that you dont have to rotate the wheel to get the first bolt in but it is also much harder to lift the heavy wheel and align it onto 2 studs.

 

Using 4 studs is just plain daft.

All that being said, I would personally buy a VAG car first!

 

Wheel fitting tools are useful, but I don't think you really need it... certainly, stuff like a tyre pressure gauge and a spare wheel might help. 

 

I use one stud tool, but that's only because I frequently swap tyres and can't always be bothered to take Occy (my girlfriends Fiat is a much better transporter)

I agree regarding buying the vehicle first!

 

Wheel fitting tools are completely irrelevant to the OP who wrote very specifically what he was seeking advice for:

 

What do I need advice for?: 

- Worth buying the Skoda Oct. with the above mentioned engines yet high mileage? 

- Other brands/models that could be relevant?

- Something worthwhile that i haven't considered & presented in my above mentioned thoughts?

Four is for if you rotate wheel positions.  Some model of VW may be different to others but with my wife's 2015 Fabia Mk3 one 'alignment tool' has the wheel swinging, two is more stable so better as the wheel has to locate and sit on a whisper of centre hub flange.  Relevant when considering a range of cars as others have the better and easier fixed wheel studs.  My wife's Fabia is the first car I can ever remember encountering with this additional car hassle in the previous 40 years of driving.

 

Yes, however four would require a set of axle stands and a good quality jack.

 

Most normal people get in the car and go. If they get a puncture, they take it to Kwik Fit and let them deal with it - not to mention that of the last three cars I've had, not one of them came with a spare.

 

You do then get the other camp (such as myself) who rotate wheels, regularly change tyres, brakes etc. To us, tools like this are very useful.

 

By the sounds of the OP however, I would suggest he's in the former camp. My father has run a mixture of VW's, BMW's, Audi's and Porsche's over the last thirty years and I'm pretty sure he doesn't know or care what a wheel bolt is, yet he's got on just fine!

 

FYI - wheel studs/nuts may be an easier-to-fit arrangement, however wheel bolts are easier from a mechanics point of view. No taking the hub off to replace a stud, and I would wager a bit safer too, as people are more likely to replace wheel bolts when the old ones become stretched/damaged, than they are studs.

Like all posters and readers the OP can read as much as they want and dismiss or ignore as much as they please.  I'm with you on having a good reliable tyre pressure gauge but don't bother with carrying a spare wheel though I understand others may want or need to.  If you can get the car and puncture to a KwikFit great but it's not always possible.

 

I thought, don't know, an 'alignment tool' was/were part of a kit for Audis.  Anyone that doesn't want or need one great, if they want/need two or more that's up to them, all can certainly survive life without them as they can any particular marque/badge of car, go with what floats yer boat. 

 

As for wheel studs the only problems I've ever had with them has when tyre fitting places ignoring what they've been told and just carrying on as normal tyre fitters or mechanics and overtighten with a rattle-gun and/or overtighten with a torque wrench.  If I was a mechanic with a lift I'd probably not have such an issue with the bloody wheel bolts.

 

Different people think differently, do things in different ways and have different experiences, all part of life's flora and fauna.

 

5 hours ago, nta16 said:

Like all posters and readers the OP can read as much as they want and dismiss or ignore as much as they please.

 

Yes but first they have to read through a huge volume of irrelevancy, this OP was wise, he no doubt has seen what goes on so requested very specifically what he wanted advice on.

 

I for my part have added to said volume this time because I sometimes feel the need to challenge nonsense which when oft repeated might be taken as gospel.

2 minutes ago, J.R. said:

 

Yes but first they have to read through a huge volume of irrelevancy, this OP was wise, he no doubt has seen what goes on so requested very specifically what he wanted advice on.

 

I for my part have added to said volume this time because I sometimes feel the need to challenge nonsense which when oft repeated might be taken as gospel.

Agreed. OP was asking about a general Skoda question, and then someone mentions a wheel alignment tool for a car OP doesn’t even have.

We should be thankful it wasn't the usual dissertation on battery charging and "invasive" computer systems.

@nta16, @Occy245 and @J.R. thanks for the replies and welcoming attitude. 

Now the tools nta16 has mentioned might not be as relevant as the "is a skoda with high said mileage worthwhile to invest in?", but it's something i can keep in the back of my head for the future - it might just become relevant. 

This is afterall my first car, and being informed about general & specific things can come in handy and contributes to me having more of a clue. 

Something i'd like to hear more about is; Why & how a 10 y/o car is better off having high(er) mileage than low-very low? 

 

Second; What would be considered high mileage for a 1.4 TSI 140/250 engine? 

Third; How far, probably depending on a lot of factors, can the 1.4 TSI engine go for? 

 

3 hours ago, maxroal said:

@nta16, @Occy245 and @J.R. thanks for the replies and welcoming attitude. 

Now the tools nta16 has mentioned might not be as relevant as the "is a skoda with high said mileage worthwhile to invest in?", but it's something i can keep in the back of my head for the future - it might just become relevant. 

This is afterall my first car, and being informed about general & specific things can come in handy and contributes to me having more of a clue. 

Something i'd like to hear more about is; Why & how a 10 y/o car is better off having high(er) mileage than low-very low? 

 

Second; What would be considered high mileage for a 1.4 TSI 140/250 engine? 

Third; How far, probably depending on a lot of factors, can the 1.4 TSI engine go for? 

 

 

1) I understand what you're asking. It's actually quite a clever thing to ask! Most people see a fifteen year-old car with 20k miles/30,000km on it and snap it up, without pausing to think. One way of looking at it is that, with a mileage that low, it's either been sat for a long time (bad) or has been driven constantly around town on short journeys (bad). Cars, generally, like to be driven. For example, I'd suggest that a 2018 with 80,000 motorway miles is a better bet than a 2018 with 50,000 town miles. Of course, it goes the other way too. Personally, I try to avoid buying cars with more than 50k (80,000km) on them - simply because that gives me a few years before thinking about timing chains, clutch, etc, etc. Another thing to consider is cars are made of more than just metal. Whether driven or not, all of the rubbers and plastics (suspension, engine bay) will perish and degrade. Again though, it all depends on how well the car was maintained, etc.

 

2) Any TSI post 2016 or so will be alright, as they had everything sorted by then. I would say you want to get one with below 85k miles/140,000km. I owned my Leon from 40k (64,000km) to around 70k (110,000km) and it was as tight as a drum. The timing belt on the 1.4 is quite important - somebody else will have to tell you when it should be done, I can't remember. 

 

3) A friend of mine has a 1.4TSI appraching 120k miles/200,000km. I've seen a few touching 200k miles (320,000km), but at that age they're more trouble than they're worth. 

 

The issue with higher mileage cars is that it all depends on the maintenance history. You can buy a car with 80,000km that is absolutely knackered with no regular oil changes, no timing belt, etc etc, versus a 120,000km engine that has been maintained perfectly. 

 

From my personal experience, 130,000-150,000km is when bigger things start to need replacing/go wrong. A 2020 with 150,000km on it will have virtually no issues compared to a 2010 with 80,000km on it. The money you save on purchase price will likely be offset by the maintenance cost!

 

Just my opinion. Things aren't always as they seem - my first car (2020) was a 2013 Focus with 35k miles on it and one owner, that blew up after 2 months. Lesson learned.

Thank you for accepting the wider information based on this being your first car, I understand this as I used to help those that were new to what some call "vintage" or "historic" cars but are generally called "classic" cars in the UK, meaning old and very old cars, mine from the 1960s and 1970s.  Some of these "classics" were just the equivalent of a 2012-14 Octavia of their time (not the ones I owned).  I also ran these old cars for 30+ years as my daily drivers for work, commuting (300 and 500 miles a week commuting at one times) holiday in the UK and parts of Europe and car club events and for the last 16 years of that I only had one 1973 car, so I have some experience of old cars and knowledge of cars that have very low mileage and use and miniscule annual mileage and use.

 

To answer your questions, a lot already covered by Occy245 but some more added.

 

It is not just the mileage, though the mileage points have already been given it is also about how the mileage was done and how the whole car has been looked after all its life.  High milage is generally less straining on say the engine, gearbox, transmission perhaps brakes and suspension than low or very low mileage as the whole car is more exercised and fully warmed.  Generally if you compare say a motorway journey to driving around a city or town there are less gear changes and braking, the car is kept at a more constant speed and use for longer.

 

For the engine say the engine oil wants to be at an oil temperature of say 90c+ to be operating at its best and this is achieve at the start of the motorway journey and maintained throughout, unless there is a very long break in the journey and the engine oil gets fully cold again in which case obviously it has to fully warm again.  And there are many other variables but hopefully you follow what I generally mean.  Now if such a journey is made with a fully loaded vehicle, or over-loaded if you are foolish enough to do so, and say going up a mountain motorway and even towing as well then this of course adds additional load and perhaps strain to the vehicle and if the vehicle whole has been fully serviced, maintained and repaired then it might not operate as well as it could or should.  Hence the need for full and proper servicing, maintenance and repair to at least a reasonable level for the vehicle to be in reasonable condition for such tasks.

 

A low or very low mileage vehicle, particularly one that sits around unused frequently and/or does lots of short or very short journeys it can often be that the engine oil never or not often really gets warm enough to get to 90+c for any journey.  Proportionately there is usually lots more braking and gear changes in such journeys (than say motorway or longer distance mileage).  Things like tyres do not do well just sitting around and not being exercise, you usually find the tyres can be many years old with plenty of tread depth on them but the sidewalls are cracked and the tyres hard from lack of use and sitting around particularly if not garaged away from the elements.

 

Those are just two examples to give you the ideal of what you asked about.

 

High mileage as put depends on the condition of the milage and how well the car has been looked after, for mileage I've no idea of accurate average figures now but lets say very low annual mileage is below 3,000 miles a year and average mileage 8-12,000 miles a year, bearing in mind servicing is annually or at 10,000 miles, let's say high mileage is 20+,000 miles a year, others may have other figures.

 

I don't know how many miles a 1.4 TSI engine is good for but all engines obviously last longer if they are fully serviced, maintained and repaired.  Say just the engine oil, a better engine oil offers better protection and that level of protection lasts longer.  It is not just the frequency of oil (and filter) changes but also the thoroughness.  Some people just do a quick and cold change of oil which will level more old oil and any contaminants in diluting a bit the effects of the fresh new oil.

 

The engine of course is just one part of the car and not the most important for driving the car.  Most important are brakes, steering, suspension (all three include the tyres), lights and safety electrics (wipers, blower, horn, etc.), windows, mirrors, reflective number plates - see and be seen

 

Low mileage bring up something that my troll J.R. is fiercely against me mentioning and that is state of battery charge.  The state of battery charge has always been important on a car but it is more so with modern cars and more so again with a VW model particularly with start stop function.  Generally it will not be an issue on a 2012-14 car as say a 2019 or 2023 cars but still an issue.  If the battery in in too low a state of charge for the VW computers then you can get all sorts of unexpected issues and perhaps warning lights and messages (and unseen error codes) and this can be even if the headlights seem bright enough and the engine has no problem starting.  In fact by the time the engine has problems starting the battery is in a very low state of charge.  Short journeys often do not provide enough recharge for the battery from it use so that as an accumulative effect the battery has a shorter more troubled life.  This can be avoided and the battery given longer better life by when require occasional preventative battery recharging using an appropriate battery charger maintainer and reading and following the instructions in the car's 'Owner's Manual' and charger's instruction booklet.  Generally the lower and slower the recharge the better, a 4-amp charger maintainer is a good practical size.  You may already know the importance of battery charging living in a colder country.

 

Another tip for your which car to buy is to get the 'Owner's Manual' for the cars being considered and have a look at them as they can tell you a lot about the car, driving it , servicing and maintenance.  VW for some reason leave out some details other manufacturers put in there 'Owner's Manual'.  Whatever car you buy you want the 'Owner's Manual' for it and to have read it and refer to it during your ownership.  There are macho idiots that never look at the 'Owner's Manuals' many of them are tradesmen like mechanics and auto-electricians because they think they already know but often do not ( I have 40 years experience of this).  The 'Owner's Manuals' are always at the very least a good starting piont but like all publications and databases they can contain errors and omissions and a 2012-14 will in some aspects be out of date, say VW's (German marques?) thing of giving their specification numbers to oils and coolants, things change and improve (or not) with time.

 

Free VWŠkoda pdf downloads of the 'Owner's Manual' on this VWŠ site (and other manufacturers generally do the same to some extent). - https://manual.skoda-auto.com/004/en-com/Models

 

If you want I can point you to other posts I've put on Briskoda for first car owners or new drivers but though some might not see it I do not want to overload you with too much info but most of the points here and in my other posts generally apply to whichever car you buy be it VWŠkoda or not.  Cheers.

 

On 05/12/2024 at 19:42, maxroal said:

@nta16, @Occy245 and @J.R. thanks for the replies and welcoming attitude. 

Now the tools nta16 has mentioned might not be as relevant as the "is a skoda with high said mileage worthwhile to invest in?", but it's something i can keep in the back of my head for the future - it might just become relevant. 

This is afterall my first car, and being informed about general & specific things can come in handy and contributes to me having more of a clue. 

Something i'd like to hear more about is; Why & how a 10 y/o car is better off having high(er) mileage than low-very low? 

 

Second; What would be considered high mileage for a 1.4 TSI 140/250 engine? 

Third; How far, probably depending on a lot of factors, can the 1.4 TSI engine go for? 

 

You are asking a lot, and by that I mean you want to have your cake and eat it.

"Where can I get a 10 year-old car with the performance, economy and reliability of a new car, that costs next to nothing to run?"

I'm being a bit hyperbolic, if that's possible, but you get my point.

Reframed another way, perhaps harshly, you might as well say: "I cannot afford what I want, but I must have it."

You need to be clear in your head about what trade-offs you are willing to make, or you may never find what you want.

 

On 06/12/2024 at 11:04, nta16 said:

I do not want to overload you with too much info

 

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

8 hours ago, EnterName said:

You are asking a lot, and by that I mean you want to have your cake and eat it.

"Where can I get a 10 year-old car with the performance, economy and reliability of a new car, that costs next to nothing to run?"

I'm being a bit hyperbolic, if that's possible, but you get my point.

Reframed another way, perhaps harshly, you might as well say: "I cannot afford what I want, but I must have it."

You need to be clear in your head about what trade-offs you are willing to make, or you may never find what you want.

 

 

I must admit, whilst I didn't want to say it, I am inclined to agree. The lowest mileage petrol Octavia I found on AutoTrader (UK car selling site) for your budget of c. £7500, with full service history, had 70k on it (112,000km) which isn't exactly low. It was also pretty bare bones and had the 1.0 in it, which won't get you anywhere all that fast.

 

Most appropriate thing was something like this

 

@maxroal I have been in your position. For my first car, I bought a very clean 2013 1.0 Focus. From a small backstreet garage in the Midlands, it had 55,000km on it, one owner and cost me 7200 euros. It was very clean, and everything checked out. Fast forward three months and it had virtually blown up, with a repair list in the thousands. Turns out it was a lemon, with an engine and gearbox from a different car. I managed to get rid of it for under half of what I had paid, and promptly emptied my bank account at a SEAT dealer.

 

Anyway, my point is - if you don't know all that much about cars, while it is unlikely, you could run into the same issues I had. It might be worth waiting a while, or reconsidering things, and seeing what a main dealer could do a Fabia or something for. The last thing you want is to be thousands into a car that is nothing but trouble.

@EnterName This post was not framed as to give requirements and find a car that fits those. I found plenty of cars, besides Skoda. Yet as i mentioned; everything leads me back to skoda. Skoda Octavia/Fabia were the ones that checked most of the requirements while still being fairly comfortable within our budget. 

I am well aware that i cannot have everything. This was the sole reason for including specific questions, partly about the high mileage, at the end of my original post. 

 

@Occy245 Would you think it to be a good idea to call a Skoda dealer and ask questions around used Skodas, potential drawbacks, things to be aware of etc.? 

 

Or would you seek advice elsewhere?

 

4 minutes ago, maxroal said:

@Occy245 Would you think it to be a good idea to call a Skoda dealer and ask questions around used Skodas, potential drawbacks, things to be aware of etc.? 

 

Or would you seek advice elsewhere?

 

 

The issue with that is it's sort of like calling up Apple and asking them about issues with the iPhone 13 and issues with used ones on eBay.

 

a) They aren't going to tell you the bad things about their cars (forums, FB groups, Reddit, etc are far better for this). To be fair, the mk3 Octavia/Mk3 Leon/Mk7 Golf/8V A3 platform is generally a really reliable and popular choice. It has problems, but every car has problems. There is nothing significant like the Ford Ecoboom problem on these cars.

 

b) They also can't really comment or help with used advice (bar telling you to buy from them), as they've no idea what has happened to the car since it left their factory. They would likely be happy to do a top down inspection on the car after purchase (here in the UK a company called the AA will, for a fee, do an inspection on any car before you buy it. I would definitely suggest looking into something similar). Aside from checking it has FSH and the timing belt has been done, there isn't much more you can do without physically taking a look.

 

There is no 'good' used car. Most are good, however some are not. If you don't know much about cars, ultimately you can only avoid against this risk by going approved used.

 

 

Go look at them.

Maybe a Independent Trader with various cars and an honest person that like repeat customers might be worth talking to.

 

A Salesperson with Skoda of all kinds might point you towards certain / features but they are trying to sell all their stock. or cars they have coming in.

Hardly likely to give you any stories to put you off a Skoda.

Unless about to get sacked or moving on to pastures new very soon. 

For lots of information about 2012-14 VWŠkoda Octavia real world ownership from those that own and run them then as I put you can look and/or perhaps ask in the model forum, 2012-14 covers two models Mk2 and Mk3, there are forums on here for each model and of course for Yeti and Fabia.  Common issues and problems with the models and particular engines will be on those forums also the good points and fuel consummation (particularly from those that really find such things interesting or particularly important to them.

 

Edited 9 December, 20241 yr by nta16
typo

@Occy245 yeah I had the same thought, but good to get my instinct confirmed. There is something called 100% Autocheck here in Denmark, some form of "guarantee" for used cars - i'll look into that, cuz that may be of advantage - and may be this "approved used" you're mentioning.