Being the owner of a low mileage Skoda Fabia Elegance 1.2HTP (2011) for the last two years, I wanted to get something with a little more punch.

I loved the Fabia and its looks, I purely wanted something to handle long motorway journeys.

I have committed to purchasing (upon a fresh mot) a 2012 Facelift Diesel VRS Octavia (MK2).

The silly part? Limited service history.

There are sporadic receipts of a few services, MOT's and a cam belt, water pump change and Turbo work dated last year.

I took her for a test drive, no issues with the clutch, pulled fine - no gunk under the oil cap and in overall good condition (no rust spots or obvious leaks).

It was priced a bit lower than normal to account for the service history not being on point plus a few of the known electrical faults that need addressing.

The MOT history is pretty good, not having seen a single fail in its life so far.

Are there any owners that can give me some advice on the car, how its treated you, any weak points I should address or be aware of, I kind of want to know now if i'm likely in for some shocks.

The known issues with the car were electrical; window actuators at the front need replacing, rear wiper inst working and the heater doesn't blow hot temperatures.

Could this car be a good deal or have I likely chanced it on a money pit?

I got it for £2300 and I have budgeted £1000 for emergency issues.

Edit: PIC For Ref

Edited 23 March, 20251 yr by Raizorpoke

15 hours ago, Raizorpoke said:

I took her for a test drive, no issues with the clutch, pulled fine - no gunk under the oil cap and in overall good condition

Sounds reasonable then.

Service history is over rated really. Condition would mean alot more to me when something is out of warranty.

Obviously it has been serviced or it would be dead already.

Seems a good deal to me

Thanks! Fingers crossed it is, I know the facelift version isn't everyone's cup of tea but I think they look quite smart.

The Octavia VRS is a solid choice, despite limited history.

Edited 24 March, 20251 yr by LucindaKingsbury

I am paying the price already, after two days of ownership 😂

This could be me at the weekend. Going to view a 62 vrs tdi.

How has it worked out for you?

Pending some unsavory news, im making a post about it now as it happens, it might not be a massive issue as im not confirmed yet but I could be having some issues with a head gasket... ill share details shortly!

Oof that's rough, sorry to hear

I am just crossing my fingers its related to the heater matrix being blocked or something as simple as a dodgy reservoir or cap itself. I.e something less than a grand to rectify!