I currently have a mk2 estate 1.9tdi, 08 plate. It's starting to show signs of its age and we'd like to upgrade. But finding it a bit of a minefield! When I bought the mk2 the 1.9 engine model was known as being bomb proof and it has been. We are not the best at maintaining a car to be honest and its just kept running. The only downside is it is so low, especially when fully laden and scrapes on a lot of speed bumps (suspension has been fixed as needed). We are getting around 43mpg on average of a mix of town and motorway driving and this is with a roofbox on. And we absolutely love the boot space.

So... what do I buy next? With the new diesel's having dpf in them I'm not sure we would do enough long runs to keep it clean. (We do around 10,000 miles, a few 20 minute or so motorway runs a week and around 3 or 4 longer journeys for holidays a year) I quite like the idea of an auto but they seem to come with there own issues so happy to stick with manual. I just want a reliable car that will need relatively little looking after, that won't scrape on the bumps! And I really want cruise control. It will be used for towing a small trailer for camping infrequently. But will be fully laden frequently!

I've read loads on here and think possible the 1.4tsi but which trim etc and if even that's the right choice, I just don't know and seem to be going around in circles! Please help!

Edited 25 August, 202525 Aug by vikkiric
Added info

Complete lost how to edit the post! I'm currently looking at a 2017 1.4se tsi S-A which appears to have a 150 dsg auto stop start.

I have a 2012 MK2 1.6tdi. Think its one of the last MK2. Bought it as my 08 plate was like yours getting past it. So far so good with no real problems. It does have a DPF so we try and take it out for a longish run every week as it usually gets short runs every day. If your only doing short runs then petrol is probably better. I have read that DSG can be problematic if not maintained. I think its every 40k they need serviced so if the car your looking at is near that it will need done. Not sure of the cost etc.

17 minutes ago, Alasdair1 said:

I have a 2012 MK2 1.6tdi. Think its one of the last MK2. Bought it as my 08 plate was like yours getting past it. So far so good with no real problems. It does have a DPF so we try and take it out for a longish run every week as it usually gets short runs every day. If your only doing short runs then petrol is probably better. I have read that DSG can be problematic if not maintained. I think its every 40k they need serviced so if the car your looking at is near that it will need done. Not sure of the cost etc.

Thanks. Yes it's done just over the 40,000 mark. So will check that.

Its a shame there making engines smaller and more complicated. The 1.9tdi was brilliant and gave me no bother apart from a failed glow plug(which I never bothered replacing) I used to get 40-50mpg around town and 60-70mpg on long runs. The 1.6tdi does need to be driven a bit harder but as said so far no problems. I think all models will have their specific problems but generally I find them pretty reliable as long as they have a good service record and the maintanance is kept up.

I have heard the early 1.4 tsi had problems with oil consumption etc but I think they were fitted to the MK2 octavia and MK2 fabia. Someone on here will advise you on what to look for etc.

Good luck its as you say a bit of a minefield choosing a new car.

Alasdair

I had a 2018 Mk3.5 2.0 diesel 4x4 vRS for about seven months. I loved the car in many ways as it fitted five of us plus dog and all our stuff without the need for a roof box. The Canton stereo was great and the pan roof was also a nice touch (although it did creak a lot).

The fuel consumption wasn't as good as I expected and it averaged 43mpg over about 4500 miles. Like you our mileage is around 10k per year and I thought I'd found the perfect car as we do a mix of driving and it seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

Turns out it was a complete nightmare. I bought it from a main dealer with a year's manufacure warranty for peace of mind. In the time I had the car it needed a new dmf, a head gasket, five coolant flushes, multiple trips to the dealership and even after all that the coolant was never pink. It always turned brown after a few miles. There were a few other niggles too which I won't bore you with. I eventually sold it to Motorway and took a massive financial hit just to get rid as I couldn't trust the car.

I now have a 20 year old petrol Legacy estate as I think the Octavia has put me off diesel VAG cars for life. I would consider a petrol Mk3 vRS estate though as I've had three other petrol Octavias in the past and they have been great. Perhaps a diesel might not be right if you don't do mega miles as the petrol Octavias are pretty good on fuel in my experience.

On another note, if anyone knows where WX18 OPS is now I'd be interested to hear how it's getting on.

22 hours ago, Alasdair1 said:

I have a 2012 MK2 1.6tdi. Think its one of the last MK2. Bought it as my 08 plate was like yours getting past it. So far so good with no real problems. It does have a DPF so we try and take it out for a longish run every week as it usually gets short runs every day. If your only doing short runs then petrol is probably better. I have read that DSG can be problematic if not maintained. I think its every 40k they need serviced so if the car your looking at is near that it will need done. Not sure of the cost etc.

The smaller engined cars use the DQ200 7 speed DSG box which does not require servicing or oil changes. It's up to the owners if they want to change the oils at regular intervals. I haven't touched mine and its been fault free.

3 hours ago, ords said:

The smaller engined cars use the DQ200 7 speed DSG box which does not require servicing or oil changes. It's up to the owners if they want to change the oils at regular intervals. I haven't touched mine and its been fault free.

How would I find out which dsg the model I'm looking at has? Thanks

16 hours ago, vikkiric said:

How would I find out which dsg the model I'm looking at has? Thanks

Generally, if the engine is between 1.0litre and 1.6litre, it will be using the DQ200 6 speed or 7 speed box. If the engine is a 1.8 or 2.0 TSI/TDI, then it will be using a DQ250 (pre-2018) or DQ381 (post-2018).