Hi all,

I'd greatly appreciate any guidance in going to view my first used car at a dealership.

It's a 1.5 TSI DSG SE L Exec edition, 2022 with 40,505 miles.

Something that made me wary was that, checking the number plate, it hasn't had an MOT since last March.

Does this mean it's been passed around different dealers since then?

Are there any important things to look out for when inspecting and taking for a test drive.

Does the price seem about right?

Thanks again for any pointers.

All the best.

Could it be an Ex Motability car & was the MOT maybe done a month or more before it was 3 years old. & a service before 3 years old and the hand back? Bought at Auction and unsold since. What is the Service History. Has it had the Spark plugs changed already, or is that going to be required now. Has the Brake Fluid been changed at 2 years or @ 3 years?

As mentioned, Service history is the fist thing to check. If there is no documented service history then walk away. (Modern, dealer serviced Skoda's have an electronic service record.)

At 40,000 miles the must do service items will be oil and filter changes (hopefully 3), air filter changes (hopefully 2) and spark plugs (1 change will be fine)

If this all checks out then the test drive should tell you everything else. Look out for any jerky gear changes or hesitations during acceleration and any funny noises. Get a look at the brake pads if you can. Look at the tyres, are the a 2nd or 3rd tier brand?, That can tell you a lot.

Price seems very high for a 40,000 mile car. Autotrader suggests you should be able to buy newer with half the miles for £16k

Thank you both for the replies.

The listing states that it has full dealer service history, but I don't know yet if it's had the latest service interval items i.e. filters and spark plugs - I will check on those.

@Evolution13 - is brake fluid replacement recommended at those intervals?

The tyres look to be good condition Continental AllSeasonContacts.

I will be test driving too, so I'll watch and listen out for anything suspect.

Thanks again

Yes now the Brake Fluid change as per VW /Skoda schedule is @ 2 years and each 2 years, no longer first at 3 years. Many many Skoda Approved Used cars with a FMDSH might to have it done to that Schedule / Regime. Motability vehicles will have had it done though. Good the All Seasons are fitted.

PS. it is the Cabin / Pollen filter that has a 2 year recommendation, regime or schedule for changing. The AIR FILTER according to Skoda UK is at 60,000 mile / 6 years. It should be checked annually or at services and no way left unl-ooked at for 6 years.

Great, thanks for that 👍

17 hours ago, flashish said:

Something that made me wary was that, checking the number plate, it hasn't had an MOT since last March.

I don't understand why this is fishy. It seems it was tested 10 months ago and has 2 months left. If you wish to buy the car you could always ask for it to be supplied with a new MOT.

28 minutes ago, Routemaster1461 said:

I don't understand why this is fishy. It seems it was tested 10 months ago and has 2 months left. If you wish to buy the car you could always ask for it to be supplied with a new MOT.

Sorry, I worded that badly - it was due an MOT last March.

They said it would be MOT'd if/when purchased.

Edited 19 January19 Jan by flashish

Well, I went for the drive and it was a surprising experience.

The car was immaculate, had a full service history and as far as I could tell, ran very nicely.

But this was the first time I'd been in a Kamiq and what really surprised me was the space, or lack of.

The quality of the interior was top notch but, coming from a Mk5 Golf, it felt like there was far less space in the cabin and in particular the boot.

So I'm now a little torn. I pretty much liked everything about the car, but it was smaller inside than I'd expected.

Maybe that's just the standard for small SUV/Crossovers?

I'd originally started my search looking at Karoqs, but had moved to the Kamiq to have something similar in length to the Golf.
But now perhaps I'll circle back to the Karoqs...

Thanks for all the advice.

13 hours ago, flashish said:

Well, I went for the drive and it was a surprising experience.

The car was immaculate, had a full service history and as far as I could tell, ran very nicely.

But this was the first time I'd been in a Kamiq and what really surprised me was the space, or lack of.

The quality of the interior was top notch but, coming from a Mk5 Golf, it felt like there was far less space in the cabin and in particular the boot.

So I'm now a little torn. I pretty much liked everything about the car, but it was smaller inside than I'd expected.

Maybe that's just the standard for small SUV/Crossovers?

I'd originally started my search looking at Karoqs, but had moved to the Kamiq to have something similar in length to the Golf.
But now perhaps I'll circle back to the Karoqs...

Thanks for all the advice.

That's a personal choice about the Kamiq having a lack of space. Yes the boot area isn't/wasn't no where near as spacious as my Toledo or it's Rapid equivalent hatchback. The rear seats can accommodate (for me 3 sizeable teenagers) on shorter journeys ok, plenty of room for two adults though in there. Only the two of us (retired) and it's easily accommodated our weekly shopping, tip runs, even picking up flat pack wardrobes from IKEA, rear seats down.

Mines a 1lr SE-L love it does everything I need, even fits in the garage if I so wish.

If you like the interior but would like more boot space it might be worth looking at the Scala, basically the same inside and the actual difference in ride height is very minimal.

2 hours ago, MickA said:

That's a personal choice about the Kamiq having a lack of space. Yes the boot area isn't/wasn't no where near as spacious as my Toledo or it's Rapid equivalent hatchback. The rear seats can accommodate (for me 3 sizeable teenagers) on shorter journeys ok, plenty of room for two adults though in there. Only the two of us (retired) and it's easily accommodated our weekly shopping, tip runs, even picking up flat pack wardrobes from IKEA, rear seats down.

Mines a 1lr SE-L love it does everything I need, even fits in the garage if I so wish.

Absolutely, if the car works for you it works for you. I think I just assumed it would feel more capacious. It's definitely roomy enough on the back seats.

52 minutes ago, Modders said:

If you like the interior but would like more boot space it might be worth looking at the Scala, basically the same inside and the actual difference in ride height is very minimal.

Thank you, I am taking a look at them. But now that I'm bumping up in size, I'm considering the Karoq as well as I love the Varioflex seats.

On 20/01/2026 at 15:19, flashish said:

Absolutely, if the car works for you it works for you. I think I just assumed it would feel more capacious. It's definitely roomy enough on the back seats.

Thank you, I am taking a look at them. But now that I'm bumping up in size, I'm considering the Karoq as well as I love the Varioflex seats.

I went the other way, Karoq to Scala, both of my kids (one late teens & one early 20’s) both prefer being rear seat passengers in the Scala over the Karoq.

18 minutes ago, Modders said:

I went the other way, Karoq to Scala, both of my kids (one late teens & one early 20’s) both prefer being rear seat passengers in the Scala over the Karoq.

Okay that's interesting to note. Was it anything specific?

My use case is that it'll mostly just be me and my partner using the car for city and trips, and occasional road trips with a couple of mates.

So my most likely scenario would be 2 + luggage or 3 + luggage in which case I think the Varioflex would be useful.

The back seats won't be used all that much.

The Kamiq is a Polo sized car (similar platform). OK, I know it does not look that way. I came out of the Q3 (same basic platform as Golf) into the Kamiq and the slight shrinking in size is noticeable. I was looking at Q2's as well but silly prices. Kamiq boot is big though. The deciding factor for me was the weight the 1.5 engine had to lug about. An easy 44 mpg from the Kamiq is a winner.

I'm still of the opinion that the price on the Kamiq is on the high side.

On 21/01/2026 at 16:44, flashish said:

Okay that's interesting to note. Was it anything specific?

They say there’s more legroom and the seating position is better, interestingly (or not as the case may be) my elderly in-laws also commented on the comfort of being a back seat passenger in comparison to the Karoq.

The packaging in the Kamiq is excellent. You can compare all the key dimensions for passengers on the Skoda web site.

Just on space, we have a 7 year old Karoq and a 3 year old Kamiq. We regularly travel to France, and now take the newer Kamiq. While the boot is slightly smaller we still manage to pack the same amount in and the mpg is far better, often 500 on a full tank.