Anyway' date='all cars are a waste of money[/quote']

Except that I couldnt get to work without a car But I agree that I could easily get to work in a 1.0 Vauxhall Nova I'd bought for

I think the problem is that when VW first took control of Skoda and starting to dictate the model program, they continued to sell Skoda's relatively cheaply, and as such they were a bit of a steal.

However since then VW have been upping the prices of Skoda's, but can do this because the cars are just as good as the Ford and Vauxhall products that are around the same price.

They are still vfm, just not as good vfm as they used to be. If you compare a Skoda to a Ford or Vauxhall (i.e. a car cheaper than the VW equivalent) you will find that they compare very favourably, even at the prices that are now charged.

Basically it is no longer a cheap brand but a main stream brand, and VW has been moved further away from Ford, Vauxhall, Peugoet etc as a competitor.

Sad' date=' sad people :orb_blue:

When did anybody last actually use a grab handle in a car, other than to marvel at its VW damped-ness, or mock it's cheap non-VW springy action?

3k is a lot to pay for blue lighting, damped grab handles and a smaller boot, IMHO.[/quote']

My dad uses a grab handle a lot when I'm driving .

Didn't someone find a new Octy 2 RS for sale a while ago for c. £15.5k? From what I recall it was an import but to full UK spec ... which tends to indicate that it won't be that expensive to buy longer term if you shop around . Anyone tried www.drivethedeal.com for a quote recently? Edit: Just tried and they quoted £15.7k for the basic one!

IMHO - yes its gone up but not by that much and I reckon you can still get good VFM vs other similar products

Didn't someone find a new Octy 2 RS for sale a while ago for c.

Now can anyone seriously claim that the Skoda doesn't offer good value

Relative to VW, probably not. Relative to other makes...I guess it depends how determine "value" (ie. size of car, toys, etc.).

Rob.

I dont believe Skoda offer good value at all any more, the price differential between other marques has de-creased significantly and in some cases the Skoda is now the more expensive vehicle.

You cant compare a Skoda to a VW realy any more, VW have pushed there prices up significantly for anything with a GTi badge on, I think they are trying to push up there brand image by increasing prices, as they are also doing with Skoda, but alas because the majority of the british buying public still see Skoda as a cheap brand they are seriously shooting themselves in the feet.

Skoda are not having a good time at the moment, ALL the dealers on the south east coast have now closed down! that must tell you something.

I dont believe Skoda offer good value at all any more, the price differential between other marques has de-creased significantly and in some cases the Skoda is now the more expensive vehicle.

But if you get more for your money, doesn't that still make it good value for money, just for more money?

Rob.

I dont believe Skoda offer good value at all any more' date=' the price differential between other marques has de-creased significantly and in some cases the Skoda is now the more expensive vehicle.

You cant compare a Skoda to a VW realy any more, VW have pushed there prices up significantly for anything with a GTi badge on, I think they are trying to push up there brand image by increasing prices, as they are also doing with Skoda, but alas because the majority of the british buying public still see Skoda as a cheap brand they are seriously shooting themselves in the feet.

Skoda are not having a good time at the moment, ALL the dealers on the south east coast have now closed down! that must tell you something.[/quote']

So , what do you think offers better VFM?

What would you say is a car of the same standard for less money , or a significantly better vehicle at the same price?

This is a serious question by the way , and not having a dig

But if you get more for your money' date=' doesn't that still make it good value for money, just for more money?

Rob.[/quote']

In a way. Except you used to get more for your money for less money, now its about the same money. IMHO thats the main difference now.

EDIT :-

Skoda have moved away from the low end of the market in terms of pricing, now they are competing with the big boys i.e. Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot and even Honda and Mazda etc. You don't buy a Skoda now and drive around with a big grin feeling smug at all the other people in less well equiped, more expensive cars 'cause the Skoda probably cost around the same amount.

In a way. Except you used to get more for your money for less money, now its about the same money. IMHO thats the main difference now.

Quite

But if you get more for your money' date=' doesn't that still make it good value for money, just for more money?

Rob.[/quote']

But you dont get more for your money anymore, Octavia VRs for example doesn't even come with electric back windows?

So ' date=' what do you think offers better VFM?

What would you say is a car of the same standard for less money , or a significantly better vehicle at the same price?

This is a serious question by the way , and not having a dig[/quote']

Skoda Octavia Elegance 2.0 TDi

In a way. Except you used to get more for your money for less money, now its about the same money. IMHO thats the main difference now.

If the Octy and Octy II were the same, I'd agree...but the Octy II is larger, more refined and better equipped than the Octy...so you've gone from getting a fair bit for your money, to getting a bit more car for a bit more money...

I'm not sure Skoda have ever been competing with the budget brands since they released the Octy - they have always been more than most of the Korean offerings.

Rob.

So ' date=' what do you think offers better VFM?

What would you say is a car of the same standard for less money , or a significantly better vehicle at the same price?

This is a serious question by the way , and not having a dig[/quote']

Look at almost any mainstream manufacturer, the prices (real prices not RRP's) are about the same as what Skoda are charging for a 'Budget brand vehicle' which is what Skoda (like it or not) always will be.

Skoda should be competing against Kia or Hyundai and other such 'cheap' brands, the Skoda brand will never be thought of as a quality product, rather always as a 'budget' brand.

Wether this is correct or not is irrelevant, and wether any Skoda owners percieve it as a 'Budget' or 'quality' brand is also irrelevant as your obviously going to be biased, but the majority of the car buying public are like sheep, and all believe the same things, therefore Skoda will never shed the image and should concentrate on targeting the 'lower' brands rather than going for Ford, Vauxhall etc.

I can buy a far better equipped, much nicer to drive, Mondeo ST TDCi for far less than an Octavia VRS TDi for example.

Skoda should be competing against Kia or Hyundai and other such 'cheap' brands, the Skoda brand will never be thought of as a quality product, rather always as a 'budget' brand.

Although the Skoda joke is pretty much a "UK Only" thing - the rest of Europe doesn't have this same perception of the brand.

So they'd need to develop budget models just for this country, which in itself would cost a fair bit...

Rob.

If the Octy and Octy II were the same' date=' I'd agree...but the Octy II is larger, more refined and better equipped than the Octy...so you've gone from getting a fair bit for your money, to getting a bit more car for a bit more money...

I'm not sure Skoda have ever been competing with the budget brands since they released the Octy - they have always been more than most of the Korean offerings.

Rob.[/quote']

They may have been more than the Korean brands, but they were still significantly less than the big boys. When I bought my Octavia I couldn't get a car of a similar spec for anywhere near the same price. Now, I'm looking at Octavia II, Mondeo, Vectra, Mazda 6 etc. all around the same price and all around the same spec.

My point is, as a value for money, as the question poses, Skoda are no longer as good value as they were.

Anyway' date='ALL cars are a waste of money[/quote']

That post just about sums it all up in a nutshell ey?

Can't live without them, can't live with them. No wonder some folk give their cars girly names.

Some excellent posts and varying views in here.

I notice the Mondeo Tdci gets several mentions in this thread. What's the reliability factor like on them though?

JP Power survey results on this one anyone?

I notice the Mondeo Tdci gets several mentions in this thread. What's the reliability factor like on them though?

I've owned mine for 25k miles and one year now (bought at 3 years 33k miles) and not had one single problem - great to drive, handles well and still squeak and rattle free

Chris

Although the Skoda joke is pretty much a "UK Only" thing - the rest of Europe doesn't have this same perception of the brand.

In my experience the rest of Europe does indeed have the same perception as the UK, certainly the Italian side of my family thinks the same, are there any of our European members that can confirm or deny Skodas reputation?

I notice the Mondeo Tdci gets several mentions in this thread.

What's the reliability factor like on them though?

Again in my experience, the Mondeo is far more reliable and the dealers are not only more professional, but the showrooms themselves are of a much better quality.

Anyone living in the south east will confirm the dump like status of all our (now closed) Skoda dealers. This is something that is seriously hurting Skodas efforts to try and increase the brands image.

You could walk into a lovely clean well maintained, modern Ford garage and buy the Mondeo, or you could walk into a tatty dirty shed with no parking facilities and buy a Skoda that is less well equipped for the same money!?

Skoda need to sort out the dealers and fast if they ever hope to not be percieved as a budget brand, the fact that the dealers are all selling Kia's or Diahatsu's alongside also will never help the image.

Ford dont have to sell there cars alongside daihatsu's or other budget brands, so why do Skoda?

Going back over a few pages,

As Rob already mentioned the Octy1 and 2 are totally different cars. The MK2 I now own is far better than the vRS i had a few years ago. The interior plastics etc, just feel right and somehow its quieter and better put together.

The mondeo maybe around the same price, but thats the fleet market dictating the price. In a few years when these thousands of lease cars start appearing on the market the used prices will tumle badly. For example, my commuter hack is a 1997 2.0 Ghia X Auto, top of the range car. Cost in 1997 was just over £20,000. Today less than 10 years later, the car is for sale for around £800. Yet you will struggle to find an octavia of simillar vintage for less than £2K.

Coming back to Johns last comment "Ford dont have to sell there cars alongside daihatsu's or other budget brands, so why do Skoda?" well my local dealer never sold any other brand except skoda, untill Skoda wanted them to relocate. The decided not to, and stayed put and are now an authorised repairer. Skoda wanted them to relocate to a new out of town showroom, that would have meant multi million pound investment in buildings etc. They just couldnt do it, if they had they would have gone bust, so stood their ground. Other dealer need to sell multiple brands at one location, it keeps costs down and enables them to compete with the big internet retailers without going bust. That said though, you could still walk into my local dealer and buy a brand new skoda, They just buy there cars from elsewhere and not Skoda UK, including other uk skoda dealers.

For example, my commuter hack is a 1997 2.0 Ghia X Auto, top of the range car. Cost in 1997 was just over

Have to say the focus is looking like a great deal, esp when the dealers are offering 2k off the thing without any effort. It's by no means decided yet, but the skoda isn't the cheap option.

Again in my experience' date=' the Mondeo is far more reliable and the dealers are not only more professional, but the showrooms themselves are of a much better quality.

Anyone living in the south east will confirm the dump like status of all our (now closed) Skoda dealers. This is something that is seriously hurting Skodas efforts to try and increase the brands image.

You could walk into a lovely clean well maintained, modern Ford garage and buy the Mondeo, or you could walk into a tatty dirty shed with no parking facilities and buy a Skoda that is less well equipped for the same money!?

Skoda need to sort out the dealers and fast if they ever hope to not be percieved as a budget brand, the fact that the dealers are all selling Kia's or Diahatsu's alongside also will never help the image.

Ford dont have to sell there cars alongside daihatsu's or other budget brands, so why do Skoda?[/quote']

Don't know where you are John but where I am (Canterbury) the Skoda dealers' places are "better" / flashier than the Ford ones - i.e. Motorline in Canterbury and Caffyns in Asford are pretty decent set ups.

Personally I would prefer it the other way - I don't want a flash showroom I want good personal service, particularly in aftersales. I always had this from Caffyns but must admit the increase in prices has meant that I now use an independent for my servicing. Having said that I have always had better service from the Skoda dealers I have dealt with down here than the Ford dealer in Canterbury which is poo.

My local Ford dealer has quite a cramped and dated site , and they took about 10 days to get a steering column for my Ka. By comparison the local Skoda dealer now has a much more modern spacious premises thats shared with a suzuki franchise. Can't say that the service is excellent though.

Like just about every make , there will be good and bad dealerships and they do play a part in people's decision to buy.

I would think long and hard about buying a good car if I knew the only convenient dealers were abysmal