Would you buy another Octavia?

[Marwood]

Accepted freemansteve.

In this instance an individual would not be classes as a wan**r.

My point was directed at those who place a badge above all else. You know, the ones who would buy a bag of tramp's vomit if it had a 3 pointed star drawn on it in crayon. I have no problem with their choice, and yes, if they choose their tramp carefully there may be higher resale values in the future: some tramps are more equal than others!

I just don't agree with a chap or chapess ruling a car in or out because of its badge.

I suppose everyone has to draw their own personal line somewhere.

Dreadful cars those Protons. Can't understand the mentality of some people!

M

[speednut]

Driving a car is all about how it makes you feel,and my Skud makes me feel FANTASTIC:D

unless its all about trouser tackle:

Steve

[muckyduck]

Marwood's point about badge snobbery is interesting. I'm amazed owner's of Fords, Renaults, Nissans, etc can have any opinion on Skodas rep. Even lower end BMWs, Jags and so on are pretty much of a muchness, volume built identicars.

A Porsche owner might **** a snook and certainly an Aston Martin or Bristol driver might claim the upper hand but rarely feel the need to, imo. At our end of the market it's about bangs for your buck and reliability. Status anxiety is for mugs.

[Marwood]

On the subject of how other drivers view Skodas, with reference to the vRS, check out the following. Nothing unexpected I suppose, but interesting all the same.

Tyresmoke.Net: Is there still a stigma attached to owning a Skoda

M

[JohnMorr]

no.

not reliable enough bya long way and i would never buy a brand new car again either unless the money i spent on it was pocket change.

5-10 year old luxo-barges are the way forward for comfy motoring and a nippy mad little old thing for fun. damn sight cheaper, lots more fun and a whole lot more convenient.

[JohnMorr]

This thread is proving fascinating reading. I can't comment on whether I would buy another Skoda yet as I wont own one until the end of the month. I want to be able to buy another one and really hope my experience of car and dealer remains positive.

In the past I have been amongst the massed ranks of car snobs who can not see past the badge on the front of a car. One of my colleagues was considering a Fiat Panda but is reluctant to do so in case people 'judge them' at traffic lights. Many friends have commented positively regarding my decision to my face, yet I know they would never consider buying a Skoda. Oddly, one has poo pooed the Skoda, yet lusts after a Seat. Humans are strange in habiual behaviour and unshakable preconceptions.

The perception seems to be that badge and depreciation are key factors with any Skoda. People seem to adhere to the idea that a car is an extention of ones postion or status. Yet most will nod sagely and stroke their chins whilst telling me how much Skodas have improved and how they are brilliant cars. I must admit given my past attitude I have, as one reviewer on the 'What Car?' site remarked, lost sleep over my decision to purchase this car. I coulld have pushed to an Audi or at least a well speced second hand one for the same as a new vRS.

On reviewer summed matters up nicely however in their last paragraph: Skoda OCTAVIA 2.0T vRS : CRAZY GOLF - Yahoo! Cars

I realise that the above has little to do with answering the question. All I am saying is that for 'converts' to the Skoda brand it isn't always an easy ride. I don't care what other people's perceptions of me are for driving a Skoda, in fact I will go further.......you are a wan**r if you are driven by the badge of a car. The skoda is perfect for me, so I'm buying one, however and this is where any car company must take note, imagine the damage it is going to to to this brand if there are others like me out there, who are defecting under the watchful gaze of their BMW driving peers. If I don't buy another one it will be because my dealer has let me down, failing to meet my needs, or I have had a duff product in the first place that can not be made good inspite of an attentive dealer.

Skoda UK and the dealer network can not afford to get it wrong now. They are at a 'tipping point' where their cars threaten to break into the mass market, potentially offering the quality, reliability and a better standard of care offered by thier established competitors. The very exsitance of a thread like this and the numerous negative comments threaten to tip perceptions and sales back the wrong way. Anyone thinking about spending their hard earned on a Skoda, may have already read enough to put them off.

Me, I'm gonna give Skoda and my dealer a try. I'm gonna trust them. I like to see the good in people and the car meets my needs for pace and practicallity.

They better not betray my faith!

M

An important thing to remember is that many who post on fora such as these do so because they have had exceptionally bad (or sometimes good) experiences.

Rather, go for the JD Power survey, which gives you a real-world view of reliability - and, as I recall, the Octavia is up in the top ten - see:

TestDriven.co.uk - News: J D Power 2006 Car Customer Satisfaction Index

Our own experience of Skoda dealers has been solidly good. But we've now moved to Canterbury, so we'll see....

[muckyduck]

'Gamble if you will....'

Not sure that's fair to other cars. The business moves quickly and Octy Mk1s held an almost unique position of being well engineered at a highly competitive price. Higher end Skodas are now well in line pricewise to be judged alongside Vauxhall, a firm who have rehabilitated themselves from rock bottom, and Mazda, with a peerless rep for reliability, and Toyota among others.

I have a sentimental attachment to the Skoda brand but the choice isn't as clear cut as it once was.

[lozgti]

My Octavia Mk I vRS has been a dream for 3 years as have the dealers.

Will(hopefully) have a Mk II vRS when they start getting to 2 year age bracket.

Great cars.I have found skoda dealerships to be far better than VW,Audi,Ford and Vauxhall.Found them all to be a chore to deal with.

[BowsG]

Yes

[Spence2]

1200 miles on the clock and keeps getting better. The vrs engine is a joy, rev it out if you want but the torque is it's ace in the hole. It makes the car so easy to drive and to pick up pace without appearing to try. Handling wise it goes where you point it and has amazing levels of grip considering how forgiving the ride is.

So far the experience is good, so okay I'm biased by that but it would have to do a lot wrong to make me wary of another one.

[ror9696]

Yes I would, although I have just decided to part with my 2005 Excelence 2.0 turbo D, DSG because it is not the best car for the truelly awful roads in the west of Ireland. (a 4x4 is more suited)

I have not had any faults in the 14 months I have owned this car, apart from having to get the rear sreen washer adjusted, which Simpsons of Preston did fine.

I studied motor engineering (many years ago) and am staggered by the reliablity, the power & the MPG from these cars.

My car has been a revalation. Power, Comfort, Reliability & Parsimonious use of fuel along with a HUGE boot.

Maybe I've been lucky with my car & my dealer, but I suspect I am the norm.

Ric

Ric O'Reilly Photographic Artist Photography Art Connemara Ireland

[Marwood]

John,

Thanks for the link.

You are right that the people who have the most to report, are often the ones who need to get a niggle or two off their chest. Check out the forums connected with mobile phones and you will find them running mainly on complaints rather than praise for the networks etc.

However, It is encouraging to see that there are a number of members contributing to this thread who have really positive things to say. Admittedly this could also be a reflection of the positive nature of the this forum as a whole.

Keep the good things rolling in.....it makes me feel better about my vRS, (coming soon!).

M

[speednut]

Well said again Marwood Skodas rule:D

Steve

[rotodiesel]

I'll apologise for slightly highjacking this thread - I have a Superb diesel but my comments would apply to the Octavia.

Would I buy another? No - despite being pleased enough with the one I've got.

I'm a fairly conservative buyer of diesel cars and tend not to buy the very latest model. This saved my bacon with the Superb as I bought the 130PS version without the DPF. The latest 140PS version is clearly a badly developed unreliable package (see thread in Superb section) but the real issue is the shameful way in which Skoda UK have treated the owners of this unfortunate vehicle. I will not spend further money with an organisation which treats its customers like this.

When I bought the Superb, there was not a Japanese diesel to match its performance and economy. There is now - I'll be off to Toyota or Honda next time to get the engine I want without the VAG "sod the customer" attitude and general poor reliability niggles.

rotodiesel.

[mdk1]

I'll apologise for slightly highjacking this thread - I have a Superb diesel but my comments would apply to the Octavia.

Would I buy another? No - despite being pleased enough with the one I've got.

I'm a fairly conservative buyer of diesel cars and tend not to buy the very latest model. This saved my bacon with the Superb as I bought the 130PS version without the DPF. The latest 140PS version is clearly a badly developed unreliable package (see thread in Superb section) but the real issue is the shameful way in which Skoda UK have treated the owners of this unfortunate vehicle. I will not spend further money with an organisation which treats its customers like this.

When I bought the Superb, there was not a Japanese diesel to match its performance and economy. There is now - I'll be off to Toyota or Honda next time to get the engine I want without the VAG "sod the customer" attitude and general poor reliability niggles.

rotodiesel.

But the Octavia 140bhp is a differant one to that fitted in the Superb, so the DPF is not a problem in the Oct'y

[rotodiesel]

But the point of my post here is that we are all dealing with an outfit that doesn't give a toss when the chips are down. The ultimate test of any organisation is the way they handle a ****-up - now we know and I for one don't want to go there again.

rotodiesel.

[Glen Mansbridge]

I have used the What Car Reader Review section extensively when researching my next car and it has been a real eye opener. Cars which get high ratings from motoring correspondents are being slated for basic design faults, including very noisy climate control on Audi A4s, flimsy interior trim on Mondeos, faulty hatch struts on the Mazda 6, even the ultra reliable Toyota Avensis has its share of faults. The Skoda Octavia actually fares better the many of it's rivals.

[Skodster]

Octavia 2 115bhp Tdi, Nov 2005

• 77k miles - not one problem
  
• top speed 115mph (on the GPS),
  
• 60mpg driven gently,
  
• 47mpg thrashed,
  
• handles like a dream,
  
• low P11D
  
• 400 miles non stop - no backpain
  
• 25k miles first front tyres
  
• 76k miles first brake pads
  
• 18k miles between services
  
• Massive individuality rating

Yes - I will definately be sticking with Skoda.

I have owned two brand new C200's, an IS200, a Saab 9-3 Tid and the Octavia rates alongside all.

[bovaird]

to answer, yes

have had a head on and walked away (womans drivers fault)

have 20k in 9 months on the replacement and no problems, what ever you gate someone will moan about it!

[speednut]

Its all a matter of taste you either got it or you aint:D

Non skud supporters:finger:

Steve

[Lance]

Nope, wouldn't buy another. I have an Ocvtavia vRS 2003, which has performed well over the year that I've owned it, in which time I've done about 20k miles, without any problems whatsoever. It's fast, handles fairly well and IMO looks good too.............but the whole package is pretty crude, not particularly comfortable and suffers to much from wind/road noise. Overall just an average car. No real complaints, but no major plus points either, other than cheap performance.

[speednut]

Ive had 3 Skodas mk1 vrs,Superb and now Mk2 vrs,have been more than happy with all three.Also my dealer Hayseldens in Doncaster have been great.

In the past i have owned fords,vauxhalls,toyotas,BMW,Mitsubishi and Volkswagon all with troubles and problems of there own including crap dealerships.

All i wanted was to drive somethink differant not the usual rep mobiles,we all cant afford 30k bmws9 (mine was 1998 528se bought for 5k).

Think about this on your way to work how many Skodas did you see ,i counted 3 and not one Vrs but my car attracted a fair few second takes.

At the end of the day my car makes me smile:thumbup: so come on Briskodians lets lose the negative vibes:)

Steve

[freemansteve]

I have yet to get my Skoda sericed (it'll be next week, and I'll let you know how it went, in case it's either a recommend/avoid scenario); no major problems to report I'm glad to say (AFAIK).

Well as (bad) luck would have it, my climate control developed a fault the day before the service. It read the outside temp as -24C, and then later in the day, 18C, both of which were wildly wrong, sending the system into overdrive to compensate. It had gone back to normal when I drove into a dealer very near Debry for a service. Aargh.

I can report the dealer was very nice, helpful and easy to deal with. There were no error codes reported for the temperature problem. The service cost of around £244 (including full set of wipers) which I thought a bit steep for what is essentially an oil change on a Skoda. There was no test drive, and the car was very poorly washed. A radio firmware upgrade was done under warranty (TSB) but I had no actual fault with the radio, other than the fact that the Skoda radios are all cheapo garbage in the first place (the break-through issue). The dealer forgot that I had previously reported (when booking the service) a slight steering creak, but in fairness, I forgot to remind them again when I arrived with the car.

I should mention I bought some parts while I was there, and the chap helping me was very good and keen, and treated me like a bright car business peer, which was most welcome.

So on the subject of this thread, the fact that overall I had a professional interface to the dealer for servicing and parts bodes well for the future, and is likely to encourage me to stick with my Octavia, at least until it gets any more intermittent issues...

[dcrd]

Hell yes!!!

My 2.0 L&K estate is the best allround car i've ever owned and i've had some nice one's. Mazda MX-5 1.8 Arctic LE, Mini Cooper S-LE...

Also a friend of mine has an Octavia and a 5 series BMW M-sport, guess which he prefers. You guessed it, the Octavia wins every time. As for little things mentioned above, every car no matter what has trouble, man made and therefore falable but i have had only a handfull of problems and am extremely satisfied with the car and my dealer (Bridgetown Skoda).

Won't be changing for a long time so i guess i should just spend my money on tuning and styling!

Skoda and lovin' it!

Dave

[Mendoza]

Just ordered an L&K 2.0 tdi DSG.

Changing from an Audi A3, which has been the worst car I've ever had for reliability and shocking dealer service. Thankfully is a company car.

I guess there are no guarantees with any make, model or dealer - especially once they've made the sale and move on to the next customer.

Having expected a better service and car from a supposedly upmarket brand, I've been severley disappointed and learnt that list price and badge can mean bugger all.

So hopefully the next 3 years of the Skoda (when it arrives) will be better - certainl seems many satisfied ppl on here.