Hi guys, I am looking for some advice from those in the know, so what better place to come than this forum.

I am thinking of buying an Octavia VRS, probably a 2001 or 2002 reg, and really was hoping for some pointers as to what I should look out for when viewing. Any common problems that occur on these cars to be wary of? Is it worth having an AA/RAC inspection done?

Also, what are the pros & cons of buying a car which has been modded, for example I have seen a few ads where the engine has had a remap. Obviously you have more power as a result but does this come at a price other than increased insurance costs? e.g. more stress on other components/increased likelihood of breakdown?

Thanks in advance for any advice given. Am looking forward to becoming a VRS owner but want to make sure I don't end up with a dud!

Trawling the site will find several similar threads, generally the cars are very good & there are no serious common problems. Coilpack failure will be mentioned but on a car of that age they will already have been done (unless its a really low mileage one) Skoda do it under warranty so unlikely to have not been done.

Ref remapping, it needs ideally to have been done by a decent mapper so find out who did it. People are tuning the stock motors to over 300 bhp with std internals & the car remains totally reliable, a remap at most will opnly give around 225 so you are well within the safety zone. The only thing likely to suffer might be the clutch but thats down to how its been driven, I know of one car putting about 330 bho through a std clutch & it hasnt gone "YET" The only possible negative indication I would take from a remap is the car might have been driven "enthusiasticly" but they are incredibly strong cars

Look for a good solid well cared for car with full history, If you dont know what you are looking for then a check by a mechanic or the AA/RAC is worthwhile. ALSO do a HPI or similar check on it, the last 2 of these I know of both flagged up the car was still on finance. If you buy a car on finance its still owned by the finance company & if the previous owner dosent clear it they can take the car back if you wont pay whats owed

Thanks very much for the advice Stuart. Much appreciated.