I just reply with "its an audi with a skoda badge";-)

9 times out of 10 the people that mock are driving a pile of crap themselves :P

Jealousy is a cruel mistress

Oddly enough, most of the people I talk to say something like, "Oh yeah, Skodas are very good nowadays, aren't they."

I must mix with a better class of twerp down here!!!

Seriously though, my local bodyshop bloke told me he often finds engineering touches on Skodas that are better than the equivalent items in a VW. Said something about finding some Fabia wings held on with stainless steel bolts when the equivalent VW would have nice rusty ordinary ones. He reckons VAG tries out ideas on Skodas, and puts them into VWs etc if they work out good.

It was the comment of Quentin Willson (double LL note) that has made me make my maiden speech to you (as it were). "Skodas are driven by free thinking non conformists". This equally applies to Citroen drivers which is where I am at the moment. However I have seen the light and have on order an Elegance estate 140 DSG. The DSG sold it to me as I must have been an anorak at the moment of conception! Give me a gadget!!

I was doubtful about moving from Citroen as they have an excellent community at Frenchcarforum.co.uk :: View Forum - Citroen. The wonderful thing is that, from studious lurking, that Briskoda is as good, if not better than the French forum. What is strange though is that both forums (fora?) have similar posters living in similar parts of the UK. VRStu is most similar to Jeremy and both live in Hampshire as indeed I do. There are many other similarities too.

Keep posting and I'll keep lurking and learning. Keep working as it my OAPension that's funding the car!

Keep smiling - without that you are lost.

Derek and Exhausted!

Welcome

99 times out of a hundred they have never driven a Skoda. Drop it into the coversation that Skoda made the body pressing tools for Bentley.

I think i could definitely say that i have changed alot of my friends/family work colleagues minds on how good Skoda has become just by showing the Vrs to them and taking them for a little trip in it!! I still get the odd joke though about heated rear screens etc but they are only jealous because they drive around in bags of dog s***.

I don't normally bother replying to people about the VW/Audi thing, having a spin in the motor normally shuts them up.

Doe anyone else think the Tudor looks similar to the A5?

When I bought my first Skoda the people I work with thought that I was mad.

Now 6 of us have got them and more want one.

Same when the Mrs started driving my mk 1 elegance 1.8T to work. Few weeks later a new Elegance Mk2 appeared.

She drives our Mk2 elegance with 17" ally upgrade, xenons, comehome lights to work and now her boss is getting one for his next co car, and several other co car drivers too!

They love the fact that for their allowence they can have a better looking, and more loaded car than the usual company car choices. EDIT - it wasnt on the list of choices, but is now!

Mrs has even refered a few to the dealer and lease firm I used, so I'm expecting some

My wifes friends couldn't understand why I was actually making a choice of car between an A4 Avant and my Octavia. I drive a car that performs a function, I do not drive a badge and a key ring!

Yes the A4 was very very nice, but the boot on the A4 avant is a joke, especially when you roll up to the local Skoda dealer in the A4 demo and compare them side by side!

As for it being a VW underneath, so what. At least it's not a Saab 9-3 with a Vectra underneath...... Now there's a lot of disgruntled badge owners if every there was any.

... and a Bugatti Veyron (that even has a DGS g'box as well)!

I suppose I'm a bit defensive, working in NW London where the ownership of VW and Audis is almost endemic and loads of people are 'fashion conscious'.

Very much the same as here in the Thames Valley, with more of an emphasis on BMW, Audi and Merc. VW (Golf GTi perhaps as the sole exception) is on a step below in these people's minds. I tend to say "sure it's a VW kit but in a Skoda design, put together by Skoda and looked after by Skoda which IMO and experience makes it a better car than your run of the mill VW or Audi and a bit more exclusive (not sure for how much longer judging by the number of new Fabias and Octavias I now see on the roads)

What also amazes me is that so many people drive around in a really old poverty spec Merc 180 C Class, Audi 80 or 316 BMW just for the badge when they could be in a better car for the same or less money - Octavia, Mondeo etc..

I bought the Octy because I didnt want people to know I can afford an A4. I prefer to turn up to do a job and the customer thinks I have an average day to day type of car rather than 'bloody hell he's doing alright for himself, how much is this going to cost me?' The secret is we all know how good the car is, just some of us would prefer to keep that to ourselves so Skoda dont get big ideas and whack the prices up even nearer to VW's lol.

I bought the Octy because I didnt want people to know I can afford an A4. I prefer to turn up to do a job and the customer thinks I have an average day to day type of car rather than 'bloody hell he's doing alright for himself, how much is this going to cost me?'

I know what you mean - I have my own business and when I changed from a 1.6 Fiesta to a 3 series BMW, I started getting similar comments, especially "You must be charging us too much if you can afford a BMW". I wouldn't mind, but most of my customers themselves drive BMWs, Mercs and Jags, even Porsches. It seems that it was OK to spend

Oddly enough, most of the people I talk to say something like, "Oh yeah, Skodas are very good nowadays, aren't they."

...

I get that - it annoys me because I know how good they are thanks. I've owned one for three years!

When mine was delivered last week. the delivery guy observed the skip that was on the drive outside the house and laughed and said "there was a time when folks would have said there was no difference between a Skoda and that".......... He paused for a moment and looked at the lovely Race Blue vRS he had just unloaded, and then he sighed and smiled and said "Those days have long gone......beautiful colour isn't it.....wish I had one of these myself".

I have lost count in the last week, of the amount of admiring glances and comments I have had (*see footnote in particular), and the amount of people who have had a look round the car and are now considering one. There are at least two people I work with, who are currently looking at buying a new car, that now have the Octy vRS on their test drive list wheh they did not have it on there before. I have sneaking suspicion that once thye have had a test dtive, I will be seeing some more vRS' in the car park at work

(* West Mercia Constabulary pulled me in just before I arrived at the ferry terminal when I was bringing the car back. I thought they were going to nick me for speeding, but they just wanted to have a look round the car. Had a 15 minute conversation with them about it This was a new experience for me, as it was the first policeman I have ever spoken to that wasn't a pompous, overbearing, sanctimonius, evil git !)

When I bought my Octy, badge didn't come into it..... I wanted a car with a big boot, diesel for economy, 5 doors, and not ridiculously expensive.

The Octy was the only car that met all my criteria.... my then boss at work got a high-spec Golf TDi at the same time, and about 6 months later, asked me if I wanted to do a swap with him, cos my car was so much more practical than his! I said 'no thanks'....

When I first got my octy, a few people made a few comments, but I didn't bite - just said to them - you could find me another car that ticks all the boxes on my list for the same money, but I'd still have bought the Skoda cos I like them! Most people just said 'nice car' though, when I told em what I'd bought

[edit]

Oh - and I found some proof of the VW underneath the other day - Dunk changed my front disks and pads for me... and the little dust caps keeping the crap out of the allen key bolts on the calipers had 'VW' on them

Having been sad enough to crawl about under mine, I'd say there are more VW Audi badges than Skoda badges on the car :-)

Having been sad enough to crawl about under mine, I'd say there are more VW Audi badges than Skoda badges on the car :-)

It

I feel that I should be sat round in a circle in the local community hall at a reform meeting standing up and admitting that 'I am a badge snob'.

Everything that has been said above I am guilty of. In the last six years I have owned six new BMWs and it took a shocking saga with my last one for me to contemplate moving. I say contemplate, as I still find my self looking and wondering if I should do it again.

Once in, it becomes a game of one up man ship, so if you see another car the same as yours driving down the street, you look to see if yours is better, maybe bigger wheels or newer design. I know that must sound sad but it is the truth.

One of the biggest problems with finding a car to move onto was that my last BMW was an X5 and had everything I looked for in a car. Performance, economy (well relative-mid 20s as opposed to the mid teens) presence, elevated driving position and 4x4. So finding a replacement hasn't been easy, until I can across the Scout. Not only does it tick the right boxes, but costs over half the price comes with a lot of the same features and on paper I should expect an increase in economy by some 50%+ to what I have been used to. Black would be my colour of choice and with the alloy sump and bum guards I think the car would look mean.

This may be a little premature as I haven't even driven the car yet, but going by all your positive remarks about Skoda, I'll be surprised if I don't find the car the answer to my addiction.

There now, I've taken the first step to becoming an RBS (reformed badge snob)

Sorry for hi-jacking the thread, I just wanted to let you guys know that you are indeed the clever ones as you already know the answer. I look forward to the day someone turns their nose up at my Skoda because it’s me that will have the last laugh.

Don

Posted this comment in another thred where the VW=Premium Badge issue raised its head;

"Seen this a few times ! Why do people percive that something that translates into 'Car of the people' is a classy/premium brand....

I own a VW, my Dad owns a VW and we don't think we've got something on a par with BM, Merc or Audi.....

In my mind VW's are a German Ford ... except with a 'reputation' (note I said reputation, not that they are) of being better screwed together and engineered than the likes of Ford, Vauxhall etc.....

Skoda = Value

Seat = Sporty Twist on Skoda

VW = Bog standard, decent brand with a few sporty winners based on the times before they were part of a huge VAG auto empire

Audi = Prestige/Exec brand

I can't see any snob value in the VW badge...... "

Anyway if you think that its bad being told your Skoda is a VW, try X-Type Jag ownership for a while.... You get people literally falling over them selves to ram the fact that its a Mondy down your throat !!!!!

I feel that I should be sat round in a circle in the local community hall at a reform meeting standing up and admitting that 'I am a badge snob'.

Everything that has been said above I am guilty of. In the last six years I have owned six new BMWs and it took a shocking saga with my last one for me to contemplate moving. I say contemplate, as I still find my self looking and wondering if I should do it again.

Once in, it becomes a game of one up man ship, so if you see another car the same as yours driving down the street, you look to see if yours is better, maybe bigger wheels or newer design. I know that must sound sad but it is the truth.

One of the biggest problems with finding a car to move onto was that my last BMW was an X5 and had everything I looked for in a car. Performance, economy (well relative-mid 20s as opposed to the mid teens) presence, elevated driving position and 4x4. So finding a replacement hasn't been easy, until I can across the Scout. Not only does it tick the right boxes, but costs over half the price comes with a lot of the same features and on paper I should expect an increase in economy by some 50%+ to what I have been used to. Black would be my colour of choice and with the alloy sump and bum guards I think the car would look mean.

This may be a little premature as I haven't even driven the car yet, but going by all your positive remarks about Skoda, I'll be surprised if I don't find the car the answer to my addiction.

There now, I've taken the first step to becoming an RBS (reformed badge snob)

Sorry for hi-jacking the thread, I just wanted to let you guys know that you are indeed the clever ones as you already know the answer. I look forward to the day someone turns their nose up at my Skoda because it

I ended up keeping my 3 year old BMW when I bought by Octavia (which I have had for just over a week now), just in case from an image point of view I felt dissapointed (I have felt this in the past several times when buying a new car, which inevitably means I don't keep it for long, losing a sheld load of money). I have to say, I am that pleased with the Skoda that already I am thinking about selling the Beemer. My concerns were that the quality would be so much lower (which it isn't), the drive might not be as rewarding (which it is) or it wouldn't feel sufficiently "special" (which it does!). The Skoda is noisier than the BMW (they are both diesels) and the BMW has more steering feedback, but the Skoda is really a great car.

I would suggest you test drive a couple, ideally for a weekend and see how you get on with them.

Cheers Glen,

That's the sort of feedback that will convince me that I am doing the right thing and saving a shed load of money as well. I will push for a good test drive, a weekend one would be great.

Don

Maby its just me..... But I can't wait to tell people I am waiting for delivery of a new Skoda Octavia.

The way I go on You would think I was getting a Merc or something.

I very seldom buy branded anything.

I was recently looking for a new monitor for my PC. All I got was ViewSonic, LG and the like. All costing about e300-e500 euro.

I ended up getting 3 (Yes 3) Hanns-G 19"WideScreen displays for e175.00 each.

Guess who makes the display's for LG and the others.

I own a barber shop so I get to mention to a lot of people what I am getting. Sure you get the "Its a VW" but most say "Their's hundreds of them on the road. All the Taxi's use them"

As for the VW bit. My answer is always the same. "Ya...only better"

you can also say its an audi ;-) what octy you getting?

you can also say its an audi ;-) what octy you getting?

You could, but the answer would still be the same.

My one is Anthracite Gray 1.6 TipTronic Elegance MF Steering wheel and Maxidot Computer.

It arrives in the country Monday I can then pick it up the following Monday.

Its been a loooooong 7-8 week wait. Just one more week to go.

yeah the waiting is the longest (and hardest) part of it. you just wanna jump on a plane and fly over and pick it up yourself just so you can drive it ;-)