Hi,

I'm looking for a petrol vrs estate second hand, but I'm very wary of buying a second hand turbo car - as it seems to me that it's easy for someone to abuse the turbo and possibly create a nasty supprise for me. ( especially if the previous owner has chipped the car for example or fails to let the turbo cool down at the end of a journey)

has anyone got advice on what i should look out for when road testing ?

I've read that i should check the rear tyre wear pattern due to camber settings being a little out ?

any symptoms of turbo & anscilliary abuse I should know about ? any tell tale noises etc. ?

should I maybe spend a little more and get a relatively young car from a dealer (1 year old ish) to get plenty or warantee cover ?

I'm changing from a honda civic which has been super-reliable, I'm wary of any european cars, having had vauxhalls and citroens many years ago which were rubbish. I'm also wary of getting a turbo car because there seems to be so much complicated stuff to go wrong with the engine !

hope you can help !

cheers,

Gareth.

I wouldn't say a turbocharged petrol engine was complicated compared to a VTEC one! Apart from the waterpumps on the 1.8T engines in the Mk1 vRS, I'm not aware of any serious reliability issues with petrol Octavis vRSes (either Mk1 or Mk2) As long as it's been serviced properly (look for receipts, of course!), you should be fine. Old Bill wouldn't use them as traffic cars in some counties if they didn't rate them!

The Mk2s seem pretty good to be honest.

Couple of things to look out for:

Wear on the drivers seat bolsters

Check it has vRS mats

Check the oil level

Ensure service history is correct

Ask if the warranty recall has been done on the radio and ECU if necessary

Avoid lots of stone chipping

Bodywork and wheels should be immaculate

Just make sure it pulls hard and smooth to the redline with no smoke or stuttering etc.

Check inside of the rear tyres for feathering or excessive wear. If they are excessivly worn ensure the dealer adjusts the rear camber to the revised settings.

Make sure you get atleast dual zone climate control, rear electric windows and jumbo box - most other things are easily retrofittable, but the above are a must, especially come resale time.

To be honest you can't go far wrong with a Mk2 vRS.

The oldest cars are 55 plates in silver and black, I'd probably avoid these for the sake of a couple of hundred quid, as they are coming to the end of their warranties. I'd hold out for an 06 with around 20k miles for about £12500 from a main dealer, get some fuel and tax thrown into the deal, and you have the peace of mind of atleast a years warranty and no MOT for atleast a year.

Ask if the warranty recall has been done on the radio and ECU if necessary

Make sure you get atleast dual zone climate control, rear electric windows and jumbo box - most other things are easily retrofittable, but the above are a must, especially come resale time.

Forgot to ask about recalls etc.

so, ECU, radio, rear camber. Was anything needed with the turbo valves?

I've seen a couple of VRS estates without the climate and rear windows - are these proper UK spec cars or some kind of grey import ?

As for spec, I'm thinking cruise might be handy to keep my licence.... not too bothered about anything else really.

Gareth.

Whats a turbo valve? :P There have been problems with the OEM diverter valves failing, but not on standard cars IIRC.

The jumbo, electric rears and dual zone were part of an upgrade pack that has been given for free for over a year now. I'd say 90% of vRSs now have these options so you may have problems reselling if you don't get one with

Cruise control is a doddle to retrofit so don't discount a car just because it doesn't have cruise.

Talking of imports, Motorpoint imported a few Malaysian ones IIRC. I'd avoid these on grounds of resale etc, unless they are dirt cheap.

Talking of imports, Motorpoint imported a few Malaysian ones IIRC. I'd avoid these on grounds of resale etc, unless they are dirt cheap.

Maltese.

I agree about buying without Jumbo/Dual Zone/18's as these will be the accepted minimum spec at resale time.

Talking of imports, Motorpoint imported a few Malaysian ones IIRC. I'd avoid these on grounds of resale etc, unless they are dirt cheap.

If you're planning on keeping for 3 or so years you'll save more on the purchase price (£3k+) than you're likely to lose at re-sale time.

If you're planning on keeping for 3 or so years you'll save more on the purchase price (£3k+) than you're likely to lose at re-sale time.

But its also a factor of saleability of course.

Not saying you should immediately discount an import, just make sure its cheap enough, and consider warranty implications...

cheers chaps for the opinions. I hope to get a local test drive in the next few days.

I do tend to keep my cars for a while, so spec for resale in 12 months isn't a big issue. I can probably cope without park sensors / xenons / sat nav etc.

to be honest 18" wheels look to me to be more of a liability; I can end up driving on some quite poor roads - i'd be worried about flats and damaging the wheels on potholes. the low profile 17" look bad enough.

I think the biggest thing I will miss is not having audio controls on the steering wheel. - If i get a VRS estate - I may well ditch the factory stereo and get somthing better with a remote control. I've got a pioneer at the moment that's great with a steering wheel IR remote. I've seen the skoda/vw multi-function wheels and they're crap anyway.

not sure what the market is like at the moment - the economy is looking ominous so I might be able to bargain a dealer down before the end of the month if things hav been slow.

this site has been handy for info - found a really good insurance quote too !

any test-drive tips still greatly appreciated folks,

Gareth.

Hi all,

well, I managed to test drive a vrs estate locally today. it was OK, the ride wasn;t too hard even with 18" rims. might go back sunday when the roads are quieter and it's not raining. it had cruise too which is good.

two things - it was missing it's vrs badge on the front - may be nothing in this or maybe it's had a prang ?

other thing - on the motorway doign 70ish in 6-th gear, i though the exhaust sounded quite boomy - a possible indication that the exhaust silencer might be rotting ? or do all the cars sound like this ? the car's just 15 months old ?

ONE though though - is the new 1.8Tfsi (160hp) a better buy if you don't need the sports suspention ? - the skoda brochure claims a 8.2 0-60 time compared with 7.5 for the vrs. the weights for the cars is wierd in the brochure too - the 1.8 is listed as about 200kg lighter than any of the other models - a mistake surely ?

and you can get a 1.8 tfis ambient estate for ~14000 new according to D.T.D. which is not far off the price of a second hand vrs.

anyone compared the two engines 1.8 tfsi vs 2.0 tfsi ?

Gareth.

Hi gazgaz, this post is courtesy of my two day old not wanting to sleep tonite!

I had a mk1 rs and now own a mk2 rs estate.

Theres plenty of potential in the mk2 engine. The exhaust note is noticably boomy in all gears, esp on slow down, no indication of exhaust trouble.

as for the sport, depends if you want 160 mph or the full 200 ponies from an rs.

much more on the grille would be damaged other than the badge, eg the chrome effect surround would be dented, as would the fins.

Cheers Billy

The vRS badge is sometime stolen by scumbags. It is bonded on to the front grill so check for damage to the fins and if not then it'll be a simple repair and should be sorted before buying.

The vRS badge is sometime stolen by scumbags. It is bonded on to the front grill so check for damage to the fins and if not then it'll be a simple repair and should be sorted before buying.

Makes you wonder what they do with them :confused:

My local dealer had everyone on the forecourt taken a little while back.

and you can get a 1.8 tfis ambient estate for ~14000 new according to D.T.D. which is not far off the price of a second hand vrs.

anyone compared the two engines 1.8 tfsi vs 2.0 tfsi ?

Gareth.

Hello Gareth,

Sounds like you need to drive them both back to back, as it will help you decide which one you prefer.

I test drove both, the 1.8 motor is very, very nice, pulls well down low and lifts well once the revs get up, is quiet and refined, but the 2.0 definitely goes that bit harder. The std 1.8 is a quieter, less sporty ride, the vRS has a bit more edge and responsiveness to both the motor and the handling (on 18"s). I preferred the vRS seats and the vRS ride/handling compromise (I found the 1.8 was a bit "floaty" for my taste). Of course I may have had a different preference if I'd driven a 1.8 with sports suspension and sports seats

The 1.8 has chain driven cams, so long term maintenance should be slightly cheaper than the 2.0 with its replaceable rubber cam belt.

I liked the vRS better, so I've ordered one, but that doesn't mean it is the best choice for you, it depends on what factors are important to YOU.

I own one of the Maltese Motorpoint cars... way above UK Spec with everything but Maxidot

The saving was about 4.5 to 5k taking into account all the options... but you do only get two years warranty on the cars.

I reckon I'll be able to sell mine in September/October for about 12.5 to 13K... downsizing and becoming a dieselphile again

Fantastic cars, a pleasure to drive and can put a smile on anybodies face

I'll miss mine when she goes

Check for any water leaks usually rear doors!

Buy the wifes :D http://briskoda.net/forums/skoda-cars-sale-others/may-06-octavia-11-vrs/93689/

Hello Gareth,

Sounds like you need to drive them both back to back, as it will help you decide which one you prefer.

I test drove both, the 1.8 motor is very, very nice, pulls well down low and lifts well once the revs get up, is quiet and refined, but the 2.0 definitely goes that bit harder. The std 1.8 is a quieter, less sporty ride, the vRS has a bit more edge and responsiveness to both the motor and the handling (on 18"s). I preferred the vRS seats and the vRS ride/handling compromise (I found the 1.8 was a bit "floaty" for my taste). Of course I may have had a different preference if I'd driven a 1.8 with sports suspension and sports seats

I may have to have a go in a 1.8 Tfsi - since D.T.D. list them at 14 grand NEW and a year old VRS is about 13 grand, and skoda are doing 3 years 0% on the ambient spec. cars. or i go boring and get a 1 year old 2.0 TD - as ther seem to be a few about at the 12 grand mark.

I didn't really get a chance to boot the vrs when i drove it though.

still not sure about the 18" and firmer ride, it wasn't too bad when i drove through some rutted industrial estates on the test drive, but I do go over some crap roads and it might end up annoying me more that the times the 'sportyness' is usefull.

Sounds like you need to do some more test driving, that way you will get a better idea which one suits you best.

If you are looking at a 2.0TDI vRS I have heard of several people having trouble with the DPF. It seems to clog up if you do mainly slow driving (eg heavy traffic) without a regular burst of faster driving (needed to burn out the accumulated soot in the DPF).

Let us know what you finally go for (and why).