USED Skoda Octavia Hatchback (04 - )

My car

I bought my Octavia 1.6FSI elegance with optional sports suspension and 17" alloys new in March 2005 and have enjoyed driving and owning it over the last 4 years. The engine is slightly underpowered if you like to drive enthusiastically but is okay for day to day driving. I get ave 38 mph with the the climate control on all the time, using cruise control as often as I can. I drive mainly on A roads with some traffic in towns at either end of the journey. The variable servicing is great and means I only have to service it every 18,000 miles costing betwen £230-£270 each time. The 17" tyres last about 15,000 miles on the front which isn't great, but the ride is confortable and there isn't too much road noise. The car is solidily built and very practical. The cabin plastics and seats are great quality and after driving 60,000 miles the car still looks almost new. The boot is enormous, no other car seems to compare. I even managed to fit in a bunk bed including the mattresses(although I did have to dismantle the frame first!!)

My car

Having spent many an August day round many Seat/Wolkswagen & Skoda garage, I finally took the plunge and placed an order with Doran Motors near Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan for a Corrida Red 2008 Octavia vRS diesel.

At the time I was unsure if I had made the right choice but when I sat behind the leather spoked steering wheel and placed the grippy sharp gear lever into first, I was simply delighted.

When I firs took it out on the main road at the garage, I was breathtaken by the absolute performance in a diesel car. I honestly think that in today's marketplace there is simply no other car with the same good sense & practicality all round.

Super sized boot is incredible. It held almost 100 tins of sweets comfortably!!!

All that I would slightly fault the Octavia for would be that because of the performance it shreds through tyres in 1st & 2nd gears. On saying that, I safely got 23k miles from the full set of tyres.

Excellent handling and has a tankful of torque in mid range revs. Very economical. 45mpg+. Beautifully designed seats & interior. The new version with the touchscreen radio is astonishly beautiful.

A sheer pleasure to drive any day. One of the few cars that makes me smile.

My car

I'm just changing my Octavia Elegance DSG Hatch for... an Octavia Elegance DSG Estate. I’ve driven them for 8 years and 400,000 miles.

I've owned or driven long term company / hire cars numbering over 50 since I started driving 37 years ago and without a doubt this is the best in terms of reliability, affordability, comfort, efficiency and overall "feel good factor".

If I was really picky, the RDS radio changes FM frequencies a lot on a long drive (but then the radio in my Honda CRV just broadcast static on the same route – otherwise I'm "reaching" to find anything I can rate any less than excellent. If you buy from a dealer, they're never going to be "bargain basement" but then you can buy a much cheaper same-age French car, repent at your leisure and become intimately involved with your local dealer. I would say that although extended servicing seems cheaper, in the long run it’s better to switch to fixed 10k intervals to extend the longevity of the drivetrain. I've spent a day on the web and AutoTrader checking out the competition and I can’t find any.

Finally, at an indicated 70 I get 55-58 mpg between Somerset and West London in the rush hour, my best was 62 mpg. My lifetime mpg over the last 25k miles is 51 mpg. I'd challenge anyone to find a better car!

My car

The joke is on the few 'image conscious' snobs that still remember the 60's and 70's cars, and wrongly connect them with the Lada cars from former East Germany. The latest Skodas are very much VW / Audi quality. The style, ride, space, economy, and above all the reliability is why the Octavia has become the obvious choice by taxi drivers everywhere in Europe. They need confidence the car will be 'on the road' not 'off the road'. A 40,000 service interval assures this. I have had one for nearly 4 years and it's only been back to the garage for a fuse for the rear washer which froze during a very cold spell. No hesitation recommending this car. I have had many Fords, a Nissan, a SAAB turbo, a Vauxhall, a Citroen, and driven dozens of other hire cars abroad You can keep them all. I intend sticking with the Octavia, and my only regret is I didn't buy the Superb instead. Only reason was it was the older model and looked dated. The new Superb looks S U P E R B!