[Cesc]

Skoda – Seldom does a car manufacturer’s name invoke the kind of mixed feelings that one experiences when one hears Skoda at least here in our country. Mixed feeling is what I had when I walked into my relationship with a Skoda car back in August 2009.

I was evaluating a 2005 Octavia 1.9 TDI L&K with 72k on the odo. Something about my car buying habits to set the background - I have always bought pre-owned vehicles. ALWAYS. In the last 6 years I have owned 4 different cars. All were in excellent shape when I bought them (as well as when I sold them) – thanks to their previous owners. While evaluating a used car I have found that the owner is equally (if not more) important than the car itself.

‘You drive through one more pothole and I am going to end this test-drive’ – and so the owner of that Octavia I was test driving told me sternly. He meant it – I am 100% sure he would have unceremoniously dumped me in the middle of nowhere if I drove through another pothole that I could avoid. I liked the car and now I liked the owner too. The deal was done – at 6L. That reflected 40% of the original price the owner had paid. The car was in excellent shape. Not even a scratch anywhere, pristine interiors and drove very well. A sunroof, leather interiors, xenon lamps, 6 CD changer and 8 speaker system, airbags, ABS, steering controls, rear sensors and the car’s build quality made it a tremendous VFM buy in my eyes. Good deal – I said to myself. And then the parts failing, astronomical spare part prices and crook dealer and A** network stories from TBHP came rushing back into my happy moment and I thought – let’s just reserve this judgment about the goodness of the deal for the time being.

2 years 9 months and 44k kms later that judgment reads - Excellent deal!



For the first few months I often dreaded that the car might leave me stranded or that it will soon burn a hole through my pocket. None of that has happened till date (touchwood). From the dead of winter nights to the high noons of summer the car has done its job day in day out. Not one component – be it engine related or creature comfort related - has failed me till date. The car has now done over 115k kms and as the pics below will tell you it is nowhere near done.

I will take some of that credit . For I have maintained my car to the best of my abilities. I say my abilities because the car has rarely seen the face of Skoda A**.

Running and Maintenance Costs

I have always used best quality (and as far as possible OEM) parts and oils, regularly serviced her and promptly taken care of every niggle however small. One should always be prepared to spend on a pre-owned vehicle. I was mentally prepared of what I might need to replace in due course and the part changes have largely followed my expectations. Here is what I have changed on the car since it has been with me:

1) Tyres: at 84k kms. Yokohama A drives. Cost 17.5k
2) Front brake pads and rotors: 90k kms. Pagid pads (OEM) 1.8k. Rotors 2.6k.
3) Front shock absorbers: 90k kms. Bilstein B4 (OEM) 6.5k
4) Lower arms and bushes (both): 90k kms. Febi bushes (OEM). Cost 6k
5) Clutch: 102k kms (the DMF was in good shape so didn’t need a change): Sachs clutch (OEM) 7.6k. Labor 2k.
6) Timing belt: The tensioners were fine so just the belt. 1.4k for the belt and 1k labour. This was more of preventive maintenance.

Apart from this there was regular servicing with filter changes. Have always used Shell Helix Ultra 5W40. The servicing are every 15k kms. I have done each service at 12-13k. The previous owner delivered the car to me after getting it serviced even after the deal was done (says something about the guy). So 3 services till now with each costing around 6.5k.

Total money I have spent on servicing and maintenance – around 65k. Works out to about Rs 1.5 per km. FE is generally in the range of 15-17 kms in city and over 20 kms on the highway. Even when I ripped her once on a stretch of 200 odd kms with AC on it still returned an FE of 15. All in all the fuel costs have been around Rs 2.5 per km. Total cost of running - Rs 4 per km. I find that to be excellent.

Driving and Ownership Experience

The first thing I tell everyone about the driving experience is that do not go by the number of horses it has to evaluate this car. Drive this in its wide torque range and you will have much fun. I certainly have had. Once the turbo is in its full flow this thing responds to your every accelerator input. For a car of its weight and low HP it really is revelation on how well it drives once you know which way to drive it. And the right way to drive this is not at all difficult to find. Till this date the engine is so smooth and pulls so well that you will be hard pressed to guess its age if you do not look at the odo.

The high speed dynamics of the car are also excellent. It feels planted and super stable at 150+ speeds. Wifey who is super scared of high speeds will not bat an eyelid (because half of the times she doesn’t even know ) when the car does 140-150 (which it often does). The ABS brakes are good though IMO a bit more bite would have been welcome. The steering is on the heavier side though it does provide precise feedback. I still wish it was a bit lighter though. The suspension is neither too soft nor too firm and does its job pretty well.

The best thing I like about the car is the quality of materials used. The interior plastics, rubbers, switches look, feel and operate like new even to this date. I detail the car myself every 6 months (wax, interior cleaning and polishing – use Collinite 845 for exteriors and Collinite leather and vinyl cleaner for inside) and after every detailing I myself feel that the cabin and body feels new. It is nearly a 7 year old car by now and it hardly shows its age – both from inside and out. The only thing I would change in the interiors is the hard leather on the seats. Softer leather would have been very welcome.






What you will like

1) Build quality and quality of materials used – both inside and out
2) Excellent FE
3) Torque! And the wide band within which it is available
4) High speed stability
5) Equipment list and equipment quality: the L&K came – to use a much used word - ‘fully loaded’. Sunroof, leather interiors, xenon lamps, 6 CD changer and 8 speaker system, airbags, ABS, steering controls, rear sensors, anti-pinch windows, alloys, 60:40 full folding seats, rear defogger, Cruise control, climate control …. phew. Everything works (and has always worked without a single glitch) till date.
6) Huge boot – best in cars under 20L. I have hauled what not in the boot.

What you will not like

1) A** - Looking to rip you off at each and every instance. Their consistency in this aspect is par excellence.
2) Cramped rear bench. If the front 2 occupants are near 6 feet tall (both me and wifey are) then the rear seat occupants have had it (they have had it on numerous occasions
3) Hard leather on the seats.
4) Low beam spread of xenons. It really is quite inadequate at times.
5) A heavy steering

Right thats about it then. Been thinking of doing this for a while now. Am glad I have finally put it out there – thanks in no small part to Vipul’s ownership experience of his Laura at over 1L kms. I hope this helps people evaluating a Skoda and I will gladly answer any questions that members have.

One last word for prospective Skoda owners (esp. those looking to buy pre-owned) – keep your eyes wide open if you are going to A**. They really are a bunch of liars and cheats. On the other hand it is not difficult to maintain a Skoda without A** help. Through the last couple of years I have built a network of part suppliers and mechanics for myself. I have been able to leverage that to maintain my car. While at times it has been effort intensive (the A** is a stone’s throw away from my house) to maintain a car without A** help the fruits of those efforts have been well worth it.

All in all looking back it’s a deal that I will do all over again. The ownership of this car has been very fulfilling for me and my family. Considering the kind of person I am, I will most likely buy another car soon but I am sure that this car will stay with me. And stay with me forever is what I would like to believe. For a person who has never kept the same car for more than 18 months I guess this says a lot.

I leave you with the sun rays bouncing off my drive - its a picture of contentment. Mirroring my emotions attached to the car.

[shashank.nk]

Let me be the first to thank you for this review! Its encouraging to see many Skoda car related threads in the 'long-term ownership' section. Not only do prospective customers feel good,the existing owners are assured it won't burn a deep hole in their pocket as it starts nearing the 1lakh km mark.

Your car is maintained very well,one would be hard-pressed to say its 7 years old and is with the second owner.

I hope your Octy stays with you for long and serves you like she's done in the past!

Cheers

[kmadhok]

Thanks for the review and congratulations.
I was looking at a used Skoda Superb myself, but then reading reviews in tbhp got me thinking if I should take the chance. Had you been in Mumbai I would have requested you to accompany me to have a look at the car.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by Cesc

One last word for prospective Skoda owners (esp. those looking to buy pre-owned) – keep your eyes wide open if you are going to A**. They really are a bunch of liars and cheats. On the other hand it is not difficult to maintain a Skoda without A** help. Through the last couple of years I have built a network of part suppliers and mechanics for myself. I have been able to leverage that to maintain my car. While at times it has been effort intensive (the A** is a stone’s throw away from my house) to maintain a car without A** help the fruits of those efforts have been well worth it.

That is the precise way of maintain a pre owned European car.

Skodas, especially Octavias are known for their long term service and reliability and I wouldn't be surprised if you post another update at 222222kms in a few years down the line and the car looking pretty much the same.

All the best and keep driving.

[amitk2kin]

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[ramzsys]

"While evaluating a used car I have found that the owner is equally (if not more) important than the car itself."

Precisely the reason why a car has to be bought from the direct owner, rather than from a used car dealer.

When i bought a used car recently, I was stunned when the owner gave me a full file of complete service history(done only at A.S.S, that too for a ford!).

And thus i can drive without any apprehension about the reliability of a car that has seen 1L on the ODO.

[Cesc]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Let me be the first to thank you for this review!

I hope your Octy stays with you for long and serves you like she's done in the past!

Thanks Shashank. Looks lik eyou own an Octy too. Here's wishing you the same.

Originally Posted by kmadhok

Thanks for the review and congratulations.
I was looking at a used Skoda Superb myself, but then reading reviews in tbhp got me thinking if I should take the chance. Had you been in Mumbai I would have requested you to accompany me to have a look at the car.

Thanks. Wish I could have helped out ..

Originally Posted by n.devdath

That is the precise way of maintain a pre owned European car.

Skodas, especially Octavias are known for their long term service and reliability and I wouldn't be surprised if you post another update at 222222kms in a few years down the line and the car looking pretty much the same.

All the best and keep driving.

Thanks n.devdath. I hope I am able to add the 222222 review to this thread

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Nice! Recently bought a 2010 skoda octavia ambiente 1.9TDI as a runabout car with just 22,000kms on the odo from a friend's father-in-law. Your review gives me confidence!

[shankar.balan]

Lovely to hear and read this. Beautiful colour and delicious seats too!
Very well kept car indeed.

All the best to you and wish you many happy miles ahead!

[rxpaul]

Wow ! Amazing how well maintained your Octavia is. I wish i could keep my TPI as clean as your car.
I am scouting around for a second car, a diesel automatic and after looking around at all the options am wondering if a preowned Octavia TDI automatic will make sense.

[hemen]

Congrats Cesc for reaching the landmark figure.

Wish you many happy miles ahead.

Originally Posted by Cesc

Timing belt: The tensioners were fine so just the belt. This was more of preventive maintenance.

I feel you should change the tensioner pulley n the bolt holding it even though it is fine.
On my Octy the tensioner bolt snapped at 1.10lac kms and even the tensioner pulley broke. We don't know what caused the what to fail.

On a preventive note i would suggest that you change the 3 things together i.e. timing belt, pulley and bolt.

[Cesc]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Lovely to hear and read this. Beautiful colour and delicious seats too!
Very well kept car indeed.

All the best to you and wish you many happy miles ahead!

Thanks Shankar. Wish you countless carefree miles with your Yeti too.

Originally Posted by rxpaul

Wow ! Amazing how well maintained your Octavia is. I wish i could keep my TPI as clean as your car.
I am scouting around for a second car, a diesel automatic and after looking around at all the options am wondering if a preowned Octavia TDI automatic will make sense.

Thanks. I think Octavia never came in auto transmission (I could be wrong though because I do vaguely remember somebody saying a very small number of auto cars did get sold here). You will find Laura automatic though (which I know is called Octavia everywhere but here ). In the used car market Skoda automatics have lower resale than Skoda manual gearbox cars. So you might land yourself a good clean example at a decent price.

Originally Posted by hemen

Congrats Cesc for reaching the landmark figure.

Wish you many happy miles ahead.


I feel you should change the tensioner pulley n the bolt holding it even though it is fine.
On my Octy the tensioner bolt snapped at 1.10lac kms and even the tensioner pulley broke. We don't know what caused the what to fail.

On a preventive note i would suggest that you change the 3 things together i.e. timing belt, pulley and bolt.

Thanks a lot hemen. Actually the entire timing kit was changed just before I bought the car (belt + tensioners) by the previous owner. I am not sure if the pulley was changed too or not back then. Irrespective will get it changed.

[sumitdongerkery]

Originally Posted by hemen

Congrats Cesc for reaching the landmark figure.

Wish you many happy miles ahead.


I feel you should change the tensioner pulley n the bolt holding it even though it is fine.
On my Octy the tensioner bolt snapped at 1.10lac kms and even the tensioner pulley broke. We don't know what caused the what to fail.

On a preventive note i would suggest that you change the 3 things together i.e. timing belt, pulley and bolt.

I completely agree with Hemen's suggestion. This is a must and would affect the engine if it breaks down mid way. Secondly, your car would be due for the water pump change. This would be slightly expensive but it would be a preventive change for good health of your car. I have a 2006 Octy 1.9TDI and has clocked 1.3 lac KM and believe me I just don't have any reason to dispose it. It does give you occassional maintainance but considering the kind of war horse it is, u would never hesistate spending on it. It is worth every penny. My car is still in pristine condition and for me, ownership experience of this car has been the most sublime. And it feels even better when some motor head like me echos these sentiments

Cheers

[Swanand Inamdar]

Congratulations!
I must say, thats a very well maintained car there. Your (and the previous owners) efforts can be seen there. The interiors are in pristine condition. So is the exterior. Maintaing it is a pain, but then, at the end its all about how you look after your car, isnt it?

All the best with the beast.
As Devdath said, would love to read an update if and when she completes 2,22,222 kms

[adisag]

Originally Posted by Cesc

2 years 9 months and 44k kms later that judgment reads - Excellent deal!

For the first few months I often dreaded that the car might leave me stranded or that it will soon burn a hole through my pocket. None of that has happened till date (touchwood). From the dead of winter nights to the high noons of summer the car has done its job day in day out. Not one component – be it engine related or creature comfort related - has failed me till date. The car has now done over 115k kms and as the pics below will tell you it is nowhere near done.

I will take some of that credit . For I have maintained my car to the best of my abilities. I say my abilities because the car has rarely seen the face of Skoda A**.

Like wow!!
I've been planning on buying a pre-owned octavia for a while, but haven't quite gathered the confidence to do so yet Your thread inspires me to take the plunge. I'll be getting in touch - could use some help - since we're both based in "Good Gaon"