Used Skoda Octavia 07-09 review - drive.com.au

[Bizi]

http://smh.drive.com.au/motor-news/skoda-octavia-200709-20101104-17fhd.html

Virtually the same as the recent used Jetta review, which shouldn't be surprising since the TFSI Jetta was their pick, too, just as the VRS Octavia gets a mention here!

Likes:

• Based on VW mechanicals, so a degree of refinement is a given.
• Good value now, as the Skoda brand hasn't held on to value as well as its VW cousins. RS is great buying.
• Station-wagon version (including an RS wagon) broadens appeal.
• Well laid-out interior with enough room for families.
• All-wheel-drive wagon variant makes all sorts of sense.

Dislikes:

• The brand unawareness that has made the Octavia good value second-hand has also made it something of an orphan model.
• Buyers still prefer VW.
• Suspension not tuned as sharply as some would like.

Need to know:

• Check the service record. A car as new as this shouldn't have any blanks.
• The DSG gearbox should shift smoothly and quickly and without any noises. Have it checked by someone who knows their VW transmissions.

[Brycem]

The sedan the ill informed writer refers to is a hatchback.

[K1W1]

And the all wheel drive wagon he refers to sold in very low numbers and was replaced by the Scout about 18 months ago.
Who ever expected journalists to know what they are writing about? Hopefully the story will generate sales for s/hand Skodas from people who think they will be getting a bargain thus raising the resale value (supply and demand).

[CanberravRS]

Well i know from experience that the resale value of the car after 3yrs and 60,000klms was fantastic.

[brad]

FFS

The slight wildcard was the milder version of the 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine that produced 110kW mated to a conventional six-speed automatic gearbox.

So mild it was missing a turbo.

Despite its fairly light weight, the Skoda can also, like its Golf cousin, be hard on front brake pads and rotors. Any pulsing through the pedal suggests rotor wear that could be fixed with machining but may require replacement.

yeah? I'd be more worried about VWs habit of making the rear brakes come on first. Surely you could insert that paragraph into almost any car review?

Octavias with the turbo diesel engine need a timing-belt replacement about the 100,000-kilometre mark.

Whereas the 2007-2009 vRS timing belt lasts forever?

[brad]

Well i know from experience that the resale value of the car after 3yrs and 60,000klms was fantastic.

How much better than the table did you do?

[woofy]

I think they would know very very little about how much these are going for 2nd hand, there aren't that many around to compare, and I know an inside person at Carsales and they pretty much guess what they are worth for redbook, they have found them very difficult to get sales data on. For the people I know who have sold and bought second hand, I have seen them go for anything but under VW cars.

As for sharpening the suspension, with the Gti yes, but with the Jetta, most people find the Skoda has been set up better for our roads- a lot of complaints were made about the harshness of the MkV golf and Jetta.