Octavia VRS/Avant/Touring???

Oh, probably a 2.0 diesel but what is the 1.8 petrol of the VAG group like? Real world MPG on a run?

My experience of S-Line A4’s would put me off one as the large wheels/sports suspension combination gives a harsh ride. VRs’ are more compliant.
Audi and Skoda Tsi’s around 10 years old would be 2 litres rather than 1.8?

Alfa 159 sportwagon. 2.4d or 1750 tbi engine. Ti spec for being in a lovely place.

Spotted a A4 Avant 1.8 TFSI but unsure how economical they are. My drive to work in A roads until the last couple of miles.

Alfa's had popped up, but I need to get to work, are they as unreliable as the stories suggest?

Don't rule out the octavia hatch, it's the same footprint as the estate, it's only the height of the boot area it loses out on. Usually a chunk cheaper than the estate. (though I'd still have the estate personally, cos estates are just better aren't they?).

Looking at the hatches too, roof bars are easier  and tidier fitted to estate rails though.

Living in NW Cumbria means having to travel to look at anything too.

A5s caught my eye in the same way Octavia hatches do.

A5 Sportback is about the best of the Avant/Touring bunch. Had all of them, but the best across the board was the A5. Takes a 26" 720mm bar Epic no problem, no wheels off no faffing. They look mighty fine too IMHO.

If  driven carefully I can get 50mpg from my 2L vrs tsi.  40mpg is more common though.

I’d be looking at SEAT personally. Have had the 2 litre petrol FR Sport and now have a Cupra. Really nice cars to drive and a fair bit cheaper than Skoda and Audi.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302013815667
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303295734304

I've just sold a petrol Octavia at 9 years /115k . Nothing serious to look for. The sump pan is fragile so maybe look for leaks and I had some coolant system problems, but overall it's a great car and the interior was hard wearing.

Vrs is chain driven so you don't need to worry about cambelt replacement but the water pump still need doing at some point.

My car was worth £6.5k to a dealer, so 10-12k retail sounds cheeky, especially when mine was only 14k when I bought it in 2017

I've replaced mine with an Avant, the BMW was lovely but vetoed by the other half because of image issues (apparently Audi didn't share the same issue 🙂 )

Mate at work has an Octy VRS Estate (I think it's a 16 plate), clutch just went at 110k, it was £2k to replace it (plus a couple of other bits I think), Compared with the cost of replacing the car at current new/used prices He considered the bill relatively good VFM on the basis that a brand new equivalent would cost ~£35k+ and it's used value is ~£10k. He reckons he'll run it for another 50K miles at least, its the first big bill it's presented him, he likes the car it can move bikes/kids/luggage and replacement would be more faff/cost than it's worth...

in the past have had 3 and 5 series Tourers and an A6 Avant, all diesel.  I preferred the Audi to both the BMW's, though partly due to switching from manual to auto quattro.  The 3 tourer was pretty cramped inside for kids and bikes I recall.  Currently have a Q5 and if I was changing to another ICE I'd probs go back to an Audi Avant I think.

I would venture into the world of audi's with open eyes.

Ive recently swapped a V8 M3 for a RS4 Avant and while its definatley a better car on the road. 1500 quid for front brake disks and 300 quid for pads is an indication of the part costs on this thing (im about 3k in in the first . A lot of the suspension design is similar and needs refreshing due to rubber bushes over time. this appears to be an absolute barsteward of a job.

I looked at VRs and BMW, and to be fair the VRs was nothing like the quality of cabin.

If you like driving too, I cant see the fun in having any VAG car as they are basically all the same understeery bland handling. (which is good for doing long distance) but not entirely 'fun'

320d estate is plenty enough to have an enjoyable fun drive.

Have a look at Kia Proceed's.
Punchy engines if you choose right, long warranty's, loads of space.

Re alfas, a 159 or giulia is probably as good as most modern cars. I’ve had BMWs, VWs and a Discovery that were a lot less reliable than either my 159 or 156. If you go down the 159 route the main problems people on the forums mention are front sub-frame  and  the m32 gearbox in some models.

Long term E91 owner here. (mines on 193k and I've owned it 14 years)

I'm not sure why you were getting stung so heavily on tyres - I'm paying £100 front, 140-150 rear for premium brand. Were you keeping the runflats? Best upgrade ever to ditch them (followed by swapping the M-sport suspension which was both wallowy AND harsh for Bilstein/Eibach combo).

I'd have thought a 3/A4/Octavia is a bit on the small size for 4 up on a regular basis + luggage. The E91 does the 2 of us fine, but is borderline too small for modern LLS Enduro bikes - it works but is suboptimal. Would consider a 5er next time. Presumably you'll be looking at F11/F31 era? Be aware of the rep of the N47 2.0d for chewing up cam chains - engine out job to replace if needed.

Personally I'd stay away from VAG group. Aside from the understeery rep (my old Passat very much was, but that was a long time ago), you're smack in the middle of Dieselgate territory, and I wouldn't want a car that had either been fixed/hobbled/bodged (delete as appropriate), or that may in the future have to be, to continue to be road legal. (feels unlikely, but law of sod)

320d estate is plenty enough to have an enjoyable fun drive.

This. Not "fast"; more it carries speed well so you have to slow down less.

I did ditch the run flats and promptly had a good size puncture on the rear that required the AA to come along with a magic spare.

Chains are still an issue for the F31?

On paper a 320d looks pokey enough.

I had considered a higher miles 330d, quick look puts front pads around £100 and discs £180 each.

Chains are still an issue for the F31?

Was talking to my local BMW Indy (my E91 is starting to get flaky so its been there quite a bit) and he said its the same basic engine (N47 or N57), with the timing chain at the back, as was in the LCI E9x/E6x. 2.0 is worse than 3.0; oil changes every 10k miles max; and plan to get the chain changed at 100k miles if you want to keep it intact long term.

Reckoned on balance the E9x/E6x are much better built cars.

Brakes are, what every 2-3 years for pads, twice that for discs? I wouldn't let that put me off...

FunkyDunc

I cant see the fun in having any VAG car as they are basically all the same understeery bland handling.

JonEdwards

Personally I’d stay away from VAG group. Aside from the understeery rep (my old Passat very much was, but that was a long time ago)

I'm a little puzzled by these comments from BMW owners, since every recent 3 series I've driven (f30 especially) has felt like it had quite a lot of 'safety understeer' built in? 🤷‍♂️

Don't get me wrong, I think RWD is preferable for a drivers car but I've had a couple of Octavia VRS and driven sympathetically to FWD they have a fairly neutral balance, not understeer. They're not going to kick the back out like a 250 GTI by any stretch, but they're also not a 2003 Passat with the engine about 2 foot forward of the front wheels either.

I'd personally go for the 3 Touring but your budget will only stretch to the snotty end of the F30's which are already 10 years old.

Prices are insane atm. I'd planned to get a 3 to 4 year old F30 when my lease goes back but in decent spec they're over 20k and finance on second hand cars adds another chunk. Ended up ordering another lease.

I’m a little puzzled by these comments from BMW owners, since every recent 3 series I’ve driven (f30 especially) has felt like it had quite a lot of ‘safety understeer’ built in?

Not (yet) driven an F30, but if the basic weight distribution is good, £150 to a man with a Hunter alignment machine who knows what he's doing will sort that. I think from memory the 4 pots are actually supposed to be better balanced than the bigger lumps as they're lighter.

(My Passat was a '99 and yes, most of the engine was in front of the front axle.)

JonEdwards

Not (yet) driven an F30, but if the basic weight distribution is good, £150 to a man with a Hunter alignment machine who knows what he’s doing will sort that. I think from memory the 4 pots are actually supposed to be better balanced than the bigger lumps as they’re lighter.

Yes that and fitting an upgraded rear ARB (IIRC from the m140i) are common mods to resolve it.

On the 3-series touring size - I'd agree that they are fine for 2 people, but 4 can be a squeeze as a) boot isn't massive and b) rear leg room isn't much if the driver is 6ft+ (RWD tunnel takes up space too).

With rear seats down, you can prob fit in a 29er, esp if passenger seat is forward a little. I can get in my Aeris 27.5 with the passenger seat all the way back with no bother (and occasionally a 700c hybrid on top - though that isn't LLS). Front wheel off obvs.

Jaguar xf sportbrake?

Mercedes C class or CLS

Skoda Superb

Volvo V60

If you are baulking at the cost of running an expensive car, even an older relatively cheaper one, then don't buy one would be my honest advice. There are plenty of cheaper alternatives out there which will still be fine. Mondeo or Insignia or Avensis etc. for example

All the premium German cars have large sections of padding to improve the sound deadening. If you look in the boots a large proportion is taken away at the sides.

They also need large engine bays to accommodate the largest engine in the range.

Skoda do the opposite (limited engine bay size + reduced sound insulation), but manager to retain a good standard of car.

If you are biased to the driving experience, go premium German. If you are biased on the activities you enjoy when you get there, go Skoda.

1. Skoda Superb is my compromise.

I've had 2 A6 Avants - looked at A4s but with three kids they were just too small. They were both V6 diesels, first a 2.5 then a 2.7, smooth, reasonably fast and reasonably economical. Those going on about understeer - yes, they do understeer at the limit but the limit is pretty high and you probably shouldn't be finding it on a public road. They were great cars and I look back on them fondly.

If you like driving too, I cant see the fun in having any VAG car as they are basically all the same understeery bland handling. (which is good for doing long distance) but not entirely ‘fun’

driving a mk7 gti, with the slippery diff, i can say it shares the traits of the older vws i've had of lift-off oversteer, coupled with being the first FWD car i've ever had that had oversteer under acceleration too. awesome car.

Volvo V60

Previous shape V60 was the smallest car in its class. Current shape is much bigger, but no way are you going to get one for £10k-£12k. The Jaguar might be fun though...

I have 2013 F31, in very nice condition except for very time consuming and expensive problem in AC system - I'm currently waiting for call from the main dealer whether the next attempt to fix it has been succesful. So far it has cost about 1000€ and the AC still does not work.

I don't understand the concern with consumable items, the tires are standard size (I have 16" wheels) and brake disks have lasted 60 000km since last change. I still like the car, it is much smaller than current G2x series and still feels like a nice car despite age. Will be sold as soon as it is fixed, the prices have gone up on petrol models.

My other car is A5, 2.0 TDI q and it is better car for long hauls, I drove 10hrs last Sunday and going to do the same again next Sunday. ACC is a lovely thing, there is lot of space in trunk but being quite long and low it is not as handy in daily life.

Del

driving a mk7 gti, with the slippery diff, i can say it shares the traits of the older vws i’ve had of lift-off oversteer, coupled with being the first FWD car i’ve ever had that had oversteer under acceleration too. awesome car.

Nah, boring mate, you should sack that off and get something fun like a 320d 😉

Hmmm, strange comments about VAG being bland and boring to drive. My Cupra 290 is anything but boring.

I’ve had all sorts of cars, Aston Martin, Porsche, TVR, AMG Merc, and I’d rate the Cupra as one of the most fun cars I’ve had…..I really want to test drive a JCW Mini as I reckon they’d also be loads of fun to drive as well.

No idea if the Cupra is understeery, it’s just a fun car to drive.

@breadcrumb, this place is local to us

Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TDI SE Technik Multitronic Euro 5 (s/s) 5dr, Carlisle, Cumbria (harperscumbria.co.uk)

https://www.harperscumbria.co.uk/carsearch/viewcar.php?viewcar=AY15WVO

Looks tidy!

@breadcrumb, this place is local to us

Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TDI SE Technik Multitronic Euro 5 (s/s) 5dr, Carlisle, Cumbria (harperscumbria.co.uk)
> https://www.harperscumbria.co.uk/carsearch/viewcar.php?viewcar=AY15WVO < Looks tidy!

B8 gen, halogen headlights and Multitronic, eeek.

Boot in the A5 Sportback is garbage - long and low like a TT boot on steroids.

I'm sure Skodas have improved between the mk2 Octavia and mk3 which I guess you're looking at but our old mk2 VRS was properly "tinny" in terms of build quality vs the E91 that replaced it. Our daily is currently a S204 Merc C Class estate... no idea even of the trim name as it was meant to be a short term stop gap car but its grown on us. Some kind of Sport trim so looks good, 1.8 turbo engine is brisk enough and the boot is bigger than I remember the E91 being (although I miss the split tailgate thing on the BMW!).

Thanks for the input everyone.

I don't know why I get hung up on consumable costs so much. Just factoring it all in so I don't get any shockers I guess.

Missus turned her nose up Skoda's so they're mostly ruled out.

Just been and looked at a A5 locally but it has lacquer peel from a sub standard repair. Shame as the history was ok and interior was mint.

The search continues.

I don’t know why I get hung up on consumable costs so much

On that note. Checkout the gearbox oil change, some DCTs can only accept unicorn bloody and it's priced accordingly. Hopefully it's had one recently if it is an expensive one

Missus turned her nose up Skoda’s so they’re mostly ruled out.

I'm not sure I understand this unless she's applying the 90's logic that they were an import and rubbish. I have a 15 plate Octy VRs estate (diesel). It's comfy, has the the later version of the dash/control system that I have in the Golf we also have, it runs well, cruises well, has plenty of space for us and the dog and looks nice too. It's essentially a VW but with a different badge, we've owned ours for 2 years and with the exception of a creak in the pano sunroof (probably just the seals needing something to soften them up) it's been perfect.

I assume she's paying for it if she has power of veto on BMWs and Skodas?

My wife holds the same opinion of Skoda and won't have one.

We need a new thread.

Things that make a wife/partner high or low maintenance? 🙂

1. Won't drive a Skoda

How about Passat?

My wife certainly isn't high maintenance but she does have some car related quirks. As well as Skoda's she refuses to have a white car or any car that looks like a shoe. Don't ask me?

We need a new thread.

Things that make a wife/partner high or low maintenance? 🙂

1. Named Louise
2. Won’t drive a Skoda