I cant find a car

Armageus said:
Wheels can be changed though if it meets all other criteria.
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They can but the thing is I dont want to spend money on my next car unless its included in the £8/9K or are related to running costs. As the Ecoboost is at the very top end of my budget it makes it more difficult to find the spec I want

iaind said:
There's horror stories about most cars if you look hard enough. I'm no expert in the TSIs - I have a 2.0TFSI myself. I do frequent the skoda forums though and most of the horror stories I see are with the diesels. I don't think I've read any horror stories about the 1.4 actually. Remember neither are the twin charger that VW used in older golfs - they're just turbo petrols as far as I'm aware. The 1.8 AFAIK is just a smaller displacement version of the 2.0 in the VRS - this does have an issue with the tensioner as I mentioned but budgeting a few hundred quid to replace it with a revised part for peace of mind negates that. Some have a bit of a thirst for oil but otherwise I don't believe they're unreliable.

If they appeal - and they would be very good value for money - then head over to briskoda and ask on there, plenty knowledgeable people who'll tell you exactly what issues they might have and how to avoid them if possible.
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They do seem like good value, I would like to avoid spending my entire budget if possible but (again with the buts :o ) I've had a look based on what you said and the 1.8 TSI would be preffered but are rare, there are very few within reasonable distance, the 1.4 seem more common. The other thing is my mate is looking to sell his Subaru STI and replace it with an Octavia VRS, this would make me wince, dont ask why, pathetic I know!

As much as I hate to say it, on paper the Civic 1.8 is the sensible choice but I would want a Pan roof to avoid the rusty roof issue limiting my choice once again
 
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Armageus said:
Won't hit 40mpg ever - a lad at work has the gti, I have an audi a3 with the same engine 35 is a realistic best case if you drive like a granny - 32 is more normal. Can have a thirst for oil as well, although not as bad as the newer recalled audis.



Wheels can be changed though if it meets all other criteria.
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Disagree with this. I've regularly got 40mpg+ out of long runs from Swansea -> Gatwick @ 70mph with cruise control. That was actually with some traffic too. I'm not a fan of the engine but mpg is actually extremely good for what it is. I get 26-28 around town. (octavia vrs)

Thirst for oil I'll agree on though. Mine goes from max to min in 1 week.
 
mccarf said:
Disagree with this. I've regularly got 40mpg+ out of long runs from Swansea -> Gatwick @ 70mph with cruise control. That was actually with some traffic too. I'm not a fan of the engine but mpg is actually extremely good for what it is. I get 26-28 around town. (octavia vrs)

Thirst for oil I'll agree on though. Mine goes from max to min in 1 week.
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Ditto on fuel, can do 40 without even trying on mine. Did a run from Exeter to gatwick a few weeks ago which is a mix of fast dual carriageway and slower 40/50/60 sections. Including some WOT out of roundabouts it worked out at 42mpg
 
You have spent 5 months trying to find a petrol hatchback for under £9k?

I can only imagine that you are being more fussy than you indicate in your post or have not spent an actual 5 months searching.
 
Fussy and indecisive, constantly changing my mind about what I want on a minutely basis.

My current car is good to go, I dont owe anything on it and I wanted it gone before servicing and mot'ing it last month but I cant find anything I like, I've been looking on and off since February as I've moved house in that time
 
Relentless81 said:
How os the oil consumption working out in yours iand?
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Uses a bit but barely any - was serviced about a month and 1000 miles ago, checked it at the weekend and it's only just moved off the maximum line. There's a few things that cause it which can be replaced cheaply - the PCV is one of them
 
I have the Seat Leon FR 200 which uses the same engine as the Mk5 GTi - I average 35mpg but can get 40mpg + on a decent run. Oil use for me is about 500ml over 5k miles
 
I can live with that, seems about normal to be honest, knowing my luck though I'll end up with an oil muncher

What precautions are there to avoid examples with high oil usage?
 
Relentless81 said:
I can live with that, seems about normal to be honest, knowing my luck though I'll end up with an oil muncher

What precautions are there to avoid examples with high oil usage?
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Short of checking it or asking the owner, I cant really think of any easy way to tell. Some burn oil but many will have had a failed PCV which causes the oil to be pushed out the filler cap so you might see some oil around the head. It's a cheap fix though

This is quite comprehensive and would apply to anything with the same engine (mostly)

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/78996-20tfsi-common-issues-solutions/

Mine had a new PCV, new diverter valve and new fuel cam before I bought it. Runs really sweetly, is really powerful and barely uses any oil.
 
Relentless81 said:
Thanks, why the new cam? You got yours really cheap, there are similar ones about for double what you paid
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The guy I bought it from was really particular mechanically - the fuel cam followers wear over time. They dont do any harm but you lose power and mpg, they're not expensive - probably should be a service item on these. He did all sorts of stuff like that, was very well looked after. Like one shock absorber was misting and he replaced them all with Bilstein units - so mine is absolutely mind mechanically. I'm keen to get it on a rolling road to see where its sitting in bhp terms :)

Downside with mine was the bodywork - the rear spoiler was peeling (common problem) and the sills were flaking (again, fairly common), plus the wheels werent in great nick. I had all 4 wheels refurbed and the paintwork addressed for about £450 all in - so I'm about 4k into mine. Some of the body still isnt great, where it's had paint before the colour isnt quite matching and it's also a low spec car. The standard trim on the vrs prefacelift was a bit meagre, so manual rear windows, manual climate - the only option on mine is the xenon headlights. Have already retrofitted the armrest and plan to retrofit cruise too :)
 
Ok thanks for all the info, I'll have to budget for these things if a nice VRS shows up bit they all seem considerably more expensive than yours and yours has had everything done!
 
I just got lucky - hadn't been looking on PH but figured I'd take a look. The guy had to sell it because of needing a car less than 5 years old for a work car scheme, when I looked the first time it had just been listed. Blind luck but keep an eye open, the for sale section on Briskoda is relatively active too
 
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