Thinking of buying an Octavia VRS

nicholas_yiu

nicholas_yiu

nicholas_yiu

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I currently have a Mk2 Octavia 2005 with the 1.9PD diesel engine with 105K on the clock. I now do my mileage in the company car, therefore thinking of swapping for something a bit more interesting.

I will be using the car on weekends only mainly going between London and Reading. Also the odd back route detour from work in the summer.

My requirements are:
Petrol
Large boot, 4-5 doors
Comfortable on motorway
Mid-high 30s MPG setting cruise to 70mph on the motorway
Reasonable performance

My current Octavia suits my needs perfectly other than the performance so the logical thinking is to go for the VRS with the 2.0T.

I am not planning to spend more than £1K over the trade in value of my car (should get £3K easy -£4K at a push). Should I be looking for a mint Mk1 or a high mile Mk2? I am leaning towards the Mk2 because going to a Mk1 seems like a downgrade to me.

Is there anything to look out for on either of those? I am also open to other suggestions.
 
Would definitely get the Mk2 but is getting a bottom of the market one a good idea? Can't help but think spending a little more would be worthwhile.
 
There are a few reasonable ones at around £4-5K mark. They are all 1 owner high miles examples which should be OK. Any problems pop up at high miles on these?
 
I am interested in this car as I want a new car soon.
I have test driven neither but am thinking of MK2 VRS as a potential buy as the Golf GTI costs a lot more money and the Leon is a lot hotter (240hp).
I must say though, £6000 will only get you a 2006 one with very high miles. It really would be the bottom of the market.

I did look into the MK1 VRS but from what I have read on here and heard in general that the 1.8T is ridden with niggling issues.
 
You might have to take a small hit on fuel economy but have you considered an ST220? No turbocharger to go wrong, and you get six cylinders as well as another 20hp over the vRS.
 
if you want to stay vag and want that sort of performance level (octy vrs) what about a seat? leon or an altea etc?
 
pepsilol said:
2.5 legacy?
Something v70 based?
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Whilst the Legacy is the faster, more powerful car, they have mpg figures to go with it. There is no chance at all the OP would see 30 mpg never mind mid to high 30's. I'd say it's worth it but have no real idea of the OPs circumstances. Then again, I imagine he'd be buying non-JDM and there are significant differences so perhaps the Octavia is safer.
 
mglover070588 said:
Fair point.
Someone on here has (or had - No idea if he still has it) a MK1 VRS and listed the repairs he has had on it - £800 on a new steering rack was a bit :eek:.
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That was me :D ...and my car is cursed so shouldn't be taken as a guide to the rest of them out there. The dealership said it was very rare for a steering rack to go. In fact it is in again today with a weird electrical niggle :rolleyes:

The engine, gearbox etc. has been fine on the whole just a couple of sensors that have needed replacing.

OP at your budget I would consider a mint mk1 rather than a leggy bottom of the pile mk2. If the mk1 isn't to your taste I'd consider something else altogether.
 
I'd be inclined to go for a mint mk1 the 1.8T is a brilliant engine, they're very commonly used in VW engines swaps and are pretty much bomb proof from what I've seen.
 
I did have a look at the ST220 and like it but my wife would not accept the huge drop in MPG from my current car. I am averaging about 57 MPG with my car and she will not be pleased if I go to a high 20s car.

My ideal car would be a EP3 type-R but she did not like the idea of it being 3-door.

I think I might have to test drive a Mk1 and see how I like it.

I haven't viewed any yet but there are a few high miles 1 owner Mk2s on autotrader at a little bit over my budget. I obviously don't mind increasing my budget a bit if it is a good example. Are they really that bad at high mileage because I am quite tempted by them.

I am quite handy with doing repairs myself and as a second car, I don't mind doing a bit of spannering if it goes wrong. Would a mint Mk1 be much more reliable than a high mile Mk2 I am wondering.
 
I tried to have a look at a couple of Mk2s over the weekend within my budget. One of them said they will meet me near my house but never turned up.

The one that I actually seen was bad... They told me over the phone that it was in good condition. Their standard of "good" must be pretty low. I travelled about 200 miles to see it and it turned out to be a complete dog. There's a patch of paint missing off the bumper. It's got tyres with names that I have never heard of, trims falling off in the interior. The engine bay is worse, there are bits of the air intake missing, the old filler cap is mangled and cannot be removed. Mayo near the dipstick and some of the wires obviously not been put back together correctly after being messed with. The same cambelt has been in the car for 120K according to the service history. It also chuck up a few sensor faults when I plugged the code reader in. They even have the cheek to ask for £500 on top of my car. A complete waste of time and fuel.

With that in mind, I have now given up on the Mk2 and am seriously thinking about a Mk1. I have seen a few 52 plates with about 70-80K on the clock which looks to be in decent condition. The 1 requirements that I must have is cruise control because I do most of my trips on the motorway. My questions are:

What are there to look out for on a Mk1?

I have done some research on Briskoda. They seem to say that all the problems e.g. coil packs are solved on the later models. Is a 52reg considered as late?

What are they like on the motorway in terms of fuel consumption? Is 40MPG realistic if I do 90% motorway at 70mph?

Thanks for all the advice so far, I really should have listened and have given up on the Mk2 long ago.

Is cruise control a rare option? I only seem to find retro fit guides and I have not seen any for sale with the option.
 
My MK1 cost me £3600ish. Two previous owners and 58k (at the time) on the clock.

I held out for a good one, looked at 3 or 4 before i bought the one i have now, having said that a couple that i looked at i turned away for being in black, I couldn't stand the thought of all the little scratches and dents that were more visible over another colour.

Its on just under 62k now. I've replaced the thermostat (£12ish - fitted myself). There has been a recent rattle developing however i think its the exhaust. Previous advisory was for corroded bracket on the centre section of the exhaust, i have a suspicion it has now given way. Can either get a "race tube" for £37 however i am thinking of a full system (Proflow - £200 custom fitted).

MPG wise expect mid-low 20's around town, if you drive it VERY gingerly on a run you will see over 35-40mpg!

There are lots of things people replace on them more so as upgrade really (Dogbone mount bush, rear ARB, remap etc). Mine came with a Forge DV and Intercooler, can't comment on what difference these make over a standard one though.

Coilpacks have actually been recalled (certain versions). Mine were replaced FOC by my local Skoda dealer. Just ring them up, give them the registration and they will tell you if you're eligible or not.

You can DIY Cruise Control or pay someone to do it. Awesome GTI will fit and supply the kit for £120. I'm sure there are some members on Briskoda that will fit it too. On the 1.8T there used to be two looms with the kit, they have changed it to one loom now so DIY fitting becomes even easier.

I'm already itching to tinker with it to get more out of it, 200bhp+ is very tempting :)

Heres my ongoing thread.

img4506ry.jpg


:)
 
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nicholas_yiu said:
What are there to look out for on a Mk1?

I have done some research on Briskoda. They seem to say that all the problems e.g. coil packs are solved on the later models. Is a 52reg considered as late?

What are they like on the motorway in terms of fuel consumption? Is 40MPG realistic if I do 90% motorway at 70mph?

Thanks for all the advice so far, I really should have listened and have given up on the Mk2 long ago.

Is cruise control a rare option? I only seem to find retro fit guides and I have not seen any for sale with the option.
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Don't worry about the coil packs. Your local dealer should replace them FOC if they aren't the latest revision.

No IMHO 40MPG isn't realistic. Sure you can get the trip computer to read in the 40's on a decent run but the reality will be mid to high 30's. Highest I have ever had over a tank was 39.6MPG and that was with me doing trips to Kings Lynn and back (1/3 70mph dual carriageway 2/3 40/50/60 single carriageway)

You probably did right to go and look at some mk2's, at least you won't be thinking that you did the wrong thing in a few months, always best to consider all options.

Cruise isn't all that common. My car wasn't listed as having it but it was a pleasant surprise when I went to have a look. A retrofit isn't too difficult and there are people that specialise in fitting cruise, Nav etc. to VAG cars as a mobile service. If not your local dealer could do i but maybe lightly more costly.
 
I just realised I made a mistake when searching for the Mk1s. I did not realised they are more commonly known as "RS" instead of "VRS". I have now 10+ quite good examples around my house.

There is a 05 with ~70K near me which looks to have xenon, parking sensors and cruise control from the picture for £4K.

There are also about 5-6 cars on 03-54 with no more than 80K around me for less than £3K but none of them looks to have many options on them.

That 05 plate looks perfect to me but I will end up having to pay money on top and I don't really need those options. Is it worth spending the extra cash or should I just go for a standard one and save the cash on good tyres?

I will hopefully find a good one by the end of the week with that many choices around my area.
 
nicholas_yiu said:
I just realised I made a mistake when searching for the Mk1s. I did not realised they are more commonly known as "RS" instead of "VRS". I have now 10+ quite good examples around my house.
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Don't think they are tbh.

I think thats just clueless traders / owners listing them wrongly.
 
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