Motoring Discussion > Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper?
Thread Author: Paul Robinson Replies: 40

 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Paul Robinson
The lease agreement for my 2016 Scout 184 bhp 4X4 DSG is due to end in just under 6 months. I've already extended the lease from 2 years to 3 as I've been very happy with the car. It looks like they will want about £14K if I want to buy it at the end of the contract. Heart says - it meets my needs very well, I enjoy driving it and would miss it if it goes. Head says £14k is a lot to spend on a 3 year old diesel that might start to get expensive to run before long....
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Falkirk Bairn
How many miles?
How confident are you about the reliability of the DSG?
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Duncan
With what would you replace it?

If the answer is - another one, then keep the one you've got.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Old Navy
What makes financial sense, 14K and and a good aftermarket warranty or another three year lease?
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Paul Robinson
Well that depends if there is still any life/value in the 2016 car at six years old and 72K?
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Mapmaker
>> Well that depends if there is still any life/value in the 2016 car at six
>> years old and 72K?

Work out how much it will cost you to run a new car for the next three years, and calculate the residual value your six year old car will need to have in order for it to be the same price as running the new car. Let us know the answer, my suspicion is that it will be a negative value!
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Paul Robinson
It'll have done about 38K at the end of the contract and I'll be doing about 12k pa going forward. I live in a rural area, so I'm not doing any short stop-start journeys.

It's the 6 speed wet clutch DSG which I know will need a £300 oil and filter change at year 4, but I'm fairly confident about the reliability.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - rtj70
Local Skoda dealer were advertising Superbs from £259pm on a lease with a £259 deposit. This will be for a base model. Colleagues have leased cars for similar prices too. There's no reason to go PCP to keep costs down - personal leases are cheap (at the moment).

In 6 months time the wait time on a new car might be a bit too long and you might have to keep the Octavia.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Fenlander
I think I've said before Paul the Scout has always attracted me as a very practical and down to earth 4x4 estate.

Currently seems through Ling another 3yr lease would total within a whisker of £14k so very much an equal comparison in basic cost to buy yours or lease again. If the £14k to buy is easy to do for you the decision on known outlay becomes even closer.

The variable becomes the cost of service/repairs on the current car vs retained value. If prices follow current trends I think a safe predicted bottom line value for the current car should be £6k.

You would be unlucky to spend that over 3yrs taking it to 72k as that's actually quite a modest mileage for that model at 6yrs old... the old 12k/yr is so often exceeded these days for cars that suit business use.

Say you allow an average £750/yr for service, MOT, repairs, tyres etc. That will leave you a fund of £3750 to either be a surplus if no big ticket repairs or cover them if you were unlucky. It has to be said though on that particular car major problem needing a new DSG box could swallow that. In truth if it were a manual I'd be more confident of coming out on top financially.

**Note to be 100% fair in the comparison I guess you could spend £1000 over the 3yrs of a new lease on service/tyres as you pay these yourself anyway.

As a matter of interest we've just taken out another Ling lease. Living away from home 23yr old daughter is hardly breaking even and when her 15yr old Polo gave up this summer... and with her having not a penny for a replacement... we went to Ling again for a Citroen C3. We didn't want to use any of our savings to buy her something but the monthly lease payment is not really noticed from income and it will give her a two year breather to get a better job so she can afford her own next time.

Just a note on the Skoda dealers offers. They are being a bit crafty and have three types of lease... the ones they tend to headline have a massive end balloon payment.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Wed 19 Sep 18 at 10:44
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - rtj70
One colleague has a high spec Volvo V90 for about £250pm over 2 years. Including deposit that's £6250. He gets a car allowance so makes money on the deal so to speak.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Fenlander
Not meaning any disrespect but I often find folks are very "forgetful" re prices they mention for leasing their cars. They might forget VAT, a massive initial payment or a massive final payment.

The true cost of leasing such a car is £400-£450/mth depending on spec with 3mths down. So actually nearer £11k over 2yrs would be an normal decent deal.

I'd say his deal would be nearer a bit over £250/mth plus VAT with an initial of something over £3000 plus VAT.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - rtj70
>> I'd say his deal would be nearer a bit over £250/mth plus VAT with an initial of something over £3000 plus VAT.

Are you saying I am lying?

He is paying around £250 - in fact I think it's less - per month. First month he paid an extra £250.

Another colleague is leasing a VW. That's also similar price. Initial payment was nearer £800 but the dealer itself refunded £500 of that.

These are straight leases and not PCP deals. There is no balloon payment at the end. Just hand the car back and if you've not exceeded annual mileage then nothing to pay.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Fenlander
>>>Are you saying I am lying?

Why would your posting of a friend's anecdotal and very atypical leasing costs amount to you lying? I merely point out common omissions the guy reporting his deal may have made.

However entirely within the usual costs for many reasonable VWs to be £250 inc vat on a 3+35 or 3+23 lease if you get a decent deal.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - rtj70
These are both 24+1 month deals. Neither had a deposit larger than £300 (one was less) and there is no final payment because they are leased and not PCP. They have not omitted any details - they both got very good deals.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Lygonos
Good lease deals pop up from time-to-time.

I have agreed a lease for a BMW 225xe Active Tourer with Total Motion for £239/mth for 18 months (1+17 with no other fees) - initially was £229 but only a £10 increase for Premium (pano sunroof, heated seats, front park sensors I believe).

List is around £35k, so around £4.3k for 18 months/12k miles in a new plug-in-hybrid is a bargain IMO.

Won't need tyres, service, or MOT in that time and a lot of the mileage will be cheap/free leccy.

Last edited by: Lygonos on Wed 19 Sep 18 at 15:58
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - rtj70
It's a shame some of these deals are unlikely to be around in a few years when I need the next car. Unless I get paid off via redundancy and need something sooner. Who knows what's around the corner.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Bobby
Seem to remember you saying you weren’t interested in these extra toys? If my car got written off tomorrow I would take that same deal! Be sure to give us regular updates.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Lygonos
>>Seem to remember you saying you weren't interested in these extra toys?

For £10 a month the missus gets a warm bum in winter, and hopefully the front corners of the car don't get "rounded off"

The roof is a good 'un, like the giant one on a Forester.

Am in the process of getting a charger for the house - I don't mind walking 5 minutes to the charge point to add 100 miles of range to the B250e, but there is zero chance she'd do the same for 20 miles of 'free' miles.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Thu 20 Sep 18 at 21:42
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Bobby
Keep us updated.
And let me know if you get a price to buy at end of lease?
What colour??
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Lygonos
>>And let me know if you get a price to buy at end of lease?

The lease agreement is explicit in that there is no option to buy at the end.

>>What colour??

White (no cost option) - metallic was another tenner a month.


Probably not a car I'd want to own outside warranty, but who knows?

The petrol engine (1.5 turbo 3 cyl) is pretty reliable by all accounts and the battery/motor on the rear is a detuned one-speed version of that in the front of the i8.

drivethedeal's current price for the same car is £26,935 (list is £34,995 although there is currently a £2,500 reduction due to the PHEV scheme)
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Bobby
White with pano roof. That will do me.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - rtj70
>>White with pano roof. That will do me.

But you'll have to buy this or another one elsewhere. Assume it will be over £20k still in 18 months.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Paul Robinson
Thank you 'Fenlander' that does confirm my own thoughts, that I should be a bit better off keeping it for another 3 years provided I can be reasonably confident of not too many problems. But if it does start to play up and I have to bail after a year or so then it will be expensive ...

Good luck with the C3 - you'll have to do a 'review' for us.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Fenlander
Yep that's about it... the potential saving is modest so you need a following wind to gain but would be very unlucky for it to cost more if you keep it.

C3... a very bread and butter car (this particular bread and butter topped with hundreds and thousands though)… but yes might chuck up a report.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Paul Robinson
Another factor is that I don't actually need anything as big and powerful as the scout ...
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Fenlander
Ahh well that opens up the decision process a little. If you were as happy with a Golf or Skoda Karoq (for example) with the 1.6Tdi... or maybe *even happier* if you'd like a smaller car... then you could budget the lease at £250/mth (35+3) costing £9500 so would be cheaper than keeping the old Scout even if it behaves... much much cheaper if it were to disgrace itself.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Lygonos
www.hotukdeals.com/deals/jaguar-xf-saloon-initial-payment-of-237589-followed-by-23-payments-of-26399-plus-234-doc-fee-3001905

Splash out on a Jag?
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Paul Robinson
Interesting... However, I do need an estate or h/back for the dog.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Paul Robinson
'Opens up the decision process' as in confuses things further! Also I could spend much more money, but strangely now I can afford to do that nothing is really tempting me.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Fenlander
>>> could spend much more money, but strangely now I can afford to do that nothing is really tempting me.

Yes that does take this somewhat from decision to confusion. I'd assumed from your comment on the Scout being more powerful and larger than you needed that you were tipping towards something like a Golf class car.

If you have a dog I'd keep to the lower loadspace entry of an estate.

Although I'm not going to spend as much as you I have a similar issue in some ways re the old 5-series being much larger than we need now... and more crucially much longer than ideal for much of its use. So my aim when I do change is to go shorter but taller to try and maintain loadspace volume. Such as a late 2000s shape B-class... however unpopular they are in some circles.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Wed 19 Sep 18 at 13:39
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Paul Robinson
After having the Volvo S80 I'd agree with Clarkson's comment in his Sunday Times review this week 'most of the time, big cars are annoying'. One of the things I like about the Octavia is that you get a lot of space within still fairly compact external dimensions. I don't actually need that much space but it is nice to have.

So, a tardis would be good and I follow your logic with the B-class
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Lygonos
"Just ordered an Octavia 1.0TSI SE Tech with DSG in optional white for £158.00 a month with £1000 initial and £500 dealer contribution, over 2 years and 8000 miles a year.

Very impressed how quiet the 3 cylinder engine is and matched with the DSG auto gearbox.
Dealer was Fish Brothers Swindon, ask for Nick."



www.hotukdeals.com/comments/permalink/35158275


Wouldn't expect a whole stack more to increase to 12k miles.

 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Fenlander
>>>Wouldn't expect a whole stack more to increase to 12k miles.

Usually around £15-£25/mth extra to up from 8-12k mls on such a class of car.

Last edited by: Fenlander on Wed 19 Sep 18 at 15:24
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Paul Robinson
Thanks for this Lygonos - I have another 6 months on the contract so too early to enter into another agreement, but I will keep an eye on this site.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Fenlander
Regardless of the exact pricing examples above and our experience shows leasing has become a real option for the private person.

I have a contact in a major premium dealership at business manager level (i.e. sales manager) and their ability to "dump" this or that car at certain times that hides the huge discount from the average punter walking into the place is jaw dropping. Leasing is one such way.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Boxsterboy
Yes, good leasing deals is how 'premium' brands disguise discounts that lesser brands give up-front.

The beauty of PCP leasing, personal contract hire, etc. is that the costs are known up front for the next 2/3 years. In the good old days of buying, and then trading in for a new car there was always the uncertainty of the haggle on the part-exchange.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Paul Robinson
Just in case anyone is interested - Update, back in September when I posted this, I'd been given a verbal indication that extending the contract for year 4 would be a lot more expensive (due to projected residuals), now we have got to the point when they can give me a proper formal extension offer, it's over £55 per month less than I have been paying. So, I've done that! I now have another year to decide if I want to buy it ....
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Paul Robinson
To bring you up to date (in case anyone is interested), I extended the lease for yr 4 then bought it for £12K. I've taken care to have all the routine servicing done including the DSG fluid change and hadlex fluid change, cam belt, water pump change and I've had the front discs and pads done. I have always run it on premium fuel.

So, it had its 6th birthday last month and is still with me! Like most people, the last 2 years have seen a reduction in mileage, so it's currently about 65,000. It's the longest I've ever owned a car in the last 46 years, but hopefully it will be with me for a bit longer.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Lygonos
Good stuff - hope it keep purring along.

Leasing has gone up the swannie as a source of much cheapness in the past year with supply problems meaning manufacturers can get close to RRP for most of their sales.

If you stick your car's details into cazoo (or even WBAC.com) you may find your last couple of years' motoring has seen very little depreciation.
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Lygonos
In fact I have done just that:

I found a 65-plate in the same spec on Autotrader, and using its no plate Cazoo are offering £13,600 for it with 60k miles in 'good' condition.

Quids in ;-)
 Skoda - Skoda Octavia Scout - is it a keeper? - Dave_
I've got the same car, same age but in vRS flavour. I've had it for two years now having paid £10,700 for it in 2020 (it had done 100,000 miles). I'm struggling to justify changing it; I use most of the bootspace and most of the performance regularly. It's had only regular maintenance and also doesn't seem to have depreciated at all!
Last edited by: Dave_ on Sun 10 Apr 22 at 22:10
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